Activities
Crayola Color Escapes, Geometric
papers, and special adhesives,” explains Trivisonno. “With this, you can pick up a colored pencil or a marker and you can choose tools that are readily available to you. It’s kind of like the low-hanging fruit of hobby items— everything is right there in front of you.” While some parents may choose to dig through their son or daughter’s pencil box in pursuit of some crayons to use on their new coloring book, other adults may elect to purchase new tools just for them. From colored pencils to dual-tip fine line markers, manufacturers and retailers alike report rising sales of creative products thanks to an uptick in popularity of adult coloring books. Faber-Castell has multiple product ranges for consumers at all different creativity levels, from products designed for children to those meant for professional artists. Every product is fade-resistant and color-matched across all lines, so whether consumers choose to begin with a set of children’s colored pencils or one from the pro series, they will always be able to find the same colors. “It makes it very easy to transition from one brand to the next,” says Trivisonno. As the trend continues, the books are popping up at unlikely retailers, including clothing and gift store Urban Outfitters. “We’re trying to balance providing service to our customers that have had the product in stores for a long time and serve new busi-
ness as well,” explains Trivisonno. “We’re struggling and trying to keep our inventory robust. It’s taken off far quicker than we ever thought it would, and keeping up with that demand has been crazy.”
EVEN MORE OPTIONS In September, Crayola launched Color Escapes, a line of four coloring kits for adults sold exclusively online. Each of the four kits includes 12 11- by 17-inch prints, a set of colored pencils, and a set of fine line markers or watercolor pencils. Consumers can choose between four themes: geometric, kaleidoscope, nature, or animals. Some prints feature heavy lines and simple patterns, while others are more intricate and detailed, allowing consumers with a range of experience and ability to engage with the product. All kits, however, include classic Crayola products. “They are the same formula that we sell to children, but that’s OK,” says Craig Skinner, director of innovation and business development at Crayola. “Our current Crayola colored pencil performance rivals some ‘fine art’ colored pencils.” Unlike Basford’s books, the Crayola Color Escapes prints are all unbound, free-standing prints. “While books are very portable, we wanted to create something bigger so it could be shared and displayed when done,” Skinner says.
20 THE TOY BOOK | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM
From increased color assortments for crayons, markers, and pencils, to even more coloring book titles, Crayola, Faber-Castell, and Michaels all plan to expand their adult coloring product assortments this year, as long as the trend continues. And it all comes back to creativity and self-expression. “I think there will always be an innate desire to express yourself visually,” says Skinner. “Coloring could be replaced by painting or sketching or sculpting, but that desire to create something in a physical space—as opposed to a virtual space—will always be there.” With millions of books sold worldwide, activity toy sales consistently on the rise, and massive appeal to a wide audience, adult coloring may be more than just a passing fad. “We are predicting that the trend has not even hit its peak yet,” says Michaels’ Farrajota. “There are still so many people that have yet to try it, and we’ve learned that as soon as our customers pick up a book they are hooked.” » Marissa DiBartolo is a senior editor at Adventure Publishing Group and manager of digital and social media content for The Toy Insider. A professional toy reviewer and an industry expert, she consistently reports on the latest toy trends.