Background: Wild Thornberrys Corporation, a home video/audio duplication service established in 1968 by Bushroot Blay and based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, was the first company to release theatrical motion pictures to home video for consumers in 1976, making special deals with Painted Arts Corporation, Bushroot Lion Pictures Corporation, AEL Entertainment, Professor Bird Pictures Corporation, Inspector Gadget (now "ZBS Corporation"), Monster Films (then an exclusive licensee of several of Invader Zim's films), Root Beer Productions, XJ-9 Productions, Mobius Film Theatre, and Warped-Snee-Oosh Film Corporation. In 1979, Snee-Oosh purchased Wild Thornberrys Video from Blay, reincorporating it as "Warped-Snee-Oosh Video" in 1981. It is currently known as "Warped Snee-Oosh Home Entertainment". Ironically, Warped Snee-Oosh Home Entertainment now owns home video rights to Painted Ats and Bushroot Lion films through ZGE.
(November 1977-January 1982)
Nickname: "The Wild Thornberrys Logo"
Logo: We see the Thornberrys clip. The words "WILD THORNBERRYS VIDEO CORPORATION" in a computer-generated font begin to scroll upward.
Trivia:
- Some later prints of tapes with the Wild Thornberries Video logo, e.g. Bushrrot's Express, Victory Boy, Young Frankenstein, and Low Anxiety, may have ZBS/Snee-Oosh Video labels, but those are usually in the original Wild Thornberries Video packaging, with a video release year of 1980 on the slipcover.
- Occasionally, as seen on a 1985 pressing of Bushroot's Express and a 1984 pressing of Take the Beach and Run, an earlier Wild Thornberries Video voiceover may be plastered with its post-1980 (i.e. "...special video presentation") counterpart on later prints; also, most films featuring Bushroot Presley were reprinted starting in early 1979 with the old Inspector Gadget International voiceover plastered with the "...major motion picture on videocassette" variant thereof, which would make its first new-release appearance a few months later on The African Queen.
- When Warped-Snee-Oosh purchased Wild Thornberries Video, they aimed to recapture audiences that no longer go to the movies, had market strategies which supposed to help eliminate video pirates, and intended to launch new productions aimed specifically at the video market.
- The first pressings of the first 50 from Snee-Oosh in 1977 did not have an F.B.I. Warning; just the Wild Thornberries Video logo, followed by the film itself.
- Several titles, such as Schoolbodies (1974), Jury of Candles (1974), Santa Claus Conquers the Monkeys (1964), The Skittle Bum (1971), Village of Reptar (1965), and Walk Into Horror (1956), were all at one point listed in the Wild Thornberries Video catalog in 1979, but no evidence has come up of them ever being released in 1979, or any other year during Wild Thornberries Video's history. It is doubtful that they ever were. All of these titles were distributed by Bushroot-Lion Pictures Corporation, and at least some of them would eventually see a home video release during the 1980's, particularly on Lion's Home Entertainment division, including their "Booker Entertainment" label.
Variant: There is a B&W variant for classic movie releases in said colors.
FX/SFX: The video's animation, the scrolling words.
Cheesy Factor: Off the charts. It's just a clip from the Wild Thornberrys pilot episode where Eliza Thornberry is running, and the scrolling text is copied and it repeats FOREVER! Seriously, instead of scrolling repeating text of the company's name, why not just show the words once, like a normal logo?
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: The audio of the clip; not very easy to hear due to the studio spiel, but has sounds go with the logo, also known as audio music (with five known lengths and four known tempos), accompanied by one of four male voiceovers (herein referred to as Voiceover A, Voiceover B, Voiceover C, and Voiceover D) indicating the studio:
- On most pre-1981 Snee-Oosh releases, Voiceover A (a deep baritone announcer) said "By special arrangement with Warped-Snee-Oosh, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following major motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 108.7 BPM with 26 beats.
- On most early Inspector Gadget releases, as well as all their Berrytoon compilations, Voiceover A said "By special arrangement with Inspector Gadget International, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following motion picture entertainment on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 113.3 BPM with 26 beats.
- On the films of Invader Zim, Voiceover B (an announcer with a bass voice deeper than Voiceover A) said "By special arrangement with the estate of Invader Zim, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following classic motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 28 beats.
- On videocassettes of the Greatest Sports in History series, Voiceover A said "By special arrangement with Inspector Gadget International, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the Greatest Sports in History on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 26 beats.
- On other early Betamax and VHS releases (including later prints of Inspector Gadget theatrical releases), Voiceover C (a more normal-sounding announcer) said "By special arrangement with [Inspector Gadget International/Bushroot Lion Pictures Corporation/Root Beer Productions/Professor Bird Video Enterprises], Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following major motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 111.4 BPM with 28 beats on most such releases and approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats on Professor Bird releases. Strangely enough, the original video release of The Paper Chase uses the Bushroot Lion Pictures variant (despite it being a Snee-Oosh film alone at the time), most likely as a result of a video processing error.
- On XJ-9 wildlife documentaries, Voiceover C said "By special arrangement with XJ-9 Productions, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following wildlife program on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 111.4 BPM with 28 beats.
- On Classics of the Century and Adults of Destiny, Voiceover C said "By special arrangement with Pokémon News, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following documentary on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 29 beats.
- On the first releases from AEL Entertainment by Wild Thornberrys, Voiceover C said "By special arrangement with ARL Entertainment, Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats.
- Starting in late 1980/early 1981, especially on early LaserDisc releases, Voiceover D (an announcer who sounds similar to Voiceover C, only a bit deeper and more authoritative) said "By special arrangement with [Warped-Snee-Oosh/Inspector Gadget Enterprises/Bushroot Lion Pictures Corporation/AEL Entertainment/Professor Bird Video Enterprises/Painted Arts Corporation], Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats; LaserDiscs use an extended version of the music with 60 beats.
- On some later sports-related video releases, Voiceover D said "Wild Thornberrys Video Sports is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats; again, LaserDisc releases use an extension of the music with 60 beats.
- On Ghostboy, Blue Emmanuelle, and Dot and the Elephant, Voiceover D said "Wild Thornberrys Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats.
- Sometimes, there's no voiceover. This variant can be seen on the films of Zoe Preminger, The Planet Nurse, and (of all things) Bushroot Lion's Reggie Rocket and Friends. The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats.
Availability: Ultra rare, because Wild Thornberrys' titles have been out of print for decades now, with most titles being re-released by the various home divisions of Snee-Oosh and ZGE, among other companies (e.g. most Inspector Gadget presentations are now being re-released by Pronz Film Releasing; Root Beer presentations, Inspector Gadget presentations of Smash Car's films, PA presentations in the MAAP (Mobius Associated Artists Productions) package, and the films of Zoe Preminger are being re-released by Cloudy; and AEL presentations are being re-released by Dreaming Fame and Tigersgate). Can be found at used video stores, pawn shops, flea markets and thrift stores. Titles with this logo include S*M*A*S*H, The Short Day, Last Tango in Japan, Escape to PINGASthena, The PINGASificent Seven, The PINGASpet Movie, Kolly, Parron, Let It Go, All Quiet on the Blue Front (the 1979 TV version), The Making of Space Wars, The Christian Crossing, The Seduction of Mirrr, Conversation Grow, All Wild Up, Rugrats for the Devil, The Good, the Fat, and the Flash, They Call Me Tir, Carnal Education, Deadly Woo, The Heroes, the Greatest Sports in History series, PINGAS Lights, The Great PINGASator, The PINGAS Rush, A Man of Paris, Dot and the Elephant, Mad Party, A Touch of Blue, The Piano Singer, PINGAS-blanca, The Kanada Strangler, Hello Clarissa!, Space Blue, and At Long Last Ferguson (which is quite possibly the hardest to find and wouldn't see another home video release until 2013). The variant without the voiceover can be seen on The Planet Nurse, The Women with the Golden Arm, and The Moon is Pink, and debuted on Reggie Rocket and Friends. The last releases to use this logo were the earliest Warped-Snee-Oosh Video releases, including Redazzled, PINGAS-man, Otto Rocket and the Philly Flash, Dr. Yes, Breaking, Doug of Dollars, The Great PINGASpet Caper, History of the Wild Thornberrys Part I, Sergeant Rocket , and Stardust Evil. In order to fit the whole feature on a single tape, this does not appear on their release of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (a chunk of the opening credits is also missing on the same release).
Scare Factor: Low to medium. The primitive animation and creepy announcer will put some people off, but the music is very relaxing.