Returning to the Color Kingdom

The year is 1984. Kids gather around their TV screens to meet Wisp, a young girl who is tasked with saving Rainbowland by returning color to the world. When Wisp saves the day, she transforms into Rainbow Brite and continues to watch over the land with her new friends, the Color Kids. Forty years later, Rainbow Brite and her friends continue to leave a rainbow-shaped mark on ‘80s
kids’ hearts. 

“It feels amazing to be part of something that has had such staying power,” says Stacey Howe, vice president of global licensing and business development at Hallmark, the company behind the Rainbow Brite brand. “The fact that Rainbow Brite’s legacy has continued to live on proves how timeless the brand is and how its central themes of courage, kindness, and optimism still resonate with audiences.”

For the big anniversary, Hallmark partnered with multiple merch makers to bring us the technicolor products of our dreams, including collaborations with Loungefly, Mad Engine, Goodie Two Sleeves, Jay Franco, PSD Underwear, FUN.com, and TLS Toy. 

Last fall, TLS Toy launched a collection of dolls and collectibles featuring some of fans’ favorite characters, including plush versions of Starlite and Twink; classic dolls complete with yarn-like hair; and fashion dolls with 29 points of articulation, mystery accessories, and adorable outfits. 

“We have the multicolored megaphone turned up, ready to shout to the mountain tops,” says Jonathan Cathey, TLS Toy’s CEO, in an interview with The Pop Insider’s sister publication, The Toy Book. 

However, this collection isn’t the only thing TLS Toy has up its sleeve for the Rainbow Brite anniversary. The company also has some upcoming surprises for Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) in July and will launch an interactive Rainbow Brite doll for the holiday season.

When it comes to apparel, whether you’re looking for a new staple in your colorful closet or a fun accessory for an ‘80s party, there are plenty of Rainbow Brite options out there. 

Loungefly launched a massive collection of Rainbow Brite accessories, complete with two mini backpacks, a crossbody bag, a zip-around wallet, a card holder, and stationery journals that are all perfect for a rainbow girlie on the go. FUN.com also has kitschy-cute accessories that are the ultimate choice to wear to your next retro outing, including Rainbow Brite costumes for kids, adults, and dogs; a Rainbow Brite ugly Christmas sweater; and some Sprite slippers.

“When you think about ‘80s cartoons, Rainbow Brite is right up there with other favorites like My Little Pony and Care Bears,” says Angela Poch, inbound marketing specialist at FUN.com. “It’s so iconically ’80s that we had to bring it back! Eighties nostalgia is also at an all-time high between Stranger Things and Ghostbusters, not to mention other TV series and movies with hefty ‘80s vibes.”

Hot Topic is also a hub for Rainbow Brite merch, with T-shirts, accessories, and home goods from Goodie Two Sleeves and Mad Engine. 

“I think just the color and the bright and the happiness of it all is really what everybody gravitates toward,” says Jessica Jordan, vice president of licensing at Mad Engine. “The team really has a lot of fun with all the different colors and articles, too. We have all of the accessories and apparel under the sun, so there are no limits on it. I feel like the creative team can just really spread their wings and develop [the brand] into so much stuff.”

As those kids who gathered around the TV in 1984 have grown up, an online community dedicated to Rainbow Brite has cropped up. Katy Haile launched rainbowbrite.net in 1997. Fresh out of high school at the time, Haile noticed that other popular brands had websites, but Rainbow Brite didn’t. 

“Back when I made the website, there was no such thing as social media,” Haile says. “I taught myself how to make websites. I got a few [Rainbow Brite] images scanned, but it was super fun. I’ve always loved computers, so I learned it really fast … We couldn’t really share video quite yet, but I put up pictures, audio, lyrics to songs —whatever I could think of to put up. The way we communicated early on was by email. We had an email list where you could send an email to this one address, and it’d go to everybody who subscribed to the list. So that’s how the fandom really started growing.”

Almost three decades later, Haile still updates her site with new Rainbow Brite product launches and videos. 

“I love seeing everyone commenting on [a new product] and how they’re so excited and they can’t wait to go buy it,” Haile says. “Friendships get made that way. People want to help each other out finding products and just sharing their general excitement.”

Haile currently lives in Switzerland, so a lot of the merch that’s available in the U.S. is hard to find where she resides. Next time she comes to the U.S., she plans to pick up TLS Toy’s collection of Rainbow Brite dolls. 

Valerie Bizzarro, also known as @colorvally on Instagram, grew up watching reruns of Rainbow Brite on VHS tapes and playing with her Starlite horse plush. Even as a big kid, the themes of the brand still resonate in her life. 

Bizzarro mainly collects toys from the My Little Pony and Care Bears franchises, but the Rainbow Brite aesthetic fits right in with her collection. Some of her favorite launches from the Rainbow Brite anniversary include TLS Toy’s dolls and Loungefly’s accessory collection, which launched in March. 

“They bring me back to childhood,” Bizzarro says. “There’s so much sadness and darkness in the world sometimes that you just need that happiness and that positivity. Surrounding myself with those very colorful, very cheerful things just reminds me of how beautiful every day should be.”

Shopping for new merch and reminiscing on your childhood might not be enough Rainbow Brite nostalgia for you. If not, Hallmark recently dropped the first season of the animated series on YouTube, so you can relive sitting too close to the TV while watching or introduce your friends to the color magic.

“It’s inspiring to see the reaction from fans as we roll out celebration initiatives,” Howe says. “We’ve seen a positive reaction on social media with fans expressing how excited they are [that] Rainbow Brite is back and sharing memories from when they were first introduced to her. Hearing first-hand the impact the brand has had on the lives of so many just spurs our mission to make the world more colorful.”