Why adult coloring books are so popular

Coloring books first appeared in the 1880s for children to help them express their creativity. Until the 1930s, when crayons were invented, coloring books were designed with the intent for them to be painted instead of colored.

Adult coloring books born in the 1960s as a satirical version of the Childrens activity. They started to really catch in in the mid 2010s. In 2015 an estimated 12 million adult coloring books were sold, up from 1 million the year before.

History of coloring books

Coloring books emerged as the ‘democratization of art’ in the United States to enable all students to benefit from art education regardless of their background. The McLoughlin Bros are credited with the invention of the coloring book in the 1880s producing The Little Folks’ Painting Book. Richard Felton Outcalt, an American cartoonist, also authored Buster’s Paint Book in 1907 and is also credited as a pioneer of the genre. The emergence of adult coloring books in the 1960s came with disruption and was meant to poke fun and ridicule conspiracy theorists, corporate conformity, the political system, and other neuroses of the time. The coloring books and captions were not necessarily instructional or even for coloring. They were meant for the reader to take a stand and/or look and laugh, which was reflected when crayon sales were stagnant despite the sale and popularity of coloring books. 'The JFK Coloring Book' by caricaturist Mort Drucker (published by Alexander A. Roman, text by Paul Laikin and Jackie Kannon) spent 14 weeks (about 3 months) on the New York Times Nonfiction Best Sellers list. In 1962, it disappeared after the assassination of JFK and returned about half a century later. Barbra Streisand’s song ‘my coloring book’ was a catalyst for the spread of adult coloring books into pop culture in 1962.

Growth of coloring books

The popularity of adult coloring books rose in the 2010s and was for use as therapy to help bring adults back into a sense of childhood. It was also a way to take a break from technology. The years 2012 and 2013 saw the first commercially successful adult coloring books published. Johanna Basford, a Scottish illustrator, also known to be a pioneer of the adult coloring book genre published two adult coloring books in 2015, Enchanted Garden and Secret Garden that were top sellers on Amazon.

Today, adult coloring books are most prominent in Europe and North America, with coloring books being bestsellers in France and the United Kingdom. Mel Simone Elliot, an illustrator, has some popular books in the UK including the series Colour Me Good which features images of celebrities like Kate Moss, Ryan Gosling, etc. Hachette, a French publisher, has a collection of coloring books called Art-Therapie. Not forgetting Spanish cartoonist Forges and his Coloreitor coloring book and Pilgrim Soul’s creative journal.

What people get out of it

Today's adult coloring books are more therapeutic, nostalgic, and for stress relief, with titles often including the words ‘therapy’ or ‘stress-relieving’, denoting its de-stressing prowess. Daily stress factors such as work deadlines, marriage, financial worries, dates, and the responsibility of ‘adulting’ often get overwhelming and stressful. Learning to relax by taking a little time daily to engage in some leisure activities allows us to rejuvenate mentally and physically.

Coloring is a relaxing technique that was first applied by Carl G. Jung, a psychologist, in the early 20th century. The activity stimulates different areas of the two cerebral hemispheres which activates motor skills, vision, logic, and creativity while reducing the activity of the amygdala, which is the integrative center for emotions that is afflicted by stress. Simply put, coloring allows us to focus on the details of mixing and matching, the precise hand movements, and helps us to go into our childlike state, where imagination was most active, and we were creative, less stressed, and freer. It also promotes self-awareness because we can tap into our feelings reflected in the distinct colors and intensity of colors that we choose. De-stressing alleviates tension internally and aids in better sleep, lower blood pressure, improves digestion, a better mood, and much more.

Coloring relieves us of life's pressures momentarily, allowing us some peace, comfort, freedom, excitement, and even laughter. While it is a palliative more than a remedy, it allows us to relax which leads to a renewed state granting us the ability to cope better and/or find solutions. If you or anyone you know is experiencing to much stress and needs a release and some fun (basically everyone), take some crayons to an adult coloring book. I promise you will be glad you did.