Paramount Pictures

(1912-1916)
Nicknames : “The Masks”, “‘10s Masks”

Logo : On a black background, we see two masks. Between them is an oval reading “PRODUCED BY THE FAMOUS PLAYERS CO. ADOLPH ZUKOR PRES.”.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None or the opening theme.

Availability : Ultra rare. Seen on films during the era.

Editor’s Note : One of the oldest logos.

1st Logo (1914-1918)
Nicknames : “The Mountain”, “‘10s Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : Ultra rare. Seen on very early films from Paramount Pictures.

Editor’s Note : None.

2nd Logo (1918-February 15, 1927 [end of production] January 13, 1958[discontinued])
Nicknames : “The Mountain II”, “‘20s Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : Ultra rare. Seen on films during the era.

Editor’s Note : One of the oldest Paramount logos.

3rd Logo (January 18, 1926-November 1, 1967, October 4, 2019-March 17, 2020)
Nicknames : “The Mountain III”, “‘40s Mountain”, “Ultra Common Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : TBA

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : Ultra common. Seen on films during the era.

Editor’s Note : One of the most famous Paramount logos.

4th Logo (1934-1939)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IV”, “‘30s Mountain”, “Ultra Common Mountain II”

Logo : We see a mountain shooting above a cloud deck below. A ring of 19 or 24 stars, similar to the one seen on the Paramount blue mountain logo are seen. In an unusual font, we see the words "A Paramount Picture".

FX/SFX : Just the gliding clouds.

Music/Sounds : A variation of the familiar Paramount on Parade march to accompany the sound of the airplane passing.

Availability : Ultra rare. The aforementioned shorts have had barely any exposure since AMC stopped airing them in 1998.

Editor’s Note : None.

5th Logo (December 23, 1950-October 7, 1953)
Nicknames : “The Mountain V”, “‘50s Mountain”

Logo : On a sky background, we see a lopsided Mountain with “A Paramount Picture” on it. We see some stars around it.

FX/SFX : Just the clouds gliding.

Music/Sounds : The opening theme of the film. Sometimes, it would be silent or on a rare occasion, the Paramount on Parade theme would play.

Availability : Uncommon. Seen on films during the era.

Editor’s Note : The stars don’t even connect both sides of the mountain, because of it’s shape.

6th Logo (May 27, 1953-September 24, 1975)
Nicknames : “The Mountain VI”, “‘60s Mountain”

Logo : On another sky background, we see a mountain located at Peru. We see stars encircling the mountain and “A Paramount Picture/Release” (later “Paramount”) is seen on the mountain.

Byline : Variants : FX/SFX : Just the clouds gliding.
 * A prototype version appears in Red Garters.
 * May 27, 1953-1968: (bylineless)
 * 1968-September 24, 1975: “A Gulf+Western Company”
 * Sometimes, the font for “Paramount” is different and Caiden is changed to Caidin.
 * Starting in 1974, two parts of the byline slide ether and are bolder.
 * Some films have a VistaVision variant.
 * On White Christmas, "Paramount(with the "P" written in their corporate font)proudly presents the first picture in" would first appear over the mountain, and then the VistaVision logo appeared, without any "MOTION PICTURE" or "HIGH FIDELITY" texts, then the Paramount logo played as usual (with the final notes of theParamount on Parade march, followed by a bell sound).
 * The logo has appeared in Spanish ("Paramount Films Presenta"), French ("C'est un film Paramount", or "Distribué par Paramount"), and German ("Ein Paramount Film").
 * Another version exists at the beginning of movie trailers, where we see the 24 stars, and then "COMING FROM Paramount Pictures" (or "COMING FROM Paramount" since 1968) appears one by one in the center, with the Gulf+Western byline appearing below in the latter variation. It was used until around 1977. However, trailers for Harold and Maude had the normal version of this logo instead.

Music/Sounds : Most of the time, it is silent or has the beginning/end music from any given film. For films shown in VistaVision, the logo has a majestic fanfare composed by Nathan Van Cleave, except on films such as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Strategic Air Command, and Vertigo, which used their respective opening theme. Oddly, on Paramount's 2018 Blu-ray release ofThe Drowning Pool, it has the second half of the 1999 Warner brothers-based fanfare playing over the logo, due to a plastering error.

Availability : Common. Seen on films during the era. The last film to use this logo was Three Days of the Condor.

Editor’s Note : None.

7th Logo (February 7, 1973-1989)
Nicknames : “The Mountain VII”, “‘70s Mountain”, “Abstract Mountain”

Logo : We see the same scenery as before, only this time, less detailed. 22 stars fade in. Then, the script fades in. The background then turns blue. The finished product of this logo turns out to be Paramount’s current print logo from this point onward.

Byline : Referred to as “A Gulf+Western Company”, this time written vertically.

Variants :
 * One variation (probably the original) has a smaller bear-circle around a smaller blue mountain, both kind of receded. The Gulf+Western byline is drastically larger, along with the stars. The script is smaller. This rather ugly variation can be seen on The Last Tycoon, Hustle, The Bad News Bears, Leadbelly, Lipstick, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Reds and Grease 2. A less uglier version with resized text (but still keeping the receded near-circle and mountain) can be seen on some films. This variation also lacks a “®” symbol.

FX/SFX : The fade effects and the clouds gliding.
 * On most trailers during the era, “Coming From” appears above the logo.

Music/Sounds : Often times, no music or the beginning/ending music from the film. On some occasions, a new fanfare composed by Jerry Goldsmith, which is loosely based on Paramount on Parade was used on the “Coming From” variant of some trailers, such as Saturday Night Fever and Airplane!. A few films such as Starting Over has this fanfare at the beginning.

Music/Sounds Variant : On Grease, a different fanfare plays.

Availability : Common. It first appeared on Mahogany and was used up to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The last film to use this logo was The Golden Child (only at the end; the 8th logo was used at the beginning of the film).

Editor’s Note : Another popular Paramount logo and the only one abstract, though the earlier variants look ugly and awkward.

8th Logo (April 23, 1984-February 7, 2003, September 18, 2018-)
Nicknames : “The Mountain VIII”, “‘80s//90s Mountain”, “CGI Mountain”, “Ultra Common Mountain III”

Logo : On a blue sky background with a yellow sunset, we see a lake with a mountain behind it, redone in CGI. 22 stars (also CGI) encircle the mountain while the camera zooms in. The script fades in, along with the “®” symbol.

Byline :
 * April 23, 1984-August 30, 1989: “A Gulf + Western Company” (it fades in at the same time as the script.)
 * September 22, 1989-January 13, 1995: “A Paramount Communications Company” (fades in below in white . For the byline’s first year, it faded in at the same time as the script and was in gold .)
 * 1994-1995: (bylineless)
 * February 17, 1995-September 28, 2019: “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” (in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.)

Variants : Closing Variants : FX/SFX : CGI.
 * For the logo’s first official year (1987, even though it actually debuted in 1986), “75th Anniversary” fades in on the mountain near the end. The first film with this logo, The Golden Child, used a more-placeholder logo with a thicker Gulf+Western byline. A “TM” symbol also takes place of the standard “®” symbol in this variation.
 * Starting on June 18, 1999 with South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and ABCs and 123s, Paramount slightly redid their logo. The stars are now thicker and have a reflection, the script and byline shine and the mountain turns darker at the end. The Viacom byline also fades in at the same time as the “®” symbol. One film has the Viacom byline fade in st the same time as the script.
 * 1986: The previous logo.
 * 1987-February 7, 2003: The ending part of the logo.

Music/Sounds : Synthesized chimes segueing into the 1979 fanfare.

Music/Sounds Variants :
 * On Stepping Out, a different fanfare, composed by Bob Singleton, plays during the logo.
 * On Event Horizon, a more "powerful", slower and rearranged version of the 1975 fanfare, composed by Michael Camen, plays during the logo, with the last note being held out then seguing into the opening credits.
 * From 1996 to 1998, the audio is re-orchestrated to sound more "powerful".
 * On The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, a different fanfare composed by Ira Newborn plays during the logo.

Availability : Ultra common. It first appeared on The Golden Child and last appeared on Blue’s Clues: Blue's Big Band.

Editor’s Note : A nicely done logo.

9th Logo (January 16, 1998-July 27, 2018)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IX”, “‘2000s/2010s Mountain”, “CGI Mountain II”

Logo : Over a set of clouds, we see comet-like objects flying from above. We pan backwards to reveal that they are Paramount’s trademark stars and reveals to be a reflection. The script zooms out and the stars encircle the mountain.

Byline : Variants : Closing Title : Either a still version or just the clouds moving. In late 2006, “DISTRIBUTED BY” appears above the logo.
 * January 16, 1998-September 16, 2011: “/\ VI/\CO/\/\ CO/\/\P/\NY” (in the 1990 Wigga-Wigga font.)
 * May 7, 2010-July 13, 2018: “A VI a  COM COMPANY” (in the 2006 Viacom New font.)
 * March 1-December 27, 2002: For the logo’s first year, “90TH ANNIVERSARY” appears on the mountain. The logo’s general shade of color is brighter. Again, a “TM” symbol takes place of the standard “®” symbol in this variation.
 * A prototype version of the anniversary variant was spotted (and only seen) on the video game The Sum Of All Fears and another prototype appered on Changing Lanes.
 * This logo can open in two ways: it could fade in already with the cloud or we pan from a black background into the clouds.
 * Late 2005-2011: The logo has been enhanced.
 * May 7, 2010-December 21, 2011: The logo has been enhanced once more with sleeker stars and shinier text.

FX/SFX : CGI.

Music/Sounds : Despite being popularly said to use the previous logo’s fanfare, the only film that used that fanfare was Mean Girls. The majority of the time, it’s silent or the opening theme.

Music/Sounds Variants : Availability : Fairly common. Editor’s Note : Same as the previous logo, except made with better CGI.
 * On The Longest Yard, a different fanfare plays. This fanfare was composed by Teddy Castellucci.
 * On Marci X, a rap tune is heard.
 * The first film to use this logo was We Were Soldiers.
 * The 90th anniversary variant was later used on films from mid-late 2002.
 * The 1995 Viacom byline variant last appeared at the end of Kung Fu Panda 2.
 * The 2010 Viacom byline variant first appeared on Iron Man 2.
 * The last film to (unofficially) use this logo was The Adventures of Tintin, but it returned in some 2017-2022 films.

10th Logo (December 16, 2011-June 1, 2018)
Nicknames : “The Mountain X”, “CGI Mountain III”

Logo : On a dark cloudy background, we see some stars shooting on a lake. Then, the camera pans and zooms to the mountain. The script zooms out. The stars encircle the mountain until the camera is finished zooming in.

Byline : Referred to as “A VI a  COM COMPANY” (in the 2006 Viacom New font).

Variant : When the logo debuted and for the logo’s first official year, 2012, “100 Years” appears on the mountain.

Closing Title : A still version, sometimes with “DISTRIBUTED BY” above.

FX/SFX : CGI.

Music/Sounds : A light orchestrated piece done by Michael Giacchino. Sometimes, it is silent or has the opening theme.

Music/Sounds Variant : On Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, there is an alternate variant of the fanfare with slight changes, in orchestration, to sound more powerful.

Availability : Uncommon. It first appeared on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and last appeared at the end of Teen Titans Go to the Movies.

Editor’s Note : None.

11th Logo (July 9, 2018-December 10, 2020)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IV", “Ultra Common Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : TBA

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : TBA

Editor’s Note : None.

12th Logo (December 13, 2019-February 18, 2022)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IV", “Ultra Common Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : TBA

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : Current.

Editor’s Note : None.

13th Logo (January 14, 2021-)
Nicknames : “The Mountain IV", “Ultra Common Mountain”

Logo : TBA

FX/SFX : TBA

Music/Sounds : TBA

Availability : TBA

Editor’s Note : None.