Crayola announced the 'World's Favorite Colors' — and one of them is a plant

Crayola announced the results of its first Global Color Vote for National Color Day — and they're all related to nature, including a shade named for a plant. 

The Crayola Global Color Vote ran from July to September 2025, with more than 63,000 participants from 183 countries, 94% of the countries worldwide. 

The top three favorite Crayola colors are Cerulean (blue), Robin's Egg Blue and Wisteria. In the U.S., Cerulean is overwhelmingly the favorite color, taking the top spot in 46 of 50 states. 

Independent garden centers can use these shades in their marketing and merchandising plans. For those that sell wisteria, it’s a natural opportunity to market the plant with the Global Color Vote announcement. 

Globally, the results revealed many similarities but also found a few standout shades that reflected regional personality, pride and cultural palettes: 

Yes, people are comparing the Crayola World's Favorite Colors to a '90s-era fast food cup.
Photo courtesy of Crayola

According to Domicele Jonauskaite, Ph.D., experimental color psychologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, researchers have been interested in color preferences for more than a century. Shades of blue and blue-green are liked more than shades of orange and yellow; lighter colors are more liked than darker colors; and people generally are drawn to more saturated shades. 

"Crayola's finding that Cerulean is liked the most fits these general trends," Jonauskaite said. "Different explanations exist, with the most powerful one leaning toward ecological factors. Blue is liked because it is reminiscent of clear water and blue sky, all very positive natural phenomena. Other experiences are more personal. For instance, in cultures where red carries celebratory significance or where lavender fields dominate the landscape, these associations might weigh more strongly in shaping preferences." 

Variations of blue pulled through across generations as well. From Gen Alpha to baby Boomers, shades of blue consistently ranked among the top picks — whether it was Sky Blue for the youngest voters, Cerulean for Millennials and Gen Z or classic Blue and Robin's Egg Blue for older generations. 

The top three colors based on generational preferences are: 

Photo courtesy of Crayola

"This year, Crayola is celebrating creativity through color and the deeply personal role it plays in connecting us to the past and inspiring us anew," said Crayola Chief Marketing Officer Victoria Lozano. "Color is integral to who we are and how we see the world. It has the power to connect us across cultures, generations and emotions. And it opens our creative possibilities. It's always exciting to see how Crayola colors continue to fuel imaginations and inspire creative moments for our fans worldwide." 

The survey helped shape a new color pack inspired by the most-loved shades. The "World's Favorite Colors" special collection crayons, markers and colored pencil packs, activity kits and themed coloring books will be available in retailers this holiday season and early 2026. 

The Global Color Vote is part of Crayola's Campaign for Creativity. A recent Color Perception Survey by Crayola and the Ad Council Research Institute revealed that color is more than decoration — 87% of respondents said color influences their creativity, and 69% associate specific colors with moods and emotions. 

The top emotions resulting from the Global Color Vote are happy, comforted, calm, creative and nostalgic. People who chose Canary as their favorite color were almost 2.5 times more likely to feel happy, while those who preferred Sepia were more than 4 times more likely to feel comforted.  

Almond stood out for its calming effect, with fans being 3.7 times more likely to feel calm, and Cerise (red-pink) sparked creativity, increasing the likelihood of feeling creative by 2.8 times. Burnt Sienna evoked strong feelings of nostalgia, with a 4 times higher likelihood of feeling nostalgic among its fans.