Screamin’ Green. Shocking Pink. Electric Lime. Inchworm. Outerspace. Granny Smith Apple. Wisteria. Eggplant. Fern. Laser Lemon. Cotton Candy.
It sounds like OPI nail colors right? Nope, those aren’t this year’s must-have colors for your toes. They are actually just a few of the hottest colors of Crayola crayons on the market in my son’s first grade class. In my day the boys traded Garbage Pail Kids cards, but lately my son’s class has gotten into trading the “coolest” Crayola colors.
Who would’ve ever thought?
I had never even paid attention to the names Crayola gave their crayons – or if I did as a kid, it’s been a long time since I’ve given it any thought. But one day I heard my first grade boy promising his little brother he’d trade one of his crayons to get Outerspace. He came home ecstatic that afternoon when he pulled a light grey crayon out of his sock (yes, he does have pockets but he’s a 7-year-old boy – they put things in their socks kinda like a big-bosomed woman and her cell phone). His little brother carried that crayon around for a week – so proud and happy to have finally gotten it.
I don’t know how many boys and girls are in on this Midnight Blue Market of Crayola crayons, but I do know it’s a very colorful topic in our house lately.
I’ll see if I can get Inchworm today.
Dude, grab me a drink, and I’ll get you Fern tomorrow.
Mom, I got Robin’s Egg Blue for you – I thought you’d LOVE it!!!
Doesn’t that flower look Shocking Pink?
Wahoo! I got Banana Mania!!
I must say it’s refreshing – this crayon trading thing – because it’s just so sweet. With three boys and just one girl in my brood, I’ve resigned myself to a life more full of Fuzzy Wuzzy (brown, kinda like footballs and dirty knees) than Razzle Dazzle Rose (a hot pink – kinda like my daughter’s tutu when she was 2). Listening to my growing boy describe the sun as Canary Yellow is like finding an Illuminating Emerald (sparkling green) in a sea full of Asparagus (darker green – kinda like the sports fields I’ll be staring at for the next 20 years).
I’m cherishing every Metallic Sunburst (sparkling gold) moment of it because being a mother of a boy has such a Bittersweet Shimmer to it. Soon he’ll smell like a Tumbleweed (flat, dusty brown) and might even describe his girlfriend as the Dandelion (the pretty yellow you picture it to be) of his life. I’ll be Granny Smith Apple green with envy because he was MINE first, but life does go on.
For right now I’m holding on tight to this 7-year-old boy who is part Sonic Silver and part Sunglow because he keeps my life B’Dazzled Blue.
3 comments
I went through our crayon stash at home and pulled out colors that I thought were unique. Ella James would give me the “no, that’s not a rare color – they already have that one” or “yes, that’s a rare color”. She instantly knew which ones were “rare colors” (that’s the correct lingo, apparently) that no one had. I have many vivid memories of 1st grade and I know that they will remember the days when they traded crayons looking for that rare colors. Love this!
Several weeks ago, Brady emptied her sock drawer (combined them with her panties) and designated it as her crayon “store.” I am thankful she’s into crayons – cheap and easy – and not something more sinister, but she is so protective of them that I have to keep a secret stash for her sister and brother to use when they want to color. I wonder if it’s happening in other grades and at other schools… Fun post, Cheryl. 🙂
YES!! Alexis says the boys “go CRAZY over the rare colors”. She was so upset one day when the 2nd carpool peeps used their class and someone took her favorite (molting lava) crayon from her desk. Which reminds me that I need to get back on the hunt for that color!!! She loves telling the story of how “Ian traded 14 crayons for only ONE gold!!! They go nuts for the gold ones, but they look brown on paper?!!” I love it – I’ll take sweet crayon trading any day!