Color Me a Rainbow

Color Me a Rainbow was a Christian children's show that first aired in 1987 on the American Christian Television System (ACTS), which was a precursor to today's Hallmark Channel. The show was produced by Shepherd & Associates in Lincoln, Nebraska. Linda King was the creator of the show and did the voices for the puppets.

The main theme of the show was to teach about Jesus Christ in a child-friendly matter. The main characters included the puppets Froggie (a green male frog), Crow (a blue female crow), and Turtle (a green male turtle), along with their human mother/guardian named Jana Wacker (who was also a Christian music artist from 1970s-1980s) as well as an elementary school-aged girl (name unknown) who hosted the mini-segments involving making crafts. In addition to the crafts, each episode included a Bible verse sing-a-long with children playing simple instruments. Also, the subject of each episode is discussed with several children providing their answers to questions provided by Jana and/or the puppets. At the end of each episode, Froggie (or occasionally Jana or one of the other puppets) asks the audience to pray with him and ask Jesus for his forgiveness and salvation.

Kids were also encouraged to send in fan letters (with Froggie writing the responses) as well as their own drawings of rainbows (some of which were presented on the show). Starting with the 7th episode, Froggie shows some of the letters, rainbow drawings, and even pictures of some of the show's fans. The show also sold many types of Color Me A Rainbow merchandise, such as the videos, T-shirt, coloring book, and other things through the use of commercials hosted by the puppets. These commercials were not included in the videos.

Episode list

#1 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Creator!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: Genesis 1:1
Craft: Celery cars
While Jana and the puppets plant begonias, they discover with the help of two songs that Jesus created the entire world and everything in it.

#2 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our King!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: Revelation 15:3
Craft: Mini-treasure cans
The puppets as well as children learn about Jesus' Kingdom using pretend castles (with Crow pretending to be a king, despite the fact that she's female), as well as different rules and laws for their home, school, country, and even in Jesus' Kingdom of Heaven.

#3 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Shepherd!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 10:11, John 10:27
Craft: Lamb bookmarks
When Froggie gets lost in a grocery store, he discovers that Jesus protects him as well as all his children as his Shepherd, particularly when they are lost.

#4 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Light!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 8:12
Craft: Sand candles
The puppets learn while changing a light bulb and later creating a sand candle that Jesus is the light and what this light does.

#5 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Friend!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 15:12
Craft: Friendship necklaces
The puppets have a slumber party where Froggie reads his autograph book from his friends and he and the rest of the gang realize that the Bible is God's version of an autograph book and that Jesus is our best friend.

#6 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Way!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 14:6
Craft: Paper rainbow ladder
With the help of street signs the gang passed by during their summer vacation, they learn that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

#7 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Big Brother!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: Matthew 12:13
Crafts: Thumbprint cookies & Happy paddles
While Jana and the puppets bake cookies, Nathan shows his younger sister Niki what their father is really like and resolves her earlier resentment of not being allowed to ride her bike on the street. This is just one example of how Jesus too, is like our big brother when He protects us from various dangers.

#8 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Door!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 10:9
Craft: Fabric heart door decoration
Crow is "birdnapped" by an evil giant and locked in a cage. After she escapes the giant's clutches, she learns that Jesus is the door to the Father.

#9 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Truth!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 8:31-32
Craft: Pine cone bird feeders
The puppets play a game show called "Tell The Truth" with questions based on the Bible.

#10 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our God's Son!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: John 3:16
Craft: Sun-catchers
The puppets are almost ready for bedtime and the bedtime story, along with the songs, tells about what Jesus did during his time on Earth and His relationship as God's Son.

#11 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's The Head of the Body!!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: 1 Corinthians 12:27
Craft: Bubble art
After Froggie gets seriously hurt trying to fly (like Crow) with helium balloons, he learns that God gave each of us (people and animals alike) our own special gifts and abilities.

#12 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's Our Savior!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: Psalms 25:5
Craft: Bird houses
During a camping trip, Crow's bossy attitude and its resulting nightmare teachers her to be nicer to her friends.

#13 - Hey, Kids! It's Jesus! He's The Alpha & The Omega!
Bible Verse Sing-a-long: Revelations 1:8
Craft: Giant bubbles
Jana and the puppets do some housecleaning and make it fun by earning "memory cards" for finishing different tasks. Each card has a different Bible verse that begins with each letter of the alphabet.

External links

• http://www.themastersfineart.com/products/detail.cfm?group=18 (Source of the episode descriptions)