Crayola Launches ‘Colors of the World Crayons,’ as if I Don’t Remember their First ‘Multicultural Crayons’

Remember Crayola’s multicultural crayons? Well I do, because I wrote about them, like, what seems like centuries ago: Specifically, on May 20, 2014. Except at that time they were called “Multicultural Crayons” and didn’t really catch on…

Guess what? A full six years later, these babies are back, now under the “Colors of th World” brand.

Crayola’s “new” Colors of the World set features “hues representing over 40 global skin tones that authentically reflects the full spectrum of human complexions,” the company announced Thursday, May 21, 2029. The idea? “To advance inclusion within creativity,” says CEO Rich Wuerthele.

So, basically, as one of my Twitter followers said: “Rebrand, cuz racism be evergreen.”

Via: AP News

Move Over, America; the Mexican Flag Is on its Way to the Moon… No, Really

¡Y retiemble en sus centros la Luna….!

If a group of Mexican scientists have their way, we will be seeing the Mexican flag on the surface of the Moon very, very soon.

No, really.

According to a very reliable source I’ve never heard of, a group of scientists from Mexico’s National Autonomous University (UNAM) is working on deploying eight small robots that will eventually set foot on the surface of the Moon as soon as 2019. Once there, they say, they will do the most obvious thing one does when getting there: PLANT A FREAKING FLAG!

But that will only be the beginning, I’m told. Sources close to the project assure me the next phase will be even more exciting: A taquería!

¡Ajúa!

Via: México.mx

According to Nielsen, I’ll be ‘Wealthy, Healthy and Wise’ Very Soon… So, Yay!

Nielsen

If everything goes according to plan — and if Nielsen’s latest research is accurate — I will no longer be poor, unhealthy and prone to making poor decisions.

According to Nielsen’s The New American Vanguard, a 2015 report on Latinos 50+:

“While younger Hispanics are commanding wide-spread attention, it’s actually older Hispanics who are leading the way, extending a strong cultural influence over their families and their communities at large.”

In fact, Hispanics 50+ will kick so much butt that they “will lead the way by living and working longer, establishing increased wealth potential and bearing the torch as the cultural matriarchs in their families and communities.”

And that is not all. In addition to being wealthy and a “cultural matriarch,” it looks like I will also be healthier (at last!). According to page 23 of said report, I will soon prefer “healthy and organic food,” which apparently means I’ll be ditching street tacos in favor of a kale-based, gluten-free diet.

Last but not least, and because being wealthy and healthy is certainly not enough, I’ll be making smarter choices in my life. Apparently, once I turn 50, I’ll be playing a crucial role “in the formation of a new mainstream society that is culturally inclusive as well as rooted in traditional American values of patriotism, hard work, personal optimism and faith in Americans’ collective future.”

Really? Wow! I can’t wait.

The Hispanic CVS Pharmacy is Like a Regular CVS but Hispanic

YmasCVS

Corporate America is indefatigable.

Despite high-profile, unsuccessful efforts to give my people (i.e. The Hispanics) dedicated “Hispanic stores” with “Hispanic stuff” presumably preferred by “Hispanic people,” big corporations continue to make strides — and waste invest their money —  in giving my people their very own Hispanic tiendas.

Take CVS Pharmacy, which says it has converted 11 existing locations and added a brand-new store to launch its “Hispanic-centric store concept.”

And what exactly makes this CVS a Hispanic CVS? Well, I’m glad you asked. According to this WLRN story: “Cafecito, bilingual staff, money transfer services, and an expanded discount fragrance counter,” because unlike regular, non-Hiapanic people, we love to drink coffee and send money abroad while smelling real nice. 

Per a CVS press release, the the new stores will carry “more than 1,500 trusted Hispanic products including favorite brands such as Café La Llave, Agustin Reyes, Fabuloso, Suavitel, Creolina and Formula 88.”

Wait. WHAT? What about Hispanic cheese? Hispanic lettuceMexican Coke? None of that? Buuuu… 😦

I think I’d stick to my neighborhood’s real Latin Pharmacy, that looks just like this:

Farmacia Latina [Harlem]
Farmacia Latina [Harlem]

Attention, Architects: Here’s Your Chance to Add some Diversity to your Next Project

Screen Shot 2014-11-06 at 4.27.41 PM

I know squat about architecture, but apparently when it comes to architectural renderings, there is –surprise, surprise!– a serious lack of diversity, with most projects using white folks as renderings to represent people in, say, a Mexican supermarket or a Colombian coffee shop.

With that in mind, a group Latin Americans set out to create Escalalatina, an image bank, which aims to provide a way for Latin American architects to fill their renders with images of “real Latinos,” so that next time you see a model of, say, a shopping mall, instead of seeing a very white person, you could actually insert a masked wrestler, Emiliano Zapata or even Cuauhtémoc Blanco (notwithstanding the whiteness of his name) because you know you always bump into those people in the mall.

Heck, you can even go for this AWESOME ice-cream vendor:

heladosvia: Arch Daily

 

Research: Hispanics Love ‘Authentic’ Food, Including Make Believe American Tacos

Food

When it comes to Hispanic eating habits, there is not such a thing as “enough research.” Take the latest from Technomic, a Chicago-based firm that this week revealed that Hispanics are more inclined to dine out than the general market. Really? Yes, really. According to Technomic:

“63 percent of Hispanics surveyed said that restaurants are an “ideal” place to spend time with family, compared to just 52 percent of the general market.”

But that is not all: According to said research, “Hispanics value authenticity in a restaurant too,” which basically means they would pay more food described as “authentic,” which –according to photo editors at the Chicago Business Journal means American-style, hard-shell tacos.

I don’t know about the rest of you, “other Hispanics,” but my ideal dining out experience looks a little different; it looks really like this:

diningout

Shocking: Hispanics Buy Non-Hispanic Stuff at the Supermarket

groceries

I love Hispanic research, don’t you? And that’s because you get to learn some amazing stuff. For instance, how my people (i.e. The Hispanics) approach grocery shopping.

Take the latest research, stating that Hispanics are as “eclectic” as non-Hispanics when they go shopping, meaning we don’t only go to the supermarket to buy stuff like tamales, pinole, piñatas, nopales and mole Doña María. In fact, according to a recent online survey conducted by Meredith Corporation:

“Latinas confirmed that they are not only shopping the Hispanic aisle – they have eclectic palettes and enjoy cooking a wide variety of foods”.

So don’t believe everything they tell you about my people. We (i.e. The Hispanics) are so eclectic that in fact have joined forces with the Chinese to come up with this:

chinese_Hispanic