Rainbow Brite

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Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite.jpg
Rainbow Brite Title screen
Format Animated television series
Written by Woody Kling
Directed by Bruno Bianchi
Osamu Dezaki
Rich Rudish
Voices of See Rainbow Brite#Voices
Composer(s) Shuky Levy
Haim Saban
Country of origin  United States
 France
 Japan
No. of episodes

13 half-hour animated episodes
2 half-hour live-action episodes
4 read-along videos


1 feature-length movie
Production
Executive producer(s) Jean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
Producer(s) Jean Chalopin
Andy Heyward
Tetsuo Katayama
Running time 25 minutes per episode
Production company(s) DIC Entertainment
Tokyo Movie Shinsha
LBS Communications Inc.
Broadcast
Original run June 27, 1984 – July 24, 1986

Rainbow Brite was a character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1983, with the animated television series starting the following year.

Rainbow Brite made her animated debut in a syndicated prime-time special, "Peril in the Pits," first aired on June 27, 1984. Two more two-part specials were subsequently made, "The Mighty Monstromurk Menace" and "The Beginning of Rainbowland."

In April 1986, Rainbow Brite became a regular series, as part of DIC's weekly syndicated Kideo TV block; eight new episodes were made for this run. Rainbow Brite remained part of the Kideo TV lineup until May 1987.

Contents

[edit] Premise

In the franchise's backstory, a little orphan girl named Wisp is taken by an unknown force to the Colorless World. She must find the Sphere of Light, and along the way she befriends a sprite, Twink, and a majestic white horse known as Starlite. She rescues the seven Color Kids (one for each color of the rainbow) and finds the Color Belt, which is the tool she needs to bring color to the land. After using it to defeat the King of Shadows (also known as the Evil Force and the Dark One), an evil hooded being with twitchy fingers, the unknown force renames Wisp as Rainbow Brite. She and the Color Kids (and their helpers, the Sprites) live in Rainbow Land and are in charge of all the colors on Earth.

The Color Belt needs colored Star Sprinkles to work. Each Color Kid is in charge of his/her respective color, and their Sprites mine Color Crystals from the Color Caves, which are turned into Star Sprinkles by a process much like using cookie cutters. In the 2009 release, the color belt still functions, but Rainbow Brite and the other Sky Powers have scepters as well.

The movie Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, made in 1985, added a magical planet of light named Spectra, which is also called the diamond planet. All the light in the universe must pass through Spectra before coming to Earth. The Dark Princess causes problems when she tries to wrap ropes around Spectra (in order to haul the giant diamond to her palace), which blocks out the light and throws Earth into a permanent winter.

[edit] Characters

Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids, in the "Brand New Day" song from the Star Stealer movie
  • Rainbow Brite (originally named Wisp before taking this name) and her white sprite Twink. In one of the read-along videos, it is revealed that Twink used to be red, until villain Murky Dismal threw him into The Pits, which drained him of his colors. She wields a magical tool called the Color Belt that produces a powerful multicolored energy force in the form of a rainbow. She can use it for various feats, including enabling Starlite to fly by creating a rainbow bridge for him to travel on.
  • Starlite is Rainbow Brite's talking horse whom she rides as he gallops across rainbows. He calls himself "the most magnificent horse in the universe." He is white with a yellow star on his forehead, and his mane and tail are rainbow-colored. Starlite's mane suffers from continuity errors. It sometimes begins as a blue forelock and ends with red at the withers, or vice versa depending on the drawing, show or movie.

[edit] Color Kids

The names of each Color Kid's head Sprite is in parentheses, although several more named Sprites exist. Except where noted, each Sprite is the color of the Color Kid he or she belongs to. Sprites all look identical except for their colors, and in some cases, antennae. Regular Sprites have star antennae. Each Color Kid also has his or her own personality.

  • Red Butler (Romeo) - an adventurer.
  • Lala Orange (OJ) (in the 2004 merchandise line, OJ's name is Mango) - Girly Girl.
  • Canary Yellow (Spark) - a dancer.
  • Patty O'Green (Lucky) - a jokester.
  • Buddy Blue (Champ) - an athlete.
  • Indigo (Hammy) - an actress.
  • Shy Violet (IQ) - a smart girl.

Note that some sprites have different names in other regions and languages. For example, in the UK in the 1980s line, OJ's name is Saucy, and in Spain & Mexico, Sassy.[1] In the UK, Hammy's name is Encore.[2] There are also many other named and unnamed sprites in the cartoon and books.

[edit] Special Kids

Although frequently lumped in with Color Kids, there are a few residents of Rainbow Land who do not deal with colors. In the 2009 release, Tickled Pink and Moonglow join Rainbow Brite as the Sky Powers.

[edit] Stormy

Along with her non-speaking horse Skydancer, Stormy lives in the clouds and is in charge of storms, rain, and winter (her favorite season). Stormy does not have a sprite, although in the episode "Invasion of Rainbow Land", an unnamed sprite matching the color of her outfit follows her around (perhaps an indigo or violet sprite). Skydancer is dark purple with a light purple mane and tail and bears a lightning bolt on her/his head. Skydancer's gender is never revealed; and unlike Starlite, Skydancer has the ability to fly unaided. In the pre-production stages, Skydancer was called "Thunder", shown in the captions for the Star Stealer press kit.

[edit] Tickled Pink

She appeared in later episodes, and the movie. It is controversial whether Tickled Pink is in charge of just the color pink, or in charge of all pastel colors. Her outfit is the only one besides Rainbow Brite's that has multiple colors, and not just different shades of the same color. In the 1980s merchandise line there is a pink sprite named Dee Lite, but Tickled Pink is never shown to have a sprite. In the 2004 merchandise line by Toy Play, the coloring book indicates she and the female sprites are in charge of tertiary colors such as aqua and magenta. In the 2009 release, Tickled Pink is in charge of the sunrise and dawn, has a sprite named Twilite, and Sunriser is her horse.

[edit] Moonglow

Moonglow is in charge of making the night sky bright with stars and color. She appears in the episodes produced after the movie. She has a navy blue Sprite named Nite Sprite (who has crescent moons at the tips of his antennae instead of stars like the other Rainbow Land Sprites). Note: The merchandise spelling for the doll has her name spelled as "Moonglow", but the TV series has it listed as "Moonglo". Both spellings may be considered correct, but Hallmark has made it clear that "Moonglow" is their official spelling.[3] In the 2009 line, her horse is Shimmer.

[edit] Friends

[edit] Baby Brite

She is named this in the merchandise line and only appears in The Beginning of Rainbowland, where she is called "the Baby". She has pink hair and is the form that the Sphere of Light takes in the dark land. Rainbow Brite finds her, and because of her goes into a cave to get out of the rain, which leads her to finding the Color Belt.

[edit] Sunriser

Sunriser is a pink, non-talking horse introduced in the episode "Horse of a Different Color". She has a white heart on her forehead, and seems to have a crush on Starlite. She is very shy at the beginning and won't let anyone ride her except Rainbow Brite. The Sprites gave her the name "Sunriser" since she came out in the early morning to watch Starlite. In the cartoon series, Sunriser didn't belong to anyone and only let Rainbow Brite ride her once. However, the merchandise boxes show Tickled Pink riding Sunriser and say "Tickled Pink's fun-loving horse." In the 2009 release, her hair is pink with yellow-gold highlights and the white heart on her forehead has been changed to a golden sun.

[edit] Shimmer

Shimmer did not exist in the 1980s line, but was created for the 2009 release.[4][5][6] Shimmer is Moonglow's horse. She is light blue with pink, blue, and purple hair, and a silvery-purple moon on her forehead.

[edit] Krys

Met in the movie and later appearing on the show, Krys is a resident of Spectra. He is taller than Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids. He wears a space helmet and helps Rainbow Brite defeat the Dark Princess. He utilizes a small wrist-mounted prism, given to him by Orin, that's powered by Rainbow Brite's rainbow. It usually works by creating a crystal (possibly of ice) around its target, but can also apparently make metal items, such as swords, very hot, and make them disappear.

[edit] Orin

Also appearing in the movie, Orin is an ancient white sprite from Spectra. His origin is obvious from the spheres on the ends of his antennae, which all Spectran Sprites have. The Sprites on Rainbow Land have always thought that he was real, while the Color Kids believed him only to be a legend.

[edit] On-X

Pronounced "onyx," he is Orin's black robot horse. His red mane lights up when he talks, and blue jets coming out of his feet allow him to fly. He can store a message for someone, which can be retrieved by pressing the button on his chest. (At the end of the Star Stealer movie, Orin gives On-X to Krys.)

[edit] Brian

The only boy on Earth who can see Rainbow Brite. After school one day he accidentally walks into a rainbow that Rainbow Brite had sent to cheer him up. This turns him many colors, and Rainbow Brite takes him to Rainbow Land to remove them. He is given a special key which, when put in any lock, forms a rainbow which he can ride to Rainbow Land. Brian has a dog named Sam (this information can be found in the Rainbow Brite Treasury book) who is only referred to as "Boy" in the TV series.

[edit] Puppy Brite & Kitty Brite

Rainbow Brite's pets. Puppy Brite makes a cameo appearance at the start of Star Stealer and appears in an episode after the movie. Kitty Brite appears only in episodes produced after the movie. Puppy Brite exists in the 2009 release.

[edit] Rainbow Land Sprites

Sprites who live in Rainbow Land and mine Color Crystals from the Color Caves. They also perform other duties for the Color Kids, such as processing Color Crystals into Star Sprinkles, and carting them to storage. They speak their own language, which Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids can understand. They come in every color of the rainbow and have stars on the ends of their antennae.

[edit] Spectran Sprites

Spectran Sprites are Sprites with soft, fuzzy feet who live on Spectra and keep it shiny and polished. Spectran Sprites have spheres on the ends of their antennae, as opposed to the stars that Sprites from Rainbow Land have on theirs, as well as goggles to protect their eyes. They also seem to only come in pale (almost white) colors such as light blue and light pink. The three most mentioned sprites of Spectra are Orin, Bombo and Popo.

[edit] Villains

[edit] Murky Dismal

Murky is the main villain from The Pits. In the episode "Mom" it is revealed that, as a toddler, he colored on the walls with crayons, markers, paints, rollers, and finally an industrial airbrush. His mother made him wash off "every bit of color, if it takes all day, if it takes the rest of your life," leading Murky to his hatred of color as an adult. He loves to invent devices to create gloom clouds which remove color and make people hopeless, for example the "de-gouz-a-phone" used in the San Diego Zoo Adventure. He is constantly trying to capture the Color Kids or take Rainbow Brite's Color Belt. His full first name is Murkwell. Murky makes it into the 2009 remake as a mysterious figure, sitting in a chair, looking at his monitors on screen. He now controls robots, rather than going into Rainbow Land himself, and the whereabouts of Lurky is currently unknown.

[edit] Lurky

Murky's sidekick who looks like a giant brown Sprite with a large nose. Lurky actually delights in "all the pretty colors!" and dreams of one day riding a horsey like Starlite. Lurky is generally goodhearted and often foils Murky's plans by his clumsy nature. He drives their vehicle, a filthy go-kart called the Grunge Buggy, while Murky rides shotgun in a garbage can strapped to the side.

[edit] The Dark Princess

She is only officially called "The Princess." She lives in a palace in space and, as the movie's eponymous Star Stealer, tries to steal the diamond planet, Spectra. She carries around an emerald which she speaks to as if it is a dog. She is very spoiled and greedy, even going so far as to steal Rainbow Brite's Color Belt after witnessing its power (although she never used it, herself). She has a magic jewel that is the source of her power, destroyed by Rainbow Brite at the end of Star Stealer. She also appears in one episode of the series, and is assumed to be the villain in the 2009 line but never seen.

[edit] Count Blogg

A green monster who is the Dark Princess' right-hand man. When he appears in the television series he pretends to have the power to change people into frogs.

[edit] Sgt. Zombo

The Sergeant in charge of the Prison Planet, where the Dark Princess sends her enemies. He is turned into crystal by Krys' prism beam.

[edit] Glitterbots

Giant gold robots who hypnotize the Spectran Sprites into tying ropes around Spectra in preparation for the Princess' claim of the planet for herself.

[edit] Monstromurk

A malevolent entity best described as a living storm-cloud, with the power to destroy colors. He was trapped in a glass bottle, like a genie, by Murky Dismal and kept there for over 700 years. Murky sought to control him and use his powers against Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids, until he was accidentally freed by Lurky. He wrought havoc across Rainbow Land until trapped and imprisoned again by Rainbow Brite.

[edit] Other minor characters

[edit] Mrs. Dismal

Murky's mother, who doesn't like that Murky hates colors, and ends up helping Rainbow Brite. In the one episode she appeared in, Mom, it was revealed that as a child, when Murky colored all over the wall, she made him erase the colors.

[edit] Wajah

A multilingual alien who crashes in Rainbow Land. His species uses color as food, so Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids fix his ship as quickly as possible to prevent him from "eating" all the color in Rainbow Land.

[edit] Plock

A conniving salesman who tricks Twink into selling him the Color Caves in exchange for a "magic seed." Once he realizes what the world would be like without color, he changes his ways and gives the Caves back to Rainbow Brite.

[edit] Sorell

A sorcerer who creates Murky's Comet to try and destroy the Color Caves.

[edit] Episodes

Title Original airdate #
Peril in the Pits June 27, 1984 01
Mighty Monstromurk Menace (part 1) December 4, 1984 02
Mighty Monstromurk Menace (part 2) December 5, 1984 03
The Beginning of Rainbowland (part 1) April 22, 1985 04
The Beginning of Rainbowland (part 2) April 23, 1985 05
Invasion of Rainbowland June 5, 1986 06
Mom June 12, 1986 07
Rainbow Night June 19, 1986 08
Star Sprinkled June 26, 1986 09
Chasing Rainbows July 3, 1986 10
Murky's Comet July 10, 1986 11
A Horse of a Different Color July 17, 1986 12
The Queen of the Sprites July 24, 1986 13

[edit] Voices

[edit] Merchandise

In the '80s, Mattel produced most of the dolls and Rainbow Brite merchandise. The 2004 master toy licensee was Toy Play and Nick Jr. was the TV station that advertised those Rainbow Brite products. As of 2008, the master toy license belongs to Playmates Toys and they released their first line of Rainbow Brite toys in January 2010.

The 2004 18" Talking Rainbow Brite doll produced by Toy Play (the toy division of Hallmark Cards) names the colors of the rainbow, but leaves out green. Upon contact, Toy Play indicated that the doll would be fixed for any future production runs, but there were no future production runs by Toy Play.

[edit] In other media

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rainbow Brite
Look up rainbow brite in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://wiki.rainbowbrite.co.uk/index.php5?title=Lala_Orange
  2. ^ http://wiki.rainbowbrite.co.uk/index.php5?title=Indigo
  3. ^ http://www.unitedmedialicensing.com/
  4. ^ http://rainbowbrite.net/
  5. ^ http://www.playthings.com/article/CA6602128.html
  6. ^ http://www.unitedmedialicensing.com
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