Was any character more representative of the colorful ‘80s decade than Rainbow Brite? Doubtful. But did you know that she was created by Hallmark to try to emulate the success that American Greetings already had with Strawberry Shortcake in the ‘70s? Yes, even though you may remember Rainbow Brite most from her animated television series, feature-length movie, plush dolls, or any number of other items (there were a lot!), she originally was created in 1983 for greeting cards.
But, Hallmark had bigger plans. Executives at the company were tasked with breaking Hallmark into the licensing business by creating characters targeted toward children. Originally, Rainbow Brite was conceived as a young girl with powers over nature, but that eventually evolved into being responsible for the colors of the universe. From there, the additional characters of the Color Kids, Rainbow Brite’s horse Starlite, and the rest of the backstory was created. But what to do once all of that was in place? Market the crap out of it and bring in those big bucks, duh.
Hallmark partnered with Mattel in 1984 to bring the first plush dolls to life, while at the same time working with DIC Entertainment to create an animated television series. The first episode debuted in June 1984, and didn’t actually go over the origin story of Rainbow Brite — that was saved for a two parter later in the year. The show basically had Rainbow going on adventures to save the world, with the help of the Color Kids and a boy from Earth named Brian. You might feel like you watched a million Rainbow Brite episodes, but in fact only 13 total were produced.
What was the most memorable incarnation of Rainbow Brite, though? Obviously the feature-length movie. Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer released in theaters in November 1985, and made a whopping $4.8 million (that would be $12.1 million in 2021 dollars) at the box office after running for just five weeks. That’s not exactly gangbusters, so why didn’t it perform better? It was made in just three months, which at the time was a record for the quickest animated film ever produced, and it got, shall we say, less than stellar reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times even said, “[It] isn’t a movie; it’s a marketing tool.” I mean, was she wrong? After all, that was kind of what Hallmark was going for. But, you know, kids aren’t really known for their good taste, so none of that really mattered when it came to watching it on VHS over and over.
Hallmark has rebooted Rainbow Brite a few times throughout the years, but nothing quite compares to her original ‘80s incarnation. For even more nostalgia, check out this commercial for the original release of the dolls made by Mattel, featuring the actress Heather O’Rourke of Poltergeist fame.
Were you a Rainbow Brite fan? Which Color Kid did you feel represented you best? Let us know in the comments!
- Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer has a rare 0% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences are nicer, giving it a 79% rating.
- In 2014, the animated series was rebooted for Hallmark’s streaming channel, Feeln, featuring the voices of Emily Osment and Molly Ringwald.
- DIC Entertainment, who produced the original animated television series, is also known for the Inspector Gadget animated series, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin series, and the ridiculous Legend of Zelda animated series (well excuse me, princess!), among many others.
- The Color Kid Red Butler was named after the character Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind.
- There was a Rainbow Brite cereal that debuted in 1985 to coincide with the release of the movie.
- Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer has a rare 0% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences are nicer, giving it a 79% rating.
- In 2014, the animated series was rebooted for Hallmark’s streaming channel, Feeln, featuring the voices of Emily Osment and Molly Ringwald.
- DIC Entertainment, who produced the original animated television series, is also known for the Inspector Gadget animated series, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin series, and the ridiculous Legend of Zelda animated series (well excuse me, princess!), among many others.
- The Color Kid Red Butler was named after the character Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind.
- There was a Rainbow Brite cereal that debuted in 1985 to coincide with the release of the movie.
