Crayola has officially announced that the crayon color “Dandelion,” one of the original crayons in the 24-pack, will be retiring to make room for a new crayon.
Along with the news of the retirement, Crayola released a heartfelt video of a talking crayon detailing his adventures and thanking the fans for bringing him on their journeys.
“I loved the color of the Dandelion crayon,” junior Jennifer Hatstat said. “I always used the crayon as a child and it was one of my favorites for flowers and the sun.”
Dandelion joins 12 other retired crayons whose legacies will live on. They are maize, lemon yellow, blue gray, raw umber, green blue, orange red, orange yellow, violet blue, blizzard blue, magic mint, mulberry and teal blue.
The news to retire Dandelion came fittingly on National Crayon Day and has since sparked a movement entitled #CelebrateDandelion. With this hashtag, fans are encouraged to take pictures of the crayon in their favorite hot spots to take him on an official retirement tour.
Though some fans are sad to hear the news, others do not see why the crayon has to leave.
“They shouldn’t retire crayons. As an original crayon in the 24-pack, Crayola should just keep it going,” junior Rebekah Martin said.
Others see the retirement as just another marketing concept.
“With all of the buzz about the crayon being retired and the photo opportunities, I think it is a way to build buzz for the new crayon,” senior Kaci Wertz said.
According to Crayola, Dandelion will be produced for another couple of weeks and in May they will be announcing the new color, which will be in the blue family.
“I am excited for the new blue because blue is my favorite and it will be a new change in my coloring experience. Especially since coloring is becoming so popular for stress relief,” Wertz said.
Crayola’s special edition retirement pack of crayons and the two-pound Dandelion crayon to commemorate the crayon are available on Crayola’s website for purchase.
Julie Ainsley
jmainsley@vwc.edu
(Photo: Val Miller | Marlin Chronicle)
