Culture
You can eat these crayons when you’re done drawing
From sweet potato to carrot, Oyasai crayons are named and colored after healthy produce.
What if, hear us out, you could eat your crayons? A campaign currently running on Kickstarter has introduced the concept of edible crayons and, to be honest, we don’t hate it. The Oyasai crayon is made from vegetables and rice, plus rice brain and wax, while the outer part of the crayon itself is made of edible vegetable leaves, its makers say.
"In addition," the company writes, "the pigments that supplement the color of vegetables are mainly those with the same ingredients that are used for coloring foods. It is made of only materials that are safe to put in your mouth." At the moment, Oyasai crayons are being sold in the Japanese market only but its makers are hoping to reach international customers with the Kickstarter campaign. You can get your hands on a box of these crayons by making a pledge for around $20. The standard box will ship around August.
Naoko Kimura's magic — Graphic designer Naoko Kimura created the Oyasai crayon as a way to effectively juggle her professional responsibilities and raising her children. Kimura got the idea in 2011, noting that it would be delightful to draw with the "colors of vegetables." Naturally, the shades of these crayons are rich and bucolic. A standard box of Oyasai crayons comes in ten colors ranging from deeper shades of green to kitchen variety hues like mustard, light tomato red, plum purple, and some shades of teal.
Although major companies like Crayola insist that their products are non-toxic and that accidentally consuming ideally will not be life-threatening, Oyasai crayons address the issue head on. The manufacturer states that Oyasai crayon passed the European standard toy safety code for 2013, which is one of the most stringent inspection regulatory standards around the globe. Kimura likens the colors of these joyful crayons to carrots, apples, plums, sweet potato, and liquorice.
Rich pigments — As Gizmodo explains, Oyasai crayons are made by crushing the pigments of fruits and vegetable powders, which make for a small component of the material. The average crayon from the company contains remarkably less substance than the average crayon in the market.
Given that Oyasai crayons are established products, you won't need to worry about the issues that plague prototype entries. The only problem that could arise with these crayons is that delivery times could be delayed given the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps, in the meantime, you could learn about how to make your own edible crayons. Or even edible makeup.
