Devastated fans accuse Crayola of stealing their sunshine

Crayola has retired one of its iconic crayons - and the internet is not happy.
Crayola has retired one of its iconic crayons - and the internet is not happy. Photo: Facebook/Crayola

It's official.

After announcing earlier this week that one of their beloved crayons would be entering retirement on National Crayon Day (sparking many a spirited discussion on just which colours MUST be saved), we now know exactly who's leaving the pack.

Dandelion.

Yep - happy, bright, cheerful, dandelion.

And let's just say that fans are NOT happy.
"NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! No way. This is the LAST colour that should be retiring," wrote one outraged Dandelion Defender, after the official announcement.
"It is my favourite one in the box. I like it better than basic yellow. It is much more bold and shows up so much better. This is wrong on so many levels. I don't know how you are going to make up for this Crayola ... but you better have some thing VERY good up your sleeve."
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"I am going to hope this is an April Fool's joke," wrote another, summing up the feelings of oh-so-many. "Why in the world would you choose dandelion to retire? How about apricot? Never gets used!"
"Take Burnt Sienna, but not my Dandelion!!!" said a devastated fan.
One woman even raided the kids' crayon bin at school to ensure she stocked up on her favourite colour before it disappears into the (slightly less golden) sunset.
"Crayola must think any yellow is fine for a kid's imagination. Think again Crayola!" she said.
Others were more specific in their feedback, noting exactly how a Dandelion-free existence would affect them - and their kids.
What about Big Bird? they wrote. That's his colour.

And what about actual dandelions?

And the sun! Dandelion is the colour of sunshine. Other yellows simply won't do it justice!

"You took away my Pooh Bear yellow!!" another fan cried. He'll never look this happy again ...

"What colour will we use for Belle's dress now?" others asked. 

And Lego figures? 

Yep - there are lots of people feeling a little blue this morning. 

It's not the first time we've been forced to say goodbye to our favourite colours.

In 1990, Crayola retired green blue, orange red, orange yellow, violet blue, maize, lemon yellow, blue gray and raw umber. Blizzard blue, magic mint, teal blue and mulberry received their marching orders in 2003.

Speculation is now rife as to what colour will replace the beloved yellow Crayon of our childhoods to make up the full 24 pack.

Bye-bye, Dandelion. Thank you for the memories.