I am not a collector of Loungefly. The only product I’ve ever owned from the company was little Stitch bag gifted to me by a friend, but due to its small size, it’s mostly sat on a hook in my closet. I’m also not one of those gays that focuses on fashion and spends half my salary on name-brand items. I spend it on music. However, when it was announced that the fandom-forward brand was collaborating with Hallmark Cards Inc. as part of the 40th anniversary of Rainbow Brite™, I knew I had to get my hands on some of the limited edition items. Ok. Most of the limited edition items, most of which are made of vegan leather (polyurethane).

Seeming to sell out as quickly as they were in stock, I went through several retailers to build my collection. For the Rainbow Sprites Crossbody bag and Castle Group Zip-Around Wallet, I ordered through 707 Street. 

The bag, priced at $70.00, is absolutely adorable and very well made, though there were some stitching issues through one of the front sections. It wasn’t enough to infuriate me, but due to the price paid, I was slightly annoyed. However, that was the only flaw. while I do find it much more practical than the little backpacks; it is more of a purse than a bag. It does fit my wallet, phone, keys, and some snacks though – which is about all I’ll be carrying with my for my trip to Japan later this week.

The Color Belt clasp is gorgeous and glittery – Yes, I know it’s not the right color sequence for Rainbow Brite’s actual Color Belt – but I really like the blue. It fits with the bags design and matches with the back panel. My one and only design critique is that the bag only includes six of the seven sprites. Romeo, OJ, Spark, Lucky, Champ, and I.Q. Hammy – Indigo’s sprite – is missing, which was a bit of a disappointment for me as a fan.  Even so it’s a solid piece and despite the mentioned flaws, worth the price I paid for it.

The Castle Group Zip-Around Wallet – priced at $40.00 – was lovely! Featuring Rainbow Brite, the Color Kids, Twink, and six of the seven sprites (I.Q. is missing) in front of the color castle, it’s another very well-made piece. It’s also large enough to fit my passport (which makes me very happy)! Embossed, the detail on the Color Kids is actually pretty sharp. You can see almost every aspect of the little details of their faces.

The Rainbow behind the Color Castle is bright and beautiful, but again only features six of the seven colors (violet is missing). Inside, there are eight card pouches and a zip section that’s quite tight, which is fine (as for me), I’m not going to be using it anyway.

The one design flaw I can see here is that the Color Caste extends slightly over the rest of the wallet, so it will (and already has begun to) bend. Also, knowing the property as well as I do, it is funny that every single sprite featured on the wallet is just a different pose of a Twink and is duplicated but mirrored from one another. It’s not a flaw, just something I know fans are going to notice.

Awesome Collectibles was my stop for the Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids Rainbow Handle Canvas Tote Bag, Cloud Card Holder, and the Cosplay Refillable Stationery Journal.

While the journal will ship in May, the company did send me the other items just a few days after my order was placed. 

The Cloud Card Holder, priced at $20, features Rainbow Brite and her sprite companion, Twink, laughing on a cloud. It’s a familiar image and is one of my absolute favorites. Featuring five card pouches in red, yell, violet, green, and blue, it’s sleek, slim, and the perfect alternative to a wallet when going out for the night. 

Like the Crossbody bag, there were some stitching issues on the front of the card holder. While, in comparison it is much less expensive than the bag, I found the flaw on this piece rather annoying. However, as this is the one item I will probably use the most, it will get some wear and tear anyway. 

The back image, featuring Rainbow Brite and Twink Riding Starlite, is very glittery. Another very familiar image, unlike the wallet, the glitter of the panel does drown out some of the little details from Rainbow Brite’s face.

The Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids Rainbow Handle Canvas bag, the final piece of this collection, stands out for its quality and design. Priced at $ 30, it’s a great deal, especially considering it is probably large enough to accommodate every other piece of the collection and still have room to spare. The front proudly showcases one of the most iconic Rainbow Brite promotional images from the Peril in the Pits VHS cover. The back image features another print of Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids, this one taken from my favorite of the Little Golden Books: Rainbow Brite and the Big Color Mix-Up.

The only thing I did not like about this bag was the handles, and that’s just because I don’t want to have anything dangling from my shoulders. So, I removed them, put a few grommets in, and bought a shoulder strap. Now it’s the perfect shopping bag. 

Despite some minor flaws, I am really impressed by this collection – and there are still a few more items to go before I have everything I bought. While I can’t believe Rainbow Brite is having such a monumental anniversary (mainly because we’re the same age), it’s so cool to see so many amazing products!

There will be more Rainbow Brite soon so…

Stay Tuned!