From the Toysit archive
Crayola Color Explosion
Toysit’s December 8, 2005 report on drawing that reveals color in special black paper, with its original quotations and holiday context preserved.
The play at a glance
Reveal a picture one line at a time
This Color Explosion entry comes from Toysit’s December 8, 2005 holiday coverage. It describes a paper-and-marker activity in which drawing reveals colors within special black sheets.
The retained image shows a Color Explosion Neon pack, sample drawings and markers. The appeal in the original report is the surprise of seeing a bright line appear against a dark background.
The surprise is in the drawing surface
The original report describes a clear-ink marker revealing colors on specially prepared black paper. In that account, making the line also discovers the color. It is a different experience from choosing each colored pencil or paint before drawing.
A suggested activity is to compare a few kinds of marks: a thin outline, repeated curves and an area filled with lines. Leave some of the dark page untouched to see how the shapes read against it. This suggestion assumes a working, correctly matched set of materials; it is not a new product test.
Match the paper and marker system
The special sheets are part of the product described here. An ordinary black-paper pad and a clear-looking marker should not be assumed to reproduce the effect. The shared Color Explosion name also does not establish compatibility with the separate Glow Dome product.
If you have an older pack, use its exact name and directions to identify the paper and markers. Current refill availability and the condition of old markers were not established for this renovation.
Read the report as a moment in toy history
The quotations below explain how the product was discussed during the 2005 holiday season: an inexpensive drawing activity offered as an example of engaging play without electronics. The under-eight-dollar reference is part of that dated argument, not a present-day price recommendation.
The article preserves those named voices and the original wording. Its enduring question is useful beyond this particular pack: what does the player get to decide, discover and make?
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete December 8, 2005 report is retained, including quotations attributed to Paul Winslow and Chris Byrne, the references to Toys R Us, Toy Wishes and the Today Show Toy Test, and the period price description. Sales, awards and price statements belong to that 2005 report and have not been reverified as current claims.
Low-tech drawing activity toy lets kids reveal colors hidden inside special sheets of black paper as they draw
The best toys are powered by a child's imagination. In 2005, Color Explosion, a drawing activity from Crayola, was among several toys that offer kids an exciting play experience without electronic bells and whistles.
The tablet and marker set lets kids reveal colors hidden inside special sheets of black paper as they draw.
"Color Explosion is a breakthrough innovation for the creative activities category," said Paul Winslow of Toys R Us. "It's been flying off of our store shelves since it launched."
Toy and children's lifestyle expert Chris Byrne of Toy Wishes attributes this response to parents who increasingly understand that a high quality play experience is not necessarily dictated by a price tag or computer chip.
"The best play puts children in full control of the experience, giving them an outlet for personal expression, social interaction, and discovery. The surprise of Color Explosion -- drawing on black paper to create color, which is the opposite of traditional coloring -- delivers a fully exciting play experience for under eight dollars."
While he adds that parents appreciate the value of a good toy that won't break the bank, especially in today's economy, Byrne notes that, "the best play has always been that which stimulates the imagination and engages the child. Crayola and other low-tech toys that are moving well this holiday prove once again that it's possible to put wow into a play experience that's not dependent on a computer chip."
Named one of the season's best toys by the Today Show Toy Test and praised by toy expert Herb Weisbaum as a toy with a unique twist that's fun and reasonably priced, Color Explosion lets kids uncover rainbow and neon colors hidden inside a black paper tablet as they draw with an invisible ink marker.
Sources and editorial notes
The December 8, 2005 publication date comes from the original page metadata. The source text and existing product image were reviewed on October 15, 2026. No new interview, product test or independent re-verification of the report’s quotations and award references was conducted. A matching current instruction or refill source was not established. No paper formulation, marker chemistry or cross-product compatibility is inferred.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
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