What’s the big deal about rainbows and unicorns? Nowadays they are very commonly associated with each other, like Tom & Jerry or Bonnie & Clyde. Although they make a cute pair, rainbows weren’t traditionally linked with unicorns and it’s interesting to look at where the connection came from, and what it means.
Unicorns and rainbows so often go together in different variations. Here a tiny cute unicorn is puking rainbow colors. Image source.

Rainbows and unicorns do seem like a match made in heaven. Both are beautiful, rare, and breath-taking. They carry an air of magic, and they are highly elusive. Both seem to vanish just when we are getting close.

The place where a rainbow touches the ground will eternally evade us, and yet such a place would be perfect for unicorns to gather in all their mystical glory. Both rainbows and unicorns brighten our world in mysterious ways, giving us a taste of illusion and enchantment.

What Do Rainbows And Unicorns Mean?🦄🌈

Perfection

The first thing which rainbows and unicorns are connected with is perfection.

If you’ve ever heard “sunshine and daisies,”? you’ll understand what this phrase equates to. Both of these phrases represent a world of magic and color, in which everything is going smoothly and nothing can go wrong. A new relationship, a new job, a new home – these things can all be described by the phrase.

Imagine a meadow full of wildflowers and butterflies, aglow with summer sun and a fresh breeze. All the tranquility and beauty of the world is contained in this moment, and this is what phrases such as “rainbows and unicorns”? mean. If you’ve ever been tempted to use this phrase to describe your life, we’re so pleased for you, and if not, we hope such a time will come soon! Everybody needs unicorns! And Rainbows!

Sarcasm

Unicorns & Rainbows are often associated with magical moments and perfection. Image Source.

Of course, as UnicornsRule points out, the phrase being the epitome of perfection also makes it tempting for people to use it sarcastically

. It’s usually used when a good situation has taken a nosedive, and a person wants to describe just how bad it has got by juxtaposing it with perfection. Again, you may have heard this being done with the “sunshine and daisies”? phrase.

This sort of thing can really highlight how unpleasant a situation is, by contrasting it with the best possible. The sarcasm involved often helps to relieve pent up feelings, and can make light of something unpleasant.

These phrases are also used to remind people not to spend too much time looking through rose-colored glasses. They point out that the real world has flaws, and that to expect perfection is naive. The two terms both paint an idealistic world, so perfect that it clearly cannot be realistic. Even when used in a non-sarcastic way, both phrases usually indicate that the speaker is aware their magic bubble isn’t real.

Rainbows And Unicorns Quotes

As well as the phrase “It’s all rainbows and unicorns”? mentioned above, there are some other great quotes out there about them, both as a combined force and as individuals. I’ve picked out a few of my favorites, though there are many, many more!

“Life’s all about rainbows, glitter, and unicorns”?

– Unkown

I’ve not been able to find a source for this lovely shot of positivity, but it’s definitely worth including. Most of us who love unicorns also love a bit of optimism, and this quote tells us to focus on the important, best things in life, the things with color, sparkle, and magic.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud”?

– Dr. Maya Angelou

This one doesn’t have a unicorn in it, but it’s a lovely sentiment that could quite easily be exchanged with unicorns! Rainbows are appreciated for their brightness, their ability to bring happiness, and their magic, most of which also relate to unicorns. Either would mean putting the sparkle back into the lives of others when they’re going through difficult times, and I think that’s really special.

“It’s not all rainbows and unicorns”?

– TheWeek

I also love this down to earth quote, which comes from TheWeek. It’s almost the opposite of the first quote I offered, and the totally converse way in which these phrases seem to be used is amazing. Nobody can say that the use of the unicorn image isn’t diverse!

TheWeek has done a great article analyzing the statistics of rainbows and unicorns in common Google searches and theorizing about why these things capture our imaginations. It theorizes that unicorns started being paired up with rainbows as early as the 1980s, although they didn’t become popular until later on.

The Rainbows And Unicorns Meme

These two are such a popular combination that they’re becoming more and more regularly used, especially for internet humor and silly jokes. As UnicornsRule says, there’s the ongoing fun of combining the every-day with the mythical, bodily humor with majestic beasts… otherwise known as unicorns farting/pooping rainbows! 

Unicorns farting rainbows has become a very popular theme for memes.

I’ve written another article all about this, called What Does Unicorn Poop Look Like. Are you just a tiny bit curious now? I’ll give you a hint – it has bright colors!

This is such a popular idea that if you Google unicorns farting rainbows, you will find page after page of cute cuddly unicorns, performing an act that is otherwise considered fairly taboo! Perhaps if you’re a mythical creature, the rules don’t apply, or maybe if we all farted rainbows, it would become a more acceptable action!

Unicorn and rainbow memes from different angel. Image source

UnicornsRule also briefly covers some of the history of rainbows and unicorns. Although TheWeek said they were first connected as early as 1980, UnicornsRule tells us that they started to be seen together around the year 2000. Even if we take the later of the two dates, it’s almost twenty years ago! It’s clearly a good match if it’s still as popular now as it was then! The two just seem to fit well together, and it doesn’t seem the pairing is going to disappear anytime soon – not that we want it to.

It’s brought out probably some of the most creative memes available, and certainly some of the prettiest and brightest. For example, have you seen this amazing rainbow caticorn, by krxterme on Deviant Art? Anything fuzzy, magical, or bright deserves our attention, and this creature ticks all those boxes!

Fabolous caticorn. Image source.

There’s also the fabulous purple sparkly “unicorns are awesome”? meme on Pinterest, and a particularly entertaining Boromir from Lord of the Rings, making a strong point about the overuse of these appealing cute creatures.

On top of these, there’s a myriad of other options for expressing your feelings through rainbows and mythical equines! If you’re feeling the positive vibe today, or you need a bit of sarcasm, you’re bound to find plenty online to meet your criteria.

Badass Unicorn with rainbow. Image source.

PS: We have also listed our favourite unicorn memes! Comment to add your favourite!

The Rainbows And Unicorns Song

If you haven’t seen the rainbows and unicorns song, “Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows“, and you need a pick-me-up, you’re in luck. Very repetitive, quite catchy, and undeniably adorable, this ticks all the boxes for your daily “cute and wholesome”? dose. Who could resist all that fluff?

This video is pretty simplistic and very sweet, but it goes to show just how popular this combination is. I’m not sure it would ever have occurred to me to loop such a song for an hour-long video, but the number of views and likes speak for themselves!

The song represents many of the things which unicorns epitomize. It’s very gentle and innocent, and rather child-like in some ways. By presenting such a sweet-looking unicorn, so excessively fluffy that you can hardly tell what it is, the maker has gone to the extreme of cuteness, and it’s clearly appreciated!

LGBTQ+ Rainbows and Unicorns 🦄🌈

It’s certainly true that rainbows are associated with the LGBTQ+ community. They have been a symbol of diversity and gay pride for a long time, and their varied colors are perfect to represent a celebration of differences.

Rainbows as symbols for LGBTQ+ community

It may be that this is why unicorns have also become associated with the LGBTQ+ movement. The idea of being “fabulous”? is increasingly explored by this community, and unicorns are certainly fabulous. With stunning looks and the ability to be almost anything, they are an appealing symbol for any group but are particularly suited to LGBTQ+.

As I discussed in my article What Do Unicorns Represent, it’s possible that they are a particularly useful symbol for transgender people. Unicorns have represented both male and female power at different times throughout history, and they are often presented as sexless now. This makes them an excellent representation of people across the spectrum and quietly celebrates gender fluidity with a much-loved mythical creature.

Finally, it’s possible that the LGBTQ+ community are also playing on the more sarcastic aspect of unicorns, and making fun of those who say they don’t exist by likening themselves to mythical creatures. Anything that brings more care and compassion to the world is great, and if it involves unicorns, so much the better!

To Sum Up

Unicorns and rainbows may not always have been paired up with each other, but it seems like it was a match made in heaven, or at least in a field of sunshine and daisies! These beautiful creatures are all the more magical when they’re given a twist of color.

It seems the human imagination knows no bounds when it comes to combining mythical equines with rainbows. From mystical, multicolored unicorns gleaming in shadowy woods to farting white chubby unicorns propelled forwards by bands of color, unicorns have covered just about every angle of this, and they don’t seem to be slowing down.