Half-Birthday Candles Are A Thing Now And You Can Have 2 Parties A Year

Sad that you can only celebrate one birthday every year? Upset that you don’t get more gifts? Hungry for cake but there’s no handy excuse to eat an entire chocolate gâteau by yourself? Worry not!

French pastry brand Vahiné and agency Grey x Ogilvy combined forces to create and promote a decimal comma-shaped candle so you can celebrate your half-birthdays and any other fractions that you want. (For all of you Pandas who use decimal points, you can always push the candle into the cake a tad to hide the comma’s tail!) The idea is simple: when talking about age, 'and-a-half' counts, too; and if kids celebrate their half-birthdays, parents might think that they're growing up less quickly.

Vahiné offered influencers half-birthday kits containing candles, recipes, and ingredients to make delicious birthday cakes. While the candle isn’t available for sale, you can see it in action all over social media. You can also win one of the candles by participating in Vahiné’s Autumn contests. Be sure to check out the half-birthday hashtag #vahinedemianniv.

More info: Vahine.fr | Facebook | Instagram | OgilvyParis.fr

Bored Panda reached out to the Ogilvy Paris x Grey Paris team to learn more about their product. According to a representative of the agency, they wanted to find a way to pay tribute to children who always give their age by adding 'and-a-half' because until now they couldn't celebrate their half-birthday.

"The idea of the candle was loved by Vahiné who decided to produce and launch it with the help of influencers and us," the representative told us. Vahiné has been a client of the agency for years.

The reactions to the decimal comma candle have been very positive, according to the representative of Ogilvy Paris x Grey Paris team. "The influencer communities have loved the idea and shared their impressions with great enthusiasm on social media. In the current context, sharing and joy right now and the comma candle comes at just the right time."

Most of us can remember at least one time when we bragged about being so-and-so ‘and a half!’ years old—being even half a year older than your friends was a big deal. And it told everyone loud and clear that your next birthday was right around the corner and that you should be taken seriously.

The candle is mostly meant as a bit of fun for kids for whom every half-birthday is a huge event. But adults can also take the comma candle out of their cupboard to celebrate getting a bit wiser this month so they have an excuse to eat cake any time they’re feeling lonely.

And it’s the perfect opportunity for parents to throw a small get-together (though remember social distancing guidelines) or find ways to make their kids feel special.

What do you think of the comma candle, dear Pandas? When’s the last time you said ‘and a half’ when telling somebody how old you were? Personally, I’m willing to bring this fad back for adults! Anything to feel young, right?