TikTokers Are Hunting for Discontinued Crayola Colors
It sounds niche, but TikTokers digging through old crayons has become a real thing.
Published April 2 2026, 4:20 p.m. ET
On a certain side of TikTok, people are digging through bags of old crayons like they are searching for treasure. And, in their own way, they are.
Despite involving crayons, this unusual trend has nothing to do with coloring. It’s about collecting — specifically, discontinued Crayola colors that are no longer easy to find.
If you happen to end up on this side of TikTok, you might find yourself wondering exactly which colors they are looking for. Furthermore, if you end up in the comments of these videos, you also might wonder who exactly is the “Dandelion Girl” that everyone keeps mentioning?
Discontinued Crayola colors are turning into unexpected collector’s items.
Over the years, Crayola has retired several shades for different reasons. Sometimes it is to make room for something new, and sometimes it is just to refresh the lineup.
According to Crayola’s FAQ, there were eight different colors retired for the first time in 1990, including blue gray, green blue, lemon yellow, maize, orange red, orange yellow, raw umber, and violet blue. These colors were replaced with new colors that included cerulean, dandelion, fuchsia, jungle green, royal purple, teal blue, vivid tangerine, and wild strawberry.
In 2003, Crayola retired more colors, including blizzard blue, magic mint, mulberry, and teal blue. These four retired colors were replaced with inchworm, jazzberry jam, mango tango, and wild blue yonder.
It was in 2017 when things really hit hard for fans of Crayola when they announced Dandelion — a warm yellow shade — was retired. Unlike previous retirements, however, Dandelion was given a full retirement tour because being replaced with Bluetiful.
Retired Crayola crayons have become a full-blown TikTok trend — especially for one creator.
If you’ve spent any time on this side of TikTok, you’ve probably come across LaKenzo, also known as the “Dandelion Girl.”
She built her entire online presence around one thing: collecting Dandelion crayons.
After the color was discontinued in 2017, she started hunting for them anywhere she could find them — thrift stores, old boxes, random crayon lots. Over time, that collection grew into something kind of wild.
At one point, per The Daily Dot, she had over 700 Dandelion crayons.
And people were invested. Her videos didn’t just rack up views — they turned into a mix of admiration and disbelief. Thanks to her obsession, she also accumulated over 2 million followers on TikTok.
Comments ranged from “I wish I loved something this much” to “You loved it back into existence.”
Which, depending on how you look at it … Might not be that far off.
Dandelion didn’t stay gone forever.
As of 2026, Dandelion is no longer a retired Crayola color.
After years of fans — and collectors — holding onto the color, Crayola brought it back. First, the color was part of a limited release. Then, it became a permanent part of the 64-count box.
Unsurprisingly, LaKenzo had a lot to say about that.
On one hand, she celebrated the return of her favorite color. On the other hand, there’s something kind of ironic about it.
Part of the appeal was the hunt. The rarity. The idea that you had to find Dandelion instead of just picking it up in a new box.
Discontinued crayons might seem like a random thing to care about. For people deep in that corner of TikTok, however, it feels like treasure hunting.