Articles & Features

The Big Boxes

The introduction of the 96 count “big” box in the early 1990s led to many variations and color assemblies. Let’s take a look.

1992 - Big Box

Wrapper Type 8a

With the introduction of their first name the colors contest, they inserted 16 unamed crayons into the box - allowing everyone to color with them and then submit names for the new colors.  The winning results would then appear in later boxes.  Orginal colors in this box are:

apricot, aquamarine, atomic tangerine, bittersweet, black, blizzard blue, blue, blue green, blue violet, brick red, brown, burnt orange, burnt sienna, cadet blue, carnation pink, cerulean, copper, cornflower, dandelion, electric lime, fuchsia, forest green, gold, goldenrod, gray, green, green yellow, hot magenta, indian red, jungle green, laser lemon, lavender, magenta, magic mint, mahogany, maroon, midnight blue, melon, mulberry, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #1, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #2, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #3, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #4, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #5, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #6, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #7, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #8, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #9, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #10, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #11, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #12, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #13, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #14, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #15, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #16, navy blue, neon carrot, olive green, orchid, orange, outrageous orange, peach, periwinkle, pine green, plum, purple pizzazz, radical red, raw sienna, razzle dazzle rose, red, red orange , red violet, royal purple, salmon, screamin’ green, sea green, sepia, shocking pink, silver, sky blue, spring green, sunglow, tan, teal blue, thistle, turquoise blue, unmellow yellow, violet (purple), violet red, vivid tangerine, white, wild strawberry, wild watermelon, yellow, yellow green, yellow orange

1993 - Big Box

Wrapper Type 8a

One of the exceptions, this particular box removed the banner from the upper right but didn't change anything in terms of crayons.  This wouldn't happen in a box again until 2003!

1993 - Big Box (Limited Edition)

Wrapper Type 8a

This was the revealing of the contest to “name the colors.”  The 16 colors that were renamed used a special wrapper that identified each color name and the name of the winner.  This interim wrapper would later be dropped and those colors adopted to a standard wrapper type.

Removed:  Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #1, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #2, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #3, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #4, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #5, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #6, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #7, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #8, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #9, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #10, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #11, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #12, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #13

Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #14, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #15, Name coming soon! NEW COLOR #16

Added:  asparagus #7, cerise #3, denim #11, granny smith apple #8, macaroni and cheese #5, mauvelous #15, pacific blue #16, purple mountain's majesty #9, razzmatazz #13, robin's egg blue #2, shamrock #12, tickle me pink #4, timber wolf #10, tropical rain forest #1, tumbleweed #6, wisteria #14

1994 - Big Box (Tippy Grabbing crayons)

Wrapper Type 8a

This is the box where the contest colors are finally incorporated as standard wrapper type colors and are represented in every single 96 box from this point on.  That is essentially the only difference.

Removed:  asparagus #7, cerise #3, denim #11, granny smith apple #8, macaroni and cheese #5, mauvelous #15, pacific blue #16, purple mountain's majesty #9, razzmatazz #13, robin's egg blue #2, shamrock #12, tickle me pink #4, timber wolf #10, tropical rain forest #1, tumbleweed #6, wisteria #14

Added:  asparagus, cerise, denim, granny smith apple, macaroni and cheese, mauvelous, pacific blue, purple mountain's majesty, razzmatazz, robin's egg blue, shamrock, tickle me pink, timber wolf, tropical rain forest, tumbleweed, wisteria

1995 - Big Box (100 Billionth)

Wrapper Type 8a

This marks the last of the 8a wrapper types and also the introduction of a special commemorative crayon.  This crayon appeared only in this version of the 96 boxes and was a special wrapper design.   But, if you are going to add a one-time crayon, you have to remove something to fit it in, right?  So, what was the lucky crayon to get dropped?  unmellow yellow!

Removed:  unmellow yellow

Added:  blue ribbon

1997 - Big Box (orange Tippy)

Wrapper Type 8b

Interestingly, not only did they swap out wrapper types with this box, but they also made some minor color changes at the same time.  Some of these only appear in the a couple of boxes and then they end up going back to what they used before.  This is the case with blue green vs. blue-green, purple mountain's majest vs. purple mountain majesty, and violet vs. violet (purple).  Go figure.  On the bright side, our friend unmellow yellow is back.

Removed:  blue green, blue ribbon, purple mountain's majesty, screamin' green, violet (purple)

Added:  blue-green, purple mountain majesty, screamin green, unmellow yellow, violet (purple)

1997 - Big Box (orange Tippy with introducing Color Slicks and Construction Paper)

Wrapper Type 8b

Lot of changes here.  First, this is the last box that features 8b exclusively.  Also, this is where they first introduce the concept of featuring special effect crayons into this size box.  The idea is probably by putting a sampling of these, you'll also want to rush right out and buy a full box of those special effect crayons.  The two samplings they introduce with this box are Color Slicks and Construction Paper.  Each has four representative colors.  Of course, when you put in something, you have to take out something, so we have a lot of colors being added and dropped as a result.  Hey, and while their at it, why not slip in some other new colors and do some more minor renaming.  This is where chestnut, indigo, scarlet get introduced.  It's also where aquamarine and indian red depart for good.  Violet also departs for good, having been renamed to this just a couple versions earlier.  timber wolf went through a change and got consolidated to a single word: timberwolf (is that in the dictionary?).  Once again, our friend unmellow yellow becomes one of the "volunteer" removals.

Removed:  aquamarine, electric lime, indian red, neon carrot, radical red, razzle dazzle rose, screamin green, sunglow, thistle, timber wolf, unmellow yellow, violet, wild watermelon

Added:  chestnut, Color Slicks - blue, Color Slicks - green, Color Slicks - red, Color Slicks - yellow, Construction Paper <blue>, Construction Paper <green>, Construction Paper <red>, Construction Paper <yellow>, indigo, scarlet, timberwolf, violet (purple)

1999 - Crayola Crayons 96 box (featuring Metallic FX and Gel FX)

Wrapper Type 8b & 9

Well, they started dropping the "Big Box" name on their 96 boxes with this verision.  There is actually another version of this box that has different feature crayons.  I don't personally have it but I suspect it is the same with the exception of the feature crayon colors swapped out differently.  Perhaps somebody can confirm that for sure thought - they surely liked to sneak in changes on these boxes all the time. 

These versions also introduced a mock window for the first time.  In terms of what is inside, once again, you'd think that it would only be the featured special effect crayons changing but they also went back on the blue-green change to the original of blue green and they went back to the original purple mountain's majesty.  You wonder why they bothered to change these in the first place!

Removed:  blue-green, Color Slicks - blue, Color Slicks - green, Color Slicks - red, Color Slicks - yellow, Construction Paper <blue>, Construction Paper <green>, Construction Paper <red>, Construction Paper <yellow>, purple mountain majesty

Added:  blue green, Gel FX <blue>, Gel FX <green>, Gel FX <orange>, Gel FX <yellow>, Metallic FX - big dip o' ruby, Metallic FX - cyber grape, Metallic FX - sheen green, Metallic FX - steel blue, purple mountain's majesty

2002 - Discover 100 Years of Color (96 crayon box with a 4 crayon plastic bag tucked inside also)

Wrapper Type 8b & 9

A special commemorative box design for the 100th year celebration of Crayola.  To get 100 though, they just took a 96 box and added four new colors in a special plastic type wrap container.  Idea is that we have 4 new colors that will get renamed.  It also allows some colors to come back since they dropped the special effect crayons for this version.  Yes, our friend unmellow yellow is back!

Removed:  Gel FX <blue>, Gel FX <green>, Gel FX <orange>, Gel FX <yellow>, Metallic FX - big dip o' ruby, Metallic FX - cyber grape, Metallic FX - sheen green, Metallic FX - steel blue

Added:  crayon #1, crayon #2, crayon #3, crayon #4, electric lime, neon carrot, radical red, razzle dazzle rose, screamin green, sunglow, unmellow yellow, wild watermelon

2002 - Crayola Crayons 96 box (Smile window)

Wrapper Type 8b & 9

Best way to describe the design change here is that they went to a very recognizable "smile" mock window characterized by a distinct shadowing at the bottom to give the appearance of a lower lip.  WIth subsequent designs, that shadowing effect is removed.  Inside, there is a lot going on here with the colors.  You sure wouldn't know it by looking at the box.  But with the return of the special effect crayons and the official new named crayons inside this, it means a much different lineup of colors.  And, since you have have to go from a 100 color box back to the normal 96 colors, some have to go.  Yep, you guessed it - our friend unmellow yellow is one of those volunteers.  But wait, what colors got "retired" to allow for the new colors?  They were blizzard blue, magic mint, mulberry, and teal blue. The others are merely our "volunteers" that seem to come and go.  So, what were the new colors?  inch worm, jazzberry jam, mango tango, wild blue yonder.

Removed:  blizzard blue, crayon #1, crayon #2, crayon #3, crayon #4, electric lime, magic mint, mulberry, neon carrot, radical red, razzle dazzle rose, screamin green, sunglow, teal blue, unmellow yellow, wild watermelon

Added:  Gel FX <blue>, Gel FX <green>, Gel FX <orange>, Gel FX <yellow>, inch worm, jazzberry jam, mango tango, Metallic FX - big dip o' ruby, Metallic FX - cyber grape, Metallic FX - sheen green, Metallic FX - steel blue, wild blue yonder

2003 - Crayola Crayons 96 box (Nickelodean)

Wrapper Type 8b& 9

Seemingly all they did was add a new promotion to the box (a stencil inside with a character from one of the Nickelodean cartoons - mine was Tommy from Rugrats) but inside, again a lot of colors have shifted around.  They decided to take out all the special effect crayons on this one and thus, back are many familiar names.  I'm happy to report our friend unmellow yellow is back....again!  Interestingly too, those renamed 4 colors from the 100th anniversary still have the unusual wrappers - yes, they are a type 9 but they are white and decorated like a anniversary celebration.  Wonder if they'll keep these that way permanent?

Removed:  Gel FX <blue>, Gel FX <green>, Gel FX <orange>, Gel FX <yellow>, Metallic FX - big dip o' ruby, Metallic FX - cyber grape, Metallic FX - sheen green, Metallic FX - steel blue

Added:  electric lime, neon carrot, radical red, razzle dazzle rose, screamin green, sunglow, teal blue, unmellow yellow, wild watermelon

2003 - Crayola Crayons 96 box (State Your Color)

Wrapper Type 8b& 9

Well, everything new about the design of this box!  Nothing new about the colors though.  They are exactly the same as the one prior but obviously with another promotion to name some more crayons (this time colors associated with states), it looks like we'll have some new boxes and colors coming up!  Question is, what colors will make way for the new colors?  I suspect unmellow yellow will be leading the group!

General Observations

Ok, the only other box of this size I didn't mention here was the True Blue Hero box.  I don't have one so I don't know what is in it or when it came out to know where to interject it into this feature.  Outside of that I don't know of any other from this series.  Sure, there are larger boxes and other boxes that had 96 (like the one with the plastic carrying case).  I chose to just focus on like box size and shape.  Also, I didn't get into the Canadian 96 boxes.  I didn't feel that I had enough of them to do it justice.  I personally only have two of them and I only know of five in total - I suspect there were probably a few others I've never seen too.  It might take awhile to add a Canadian analysis to this feature.

Also, here we are several years out and still using a mix of 8b and 9 wrapper types.  I note that the ones still with 8b are those colors that are probably only in the biggest boxes and therefore they might not have needed to switch them out yet since they don't sell nearly as many of those as they would of the ones included in the 64 box, etc.  (just a guess though)