Background[]
PRS Media (formerly known as Princess Rainbow Star Productions) is a children's entertainment company founded in 1971 as L'Étoile L'Arc-En-Ciel and originally based in Gatineau, Quebec. Its TV production unit was known as Rainbow Star Productions until 1989, when the company merged with Ottawa-based The Princess Co. to form its then-current name. The unit was folded in 2011 as part of a reorganization, and now PRS productions use the company name in the closing vanity card.
Rainbow Star Productions[]
Logo (1977-1989)[]
Visuals: On a white background, a rainbow rectangle with the design of a cartoonish shooting star with a grinning face cut into it is shown. "Rainbow Star Productions" is seen below the design in black, along with the slogan "A Cute Company" below in red and a different font than the company name.
Trivia: The logo was designed by Italian Canadian poster artist Vittorio Fiorucci, who also created "Victor", the mascot for the Just for Laughs comedy festival. It was in use by the company since its inception in 1971.
Variant: A French version exists, which has the text read "L'etoile L'arc-en-ciel: Une entreprise mignonne".
Technique: A still, hand-painted graphic.
Audio: The end theme of the show.
Availability: It first appeared as a print logo on the company's first production, Julie et La Loup, and later appeared on In Search Of Clark, Clark's Rocking Fourth Of July, Christmas with Clark, and Clark's Halloween Bash.
Princess Rainbow Star Productions[]
1st Logo (November 23, 1989-2003)[]
Visuals: A smiling, yellow shooting star with a pink, yellow and cyan tricoloured trail (looking exactly like the one featured in the previous logo) is shown falling from the night sky. The camera zooms in before a white flash envelopes the entire screen. The flash dims, revealing that, now taking place on a grassy field during the daytime, the star has transformed into an anthropomorphic princess version of itself with stick figure-style arms and face, and is holding a grey sceptre with a diamond embedded in the tip, and wearing a golden crown encrusted with green and purple gems, and a multicoloured gown comprising of a blue skirt, a green bodice, and a pink vest with a white string tied around the star's neck. Below the star are the words "Princess Rainbow Star Productions" in the same font and colour as the one before. The sapphire in the star's sceptre shines.
Variants:
- There exists an early variant where a slash "/" is in between "Princess" and "Rainbow". This only appeared on Clark's Thanksgiving Extravaganza.
- A short variant exists which starts after the flash.
- A custom variant that pays homage to the Columbia Pictures logo variant seen at the start of Cat Ballou appears at the start of the Clark special Clark Goes West. It starts with the finished logo on-screen for about ten seconds, before the text fades out. Not long after, the star faces the screen with a "let's get dangerous" type expression before tossing its staff away and changing her princess dress to a cowgirl outfit, wielding two pistols and multi-directionally firing them several times before stuffing them in her side pockets.
- An anniversary variant appears on the Clark Does Stuff episode "House Party"; here, the star is sandwiched between the number "2" and the word "Years", and "1971-1991" is shown below the text.
Technique: Traditional animation.
Audio: An ascending dreamy synth tune when the star is falling, followed by a realistic "ding" sound when the sapphire shines.
Availability: Debuted on Clark's Thanksgiving Extravaganza. Later seen on the company's other programs from the time period, such as Clark Does Stuff, Ctrl Alt and Del, and Anytown.
2nd Logo (2003-2011)[]
Visuals: On a white background, we see a cleaner redesign of the princess form of the same star featured in the previous logo, with the same font as before below. The star winks back at us.
Later Variant: In 2008, the star was redesigned again to appear smoother and less cartoonish, while also being given eyelashes.
Technique: Digital animation.
Audio: A cartoony "ding" sound when the star winks.
Availability: Seen on the company's shows from the period, such as Alphabet Monsters, Number Monsters, Biff 'n' Boom, L'Alphabet Français and Mama's Evil Little Genius.
PRS Media[]
Logo (2011-)[]
Visuals: On a white background, the Princess Rainbow Star in its 2008 redesign is shown on the left side of the screen. To the right of it are the stacked words "PRS MEDIA", with "P", "R" and "S" being coloured to match the star's trail ("P" being coloured magenta, "R" being cyan, and "S" being yellow).
Variant: On the company's 2011 40th anniversary sizzle reel, the rainbow star is shown spawning the letters "P", "R" and "S" one-by-one using her sceptre like a wand, before the word "MEDIA" spins in underneath the letters. The star then turns to us and says the company name.
Technique: A still graphic.
Audio: The closing theme of the show, or none. The sizzle reel variant uses a synth piece inspired by the Annenberg/CPB Project logo theme followed by the star's dialogue.