Rainbow Brite creator G.G. Santiago died on Saturday, February 21, 2026, in her home. She was 82 years old.

Santiago was born Guntra Graudins on March 5, 1943, in Latvia during World War II. Her early life was fraught with trauma and danger, as her father was abducted as a prisoner of war and her family witnessed her grandfather’s execution. Her family was later reunited with her father when they were taken to an Allied refugee camp, then after the war, the family moved to the United States and her art career began.

Early in her career, Santiago started working for American Greetings, then later moved over to Hallmark where she created Rainbow Brite. Originally a greeting card character, Rainbow Brite quickly transitioned into an animated TV show, film, and toy line in 1984. New waves of toys have been periodically released in the mid-1990s, in the early 2000s for the 20th anniversary, and most recently in 2015, which was accompanied by an animated miniseries. Another animated project was announced in 2024, but a release date has not been disclosed.

“G.G. always believed that her creativity was not merely a career, but salvation. She often reflected that God had allowed her artistic gift to become the very means by which her family rebuilt their lives in America. Fluent in German, Latvian, English and Spanish, she carried both the weight and richness of many cultures within her. Bubbly and gregarious in her earlier years, she later found comfort in smaller circles and deeper connections,” her obituary reads.

Santiago was also the creator behind Enesco’s My Little Kitch Fairies figurines and Franz Porcelain’s Skin Deep collection of tattooed figurines.