Crayola launches skin-tone box of crayons

CRAYOLA has launched skin-tone coloured crayons so all children can “accurately colour themselves into the world”.

The company has launched a new pack of 24 crayons called “Colours of the World” representing 40 different shades of skin.

Rich Wuerthele, Crayola’s chief executive said: “With the world growing more diverse than ever before, Crayola hopes our new Colours of the World crayons will increase representation and foster a greater sense of belonging and acceptance.

“We want the new crayons to advance inclusion within creativity and impact how kids express themselves.”

The firm worked with Victor Casale, a former chief chemist at make-up brand MAC and co-founder of Cover FX, to develop the product.

It was unveiled for presale yesterday ahead of it being stocked in Walmart, the US retail chain, from July.

The launch coincided with the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, which aims to promote inclusion around the world.

Crayola said the pack, which took more than eight months to develop, is currently exclusive to the US but there could be potential for it to come to the UK in the future.

Mr Casale said his passion for the project came from his own experience of mixing pink and dark crayons as a child in an effort to recreate his own skin tone.

He added: “I have spent my life trying to create truly global shade palettes because I know what it’s like to be with a person who has finally found their exact match.

“They feel included and recognised, and I am hoping every child who uses these crayons and finds their shade will have that feeling.”

Crayola launched its first multicultural crayon pack in 1992.