BY LAUREN ZUMBACHChicago Tribune
Die-hard Chicago Cubs fans might not be able to re-create Wrigley Field’s famous outfield ivy or historic marquee at home, but paint-maker Benjamin Moore is hoping some will want to add a splash of Friendly Confines colors.
Newly added to Benjamin Moore’s 3,500 paint colors are hues dubbed Cubbies Blue SC-60, Marquee Red SC-61, and Wrigley Field Green SC-62, the paint brand announced in a new release Tuesday.
Similar as Cubbies Blue might look to Blueberry Hill, Patriot Blue or Evening Blue, both it and Wrigley Field Green are new hues developed by Benjamin Moore to match the team’s color as closely as possible, with final approval from the Cubs, said Kelly Sinatra, Benjamin Moore’s public relations senior manager. The Cubs could not immediately be reached for comment.
Marquee Red is a rebranded version of Million Dollar Red – the actual Benjamin Moore color used on Wrigley’s marquee, Sinatra said.
Jason Hinton, assistant manager at a Lakeview JC Licht paint store that sells Benjamin Moore products a half-mile from the ballpark providing the inspiration, said he had yet to sell any cans to Cubs fanatics but that the color had been available for only a couple of days.
Benjamin Moore’s suggested prices for the baseball-themed colors vary depending on the particular paint product but are no more expensive than standard colors, Hinton said.
Benjamin Moore’s Sports Colors Collection also has hues aimed at fans of the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees – like the Cubs, all teams the paint brand sponsors.
The colors are sold at Benjamin Moore retailers in the teams’ home cities including more than 150 in the Chicagoland area.
And, yes, that includes some in White Sox territory, like Joe Harris Paint and Hardware, a little more than a half-mile from U.S. Cellular Field.
“I guess there’s Cubs fans all over the place” said manager Bill Hawrysz.
