Earlier this year, Crayola tragically announced the retirement of its beloved yellow crayon, Dandelion. Shortly after, it became apparent that the classic 24-pack would never be the same.
Perhaps in an effort to help fans through the grieving process, the company quickly unveiled Dandelion’s replacement ― a nameless blue crayon ― along with an announcement that its official pigment title would be chosen by the public.
The #NameTheBlue campaign was born.
The campaign officially closed last week, but not before a frontrunner suggestion emerged, thanks to “Moonlight” playwright and screenplay co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney.
“Chiron,” he tweeted, with a link to coverage of Crayola’s new blue, referencing the main character of the Oscar-winning film about a young, queer black man coming of age in Miami, Florida.
Barry Jenkins, who also co-wrote and directed the movie, shared the message, and a flood of retweets rolled in. One look at a still from “Moonlight” ― or a quick reminder of the movie’s defining line, “In moonlight black boys look blue” ― made it clear to many that “Chiron” is the perfect choice for Crayola’s deep new pigment.
The blue crayon has been temporarily dubbed “YInMin,” a mashup of the elements that make up the color ― Yttrium, Indium and Manganese. Researchers in Oregon “accidentally” discovered the specific shade of blue several years ago.
At the moment, “Chiron” seems to be the fan-favorite name for the Crayola addition. It is, in our humble opinion, much, much better than the alternative: Yes, people have suggested covfefe.
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