Answers.Body: <p>To answer the first part of the question, the <a href="https://www.lego.com/r/www/r/aboutus/-/media/aboutus/media-assets-library/company-profiles/old/a_short_presentation_2014.pdf?la=en-GB&amp;l.r=1473052621" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Company Profile presentation (deep, direct link)</a> states:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>When the minifigure first appeared, it was decided that its face should have only one colour: yellow. And that its facial features should be happy and neutral . The figure would have no sex, race or role – these would be determined by the child’s imagination and play.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>It then explains when and why they added colour for their licensed figures</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>With licensed products such as LEGO® Star Wars™ and LEGO® Harry Potter™ the figure began appearing in specific roles, and with LEGO Basketball in 2003 it took on authentic skin colours. In 2004 the LEGO minifigure assumed an even wider range of skin colours when it was decided that the figures in licensed products should resemble the original characters as closely as possible. One result was that the figures in LEGO Harry Potter™ changed from yellow to a more authentic skin colour.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The first ones I remember seeing were indeed some of the NBA League characters as part of the Basketball theme in 2003, followed by the Star Wars products and then the Harry Potter sets in 2004.</p>
  
  <p>Lando Calrissian was one of the first to appear in the correct skin tone, amongst yellow Han and Leia:</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/YuF51.jpg" alt="Bespin Cloud City Box Art"></p>
  
  <p>Followed later by pink characters for the rest. The <a href="https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Star-Wars/year-2004" rel="nofollow noreferrer">first Star Wars set in 2004</a> with flesh-toned figures was the <a href="https://brickset.com/sets/4504-1/Millennium-Falcon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Millennium Falcon</a>. By <a href="https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Star-Wars/year-2005" rel="nofollow noreferrer">2005</a> the transition for Star Wars was complete and all sets used flesh-toned figures.</p>
  
  <p>In terms of other colours, LEGO had already created various monster and alien figures with different coloured heads ranging from blues and greys through to transparent and even <a href="http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=3626bpx76#T=C&amp;C=18" rel="nofollow noreferrer">transparent neon orange</a>.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-12-16T18:46:27.677Z
Answers.Text: Clarification: non-human and monstrous minifigs had non-yellow heads long before the flesh-toned heads, however, they usually aren't Caucasian-skin-peach-toned.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-12-21T12:33:21.640Z
Answers.Text: @Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Updated ;)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-01-31T20:14:14.403Z
Answers.Text: The answer is very good, but at its level of detail, one somehow also expects a citation related to the fact that yellow is kept as the default skin colour in non-licensed sets. After all, the other decisions from the original minifigs quotation *have* been revised in the meantime (gender already a long time ago, first by clothes and hairstyles, then by printed heads with red lips; and the bit about a neutral or happy facial expression stopped being completely true when the two-sided heads with a "panicked" expression were introduced).
Answers.UserDisplayName: O. R. Mapper
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-01-31T22:09:39.017Z
Answers.Text: Cheers, if you have a citation beyond what was in the company profile clearly states (as quoted) "it was decided that the figures in licensed products..."
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-10-27T22:04:12.560Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-05-17T13:45:32.270Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2019-05-17T13:45:32.270Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Answers.Body: <p><a href="http://nostarch.com/cultoflego">The Cult Of Lego</a> book (ISBN: 978-1-59327-391-0) had an a whole page about the change in minifigure skin colour:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p><strong>Page 59, sentence 2:</strong>
    Originally, the LEGO Group sought to leave racial and gender
    differences to the imagination of builders by using a stylised,
    generic face with outfits to differentiate roles. </p>
    
    <p><strong>Page 59, sentence 4:</strong> The most noticeable feature of the majority of mini-figs is<br>
    their ostensibly "race-neutral" yellow coloration. The paradigm lasted until
    2003, when LEGO Sports' Basketball theme was released, featuring
    minifigs based on real-life NBA players. The LEGO Group decided that
    expecting kids to appreciate figures that didn't really resemble the
    stars they represented was a losing proposition.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Since the NBA figures were released in 2003, beige and brown skin tones have been used only in licensed sets to portray characters. Traditional LEGO themes like Police and Firefighters continue to use a yellow flesh colour.</p>
  
  <p>The distinction between skin tones makes it easy to identify a beige or brown minifigure as part of a licensed set. Licensed sets tend to be based on film and television themes.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2011-12-24T16:01:20.440Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-05-13T16:42:58.970Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2012-05-13T16:42:58.970Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Ambo100
Answers.Body: <p><em>Licenced</em> Themes, use skin tone heads since they are based on something. <em>Themes</em> that LEGO Made themselves, such as Creator have yellow heads.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-01-30T17:12:47.977Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-01-30T22:22:17.627Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2019-01-30T22:22:17.627Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Meme
Answers.Body: <p>The yellow head was originally used to represent all races and both genders. Later, yellow heads were used to represent non-licensed minifigures, and flesh coloured minifigures were used to represent licensed minifigures, such as Batman, or Indiana Jones, but flesh coloured minifigures weren't used until around 2003</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-12-29T20:30:07.980Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-06-06T18:51:15.453Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-06-06T18:51:15.453Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Samuel L.
Answers.Body: <p>Flesh colored is used for licensed brands, such as <em>Star Wars</em> and <em>Jurassic World</em>.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-09-04T10:50:02.057Z
Answers.Text: This answer doesn't seem to add anything beyond what other answers have already stated.
Answers.UserDisplayName: zovits
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-09-03T23:02:42.653Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-09-03T23:02:42.653Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: SkyPaul
Body: <p>When did the flesh colors start and why? It seems yellow heads are here to stay too?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2011-12-24T17:25:42.040Z
Comments.Text: I remember back in the old LEGO Club days, there was a guy called Redini who would answer questions by club members. One of them asked a similar question, except phrased more simply: "Why are LEGO people yellow?" While the old LEGO Club site is nowhere to be found, forum posts from the same era quote his relevant answer verbatim... not sure if I should bother quoting it as an answer here since it was answered way before more minifig head colors appeared.
Comments.UserDisplayName: LegoSonicBoy
Tags: <colour><minifigures>
Title: Why do some minifigs have yellow heads and some are flesh colored?
UserDisplayName: Erik Olson
ThreadText: # Why do some minifigs have yellow heads and some are flesh colored?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2011-10-27)
  
  When did the flesh colors start and why? It seems yellow heads are here to stay too?
  
  **Tags:** colour, minifigures
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I remember back in the old LEGO Club days, there was a guy called Redini who would answer questions by club members. One of them asked a similar question, except phrased more simply: "Why are LEGO people yellow?" While the old LEGO Club site is nowhere to be found, forum posts from the same era quote his relevant answer verbatim... not sure if I should bother quoting it as an answer here since it was answered way before more minifig head colors appeared.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2011-10-27. Score: 30
  
  To answer the first part of the question, the [Company Profile presentation (deep, direct link)](https://www.lego.com/r/www/r/aboutus/-/media/aboutus/media-assets-library/company-profiles/old/a_short_presentation_2014.pdf?la=en-GB&l.r=1473052621) states:
  
  > When the minifigure first appeared, it was decided that its face should have only one colour: yellow. And that its facial features should be happy and neutral . The figure would have no sex, race or role – these would be determined by the child’s imagination and play.
  
  It then explains when and why they added colour for their licensed figures
  
  > With licensed products such as LEGO® Star Wars™ and LEGO® Harry Potter™ the figure began appearing in specific roles, and with LEGO Basketball in 2003 it took on authentic skin colours. In 2004 the LEGO minifigure assumed an even wider range of skin colours when it was decided that the figures in licensed products should resemble the original characters as closely as possible. One result was that the figures in LEGO Harry Potter™ changed from yellow to a more authentic skin colour.
  
  The first ones I remember seeing were indeed some of the NBA League characters as part of the Basketball theme in 2003, followed by the Star Wars products and then the Harry Potter sets in 2004.
  
  Lando Calrissian was one of the first to appear in the correct skin tone, amongst yellow Han and Leia:
  
  ![Bespin Cloud City Box Art](https://i.sstatic.net/YuF51.jpg)
  
  Followed later by pink characters for the rest. The [first Star Wars set in 2004](https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Star-Wars/year-2004) with flesh-toned figures was the [Millennium Falcon](https://brickset.com/sets/4504-1/Millennium-Falcon). By [2005](https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Star-Wars/year-2005) the transition for Star Wars was complete and all sets used flesh-toned figures.
  
  In terms of other colours, LEGO had already created various monster and alien figures with different coloured heads ranging from blues and greys through to transparent and even [transparent neon orange](http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=3626bpx76#T=C&C=18).
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: Clarification: non-human and monstrous minifigs had non-yellow heads long before the flesh-toned heads, however, they usually aren't Caucasian-skin-peach-toned.  
  > **username_2**: @username_3 Updated ;)  
  > **username_4**: The answer is very good, but at its level of detail, one somehow also expects a citation related to the fact that yellow is kept as the default skin colour in non-licensed sets. After all, the other decisions from the original minifigs quotation *have* been revised in the meantime (gender already a long time ago, first by clothes and hairstyles, then by printed heads with red lips; and the bit about a neutral or happy facial expression stopped being completely true when the two-sided heads with a "panicked" expression were introduced).  
  > **username_2**: Cheers, if you have a citation beyond what was in the company profile clearly states (as quoted) "it was decided that the figures in licensed products..."  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2011-12-24. Score: 14
  
  [The Cult Of Lego](http://nostarch.com/cultoflego) book (ISBN: 978-1-59327-391-0) had an a whole page about the change in minifigure skin colour:
  
  > **Page 59, sentence 2:**
  > Originally, the LEGO Group sought to leave racial and gender
  > differences to the imagination of builders by using a stylised,
  > generic face with outfits to differentiate roles.
  >
  > **Page 59, sentence 4:** The most noticeable feature of the majority of mini-figs is  
  > their ostensibly "race-neutral" yellow coloration. The paradigm lasted until
  > 2003, when LEGO Sports' Basketball theme was released, featuring
  > minifigs based on real-life NBA players. The LEGO Group decided that
  > expecting kids to appreciate figures that didn't really resemble the
  > stars they represented was a losing proposition.
  
  Since the NBA figures were released in 2003, beige and brown skin tones have been used only in licensed sets to portray characters. Traditional LEGO themes like Police and Firefighters continue to use a yellow flesh colour.
  
  The distinction between skin tones makes it easy to identify a beige or brown minifigure as part of a licensed set. Licensed sets tend to be based on film and television themes.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2019-01-30. Score: 3
  
  *Licenced* Themes, use skin tone heads since they are based on something. *Themes* that LEGO Made themselves, such as Creator have yellow heads.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2015-12-29. Score: 0
  
  The yellow head was originally used to represent all races and both genders. Later, yellow heads were used to represent non-licensed minifigures, and flesh coloured minifigures were used to represent licensed minifigures, such as Batman, or Indiana Jones, but flesh coloured minifigures weren't used until around 2003
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2019-09-03. Score: -2
  
  Flesh colored is used for licensed brands, such as *Star Wars* and *Jurassic World*.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_9**: This answer doesn't seem to add anything beyond what other answers have already stated.  
  
  ---
  
  