In 1999, America seemed to have rediscovered the 1960s.

The year marked the 30th anniversary of the original Woodstock music festival, and Woodstock '99 brought the era back into the national conversation. Television, movies, fashion, and popular culture were filled with references to flower power, peace signs, psychedelic artwork, and the counterculture movement.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, Crayola released a special edition box called Retro Colors.

Whether the box was directly inspired by Woodstock '99 or simply by the broader wave of 1960s nostalgia is difficult to say. What is clear is that Crayola fully embraced the theme.

The 16-count box featured some of the most memorable color names the company has ever produced.

Instead of ordinary color names, Retro Colors included:

• Mellow Yellow

• Woodstock Mud Brown

• Give Peach a Chance

• Psychedelic Purple

• Organic Orange

• Bell Bottom Blue

• Flower Power Pink

• Peace Dove White

• Tambourine Green

• Shag Carpet Orange

• Platform Shoe Brown

• Avocado Green

• Tie-Dye Lime

• Cosmic Black

• Bug Yellow

• Shades of Black

The colors themselves were fun, but the names were the real stars of the show.

Many of them referenced iconic symbols and trends associated with the 1960s. Bell bottoms, peace movements, psychedelic art, avocado-colored home décor, and even the famous "Give Peace a Chance" slogan all found their way into the box in one form or another.

Looking at the set today feels a bit like opening a tiny time capsule.

What makes the box even more interesting is that many of the colors still exist in some form within the modern Crayola lineup. The names, however, are largely gone. Today's color names tend to be more straightforward, while Retro Colors leaned heavily into humor, nostalgia, and cultural references.

And then there is the mystery that still makes me laugh.

For reasons I have yet to fully understand, the box contains two black crayons: Cosmic Black and Shades of Black.

Was one intended to be a deep space reference? Was the other meant to evoke fashion, sunglasses, or some other aspect of 1960s culture? I honestly don't know.

What I do know is that it makes the box even more memorable.

As a collector, I enjoy products like Retro Colors because they tell us something about the moment in which they were created. Crayola wasn't simply selling crayons in 1999—it was participating in a broader cultural conversation about nostalgia, memory, and the enduring appeal of the 1960s.

And nearly three decades later, people are still talking about Woodstock Mud Brown.

That's not a bad legacy for a box of crayons.

Check out the video below for a closer look at the Retro Colors box, color swatches, modern equivalents, and a closer look at some of Crayola's grooviest color names.