To quote the great poet Robert Frost, “Nothing gold can stay.” When it comes to Crayola, apparently, a more accurate saying is, “Nothing maize can stay.” (This could have been the public relations campaign when they decided to get rid of the yellowish color, along with seven other classics, in 1990.) But truth be told, the Crayola company (which, of course, makes the crayons so many of us have used for decades to create fabulous refrigerator art) rarely changes its color lineup. In fact, since Binney and Smith Company released its first box of eight crayons in 1903, it has officially retired only 13 colors, many of which were brought back by popular demand. Crayola Hall of Fame On Crayola’s official site, they share a timeline of what they call “retired colors,” which they began in 1990. “For the first time in Crayola history, eight colors were retired and placed in the Crayola Hall of Fame: blue gray, green blue, lemon yellow, maize, orange red, orange yellow, raw umber, and violet blue. Eight new colors were added: cerulean, dandelion, fuchsia, jungle green, royal purple, teal blue, vivid tangerine, and wild strawberry.” Thirteen years later, they did another retire-and-replace, this time with only four colors. “Celebrating a century of bringing color to the world, Crayola introduced four new colors named by Crayola fans! To make room for the new hues, we bid farewell to blizzard blue, magic mint, mulberry, and teal blue. The four new colors that were introduced are: inchworm, jazzberry jam, mango tango, and wild blue yonder.” At the time, Crayola fans were so outraged that they voted in a “Save the Shade” campaign to ensure burnt sienna “stayed in the pack.” Dandelion, where have you gone? Crayola retired another color in 2017. “To mark National Crayon Day on March 31st, we announced Dandelion was leaving the pack. To honor this iconic color, we sent Dandelion on a retirement tour to his favorite places. His replacement, Bluetiful, was announced on May 5, 2017.” In early 2026, however, Crayola appeased the masses and brought Dandelion back to the pack! On Threads, a five-part discourse began after a user named John Paul (@notjohnflores) explained how important the colors seemed to be to Crayola customers. “In 1990, Crayola retired eight crayon colors. Grown adults formed protest groups,” he wrote. He then shared the crayon colors: “Raw umber, lemon yellow, maize, blue gray, green blue, orange red, orange yellow, and violet blue went into what the company called the Crayola Hall of Fame.” Picketing the headquarters What happened next was a heartfelt, yet hilarious response. “Two groups formed to fight it. RUMPS, for raw umber and maize preservation, and the National Campaign to Save Lemon Yellow. They picketed the headquarters,” he shares. He then notes that Crayola listened to their pleas, even though they were partly in jest. “Crayola brought the retired eight back for a short run in a commemorative tin. It sold out. Nobody at that company expected adults to care about a crayon they had not held in thirty years.” The Thread drew hundreds of comments, with people sharing the colors they miss or feel they can’t do without. One emphatically shares, “I will clutch my pearls for periwinkle. That was my favorite.” Another shares how the colors helped shape their taste, so to speak: “I loved ‘midnight blue.’ I found super cute LEATHER pumps a few weeks ago in the exact shade. Do I wear heels anymore? Nope. Did I buy them? Yup.” And this Threader warns, “If cerulean disappears, I’ll never buy a product again.” Obsessive collection One commenter notes that a customer was so enamored with the crayon color Dandelion that Crayola invited her to the headquarters. “Have you seen the girl who is obsessed with Dandelion? She has a massive collection and Crayola invited her to tour the company and then they brought Dandelion back, I’m sure because of her.” If nothing else, this story makes it clear that Crayon colors are serious business for all ages. The post Crayola has retired just 13 colors in 123 years. The first 8 led to protests. appeared first on Upworthy.