Lighting multicolored candles

Does one fulfill one’s obligation (of lighting Chanukah candles) by lighting mulitcolored candles that are sold for kids? 

A candle or a lamp have to contain a sufficient amount of oil or wax so as to burn for half an hour after the candle lighting time. For those who light earlier, the amount has to suffice for the candle to burn for half an hour after stars appear in the sky.

Thus, one has to check whether the candle will burn long enough, as described. In simpler candles, the amount of wax is only sufficient for the candle to burn exactly half an hour, and sometimes even less. But candles that are more expensive are usually made of a greater amount of wax, and they burn longer. For someone who lights at the time that the stars appear, and especially for the lighting after Shabbos, which is even later, a candle that burns for half an hour is sufficient.

However, for those who light earlier, it’s preferable to buy more expensive candles. As for really small kids, it’s enough to buy them the simple candles, and to rely on the opinion that the half-hour period begins at the time of actual lighting.

When lighting before Shabbos, one has to be especially careful to make sure that his candles will burn long enough, since he will certainly light before the candle lighting time (so as not to desecrate the Shabbos).

At any rate, it’s a beautification of the commandment to use wax candles that are longer than the minimum that is required by the letter of the law. But one shouldn’t make them too long.

Shulchan Oruch, section Orach Chaim, chapter 672, §§1-2; Mishnah Berurah, ibid., subsections 4, 5, 6; Biur Halacha, ibid.; Azamra LiShmecha #118