How many colors were in the first box of Crayola crayons?

The first box of Crayola brand crayons contained eight colors: red, blue, yellow, orange, green, violet, black and brown. This box of crayons cost five cents and was packaged in a container that is similar to the yellow and green cardboard boxes that are still used to sell Crayola crayons.

The Crayola name was developed by one of the original manufacturers' wives, Alice Binney. The word is a portmanteau for "craie," the French word for chalk, and "oleaginous," which refers to something that is oily in consistency. Less than 50 years after the 1903 debut of the original set, the first box of 48 Crayola crayons debuted in 1949.