To be honest, I think it's the pastel and super pastel clowns that fade out as they age. It's a pastel thing. Some lines of pastel hold their color better though so it's not a sure thing that they will get dull as they age. If you want a snake that will definitely not dull out, look into desert ghost combos, they stay just as bright as they are as babies even with pastel. Or if your set on a clown, stick with a standard clown which may only darken a little with age or upgrade to a fire clown, they stay pretty nice and bright and will hold their contrast better.