Coloring books and fun pads for grown-ups

The market for coloring books tailored for grown-ups has been inching towards puberty in the past couple of years. First, a few novelty books were released but more along the lines of a sarcastic gift idea you'd give to a friend at a stag party. Since then, the market has expanded to include intricate detailed designs of birds, flowers, Victorian and farm houses, decorative tiles, figure skating, pin wheels, fairies, coral reef, dragons, fashion, animals, and naked fetish models.

While these are marketed towards grown-ups who still have a love of coloring with crayons and markers, some of these are also worth checking out for your children. If I were a parent, I'd much rather hang up a scribbled page of Victorian fashions over Bratz fashions any day. I'd rather have Betty Page on my fridge door than Dora the Explorer. Some grown-ups even take to framing of their crayoned collages and marker'ed masterpieces.

Some of the following coloring books and fun pads are suitable for children, while some will make the child within you gawk and giggle.

Daupo $8 per coloring book

Daupo offers several coloring books featuring a dive-like diner, office life, mental disorders, and loneliness.

“Fun, inspiring, and educational, these disorders range from common insomnia to the exotic Diogenes syndrome, all displayed in smooth black and white lines, awaiting your tender ministrations.”

Kitchen Coloring book by Wilsons $6

24 pages on 100% recycled paper. Grab your markers and color in all sorts of food and kitchen utensils, including owl salt and pepper shakers and apple shaped cookie jar.

Hippie Coloring Book Zine by Just Give Me Peace $8

“These are the stories drawn of late night blues, Stevie Ray and Jimi on the stereo, moments of accidental peace, and accidental love, the stories of maybe....and maybe not. A Coloring book for anyone who's ever dreamed, loved, laughed, believed....”

Monster Rockabiliy Kustom Kulture Coloring Book by Reedpunk $10.00

72 pages of Punk Rock, including monsters, hot rods, tattoo designs, zombies and pirates. First 50 copies will come signed and numbered by the artist. Created by a tattoo artist who has toured the world with punk bands. Just so you know, this is several steps up from anything Ed Hardy has done.

Mystical Mandala by Alberta Hutchinson $3.95

Paisley Designs Coloring Book by Marty Noble $3.99

Chinese Designs by Dianne Gaspas $4.95

Devil Babe's Big Book of Fun by Isabel Samaras $10.16
Recipes, coloring pages, paper dolls, mazes, etc.