Farmer Smiths Rainbow Club

Black text over image of rainbow and pot of gold on white background.

Farmer Smith’s Rainbow Club was founded in 1915 by Farmer Smith, a newspaper editor at the Public Ledger in Philadelphia, PA. The club started around Thanksgiving in 1915 and within 4 months, boasted over 45,000 children within the club. Anyone with the heart of a child could join. All one needed to do, whether they were nine or ninety, was to sign a slip which was printed in every edition of the Evening Ledger which read, “I agree to do a little kindness each and every day—spread a little sunshine along the way.” After submitting this form, the new club members then received a button with a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow which was pinned to a card written in red ink and bearing the phrase, “a kiss from me, to-day,” which made them a full member. Farmer Smith shared the message that, “there is only one side to the rainbow, that is the bright side,” and others believed his optimism would be a reason for the club’s expansion and success.

The Rainbow Club was a huge success not only in the number of participants, but also in that in brought in the Ledger thousands more subscriptions. From a marketing standpoint, this was a very successful advertising campaign. The column was featured in other newspapers, including, “The News” newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio that was put out on Sundays. The News was put on by Ben Field who had a Farmer Smith Rainbow Club column. This column invited children to write their ideas on the topic that changed each week.