WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of an edible vaccine developed by Crayola in an effort to shore up inoculations in the Marine Corps.

“We’ve been trying to think outside the box for how to get all of our Marines vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Marine Commandant Gen. David H. Berger. “Turns out we just needed to think inside the crayon box.”

Crayons have been a favorite of Marines throughout history, so Crayola is a natural fit as a vaccine maker.

“You tell a Marine that he has to get a shot administered by the government, and you can just see the trepidation in their eyes,” explained Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. “You put the vaccine in a crayon? Hell, you can’t hardly stop them from getting inoculated.”