Introducing Crayola’s newest color in the box

Crayola officially retired the color “Dandelion” from its 24-pack of crayons in March. A few month’s later, the company announced that the color would be replaced with a shade of blue. Now comes the big moment—we finally get to see the new crayon! And let’s just say, it is “Bluetiful.”

OK, we can’t take the credit for that brilliant pun; that’s the actual name!

Science inspired Bluetiful’s blue hue, making it the newest and for sure the “sharpest crayon the box.” (We’ll take credit for that one).

How Crayola chose the new color

Crayola chose the new color after polls and surveys showed blue is North America’s favorite crayon color. Giving fans what they wanted, the company set out to choose the perfect shade of blue.

Coincidentally, scientists recently accidentally discovered a new shade of blue. The pigment, called YInMn Blue, became the inspiration behind the new crayon.

Chemist Mas Subramanian discovered the YInMn Blue pigment in 2009. It is the first new blue pigment to be discovered in centuries.

“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.”

Crayola chose the name “Bluetiful” after fans submitted more than 90,000 names into a contest. After it was narrowed down to five, consumers voted for their favorites from “Dreams Come Blue,” “Reach for the Stars,” “Blue Moon Bliss,” “Bluetiful” and “Star Spangled Blue.” Bluetiful won with 40 percent of the vote.

Bluetiful’s bio is already on Crayola’s website.

While she is shy at first, Bluetiful loves “to share big ideas with new people, especially ideas for new inventions or creative projects.” Nicknamed “Bea”, you can catch her coding apps or video games (told you she was smart!) or relaxing with DIY projects. She advocates for arts-infused STEAM education and wants science to inspire all girls, just like her.

Crayola gives Dandelion first-rate sendoff

As for Dandelion, it was the first color to be removed from the classic 24-pack of crayons in its 100-year history. Although he’ll be missed, he had a wonderful sendoff, including a tour of the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and the Everglades.

Happy retirement, Dandelion! And welcome to the 24-pack family, Bluetiful!