SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Goodbye to Lemon Yellow

Any child who has ever wielded a Crayola knows the ideal color for tree trunks: raw umber. But henceforth, basic brown will have to do the job. This month Crayola retired raw umber and seven other colors from its 64-crayon box to make way for such trendy new shades as cerulean, fuchsia and vivid tangerine. Binney & Smith, which produces 2 billion Crayolas a year, is making the change in response to children’s current taste for brighter colors.

Not everyone is satisfied with the new lineup, which will replace such classics as maize, violet blue and orange red, all introduced in 1949. Mournful fans have formed the National Campaign to Save Lemon Yellow. “Blue gray is gone!” moaned Charles Gibson, co-host of Good Morning America. “How can you do Confederate-soldier pictures without it?”