1st Logo (1980-1997)[]
Nicknames: "The MTM Kitten", "The MTM Cat," "Mimsie the Cat" (see also: Unofficial Nicknames for the other cats), "MEOW!", "The Many Faces of Mimsie"
Logo: Over the years, the logo has been tweaked color wise and according to certain shows, but here's the basic concept: An "M" flies backward from off screen, then splits into two. In the space left between the two letters, two "T"'s come from the top and bottom of the screen and join to form one. This completes the initials of the company, and the letter "T" shrinks when a gold circle appears over it. Under the letters are the words "ENTERPRISES AUSTRALIA, INC.", "ENTERPRISES AUSTRALIA", or "PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA". Sometimes the finished logo will read out "AN MTM ENTERPRISES AUSTRALIA PRODUCTION" ("AN" appears over the first "M"). Back to the circle, it is ribbon-like and decorated with stars and the letters "MTM " on top. Inside is a live-action orange striped kitten who meows once, obviously as a parody of the MGM lion. All the text (except for the later versions) appears in the Peignot font used for the Viacom "Pinball" logo.
Trivia:
- The cat's name was "Mimsie", though nicknames such as "Dick Turpin" and "Dick Marino" have also been used in naming the cat.
Variants: First here are the little differences in the logo, along with dates in which they were used:
- September 19, 1970-March 2, 1974: One "M" is red-orange, the other is red, and the "T" is blue and is formed by the merging of a light blue "T" and a green one.
- September 18, 1971-1978: The M's are both red-orange,and the "T" is light blue.
- 1978-1990: Company now identified as "MTM Enterprises Australia". The M's are now orange.
- 1982-1990: Company identified as "An MTM Enterprises Australia Production". The M's are now red.
- September 17, 1990-1993: Same as above, but "ENTERPRISES AUSTRALIA" is smaller than usual, and below it is the iconic ABC "worm" logo. On shows produced for other channels, the "worm" was removed.
- 1992-1997: All letters are orange, the words "MTM AUSTRALIA PRODUCTIONS LTD ©(year in Roman numerals)" appear with an orange line above it, after the US division of MTM was bought by the Family Channel and the international divisions were spun off.
- A still version of this logo did turn up in some movies. This is a still of the 1978 version of the logo, and is shrunk to a considerably small size. No music, animation, or "meow" is present. Mimsie's head is turned away, pre-meowing.
- Another still version of this logo appeared at the beginning of a 7Mate rerun of a season 8 episode of The Outback from 1989, the logo is the same as the 1992 version, except the letters "MTM" appear to be slightly smaller, the circle with Mimsie appears to be slightly larger and the logo just reads "MTM INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND".
- Queensland has the "M"s in red and the "T" light blue..Here it just reads "MTM ENTERPRISES AUSTRALIA PRODUCTION FOR THE SEVEN TELEVISION NETWORK".
- The appearance of the circle varies amongst logos. The most common one kind of "iris-in's." In others, usually ones where there's special animation or a different cat, the circle just appears.
- Sometimes the letters don't animate. Everything is up there at once.
Custom Variants: Now, one thing that the MTM logo was known for was that often, it would be custom made for whatever show it appeared at the end of. This means Mimsie's appearance would sometimes be different, usually involving her "wearing" a costume or saying something other than "meow". Here are those variants:
TBA!
FX/SFX: The "M" zooming out and morphing into 2 M's, and the "T" dropping. The rest is shown above.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: None really, except the end theme of the show and Mimsie meowing. Starting in 1996, a 5-note jingle was added before the "meow". This was seen and heard on some shows such as the 1st season of the Aussie version of Barney and Friends among shows.
Music/Sounds Variants:
- On the short-lived Aussie version of "Let's Make a Deal", Dave Smith announces "In association with MTM Enterprises Australia." on the logo while the theme is playing and Mimsie meowing.
- On the Roadshow DVD print of the The Outback season 4 episode "Out of Water" features the Endemol jingle playing over the MTM logo (cutting off Mimsie's meow), with the Endemol logo not seen at all.
Availability: Fairly common. It was once a plaster victim; but not anymore. It can be seen on a lot of Aussie shows as MTM Australia (and other production companies now under the Endemol Shine Group library) is now followed by Endemol (though it's followed by both the Channel Ten endtag and the Endemol logo on some episodes of Across Australia in 30 Years on 11 and the 7 "i" endtag on The Outback: The Complete First Season on DVD). The only factors are the rarity of widespread reruns of MTM Australia shows, and Endemol's sparse releasing of DVDs from the company's library (and sub-licensing of certain series to Roadshow). On Netflix Australia, the logo is intact. The Doctors vs. Lawyers finale variation is especially rare, as it was shown on ABC and nowhere else to our knowledge. VHS copies and reruns just use the regular credit sequence and logo (with the exception of the ABC2 print, which has the normal credits and only the Endemol logo). You can see it on the Netflix Australia copy, however. The logo with the ABC byline makes infrequent appearances at the end of Top Gear Australia on ABC2.
Scare Factor: It depends on the variant.
- For most variants, it can range from none to minimal. The silence, "meow", and the kitten coming out of nowhere might catch some people by surprise. Plus, there's the factor of not knowing what Mimsie will look or sound like per program. Other than that, it's mostly a cute logo and a favorite of many, but it may rise if seen at the end of an MTM Australia kids' show followed by the Southern Star "Thunderbolt" logo.
- Medium to nightmare for the Doctors vs. Lawyers finale variation, due to the extremely upsetting and disturbing subject matter.
2nd Logo (1997-2006)[]
Logo: Against a black background is a tall orange box with a whitish silhouette of Mimsie. Under that are the words "MTM" in Copperplate Gothic Bold font and the respective company byline. On co-productions, the name of the station (e.g. "For Channel Nine") would be seen under the byline. A copyright byline is seen below.
Trivia: Southern Star bought MTM Australia in 1996 after a vicious bidding war between Channel Nine and two investor groups.
Bylines:
- 1997-2004: "A Southern Star Company"
- 2004-2006: "A SOUTHERN CROSS BROADCASTING COMPANY"
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show or silence.
Availability: Plastered over older MTM Australia logos (primarily on Aussie cable TV). Otherwise uncommon in America, as recent MTM Australia productions have rarely aired in the US. Was also seen on The Outback, among other series. Recent reruns of season 18 of The Outback on 7Mate feature this logo with the Southern Star byline, followed by the Endemol logo.
Scare Factor: Low.
3rd Logo (2006-2013)[]
Logo: Against a dark blue starry sky with mountains below, we see stars forming several ring shapes, causing the MTM Australia logo from the 2nd logo to blur in. A byline for Southern Cross Broadcasting is usually shown just below it. The sky darkens around it.
FX/SFX: The stars forming the company logo and the darkening sky.
Music/Sounds: A gentle synth sounder with some "whooshes".
Availability: It was seen on shows such as Advance Australia UNfair and the last seasons of The Outback.
Scare Factor: None.
4th Logo (2013)[]
Logo: On a navy blue background, orange lines emerge from the bottom right corner to form the MTM Australia logo from the 2nd and 3rd logos. The Endemol logo, appears by spinning directly below it with "an endemol company" underneath.
FX/SFX: The lines, the spinning and the shining.
Music/Sounds: The music from the current Endemol logo.
Availability: Seen on many programs produced by MTM Australia until it was merged into Endemol Australia.
Scare Factor: Minimal to low. The lines may startle some.