Posted on 10/13/2004 7:18:08 AM PDT by ChewedGum
The lovely Queen (May She Live Forever) and I are now administering the children's ministry at our church. As we were gathering supplies for last week's classes, we discovered a new product by Crayola which I had never seen before:
I fondly remember coloring in my early years. My favorite color was always brick red, although I have no idea why. (Possibly because it was one of the few cool colors that came in the 24 pack, which is all my family could ever afford. My choice might have been different if the assortment of 64 had fit within the school supply budget of a school teacher's salary.)
Back in those days of old, coloring skin usually involved peach, brown or indian red. I suppose creative moods would occasionally allow less conventional choices but for the most part it was those three. No one ever used the white crayon. I'm convinced that it was only there to create invisible patterns on Easter eggs prior to dying them.
But now, the children of America, armed with a pack of Multicultural Crayons, can color flesh with confidence. Race, ethnicity, even exposure to the sun is no longer an obstacle, although the omission of sunburn could be taken as a slight by those of us who are more sensitive to ultraviolet rays.
I'm sure you are as curious as I was regarding which colors reside within this politically correct box. Your wish is my command:
Disappointing? Slightly. All of these are ordinary colors which were available to me in the early 70s. Granted, they couldn't just come out with specific (and offensive) colors like caucasian, Oglala Sioux, east Kenyan or mulatto. But the biggest disappointment is the inclusion of the useless stick of wax they call white. Perhaps albino would be a better name for this color.
Oh and FYI, good old indian red is no more. The name was changed in 1999:
In response to educators' requests, “Indian red” is renamed “chestnut.” Contrary to popular belief, the original name of this color was not meant to represent the skin color of Native Americans. Instead, the name referred to a reddish pigment from India that was often used in oil paints.
Of course, this is only the 8-pack. There is also a 16-pack which adds olive green, raw sienna, cerulean, silver, goldenrod, salmon, burnt orange and periwinkle.
I wish I had this set instead. The salmon could very well double for sunburn. Plus the complete package does not discriminate against Tin Men (silver), the Blue Man Group (cerulean) or those who are no longer breathing (periwinkle).
Can I borrow your cerulean? My periwinkle is down to a nub.
For crying out loud.
What, no Albino?
LOL!
*I* am Light Beige, with an Ash Blonde pelt.
In the summer, I am Light Beige with Tan Points, ( save for the area behind my glasses which remains light... think "Racoon in Negative")
My daughter loves the periwinkle
Depending on the time of the year, I vary amongst white, porcelain, off-white, eggshell, ecru, oatmeal, and nasal-spray box white.
Periwinkle and Cerulean are not colors. They are characters in the next Harry Potter book. :)
But I was notoriously overly literal as a little kid.
Crayola changed the name of the "flesh" crayon to "peach" in 1962.
Man I so much used to look upon that great box of 64 and wish also. I new we could not afford that big box. I knew better than ask. Now that I am much older I am glad my family could not afford that big box because I learned about the real things in life that are priceless
LOL!
I have the same memory.
Absolutely true. In fact, here's a pic of me in the wintertime ----->
My favorite color is clear. It was my high school color.
I guess Prang didn't have a marketing strategy like Crayola. I don't see those crayons any more.
You can buy custom boxes of 64 now:
http://www.crayola.com/crayolastore/wizards/boxmain.cfm?boxid=0
Using them WILL hone your eye for color to where you can see the difference between light turquoise and pure aqua.
~~sigh~~ trivia no one really needs
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