8 of the Wackiest Adult Coloring Books, in Honor of National Coloring Book Day

Break out the colored pencils.

A screenshot of the Adult Coloring Book iPhone app. Courtesy of Adult Coloring Book Apps.

It’s National Coloring Book Day on August 2, but if you’re like many American adults, you were probably already coloring in your novelty book anyway. According to Vox, the fad—which kicked off in 2015 with Scottish artist Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden series—saw about 12 million books sell last year (up from roughly 1 million in 2014) and even gave a 26.4 percent bump in the sale of colored pencils. The activity is being billed as therapeutic, as it allegedly allows one to quiet a racing mind by focusing on a single activity.

The craze, however, has become a whole new beast, giving birth to myriad books designed specifically for adults that make Basford’s original designs of lush gardens pale in comparison. (Think less along the lines of dainty butterflies and more of curse words and NSFW images waiting to be filled in.)

“Coloring books are nostalgic and make you feel like a kid again, but these coloring books are raunchy and say ‘fuck’ a lot” wrote Constance Grady for Vox.

Below is a round-up of the nuttiest coloring books designed to help please the child within while still catering to your (somewhat) developed, mature self.

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

1.Calm the F*ck Down: An Irreverent Adult Coloring Book
Coloring in “Home is Where the Vodka Is” alongside images of fairies and animals sounds like a great Saturday night.

Courtesy of Amazon

Courtesy Potter Style.

2. Color Me Drunk: A Drinking and Drawing Activity Book
This book is specifically “for those who are bored of beer pong and have already drunk-dialed all of their exes.”

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

3. Have a Nice Life Asshole: Breakup Stress Reliever Adult Coloring Book
Speaking of exes, distract yourself from the temptation of those drunk calls by—you guessed it—coloring instead!

Courtesy Post Hill Press.

Courtesy Post Hill Press.

4. The Trump Coloring Book
Now you can color Donald orange on your own. What a time to be alive.

Courtesy I Love Mel.

Courtesy I Love Mel.

5. Colour Me Good James Franco
Our favorite art world bad boy gets the color treatment in this “unofficial” book.

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Courtesy CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

6. Color Me High: A Marijuana Inspired Adult Coloring Book
For when all the stress-relieving coloring just isn’t stress-relieving enough.

Courtesy Ulysses Press.

Courtesy Ulysses Press.

7. The 1990s Coloring Book: All That and a Box of Crayons
Double that dose of nostalgia by coloring in ’90s pop culture relics. (Be warned: The title is misleading. Crayons sold separately.)

Courtesy Random House Publishing.

Courtesy Random House Publishing.

8. The Official A Game of Thrones Coloring Book: An Adult Coloring Book
Escape to Westeros for a chance to color some of your favorites from the beloved HBO series from George R.R. Martin.

 


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