Pigment's Accidental Discovery Inspires Crayola's New Blue Crayon

Crayola is leaving it to fans to come up with a name for the replacement crayon, which will make its debut this year

Crayola's new crayon color will be based on a blue pigment discovered in 2009.

Scientists at Oregon State University accidentally discovered the brilliant blue hue when they were experimenting with materials that could be used in electronics.

Crayola said Friday that it's partnering on the new crayon with Oregon State and The Shepherd Color Company, which licenses the pigment known as YInMn (yihn-mihn) blue.

The crayon maker recently retired the color dandelion. Crayola is leaving it to fans to come up with a name for the replacement crayon, which will make its debut this year. You can submit a name on the Crayola website.

Crayola is based in Easton, Pennsylvania, and is a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Inc., based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Contact Us