Crayola's nostalgic limited edition packs bring back 'lost' colours retired since 1990 – plus a Million Crayon Giveaway

Crayola is peak art nostalgia for many. Most have fond memories of childhood crayon-ing sessions that probably helped to fuel a lifelong creative spark. And Crayola is tapping into that with its latest project. The art brand is bringing back retired colours as a limited edition pack across crayons, markers and pencils. Not only that, but they are also running a 'Million Crayon Giveaway' in celebration of US National Crayon Day (no, I'm ashamed to say we didn't know that was a thing either) – on March 31.

The boxes of Limited Edition Retired Colors 8-Count Crayon Pack (and the pencils and markers, too) include eight colours that haven't been on sale for decades, including some fan favourites. These are Dandelion (retired in 2017); Blizzard Blue, Magic Mint and Mulberry (retired in 2003); and Orange Red, Violet Blue, Lemon Yellow and Raw Umber (retired in 1990). Pretty exciting. – some of these haven't been on sale since 1990! See them below – and text LIMITED to 40663 to get notifications of where you can buy the swag and try out some new colour theory.

You can sign up for The Million Crayon Giveaway immediately, and be in with a chance of filling a free 32-count crayon box with your most loved colours from the 'Pick Your Pack' wall in a Crayola store. Those retired colours will even be available as part of the giveaway.

The popularity of these retired crayon shouldn't be underestimated – Reddit is full of fans reminiscing about their own favourite lost colours – and they're also excited about the limited edition packs, with a lengthy discussion underway about where exactly to find them currently. Some have had success already, FYI, with Michael's suggested as an option.

If you're more of a digital artist, see our best laptops for digital art, and our best drawing tablets roundups.