Internet Nostalgia

In the first episode of Brite Cast, we briefly talked about Rainbow Brite's history on the web. It left me feeling super nostalgic, and I wanted to share a bit more of that nostalgia with you :)

In 1996, when I first searched for Rainbow Brite on the Internet, I recall coming across two pages. The first belonged to Jessica Silva (or Sylva? I think. I'm completely going by memory here). It contained this image:

and a rant about her BEING the one, and only, Rainbow Brite. Honestly, I was a bit turned off by it, as I didn't think the Rainbow Brite moniker should belong to only one person. Rainbow Brite, the character, would be happy to have a multitude of people identify so strongly with her, I believed. And, it was a nickname friends had given me at the time. So it spurred a tiny competitive spark within me.

From her page, I discovered the Rainbow Brite Webring, and followed it to the next page in the ring. That page belonged to Vincent Wales aka. Cardigan, who had created the webring.

It was certainly unexpected to find a man 15+ years my senior who had any interest in Rainbow Brite, but I was intrigued as I read his story. In fact, I contacted him recently and he still has the file! You can read it for yourself right here :)

Vincent and I became fast friends and the following year, 1997, when I created my first webpage, I showed it to him. Now, I was VERY new to making webpages. There were no courses in my high school on how to build them, so I had to teach myself. With the help of my brother, Jeremy Cartee, our mutual friend, Brian Cape, and many Internet searches, I was able to put a very basic Rainbow Brite page on the web.

I submitted it to Vincent's webring and asked his opinion. He was very supportive, and taught me how to do a few more things - such as how to rotate an image. And thus my Rainbow Brite page was born. I actually went diving through old backup discs recently and found the files for that original page. Would you like to see it in action? Just click here to be transported to the Internet of yesteryear ;)

So I want to give a big THANK YOU to Jessica Silva(?), Vincent Wales, Jeremy Cartee and Brian Cape, without which RainbowBrite.net may have never existed :)

Brite Cast

First of all, my apologies for not updating this blog in 2 years! *cringe* My bad! I have an excuse for last year - we moved to a new city, and then moved into a new house. But the year before that? I don't know...it's all a blur :P

I have exciting news for you Color Kids! An idea that was spawned several years ago has finally come to fruition. Renee Stowe of RainbowBrite.co.uk and myself have finally launched our Rainbow Brite podcast - Brite Cast! :)

Reading blog entries can be fun and informative (and I DO plan to continue this blog!), but listening to the passion in the voices of the fans can be really exciting too. In our first episode, we talk about Rainbow Brite's history on the Internet, and about ourselves as Rainbow Brite fanatics. In the future, we'll tackle the cartoon series, the dolls, the books, and more. But what we'd love is to hear from YOU!

What topics would you like us to discuss? Are there any burning questions you've always wanted answered? Do you have a Rainbow Brite related story you'd like to share? We'd love to hear it all :) You can contact us on Facebook and Twitter. You can email us at BriteCast@gmail.com. And you can submit your voice messages to us too! US fans can call (702) 900-STAR to leave a voice message. Or, all fans can use Vocaroo.com to record a message and send us the file or link.

Until next time...have a rainbow day! :)

Robot Chicken

For those who have never watched Robot Chicken, let me explain what it is before moving on to the video clips:

"The program is a sketch comedy that parodies a number of pop culture conventions using stop motion animation of toys, action figures, and claymation. The show focuses on mocking pop culture, referencing toys, films, television, and popular fads, as well as more obscure references like anime cartoons and older television programs." [from Wikipedia]

Robot Chicken is offensive, dirty and sometimes horrifying, but it's hilarious at the same time. If you are offended by your childhood idols being mocked, degraded or even killed, please skip over this blog entry :)

I'm a fan of Seth Green, who produces and voices the show, because he's a total nostalgia geek just like me. While the clips may not be flattering to our beloved childhood cartoons, at least they're being remembered and living on in some [very strange] way ;)

Rainbow Brite has been featured in Robot Chicken four times to date. Here's the rundown:

#1 - Episode: Metal Militia, Sketch: Game Over - October 1, 2006
This episode starts out with Murky and Lurky sitting in a bar. They want to steal Rainbow Brite's Star Sprinkles so that they can make the world gray. So they decide to break into the Color Castle while Rainbow is out to accomplish their task. Unfortunately, Rainbow Brite comes home while they're in her room. They hide behind a couch, but before they can escape, Lurky trips over some magazines and they are discovered. Rainbow pulls out a chainsaw and all we see is the villains' blood splattering around her room. Yuck!

(Click the image to watch the video)

#2 - Episode: Rabbits on a Roller Coaster, Sketch: Follow the Light, Rainbow - August 26, 2007
In this episode, the Sphere of Light seeks out Wisp and asks her to come to Rainbow Land to save the Color Kids. She agrees to the mission and runs after the Sphere as he repeats "Follow the Sphere of Light!" Then it cuts to an operating room, where Wisp is lying dead on a table. The doctors  record the time of death and her parents weep. Perhaps going into the light isn't always such a great idea!

(Click the image to watch the video)

#3 - Episode: Moesha Poppins, Sketch: Girl Toys - October 21, 2007
This sketch features more than just Rainbow Brite. We get to see what supposedly happened to Jem, Cabbage Patch Kids, Strawberry Shortcake and more. In Rainbow Brite's "interview" with Michael Moore, she says she continued to seek out all the pretty colors of the world by dating men of every race. *shakes head*

(Click the image to watch the video)

#4 - Episode: No Country for Old Dogs, Sketch: Rainbow Dim - February 27, 2011
And finally, in this very short sketch, we meet Rainbow Brite's mentally challenged sister, Rainbow Dim. Rainbow Dim proclaims that 9/11 was an inside job and Rainbow Brite cajoles her by replying "sure it was!"

(Click the image to watch the video)

I would say "can't wait to see what they do to Rainbow next," but perhaps I can :P

Fan Art

If you've perused Rainbow Brite books at all, I'm sure you've noticed that certain poses were used over and over. It may have a different background, but the characters will be standing in the exact same position as they were in 10 other books/stickers/cards/puzzles. I'm sure that reusing art saved the companies involved a lot of time and money, but the lack of variation saddens me. And as we collectors get closer and closer to owning all known RB books/stickers/cards/puzzles, we must face the fact that eventually we will have seen it all.

This is why I love fan art so much. It may not be "official," but it continues to give new life to our favorite characters. We get to see them in different poses, different clothing, different styles, even different ages! And some of the quality is so high, you wonder why Hallmark hasn't hired these artists to work for them! For example, check out my latest finding:

Lots of wonderful fan art can be viewed online for free on websites such as DeviantArt, and I wade through the thousands of images hosted there quite often. But what I truly love is collecting original pieces of Rainbow Brite fan art. I have sketches, drawings, paintings, and even cross-stitchings! It may not be considered "fine art" by some, but to me, it's the finest :)

RIP Orin and Count Blogg

Directors, artists, and writers of animated cartoons are well loved by fans of their work. They make the world of imagination come to life for all to see. But it seems that the most worshiped of all who work on a cartoon are the voice actors. They breath life into their characters - giving personalities and human characteristics to the most unlikely of objects. And it is those voices that ring in our ears long after the show has been cancelled.

It went by unnoticed, but in 2002 and 2003, we lost two of our beloved Rainbow Brite voice actors: Les Tremayne (Orin, Bombo, TV Announcer) and Jonathan Harris (Count Blogg). And while it may seem silly to some, I feel as though we've lost not only the human voices behind the characters, but also the characters themselves. I'm not holding my breath for a new Rainbow Brite cartoon, but if one ever were to come to pass, I would hope that Orin and Count Blogg would be left out of it. It just wouldn't be the same.

Wherever Les and Jonathan's souls are now, I hope they can hear me when I say "thank you." Count Blogg made us hate him, while we couldn't help but fall in love with ancient Orin. These gentleman, like their characters, will be missed. RIP you guys.

Stormy's Secret

If there is one word you can say to a hardcore Rainbow Brite fan to rattle their cages, it's this: STORMY.

Stormy is one of the most mysterious and beloved Rainbow Brite characters. Instead of the sugary sweet, infinite optimism of Rainbow and the Color Kids, Stormy has an attitude. She's not afraid to stand up for herself and say what she wants - even if it may anger her friends. But she's also loyal and helpful to the rainbow team when needed. She hates Murky just as much as her friends...which is surprising since her joy in life is making the sky murky :P

But what makes Stormy SO revered is the fact that she's never been made into a doll. At least one prototype doll was made, photographed and advertised in pamphlets, catalogs and box art. But she was never actually produced and even the prototype has eluded fans all these years.



In the early days of the Internet and Rainbow Brite fandom, a rumor circulated that Stormy was sold in Australia, much like Moonglow who was only sold in Germany. But in the years since, that myth has been debunked.



Other prototype dolls from the Rainbow Brite line were kept by their makers and some were eventually sold. I own one myself and Galacticatt owns many more. But Stormy has never shown her face and neither has her creator.



And what adds insult to injury is the fact that Hallmark and its licensees have had plenty of opportunities to give us the one doll we desire above all others. The 1996-97 line made up new characters (Ebony, Amber and Cerise) instead of giving us the one we already knew and loved. The 2003-04 line simply tried to remake the old toys with only slight differences. And then there was the worst offender of all...



The 2009-10 line was in a perfect position to give us Stormy. They were focusing on the girls. They were focusing on the girliest colors (pink and purple). And they were focusing on "sky powers" instead of merely colors. WHO HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE SKY THAN STORMY??? They even gave us a blatant clue that she was most likely supposed to be the fourth sky power. We have in this image a rainbow, a sun, a moon and a...



CLOUD! But did we ever get a Stormy doll? Of course not. If they had plans to make her at all, they were waiting to see how the first few dolls sold first. And seeing as that the line was cancelled in less than a year, I'd say they didn't sell well at all. Well if they ever wonder why, they can ask me and I'll tell them...YOU SHOULD'VE GIVEN US STORMY FIRST!

There is one more chance on the horizon. In 2010, Madame Alexander gave us two new Rainbow Brite dolls - a small Rainbow that came with Twink and a large Rainbow. And now in 2011 they have announced a large Tickled Pink for preorder. Could they possibly give us Stormy in the next couple of years?? I personally think we should email them, requesting this beloved character that we have waited SO long for. And perhaps...just perhaps, this time, they'll listen.

Welcome to Brite Wish!

G'day readers! And welcome to Brite Wish - a Rainbow Brite blog by RainbowBrite.net!

Sometimes there are tidbits about the Rainbow Brite universe that just don't fit easily onto RainbowBrite.net. Plus, short news blurbs and Facebook status updates simply aren't enough at times. I also realize that not everyone is a hardcore fan that wants to sift through hundreds of pages of info. And so this blog was born.

I'll be tackling all kinds of Rainbow Brite topics, both old and new - hopefully with the help of other fans as well. And I'll add new pictures from time to time, because really...who can get enough of Rainbow and friends? ;) I hope you enjoy your stay!