Okay, Listen Here

Okay, Listen Here

Friday, February 10, 2012

Colors!


Is there really anything more wonder-filled than a brand new box of crayons? Oh how I love me some color! And my favorite is……Periwinkle! Cornflower runs a close second, but Periwinkle is always the first out of the box. And that means I get to buy the big box! No 12 or 24 packs for me, no sirree! Periwinkle, also known as #C5D0E6 was introduced by Crayola in 1949 and put into the 48 pack of crayons. And whoever came up with this delicious mix of color love, you’re on my would-like-to-meet list of noteworthy people.

What is it about a box of crayons that is so delightful and fun and exhilarating? Is it the memory of their wonder from kindergarten days gone by? Is it the way they smell or the way they feel in your hand? Is it that you can simply peel away the label to find more coloring supply right at your fingertips? Who can explain the psychology of the simple crayon? I certainly can’t. But when someone’s sick, that’s exactly what I get them…a coloring book and a brand new box of crayons. It does the trick every time….gets them in a happy frame of mind and heals them right up. Because really, who can be anything but happy with a crayon in hand, touching that newsprint paper and making it come alive with beauty?

Are you like me, fascinated with the names of crayons? Where, oh where, do they come up with these? Most are pretty self-explanatory, but a few make me wonder. Take, for instance, the name Cerulean. Ok, so the word itself is derived from blue. I get that. But the five year old inside of me does not comprehend what a cerulean could possibly be without actually seeing it. But think of it. The word cerulean is magnificent. It rolls off the tongue with pure ease. Sir-ooo-lee-an. It’s heavenly and divine. And yep! That’s all part of its definition and origin. Funny, huh!

Then take Cerise. Cer-wha…? It’s a deeper red than cherry red, is what it is, French in origin. And that name hasn’t been around in the color world for very long, only since the mid 1800s. But my inner child balks at the word Cerise. Why not Cherrier-Cherry Red or Double Trouble Red, she says? “Hey Charlie, can I use that Double Trouble Red crayon please?” That sounds alright, right? But if I say, “Charlie, honey, can I borrow your Cerise crayon?” Well, my fellow kindergartener’s liable to cock an eye at me, give me a hard stare and run away, taking his 96 box of gleaming color with him! So I don’t know about this one. But I sure would like to have a cup of tea with the Crayon Namers to pick their brains and find out what’s what with the naming process of my beloved crayons. You know they have to be an interesting bunch of people! Color Physicists, likely!

Periwinkle, Periwinkle, my true love, Periwinkle. A few years ago Clair decided a box of Periwinkle Crayola Crayons would be the perfect gift for me. (Aww! Right?) She was sorely disappointed that she could purchase entire boxes of basic colors, but not the King of Color, Periwinkle. And so she set out with a new box of 64, and wrote a lovely sentiment in her tiniest handwriting on the different colors in the box. Of course, Periwinkle was the first one out of the box. King Periwinkle reigns in my box of color love. But this particular box of crayons will forever remain intact and unused. I will, however, read their labels over and over and over again, to fill my life with the kind of happiness only a box of colors can bring.

So…..what’s your favorite color in the box?

12 comments:

  1. Oh, what a great child you have!

    I am right there with you on the crayons (I called them "colors"). Of course, I got smaller boxes, but several times I got the big box of 64 with the built in sharpener. I loved them. I took care of them. I was not the kind to dump them in a cigar box and let them get broken, so my mother was willing to buy me new when they started looking sad. Still, the 64 wasn't enough. Know why? Because an even bigger box was advertised on Captain Kangaroo. It was flat and the crayons lay in neat rows. The sharpener was hand held. I don't know how many were in the box. Maybe 120. I wanted that. I wanted it bad. I can still remember standing in the toy department at W.T. Grant downtown, begging for it, and my mother saying, "Honey, they don't have it. We've looked before. It is not in this town. It's this or nothing." I also remember dragging her to look at that big box on television and her telling that knowing it exists didn't make her able to get it for me.

    In these days of the Internet, she'd get me that giant flat box.

    All this, and I have no art skill.

    This was in the days when "flesh" was beige.

    My favorite? I loved the silver and gold one. I also liked "maize" but, hands down, the sparky copper one was my favorite.

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  2. http://www.amazon.com/Binney-Smith-52-6920-Crayola-Original/dp/B00000J0NT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328881293&sr=8-1

    But wait! There's more!

    http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-52-0029-150-Count-Telescoping-Sharpener/dp/B000EYF6TM/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1328881388&sr=1-1

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    1. And see....that's the greatness of a box of colors....no art skills required! ;)

      And Jean, the sole purpose of me having money as a child was to buy more crayons. Well, that and star stickers. I was obsessed with star stickers for reasons unknown to me. Like you, I kept my colors neat and tidy, sharpened, ordered, and ready for fun. Library order started early for us, I guess! :D

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    2. A tower? Ooh! I might need a tower!

      Oh and check this out....the fun has only just started! V got one of these for Christmas. Ok. I got it for Christmas, for V. I think. That's my story, anyway. Though, come to think of it, has Clair had the most fun with it?

      http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Crayon-Maker-Story-Studio/dp/B004Z1JUJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1328886896&sr=1-1

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  3. I loved my big box of colors! And yes Jean, I remember those big boxes that Captain Kangaroo advertised! I loved Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Greenjeans. What memories....BB, Mr. Moose, the rabbit with the glasses (I can't remember his name - funny he wore those glasses when all he did was trick the captain out of carrots).

    I think my favorite colors were the blues, mostly the teal ones. To this day that is probably my favorite. I was always making the sky the wrong color of blue (third grade was hard) because I loved the teal.

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    1. Bunny Rabbit - that was his name. Yea! I don't have to walk around all day trying to remember his name.

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    2. I LOVED Mr Greenjeans!!! I vaguely remember the Captain. All I could see was Mr G! There was a rabbit...? I don't remember a rabbit at all. Looks like a trip to Youtube is in order.....

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    3. Grandfather Clock! Dancing Bear. My mother always believed Dancing Bear and Mr. Greenjeans were one in the same since you never saw them together. Remember how they used to do the books? And such good books too. Make Way for Ducklings comes to mind. The Five Chinese Brothers.

      Lesia, sorry we've made your crayon blog about Captain Kangaroo. It was my life. She would get me up, put me on the sofa with a blanket, and bring my breakfast to me. One over easy egg and a piece of toast.

      Can you tell I was a late life baby?

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    4. No worries, Jean. I'm certain a lot of coloring went on to make the Captain and Mr G come to life, even in black and white! ;)

      That said, here's a colorful song for your memories....

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSW-LJJHH3U

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  4. I like goldenrod. It's so pretty and yellow.

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    Replies
    1. Really? No Beaver, Cerise, Cerulean, Persimmon or Fuzzy Wuzzy? Dang! What about Inchworm or Outer Space? Don't you like those too? Huh? Huh? Huh?

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  5. My favorite color is green. Plain, simple,uncomplicated green. I like lots of other colors but the green gets me every time!

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