The Kickstarter funding project LeVar Burton started to bring back his classic children’s program Reading Rainbow is at $2.7 million and it’s still going. The campaign, which has raised more than $1 million per day since it started on Wednesday, promises to “bring back Reading Rainbow for every child, everywhere,” and that is proving to be a very popular idea.
The Inquisitr has already reported on the Reddit AMA that former host LeVar Burton used as a platform to express his initial thanks for the support Reading Rainbow ‘s revival has received, detailing several of the host’s more interesting responses during the event. Since the AMA, the Kickstarter has continued to gain steam, and it now has over 61,000 backers, and it is poised to reach triple its initial goal of $1 million before even beginning its first weekend.
When Deadline Hollywood reported that the campaign had reached $2 million, their coverage noted that the campaign page promised “big ideas for stretch goals” and that Burton had promised the program would reach “disadvantaged” classrooms for free. In the initial updates to the campaign, CEO and Writer/Director Mark Wolfe mostly stuck to thanking initial contributors and updating readers about interviews and promotional events that LeVar Burton would be participating in. Hopefully, with the success of this initial funding push, the updates will start to unveil some of those “big ideas” for stretch goals.
There are still 33 days left in the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter campaign, and several limited awards available, including a $3,500 dinner with LeVar Burton and several opportunities to book school assemblies where the actor will make an appearance and read to the students before engaging in Q&A sessions. Only the “LeVar follows me” and “Picnic & Field Trip” promotions have sold out so far. This means that there are still several available options for Reading Rainbow fans with institutional (or personal) cash to spend.
While these promotional rewards are enticing and more than a little bit exciting, it is also quite exciting to note that the overwhelming majority of the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter’s donors have pledged $100 or less, with over 20,000 donors just at the $5 and $10 levels. With community support like this, the program seems destined for a successful second act among the parents who remember its initial run from their own elementary school days.
Reading Rainbow began its initial run in 1983 and received over 200 broadcast awards during its initial 23-year run , including a Peabody and 26 Emmys. It was only off the air for six years before being revived, in 2012, as an app in the Apple iPod’s app store. The Reading Rainbow Kickstarter was designed to bring the show back, through streaming video, to reach classrooms and children who do not have access to tablet computers.
Image Credit: Reading Rainbow Theme by PBS