Crayola Reveals The Color Of Their New Crayon
Crayola officially retired the classic “Dandelion” crayon from its 24-pack in March. Now, the crayon company’s new color has been announced, and it’s… blue. No name yet, but cool nonetheless—especially since this new hue was actually inspired by science.
The new blue crayon will join the ranks of Cerulean, Indigo and Blue in the 24-pack, but it won’t be precisely the same (also, Cerulean is the best of the blue crayons, and if you disagree you’re wrong).
“Fans in North America have told us through previous polls and surveys that blue is their favorite color,” said Melanie Boulden, a senior vice president, in an interview with NPR.
This new blue crayon is actually really, really new. The pigment, called YInMn Blue, was only discovered a few years ago during a happy accident at Oregon State University.
A pigment discovered at Oregon State inspires new @Crayola crayon color.
📰 » https://t.co/6cXHCdUNi1#GoBeavs #NameTheBlue pic.twitter.com/zWFMJMWnXm
— Oregon State University (@OregonState) May 5, 2017
The YInMn Blue pigment was discovered by chemist Mas Subramanian in 2009 while researching new materials for use in electronics, and it was the first new blue pigment to be discovered in centuries.
Who knew colors could be so cool? Or so scientific?
“When we knew that we would be retiring one of our colors from our broad color palette we also wanted to insure that the new color that we brought into our color spectrum was fresh, inspiring and most important innovative,” Karen Waters, Crayola’s director of content, PR and social marketing, told NPR. “With all of the attention drawn to the pigment that Mas and his team discovered, there was no better team to reach out to.”
What would you name a new blue? Unleash the power of your creativity and submit your name ideas for our new blue! https://t.co/h6tHHzXAlH pic.twitter.com/wHHYWOGog7
— Crayola (@Crayola) May 5, 2017
Right now, the crayon is still nameless, and Crayola wants you to help come up with one. You can enter the Crayola naming contest through their website. If you can come up with the most creative moniker (approved by Crayola, obviously), you could win a $100 prize.
Happy coloring!