Logo descriptions and captures by AsdfTheRevival, Eric S. and wisp2007 Editions by Emini4 and' LJVborgSuperSet
Background: Launched on September 1, 1988, PBS was the successor to two prior special programming services operated by various Engilsh cable companies beginning in the late 1970s. They did not use a logo until P-Head's Mini-Mysteries premiered in 1989. The two largest shareholders in PBS were two cable companies: Rogers Cable and a company known as GoAnimate Broadcasting Corp, which would later be acquired by High Voltage Communications. By 1995, through various acquisitions and trades, Shaw had secured full control of PBS; it was spun off as part of KaBoom Entertainment in 1999.
1st Logo
(1989-1991)
Nicknames: "Fuzzy Screen in the Painted Window", "The PBS Window" Logo: On a black background, we see a slanted window painted in with blue borders. Inside the window is a very fuzzy gray/black TV screen with the red words "PBS" in it, although the PBS letters have got a black shadow. Trivia: This was also used at the end of PBS commercials from 1989-1991. FX/SFX: The fuzzy TV screen. Cheesy Factor: It looked like some children's drawing on a black piece of paper. Music/Sounds: The TV Static noise. Availability: Extremely rare, although this logo was never seen in the United States during the time of the debut. Seen on DVD sets of The Adventures of the Black Stallion (the United States print), as well as other PBS shows such as Dodger Mansion and Cat House. When Time Warner Cable Network (now Time Warner Cable Kids) began running The Adventures of the Black Horton in the 1990s, the PBS logo never appeared, as the Fam & Tween logos were sped up. Instead, Scream Productions logo appeared, even though Scream Productions's logo eplayed over the closing of The Adventures of the Black Horton; this variant also appeared when USA's Showcase channel reran the show in the mid-2000s. It was considered extinct when The Adventures of the Black Horton stopped being rerun on television until the most recent DVD releases came out and retained the logo. Scare Factor: None to Minimal. .2nd Logo(1991-1993)
Nicknames: "The Neon Rainbow Rectangles", "The Rainbow Trail", "The Pretty Colored Squares", "PBS Chapter 1: PBS is Going Pretty"
Logo: On a black background, we see a bunch of neon rainbow rectangles flying in different directions in trails. The PBS logo is seen in black, but when the trails pass by, the PBS letters disappear, they blend in with the nackground. There are 5 rainbow trails: the first one isyellow with orange, the second is orange with light blue, the third is purple with yellow, the fourth is green with light purple, and the last trail is in blue with yellow, forming the PBS letters in red. For the most part, only the logo's final part was used as a closing logo.
Variants: On As the Question?, "PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH" is shown above the PBS logo. Lucklily, It was previously reran in the United States on Tj's World Network and T'j's World Network for Kids (Now TeenNick2) in October 2008. It also contains the ending theme playing over it. It is also cut short only showing the blue and yellow rectangles forming the logo.
FX/SFX: The rainbow trail effects moving in different directions.
Cheesy Factor: Early CGI effects. The rainbow trail's colors are also a little too dark.
Music/Sounds: From 1991-92, it used a synthesized three-note piano tune with bells played over it, although it was also used for PBS's Coming Up Next bumpers from 1991-93. From 1992-93, a female choir singing with dreamy music when used as an on-air ID on PBS. During at the end of TV shows, it is usually silent, or contains the end theme of the show.
Availability: Common. Scare Factor: None to minimal for the variant with the singing choir. This is a beautiful logo, but borders on low to medium for the As the Question? variant due to the ending theme. But it gets worse with the following two logos...
3rd Logo (1993-1995)Nicknames: "No Problem", "Woah-POW-WWW! No Problem", "Screaming PBS", "Woah-POW-WWW!", "PBS Chapter 2: Jakelsm's TV is Screaming", "PBS TV" "Clay TV"
Logo: On a black background, we see a magetna television set with extremely green buttons on the right side of it, which is made out of clay. Inside the TV screen is an halloween orange background with the white letters "PBS", with "B" and "S" on the left, and arranged on top of each other. The PBS text then "explodes" out of the screen to cover up most of the TV set. Variants: On As the Question?, the white text "Produced in association with" is seen above.
FX/SFX: The text "exploding".
Cheesy Factor: The unexpected loud scream, not to mention the choppy animation of the YTV text.
Music/Sounds: From 1993-94, it was a boing sound. From 1994-95, it was a loud scream followed by a girl saying "No problem." In addition, the logo is also silent or it plays over the closing theme of a show.
Availability: Rare; where it was last seen on Nickelodeon airings of the first two seasons of As the Question?. In Canada, it can be found on a PBS program of the Christmas special Christopher the Christmas Tree. Long Tail Kitty was last seen in the United States on Nickelodeon and Robotz Channel (Now TeenNick) in October 2008 and this logo was luckily saved during reruns. Usually replaced in USA by the fourth logo with KaBoom byline. 4th Logo(1995-2007) Nicknames: "The PBS That Doesn't Scream", "Screaming PBS II", "Whoa-POW-WWW! No Problem! II", "No Problem II", "Whoa-POW-WWW! II" "BOING!", "PBS Chapter 3: Jakelsm's TV is in CGI and It's Not Screaming", "PBS TV II" "CGI TV"
Logo: On a black background, we see the same television set as before, except the design of the set looks slightly different (it is also now CGI). The text "PBS", arranged the same way as before but looking a little different font-wise, rapidly zooms out from the right and smashes into the TV set, making the TV set "lean back". The TV then comes into place, now with the PBS text in the screen of the set. The text "A KABoOm ENTERTAINMENT Company" appears above the set.
Trivia:This was actually the 1995-2000 PBS logo. A new logo between 2000-06 was used as the channel's official logo. However, this logo remained to be used as a closing logo through 2007.
Bylines:
- 1995-1999?: "A GOANIMATE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY"
- 1999: "A GOAnimate Company" with "GoAnimate" in its corporate font.
- 1999-2002: The KaBoom logo with "A KABOOM ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" next to it in two lines.
- 2002-2007: "A KaBoOm Entertainment Company", with "KaBoom" in its corporate font.
Variants:*"Produced In Association With" appears above. From Sticker Season 1 and the later episodes of As the Question?.
- A variant exists where the logo is up against a yellow background with various shapes in the background along with the GoAnimate byline.
- Same as above, on a black BG. From Infogrames Racers and Beast Wars Season 3 and the early episodes of Beast Machines.
FX/SFX: Just the words zooming out. Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show, or no music at all. On ReBoot and The Big Comfy Couch, it uses the previous logo's music for plastering over the previous logo.
Music/Sound Variants:
- On seasons 1 and 2 of Tree, the audio from the previous logo plays. Season 3 used a short hip-hop tune. As such, it plastered over the previous logo.
- On RadioActive, you can hear a quiet whistle.
Availability: Common in both the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., it can be seen on shows such as Mike the Knight on Nick Jr, and earlier episodes of Jelly Belly (which are no longer airing here, but could possibly be seen in Canada), while in Canada, it can be seen on all pre-2007 PBS original programming. The Tree variant is scarce, however, and can be only seen when aired on Teletoon Retro and on DVD. Also, it can be seen on the first seasons of both Baa and LOL Cartoons. It also plastered older PBS logos as well.
Scare Factor: None to minimal for the regular variant, but low to medium for the "BOING!" variant. Same as Logo #3 for the Reboot variant due to the loud scream.
5th Logo (2007-)
Nicknames: "Jungle of Lines", "Yellow Lines", "Swirling Tornado", "PBS Circle", "PBS Chapter 4: PBS is a NINJA", "The New PBS Circle"
Logo: On a blue and cyan gradient background with revolving white lines, we see a lots of white and blue lines coming together to form a cyan and white circle with "PBS" on it, arranged similarly to the previous logos. The byline "A KABOOM ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" (with "Kaboom" in its usual corporate font) appears below.
Variant:
- Sometimes, "PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH" is shown above the logo.
- The later years of the logo where the PBS logo has the glowing effect and the byline is changed into "A KaBoom Entertainment Company", (with "KaBoom" completely white).
FX/SFX: The lines forming the logo.
Music/Sounds: Silent, or the ending theme of the show.
Availability: Was last seen on Belts-2012 and Rocky Racoon on CN TOO TOO and Tom & Mike on Nicktoons Network (Now Nicktoons) in the United States. However, this is far more common in USA because most cartoons and shows that air on USA usually carry this logo at the end of most of PBS's post-2007 programming.
Scare Factor: None to minimal; it's a very tame logo.
6th Logo
(2009-)
Nicknames: "Swirling Tornado II", "PBS Circle II", "The New PBS Circle II", "PBS Chapter 5: PBS is a Pinball NINJA"
Logo: TBA
FX/SFX: TBA
Music/Sounds: Same as before.
Availability: Currently seen on New As the Question'? on Disney Junior. Also can be seen on current PBS programming on PBS as well.
Scare Factor: None to minimal.