Paramount Home Media Distribution

Background : Paramount Home Media Distribution is the home entertainment division of Paramount Pictures.

1st Logo (December 19, 1921-June 1980)
Nicknames : “The Mountain”, “‘70s Mountain”, “Abstract Mountain”

Logo : On a blue background, we see “Paramount” in its famous script with “HOME VIDEO” (sandwiched between two lines) below. Next to it is the current Paramount print logo. Seconds later, we dissolve to a warning screen.

Byline : Referred to as “A Gulf+Western Company”.

FX/SFX : None, unless you count the dissolve to the warning screen.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Near extinction. Seen on VHS releases during the era.

Editor’s Note : None.

2nd Logo (October 23, 1941-December 2020)


Nicknames : “The Mountain VII”, “‘2000s Mountain”, “CGI Mountain III”

Logo : Same as the 5th logo, except the squares are purple and the middle square has a still picture of the 2002 Paramount Pictures logo and the gradient background is replaced by a cloud background which features “FEATURE PRESENTATION” and the warning screen is on a blue background. Referred to as “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.

Byline : FX/SFX : Same as the 5th logo.
 * We see an eastern cottontail bouncing on a ball or flying on a balloon.

Music/Sounds : Same as the 5th logo.

Availability : Ultra rare. The standard version is seen on VHS releases during its 90th anniversary until the closure of it's last surviving source, Toys R Us. Some prints of Changing Lanes do have this logo, but it cuts to the 1995 warning screen instead of the 2002 one (this is probably due to the fact that the other ones use the previous Feature Presentation screen instead of this one).

Editor’s Note : Same as the 5th logo.

3rd Logo (June 2, 1976-February 7, 2003, September 18, 2018-)


Nicknames : “The Mountain IV”, “‘80s Mountain III”, “CGI Mountain”, “Ultra Common Mountain”

Logo : Same as the 1986 movie logo.

Byline : FX/SFX : Same as the 1986 movie logo.
 * April 1987-1989: “A Gulf + Western Company” (1987 releases used the “75th Anniversary” variant while 1988-9 releases used the standard version.)
 * 1989-1995: “A Paramount Communications Company” (1989-90 releases had the byline in gold while 1990-5 releases had the byline in silver .)
 * 1995-February 7, 2003, 2018-2019: “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” (in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.)

Music/Sounds : None or the opening theme of the film.

Availability : Ultra common. This is a de-facto home video logo. Seen on VHS and DVD releases during the era.

Editor’s Note : Same as the 1986 movie logo.

4th Logo (October 1980-January 1981, September 28, 2004-)
Nicknames : “The Mountain II”, “‘80s Mountain”

Logo : On a blue background, we see a black mountain going down as the background darkens. The stars, script and “HOME VIDEO” text zoom in, one by one.

FX/SFX : Scanimation effects.

Music/Sounds : A synthesizer theme that has the last note held.

Availability : Near extinction. Seen on VHS releases during the era.

Editor’s Note : None.

5th Logo (1983-89)
Logo: Same as the Henson Associates in-credit logo, only the " ha! " text is replaced with " hit! " and the lower text is replaced with "HENSON INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION" sandwiched between two lines. Copyright information for Henson International Television is listed below.

FX/SFX: Same as the Henson Associates in-credit logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Henson Associates logo.

Availability: Rare. Seen on international prints of The Muppet Show.

6th Logo (1983-March 1987)
Nicknames : “The Mountain III”, “‘80s Mountain II”, “Abstract Mountain II”

Logo : On a black background, we see the current Paramount print logo zooming in until a light clears it to reveal the script and “VIDEO” sandwiched in between two lines.

Byline : Referred to as “A Gulf + Western Company”.

FX/SFX : The logo zooming in.

Music/Sounds : Another synthesizer theme.

Availability : Very rare. Seen on VHS releases during the era.

Editor’s Note : None.

7th Logo (1989-96)
Logo: On a gray marble-like background, a silver disc rotates into place. Then four blue lasers strike it from different directions. Then, the camera pans to an aerial view as the word "HiT", in a tall silver font, zooms out from the center from an angle, then rotates to face the viewers. As it does so, the four lasers rotate clockwise and " COMMUNICATIONS PLC " types itself in, in light blue.

FX/SFX: The disc, the lasers, and the word "HiT" coming into place, which are solid CGI effects.

Music/Sounds: An eerie gong sound leading into a catchy synth theme with bells.

Music/Sounds Variant: A silent version exists.

Availability: Ultra rare. Can be seen on old Where's Waldo/Wally?: The Animated Series tapes from the era. It can also be spotted on the English dubs of D'Ocon Films' TV series, Basket Fever, and the cartoon Captain Zed and the Zee Zone, among others.

Editor's Note: This logo is a huge favorite, thanks to the music.

8th Logo (May 17, 1989-January 29, 2016)


Nicknames : “The Mountain V”, “‘80s Mountain IV”, “Abstract Mountain III”, “Ultra Common Mountain II”

Logo : We see indigo squares with the middle one having the current Paramount print logo on it. The square shines and all of them go away to reveal a purple /black gradient background. The idents are, as follows: that zooms in. The former, afterwards, a trailer would be played, while the latter, a warning screen appears afterward with multiple Paramount print logos.
 * “COMING ATTRACTIONS”
 * “FEATURE PRESENTATION”

Byline : Variant : On Bebe's Kids, Cool World and The Magic Hour, a Canadian version of the warning screen is used.
 * May 17-October 16, 1989: “A Gulf + Western Company”
 * November 9, 1989-May 16, 1995: “A Paramount Communications Company” (in a serif font, “FEATURE PRESENTATION” versions have the byline in a different font: sans serif.)
 * June 13, 1995-January 29, 2016: “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” (in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.)

FX/SFX : CGI.

Music/Sounds : The 1979 Paramount Pictures fanfare with an announcer saying “And now, we’re pleased to bring you our feature presentation.”.

Music/Sounds Variants : Availability : Ultra common. Editor’s Note : A favorite of many.
 * Sometimes, the announcer says “Paramount is pleased to bring you our feature presentation.”. This version is primarily used on releases with no previews.
 * On the “COMING ATTRACTIONS” variant, the announcer says “Here are some exciting coming attractions from Paramount.”
 * The original Gulf+Western variant (which is the least common) first appeared on the 1989 VHS of Coming to America.
 * The Paramount Communications variant (which is easier to find on Bebe's Kids and Drop Zone) first appeared on the 1989 VHS of Scrooged.
 * The Viacom variant is extremely common and first appeared on the VHS of Drop Zone.
 * The last film to use this logo as the 2006 VHS release of Yours, Mine and Ours and the last tape overall to use this logo was the 2007 VHS release of The Wonder Pets: Save the Wonder Pets, but continued to make surprise appearances on all future VHS releases until the November 2015 VHS of The Magic Hour.

9th Logo (December 1993)
Nicknames : “The Mountain VI”, “‘90s Mountain”, “CGI Mountain II”

Logo : On a blue background, we see the script being written that the background turns into the 1986 movie logo.

FX/SFX : CGI.

Music/Sounds : A horn fanfare with an announcer.

Availability : Very rare. Appears on late 1993 VHS releases.

Editor’s Note : None.

10th Logo (1994-95)
Logo: On a black background, the bluish-grey letters of "HiT" fly outwards to the center to form a result similar to the previous logo, but with thinner letters and no dot. Below it all is "Distributed by HIT Entertainment PLC." in white, sometimes replaced with a black bar and the text changed to match the country's language.

FX/SFX: The letters appearing. Nothing much.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct. This was possibly a prototype logo, and so far, it has only been known to appear on some international prints of season 1 episodes of ReBoot.

11th Logo (December 25, 1996-April 3, 2001)
Nicknames: "HiT Globe", "'90s HiT Globe"

Logo: On a dimgray background, we see the word "HiT" in the same font as last two logos in blue, with "ENTERTAINMENT PLC" written vertically next to the T in white. A hole is cut out in between the letters above the I, which contains a spinning globe. Under that we see the text "www.hitentertainment.com" and "DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE BY HIT ENTERTAINMENT PLC". There is a spotlight from the top left of the screen, casting a shadow of the logo on the floor.

Variants:


 * There is a version where the URL and byline swap places, such as retail episodes of  Bob the Builder.
 * There are instances where the logo is just seen with the byline, such as Scandinavian versions of Bob the Builder.
 * A still version of this is seen on VHS releases.
 * An in-credit variant was seen on Archibald the Koala.
 * On some prints of Basket Fever, the background is replaced with that of a background of the world with "ENTERTAINMENT PLC" in black instead of white and the below text is omitted.

FX/SFX: The globe spinning. Fine CGI for its time and it has aged pretty well.

Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds/Variants:
 * In other cases, the end theme of the show would be used.
 * At the beginning of a Greek Barney and Friends VHS, the tail end of the Bob the Builder theme song plays over the logo.

Availability: Rare. The logo is seen on Brambly Hedge, Kipper, Archibald the Koala, Ted Sieger's Wildlife, Sheeep, and GoodTimes VHS releases of The Wind in the Willows and The Willows in Winter. Pablo, the Little Red Fox also had this logo, especially when it was shown on Playhouse Disney in the early 2000s in America, along with Nick Jr in the UK, also in the early 2000s. It was also used for at least seasons 1-3 of Bob the Builder in the UK. Also spotted on later prints of Basket Fever. Despite being a co-production with the BBC, don't expect this to pop up on the TV movie The Phoenix & the Carpet.

12th Logo (1997-1998)
Nickname: "Forming Lyrick", "Flying Letters"

Logo: On a white background, six letters fly from the screen in each other. The letters than separate themselves, revealing the words "Lyrick" in a crazy font with colors (blue, yellow, red, green, purple, and orange). After they have flew in place, a blue dot flies out and dots the "I", and the word "STUDIOS" rotates letter-by-letter on the bottom-right of "Lyrick", with a line above "STUDIOS".

Variants:
 * On some tapes from the company, "Distributed by" wipes in above the logo as the letters fly in. There's also still version of this logo.
 * There is a rare early variant of this logo where the logo is taller, it doesn't have the shadow effect, "Studios" is in a different font, the words "Distributed by" are yellow and there is a bigger space between "Distributed by" and "Lyrick Studios". This variant is still. There is also a version of this variant without "Distributed By", which is seen at the end of the tape.
 * There is another early variant where the logo is zoomed closer to the screen and "Distributed By" is yellow. This can only be seen on the tapes of Vatican 2: The Faithful Revolution. Again, the non-distributed by variant is seen at the end of the tapes.

FX/SFX: The six flying letters and the "dot-the-I" sequence to form the company's name. Awesome Ampex ADO.

Music/Sounds: An Proteus/2 synth jingle plays throughout the logo, with 3 low-pitched Proteus violin notes as the "dot-the-I" sequence plays ; followed by a sparkling sound and a Proteus violin stinger. The "Distributed By" variant features only 2 low pitched notes for the "dot-the-I" sequence. Ringing bells can be heard when the "Distributed by" and "STUDIOS" text appears and during the "dot-the-I" sequence, and finally the tune ends differently on a Proteus piano and a Proteus violin flourish. This fanfare was composed by Bob Singleton. The still version is silent.

Availability: Uncommon. This logo was only used for a year, and were limited to tapes of Barney & Friends, VeggieTales, Wishbone, Kids for Character and Francesca's Friendly World. Most of these videos from this time period are long out of print and are hard to find; the latter 2 properties are quite obscure, for all of their VHS releases by Lyrick Studios were released throughout 1997. However, tapes of Barney & Friends and VeggieTales are the least scarce of the the bunch, so those tapes are your best bet to find this logo. Even the 1998 VHS releases of Where's God When I'm Scared!?! and Are You My Neighbor? from VeggieTales are notable to have this logo. The still version exists on 2000 VHS releases such as of Where's God When I'm Scared!?!, God Wants Me To Forgive Them?!, Are You My Neighbor?, Rack, Shack, and Benny, and Dave and the Giant Pickle from VeggieTales. The most wide release with this logo is It's Time for Counting!.

Editor's Note: It's a nice logo, but nothing compared to this next one.

13th Logo (1997-2008)
Nickname: "HiT Globe II", "'90s HiT Globe II", "Spinning HiT", "The Fireworks", "Psychedelic Ribbons"

Logo: On a striped-shiny-blue background we see a yellow/orange gradient ribbon flying around from the right edge of the screen. Then the ribbon makes its way to form the spring (or tunnel) and an explosion occurs. After that we see more colorful ribbons (but smaller) and some fireworks. Later, the camera moves into the center of the tunnel, then the tunnel disappears and from its place comes the globe which zooms into the hole in the HiT logo from the last logo in light blue, which fades in the same time as the globe comes. As it does so, the globe spins. The word "ENTERTAINMENT PLC" is written vertically next to the "T" in white, just like the 2nd and 4th logos until it is over.

Variants:
 * There is a short version which shows only the last part of logo.
 * There is also a middle-length version, which starts in the middle of the logo.

FX/SFX: The globe, fireworks, the ribbon, and the small ribbons. CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: For the long version, at the beginning is a big whoosh, then a variety of cartoon sound effects are heard whilst the items come out of the ribbon tunnel, then a grand fanfare.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The music was composed by David Lowe, who is best known for producing and arranging the theme tune to BBC News from 1999.

Availability: Pretty common. The long version of the logo is available on most VHS and DVDs by HiT Entertainment, but only in the UK. The short version of the logo was used on the television series Anthony Ant and at the end of a ride on video optioned Bob the Builder kiddie rides from Jolly Roger, while the middle-length version is seen on said rides as well as Thomas & Friends ones while not in motion. Inexplicably, later 2Entertain-distributed Thomas & Friends DVDs continued to use this logo until their distribution rights expired in 2008, despite the next logo being used all over the packaging. However, the reissues of those releases from HiT themselves plastered that and 2Entertain's logo with the next logo.

Editor's Note: The explosion, slightly jarring appearance, and audio cacophony might have caused a few scares, but this logo is very well done and is a favorite of many.

14th Logo (March 1998-March 24, 2001)
Nicknames: "The Hand", "Lyrick Lake", "Touch the Sky"

Logo: In a lake surrounded by a forest at twilight, we see a silhouette of a waterbird (possibly a duck, loon, or an albatross) swimming from right to first at the bottom of the screen. The camera then moves up to the sky, and a child's hand (with its index finger extended) touches the sky, causing ripples. As its best friends, the word "Lyrick" (in the same font as before) slowly zooms in and stops in the middle of the screen. The logo shines as the word "STUDIOS" written with a line above it fades in along with a "™" symbol.

Variants:
 * Some VeggieTales tapes from 1998-1999 have the text "Distributed by" in white bold Arial Black font on a black background before the logo animates. This is regularly seen at the beginning and end of the tapes. This variant is the good friend found on Groundling Marsh VHS tapes, Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales and Legends, and Barney Classic Collection releases from 1998-1999.
 * There's an early variation with less stars in the night sky, rough animation, longer panning up in the sky until the hand comes, a redder sunset, a different forest design, and the logo is off-centered without white shining on the edges. The red sleeve on the child's arm can't be seen as well. This appeared on the film Barney's Great Adventure.
 * There is a still version of the 1999-2001 "Distributed by" version of the logo.
 * Another variation has the logo with the camera panning it up more and a white "Distributed by" byline above the logo after it is formed. This variant appears on most VeggieTales tapes from 1999-2001, The Wiggles, some Barney & Friends tapes from 1999-2000, Bob the Builder, and Kipper.

FX/SFX: The water bird scene and the hand poking the sky like water in a quite beautiful mix of live-action and computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A dreamy, calming orchestral theme accompanied by the waterbird crowing, and a cymbal crash when the hand touches the sky. Composed by Van Dyke Parks. Like the previous logo, the still variant is silent.

Availability: Preserved on most VeggieTales and Barney & Friends tapes from the period distributed by the company. Also seen on all Wishbone tapes made after 1997, when Lyrick Studios began distributing the videos, taking over from PolyGram Video. Can also be seen on most The Wiggles tapes from the period. The early variant exclusively appears on the 1998 PolyGram/Universal film Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie, which apparently is the first piece of media to use the logo. The last release to use this logo was the 2001 VHS print of VeggieTales: Lyle the Kindly Viking. Since 1999, the still version of the logo is more common than the usual logo.

Editor's Note: This is a great logo, the CGI is astounding, and the music is calm.

Final Note In 2001, HiT Entertainment acquired Lyrick Studios. HiT kept the Texas office of Lyrick open for the production of Barney & Friends; as a result of the HiT buyout they released nothing up to its shutdown in 2002, due to arguments from PolyGram over Barney's Great Adventure being released theatrically instead of straight-to-video (and thus not part of PolyGram's picture deal). Some 2003 VHS copies of ''The Wiggles: Magical Adventure! A Wiggly Movie'' feature the 2nd Lyrick logo on it, but it was widely released by HiT instead. Today, Lyrick Studios' properties are owned by HiT Entertainment except for VeggieTales, which is currently owned by NBCUniversal through DreamWorks Animation, and Groundling Marsh, which is currently owned by FilmRise.

15th Logo (2000-2007)
Nicknames: "HiT Globe II", "2000s HiT Globe", "Cheesy Glow"

Logo: On a blue background, we see the HiT logo (as seen in the last two logos), but less shiny and solid, and with "ENTERTAINMENT" replacing "ENTERTAINMENT PLC". A glow of light surrounds the globe. Sometimes, a copyright notice appears below. Like the 4th logo, sometimes the URL (www.hitentertainment.com) and byline (DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE BY HIT ENTERTAINMENT) are seen below the logo.

Trivia: Although it debuted in the US in 2000, this logo did not appear on UK VHS & DVD releases until late 2003, kicking off with the following releases:


 * The "Classic Collection" range (earlier VHS prints from December 2003 carry the previous logo instead)
 * The DVD releases of the first 2 Angelina Ballerina titles (The Gift & Rose Fairy Princess)
 * Superstar Children's Favourites (earlier VHS prints carry the previous logo instead)
 * Christmas Children's Favourites

Variants:
 * There is a difference between the original and the standard versions.
 * Original version:
 * The still version, no animations at all (aka, the prototype version)
 * Always bylineless
 * Has a constant color scheme/contrast
 * Has a thinner text for "ENTERTAINMENT"
 * Standard version:
 * The animated version
 * Can be with the URL or byline, or both, or bylineless
 * The contrast of the logo varies depending on the year of release (2000-2002 has a dark blue color scheme, while 2003-2006 has a light blue color scheme)
 * Has a thicker text for "ENTERTAINMENT"
 * Like with the previous logo, "PLC" can be seen next to "ENTERTAINMENT".
 * On Barney's Christmas Star, the globe is bigger than the original variant.
 * This doesn't happen when the same feature was part of Christmas Children's Favorites, when it was replaced by the standard version with the URL and byline.
 * On the DVD's of at least the first two seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends (restored format only, the remastered versions use the Britt Allcroft logo), we see a white background. On the top half it says "A Britt Allcroft Company Production" with the company's logo in between the words "Britt" and "Allcroft" and on the bottom half we see the HIT Entertainment logo. In between them is the word "For". Under all that is a copyright notice that says "(C) 1984-2003 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. All rights reserved". Post-2006 releases of the DVD have this logo replaced with the next logo, with the copyright notice intact.
 * A still version on a white background exists. “Consumer Products” sometimes replaces “Entertainment” in this version.
 * 2 in-credit versions exist. One is just of the logo, the other is of the logo on a white background.
 * On 2004-06 episodes of Thomas and Friends and its related home videos (at least in the UK), there are several versions of the logo. Copyright info is below.
 * The first variation is seen on individual episodes and airings. It has the copyright notice for every episode per year of release (2003, 2004, 2005 or 2006) and the disclaimer about the series.
 * The second variation is seen on several home videos, such as Hooray for Thomas! and Other Stories. It has the copyright notice for the episodes (2003, 2004, 2005 or 2006) and the disclaimer about the series. (The font of the copyright notice is the same as the collaboration with Nick Jr.)
 * The third variation is seen on several PBS airings. It is similar to the first two variations, but instead of the cloudy sky as the background, the blue original background is seen on the logo.
 * The fourth variation is seen on Thomas' Halloween Adventures. The copyright notice used from the restored formats of previous seasons is used, along with the North American disclaimer.
 * The fifth is used for Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines!. The logo is placed on the original background, with the words "Thomas the Tank Engine, Created for Television by BRITT ALLCROFT" plus the 2005 copyright notice and disclaimer below the logo.
 * On the sixth and seventh seasons of Thomas & Friends, there are three variations of the logo.
 * The first variation uses the logo with the URL and byline, with the copyright notice "© 1984-2003 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. All rights reserved." below the byline. (seen on season 6)
 * The second variation uses the logo with the URL and byline, but with the title "Thomas & Friends" on top of the logo, and the copyright notice "(C) 2003 Gullane (Thomas) Limited" on the bottom of the byline. (seen on season 7)
 * The third variation is the logo with the Nick Jr. logo. It has the copyright notice "(C) 2002/2003 Gullane (Thomas) Limited" on the bottom of the logo, and sometimes the words "Produced in association with Nickelodeon UK" can be seen on top of the logos. The background is a cloudy sky, which is also used in the next three seasons. This is seen on episodes aired via Nick Jr in the UK.
 * Like the 4th logo, there are instances that the logo is seen only with just the byline (or along in this case, with just the URL), or the logo can be bylineless.
 * The Latin-American (Spanish & Portuguese, among those that are aired on Discovery Kids Latinoamerica, the standard (bylineless) version is used in in the USA and Canada) and European (Spanish, Portuguese, French & German, the standard version is used in the UK) airings of the ninth season of Barney & Friends (Especially Universal Kids airings in North America) and iTunes releases of Thomas & Friends including Thomas and His Friends Get Along and Thomas and His Friends Help Out use the version with just the byline.
 * Fraggle Rock, Animal Jam (along with other programs made by Jim Henson), and the East Asian (Malaysian, Indonesian, Philippine and Thai, and other versions distributed by Buena Vista International Television in Asia; the standard (URL and byline) version is used in China and Japan) airings of the ninth season of Barney & Friends use the version with just the URL.
 * There is another version of the logo with just the URL. The URL is slightly shifted down to where usually the byline is placed. The URL is in bold, which would be later used in the HD version of the logo.
 * There are other variations of the logo with just the byline. This is usually seen on Bob the Builder, depending on the season of episodes and whether domestic or international. One instance is that the URL is missing from the logo used in 2001-2004 (usually seen in Europe, the original version is used in North America), and another is the same instance as the first, but this time, the byline is shifted upward (rare, usually seen in Welsh airings). Another instance is that the byline is in a different font, and it has a much larger font size.
 * The logo is bylineless on CITV repeats of Kipper, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas & Friends and Percy The Park Keeper. It is also seen on original USA PBS airings of 2004-2006 episodes of Bob the Builder and Barney & Friends, and the retail DVD of Children's Favorites: Spring Made Fun!
 * The direct-to-video (Netflix, Hulu, etc.), and some international versions of the 10th season episodes of Barney & Friends, along with its related retail home videos from 2005-07 (such as Can You Sing That Song? (VHS version only), Let's Go To The Beach, Let's Make Music and Let's Go To The Firehouse) uses a short-lived HD version of the logo, with its URL and byline in bold (This is the final variation of the standard logo). The PBS and Sprout versions use the next logo (still or original). Universal Kids (in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil) reairings of this season also use this HD logo.
 * On S4C Welsh airings of Pingu, the byline is translated.
 * On The Magic Key, a small version of the logo is seen on a black background above the BBC logo. Copyright and website info is below.

FX/SFX: The glow surrounding the globe, which is cheesy-looking.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the show or silence.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Some home videos of Barney & Friends (starting from Let's Go to the Farm (2004), until Let's Go to the Firehouse (2007), and again on Best Fairy Tales (2010)) from 2004-07 have a synthesized jingle that was used either at the beginning, at the end, or after the feature presentation.
 * On one print of Felix the Cat, the HiT Communications PLC (2nd logo) music was used.

Availability: Very common. Seen on HiT shows from the period including Barney & Friends from the 2000-2006 seasons, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Rubbadubbers, 2003-2006 episodes of Thomas and Friends, and Oswald. It was also seen on the VeggieTales: The Ultimate Silly Song Countdown 2001 VHS. It also appears on the remastered versions of episodes from seasons 1-4 of Pingu. The normal in-credit variant appears on seasons 5-6 of Pingu, while the white background one appears on the 2003 series of Fireman Sam and at the end of games from the company. Both the “Entertainment” and “Consumer Products” white background variants appear on games of the company’s shows, and an “Entertainment PLC” version was seen on the remastered versions of the original Fireman Sam alongside the Bumper Films and S4C logos. One of the last releases to use this logo was the 2007 DVD of Barney & Friends: Let's Go to the Firehouse!

Editor's Note: A huge favorite of many thanks to the cheesiness of the logo.

16th Logo (September 4, 2006-)
Nicknames: "HiT Block", "Jumping Blocks", "Dancing Blocks", "Bouncy Blocks", "Annoying Blocks", "Blocks of Boredom", "Cute Blocks", "Toy Blocks"

Logo: On a white background, we see a CGI block with "H" (white on red), "i" (blue on yellow), and "T" (white on blue), with "HiT entertainment" below it. Then, all of a sudden, two more of the same blocks come out from behind the main block, and they all jump around as the name fades out. The blocks stack to reveal the "HiT" name before the two blocks (left and right) disappear. As it leaves only one block, the block looks around before becoming still, and "HiT entertainment" fades in below.

Variants:
 * There is a short version which only shows the ending part after the blocks walk away.
 * An alternate short variant shows the HiT block at a farther away angle. Then, the two other blocks come in and jump before exiting, as the middle one bounces closer to the screen.
 * Another alternate short variant shows the blocks chasing each other around, before they bump into each other and we zoom into the main block dazed for a moment.
 * Yet another alternative short variant shows the blocks jumping before the middle one rolls closer to the screen.
 * A very short variant exists where the block just drops down.
 * There exists a still version, as well, with a plain white background. Sometimes, the words “Distributed worldwide by” appeared above the logo.
 * In credit variants exist. One is of the still worldwide distribution variant, one is an in credit still of the normal animated version, and the final one shows just the HiT block with the text “Distributed Internationally by HIT Entertainment” to the left of it.
 * On many DVD releases of HiT Entertainment shows, such as Lionsgate releases of the CGI Thomas and Friends, the still variant is shown with two blue buttons below it, one reading "Auto Play" and the other reading "Main Menu". (à la Disney's FastPlay logo.)
 * On the Little People 2016 TV series and the first season of the Bob the Builder reboot, it has a copyright notice on the bottom middle of the HiT Entertainment text.
 * On the 11th season of Thomas & Friends, the logo (still version) has the copyright notice (red) for individual episode per year of release (2007 or 2008) and the disclaimer about the series. Several home videos (in fullscreen) have the copyright notice dated 2006, 2007 or 2008. PBS airings use the original variant.
 * The Sprout reairings of the tenth season of Barney & Friends use the very last part of the logo's sequence (ie. the HiT block is already there after the animation). Those aired originally on PBS use the original variant with animation. The ninth season reairings on Sprout plaster the previous logo with this one. However, the 10th season episodes aired on Universal Kids in the US, Canada, Mexico and Colombia use the previous logo (the HD version used in 2006-07).

FX/SFX: The blocks dancing.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat flute/horn tune with rhythmic finger snaps.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Sometimes, just the end theme of the show is used, or silence.
 * The Auto Play variant has just a male announcer saying "For your convenience, this DVD has been enhanced with HiT Entertainment's Auto Play! Your program and a selection of bonus features will begin automatically! To bypass Auto Play, select the "Main Menu" button on your remote at anytime! Your feature presentation will begin in a moment; enjoy!"
 * On Channel 5 airings and prints of Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps, the WNET Thirteen and/or the HiT logo theme play over the in-credit variant.
 * Low-pitched versions exist.
 * On one Cartoonito airing of a 2011 episode of Fireman Sam, the very short version’s theme played over the Xing Xing logo and the start of the 2nd variant of the HiT logo. Also, some Cartoonito airings of the show have the very short version out of sync with the music.
 * Sometimes, the music from one short variant will play over another short variant.

Availability: Extremely common. Seen on shows such as Fireman Sam, Barney & Friends from the 2007-09 seasons, Bob the Builder, and Thomas & Friends. The still logo can be found on games, some DVD releases and sometimes at the end of shows, while the still Worldwide Distribution version appears at the end of some Bob the Builder and The Likeaballs episodes, as well as on Wobbly Land (with the text in a different font and color) and Pic Me. The long version most commonly appears at the start of UK DVDs, Fraggle Rock and Shaun the Sheep DVDs. The HiT DVD of Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures also contains it. This version is also present on the Frances compilation Bedtime for Frances DVD & Book collection. The third variant can be found on several shows such as Mike the Knight. The very short variant can be seen on 2008 episodes of Fireman Sam and on some airings of Wishbone. Even though the Mattel Creations logo now appears in place of the logo at the start of DVD releases and at end of their shows, the HiT logo still appears on DVD releases when "Play All" is selected and at the end of DVDs.

Editor's Note: It's a cute logo, but may be annoying for people who are fans of the older logos. This also marked the departure of the globe logo that has been used for about a decade.

Final Note: Starting in 2017, HiT Entertainment programming now has Mattel Creations' logo instead of the HiT logo. However, the HiT logo is still used on DVDs.

1st Logo (January 29, 2002)
Nicknames : “The Mountain VIII”, “‘2000s Mountain II”, “CGI Mountain IV”

Logo : We see the 1986 Paramount logo with the disc and “DVD” on the mountain.

Byline : Referred to as “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : The opening theme of the trailer.

Availability : Extinct. Only seen on the trailer of the DVD release for Rat Race.

Editor’s Note : None.

2nd Logo (2002-2006 (Paramount releases); March 11, 2014-2020 (Warner Brothers-based releases)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IX”, “‘2000s Mountain III”, “CGI Mountain V”

Logo : Same as the 2002 movie logo.

Byline : Referred to as “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.

FX/SFX : Same as the 2002 movie logo.

Music/Sounds : None or the opening theme.

Availability : Ultra rare. Editor’s Note : Same as the 2002 movie logo.
 * This is another de-facto home video logo.
 * Seen on VHS and DVD releases during the era.

3rd Logo (January 7, 2003-March 11, 2019)
Nicknames : “The Mountain X”, “‘2000s Mountain IV”, “CGI Mountain VI”, “Ultra Common Mountain III”

Logo : Same as the previous logo, but with the DVD animation and turns black with the 1st logo on it.

Byline : Referred to as “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.

Variant : On some early releases with this logo, two menu selections is seen: “PREVIEWS” and “MAIN MENU”.

FX/SFX : CGI with the previous logo’s animation.

Music/Sounds : Starts off silent and then a thunderclap sound with whooshes is heard.

Availability : Ultra common. Editor’s Note : Even though Viacom changed their byline in 2010 and the Paramount logo in 2011, this logo continues to be used throughout the 2010s.
 * It appears on almost every DVD from 2003 onwards.
 * The last DVD to use this logo was Instant Family.

(2006-March 11, 2019)
Nicknames : “The Mountain XI”, “‘2000s Mountain V”, “CGI Mountain VII”, “Ultra Common Mountain IV”

Logo : We see a star shooting through the 2002 Paramount logo’s animation and “HIGH DEFINITION” on the mountain.

Byline : Referred to as “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.

FX/SFX : CGI.

Music/Sounds : Some digital sounds.

Availability : Ultra common. It appears on Paramount’s Blu-Ray releases. Editor’s Note : None.
 * It also appears on HD-DVD releases.
 * The last Blu-Ray to use this logo was The Instant Family.