diff --git a/externals/pddp/helplink.c b/externals/pddp/helplink.c
index 59f9882e5cf4ba39a3f3710d80aa9bb628d73d99..1fe93561e8820216a5b711d2d29a1d7a71206c5e 100644
--- a/externals/pddp/helplink.c
+++ b/externals/pddp/helplink.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ static void helplink_select(t_gobj *z, t_glist *glist, int state)
     if (glist_isvisible(glist) && glist->gl_havewindow)
     {
 		if (state) {
-			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c itemconfigure %s -fill $select_color\n",
+			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c itemconfigure %s -fill $::pd_colors(selection)\n",
 				glist, rtext_gettag(y));
 			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c addtag selected withtag %s\n",
 				glist, rtext_gettag(y));
diff --git a/externals/pddp/pddplink.c b/externals/pddp/pddplink.c
index 51e7f897035cc2d4fbff91bb79a44ed75ce2db1c..c9c4b095c6ce7010cd35761d9e815741925f816d 100644
--- a/externals/pddp/pddplink.c
+++ b/externals/pddp/pddplink.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ static void pddplink_select(t_gobj *z, t_glist *glist, int state)
     if (glist_isvisible(glist) && glist->gl_havewindow)
     {
 		if (state) {
-			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c itemconfigure %s -fill $select_color\n",
+			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c itemconfigure %s -fill $::pd_colors(selection)\n",
 				glist, rtext_gettag(y));
 			sys_vgui(".x%lx.c addtag selected withtag %s\n",
 				glist, rtext_gettag(y));