diff --git a/doc/fixes36.2 b/doc/fixes36.2
index 68d6c3229..aaff66ca0 100644
--- a/doc/fixes36.2
+++ b/doc/fixes36.2
@@ -253,6 +253,8 @@ hero hit by something that causes inventory items to be destroyed with loss of
 	the unholy water was wielded; the fix for that wasn't general enough]
 add MM_ASLEEP makemon() flag and honor it when creating group for fill_zoo
 at start of session (new game or restore), HILITE_STATUS for gold was ignored
+if player creates any menu colors via 'O' while menucolors is off, issue a
+	reminder that it needs to be on in order for those to become effective
 
 
 Fixes to Post-3.6.1 Problems that Were Exposed Via git Repository
diff --git a/src/options.c b/src/options.c
index 7dc622687..b3595a6ad 100644
--- a/src/options.c
+++ b/src/options.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* NetHack 3.6	options.c	$NHDT-Date: 1543972192 2018/12/05 01:09:52 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.335 $ */
+/* NetHack 3.6	options.c	$NHDT-Date: 1544174413 2018/12/07 09:20:13 $  $NHDT-Branch: NetHack-3.6.2-beta01 $:$NHDT-Revision: 1.339 $ */
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /*-Copyright (c) Michael Allison, 2008. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
@@ -4283,7 +4283,7 @@ static struct other_opts {
     int NDECL((*othr_count_func));
 } othropt[] = {
     { "autopickup exceptions", SET_IN_GAME, OPT_OTHER_APEXC, count_apes },
-    { "menucolors", SET_IN_GAME, OPT_OTHER_MENUCOLOR, count_menucolors },
+    { "menu colors", SET_IN_GAME, OPT_OTHER_MENUCOLOR, count_menucolors },
     { "message types", SET_IN_GAME, OPT_OTHER_MSGTYPE, msgtype_count },
 #ifdef STATUS_HILITES
     { "status hilite rules", SET_IN_GAME, OPT_OTHER_STATHILITE,
@@ -4457,7 +4457,7 @@ doset() /* changing options via menu by Per Liboriussen */
                 }
 #endif
             } else if (opt_indx == OPT_OTHER_MENUCOLOR) {
-                    (void) special_handling("menucolors", setinitial,
+                    (void) special_handling("menu_colors", setinitial,
                                             fromfile);
             } else if (opt_indx == OPT_OTHER_MSGTYPE) {
                     (void) special_handling("msgtype", setinitial, fromfile);
@@ -5036,7 +5036,7 @@ boolean setinitial, setfromfile;
             if (pick_cnt >= 0)
                 goto msgtypes_again;
         }
-    } else if (!strcmp("menucolors", optname)) {
+    } else if (!strcmp("menu_colors", optname)) {
         int opt_idx, nmc, mcclr, mcattr;
         char mcbuf[BUFSZ] = DUMMY;
 
@@ -5044,11 +5044,15 @@ boolean setinitial, setfromfile;
         nmc = count_menucolors();
         opt_idx = handle_add_list_remove("menucolor", nmc);
         if (opt_idx == 3) { /* done */
+    menucolors_done:
+            if (nmc > 0 && !iflags.use_menu_color)
+                pline(
+    "To have menu colors become active, toggle 'menucolors' option to True.");
             return TRUE;
         } else if (opt_idx == 0) { /* add new */
             getlin("What new menucolor pattern?", mcbuf);
             if (*mcbuf == '\033')
-                return TRUE;
+                goto menucolors_done;
             if (*mcbuf
                 && test_regex_pattern(mcbuf, (const char *)0)
                 && (mcclr = query_color((char *) 0)) != -1