Letter to Crayola

Dear Crayola,

For an assignment in one of my classes in college, a friend of mine changed a picture of a box of your crayons in Photoshop to have 55 peach crayons and 5 brown ones. He then changed the label on the front of the box to read "Emerson College Diversity Crayons." He was making a statement about the overwhelming population of caucasian students in comparison to the relatively small population of minorities attending our school. Since he removed the Crayola label, the picture did not attest to your stance on diversity, but it did get me thinking... what exactly is Crayola's stance on the diversification of the United States? If the variety of colors in your boxes are any indication, it would tell me that you're all for it. But if that's the case, what race/nationality does, say, "periwinkle blue" represent? What about "hot magenta?" I would appreciate a bit of clarity on this matter.

Sincerely,
Nick Tully


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Dear Nick,

Thank you for your e-mail. Most of our color names are taken from the Universal Color Language and Dictionary of Names published by the U.S. Bureau of Standards. We use this reference guide because everyone sees and expresses color differently. Using the Universal dictionary as a base, we can refer to a standard color system and color names.

We make a variety of Crayola Multicultural products which contain an assortment of skin tone colors found around the world. This product line includes items such as paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils and clay. These products are generally sold through teacher supply stores, educational retailers and distributors.

Crayola Multicultural products were introduced in response to feedback provided by consumers and educators. The chosen hues come from our standard color selection and represent skin, hair and eye tones of the world. The multicultural crayon pack enables teachers to prepare students to be citizens in a global age by helping them understand and appreciate differences within cultures in an affordable box size.

Multiculturalism is an important issue in early childhood education today because it is important for each child to build a positive sense of self and to respect the cultural diversity in others.

We appreciate your interest in Binney & Smith and Crayola products.

Sincerely,
Karen Kelly
Consumer Relations Representative