LEGO® bricks, known and loved worldwide, come in a surprising array of colors. For Adult Fans of LEGO (AFOLs) and serious collectors, understanding this vast color palette is essential. While it might seem straightforward, the world of LEGO colors is complex, with numerous shades, variations over time, and even ongoing discoveries of forgotten hues. Fortunately, resources exist to navigate this colorful landscape, and one of the most valuable is the work of Ryan Howerter, a dedicated AFOL who has meticulously cataloged LEGO colors. This guide will delve into the fascinating world of LEGO colors, highlighting key resources and the history behind this vibrant aspect of LEGO bricks.
To make your color exploration easier, here are some essential resources right away:
- Ryan Howerter’s Color Resources: ryanhowerter.net/colors and his Flickr “Brick Colorstream” page are invaluable for visual color references.
- BrickLink Color Chart: BrickLink Catalog Colors provides a comprehensive list used by the LEGO marketplace.
- Peeron Color Palette: Peeron LEGO Colors is another long-standing resource for color information.
- Brickset Color Information: Brickset Parts Colors offers color details within their part database.
- LDraw Color Definitions: LDraw Color Specifications for technical color data in the LDraw CAD system.
- Isodomos Color Tree: Isodomos Color Tree presents a visually organized color system.
Comprehensive LEGO color chart comparing BrickLink and official LEGO color palettes, a reference guide for LEGO enthusiasts.
Navigating the LEGO Color Spectrum
One primary goal of color guides is to assist buyers and sellers on platforms like BrickLink in accurately identifying LEGO part colors. Misidentification is a common issue; a “Light Blue” brick might actually be the more prevalent “Medium Blue.” Having a reliable color reference is crucial for settling color disputes and ensuring accurate transactions within the LEGO community. Ryan Howerter, among others, recognized this need and embarked on creating comprehensive color resources. He favors using the official LEGO Group’s (TLG) ID system for colors, considering it the most authoritative and complete. While platforms like BrickLink, BrickOwl, and Peeron sometimes simplify or conflate colors for user-friendliness, Howerter’s approach prioritizes accuracy and completeness.
Link to Ryan Howerter’s LEGO color chart website, a valuable resource for identifying LEGO colors.
Howerter’s main color list links to individual photographs of each color on his “Brick Colorstream” Flickr page. He has taken care to maintain consistent lighting and editing in these photos, acknowledging the difficulty of comparing physical bricks to screen colors. The images are organized by TLG’s color ID, with unnumbered or unidentified colors listed at the end, making it a historically insightful project.
A Journey Through LEGO Color History
When many think of classic LEGO, they picture the primary colors: red, blue, yellow, green, perhaps with white and black. However, the history of LEGO colors is much richer. In the early 1950s, LEGO bricks were produced in a wide array of bright colors with numerous shades and hues.
Vintage LEGO bricks showcasing the wide range of bright colors used in early LEGO sets during the 1950s.
As LEGO evolved, the color palette shifted. For a period, primary colors and grayscale shades dominated. The 1980s saw the introduction of browns and tans, largely thanks to the Fabuland theme, many of which remain in use today. The mid-1990s marked a significant expansion of the LEGO color palette. By the early 2000s, over 100 different colors were in production, including specialized, single-use colors and subtle variations, sometimes contributing to over-saturation and complexity as LEGO faced financial difficulties.
Between 2003 and 2005, LEGO streamlined its color offerings, replacing some with brighter, more saturated versions based on consumer preferences. “2 Grey / Light Gray” became “194 Medium Stone Grey / Light Bluish Gray,” and “27 Dark Grey / Dark Gray” transitioned to “199 Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray.” These changes, while intended to modernize the palette, initially caused some controversy among AFOLs, though acceptance has since grown. Around 2005, LEGO reduced its color and part selection by roughly half to improve efficiency. In the early 2010s, new colors were added more judiciously, with broader applications and less redundancy compared to the early 2000s color explosion.
LEGO color timeline by Brick Colorstream illustrating the evolution of the LEGO color palette and production years for various colors.
The Ongoing Quest to Catalog LEGO Colors
Cataloging LEGO colors is an ongoing endeavor, likely never truly complete. Even recently, older brown colors predating “25 Earth Orange,” BrickLink’s “Brown,” have been discovered, potentially from before LEGO’s color numbering system. These discoveries often emerge from comparing existing parts and noticing subtle differences previously overlooked.
Comparison of newly discovered unknown brown LEGO colors alongside known brown shades, highlighting the ongoing process of LEGO color cataloging.
Significant portions of the #51-99 color range remain undocumented, and pockets of unknown colors likely exist, some perhaps only named internally or present in LEGO Digital Designer data without physical brick examples. Colors like “8 Cobalt Blue,” “193 Flame Reddish Orange,” and “209 Dark Curry” are known by name but lack corresponding parts. This ongoing search and discovery is part of the fun for dedicated LEGO color enthusiasts.
In conclusion, understanding LEGO colors is a deep and fascinating dive into the history and nuances of the LEGO system. Resources like Ryan Howerter’s guides and online color charts are indispensable tools for AFOLs, collectors, and anyone seeking to navigate the vibrant world of LEGO bricks.
