DIC Entertainment

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


DIC Entertainment Corporation (formerly "DIC Audiovisuel", "DIC Enterprises, Inc.", "DIC Animation City, Inc.", "DIC Productions, L.P.", "DIC Entertainment, L.P." and during its last few years "The Incredible World of DiC", stylized as "DiC" and pronounced as "deek", as in "decaffeinated") was founded by Jean Chalopin as "OGAP" (Office de Gestion et d'Action Publicitaire), an advertising company. In 1971, with an investment from the tabloid newspaper La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, it was incorporated as "Diffusion Information Commercial". It developed into a full production company during the following decade, soon being renamed "Diffusion Information Communication", and becoming specialized in animation. In 1982, the US arm (DIC Enterprises) was founded and Chalopin, Andy Heyward, and Bruno Bianchi were in charge of the company.

In 1987, Heyward purchased DIC Enterprises with help of both Bear Stearns & Co and Prudential Insurance Co, which resulted in both Chalopin and Bianchi leaving the company, being replaced by both Robby London and Michael Maliani, moving all operations to America, the company would be renamed DIC Animation City. Chalopin would retain what was left of the French arm (DIC Audiovisuel) and turn it into a new animation company, Créativité & Développement.

In 1993, DIC was turned into a limited partnership between Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises and Andy Heyward. When Capital Cities/ABC was purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 1996, the partnership continued. In 2000, Heyward reacquired DIC Entertainment from Disney through Bain Capital and Chase Capital Partners. In 2004, Heyward purchased Bain Capital's stake in DIC and took them public the following year.

On July 23, 2008, Cookie Jar Entertainment purchased DIC Entertainment, resulting in it folding into Cookie Jar (later "DHX Media", now "WildBrain"). Currently, most of the DIC library is owned by WildBrain after its acquisition of Cookie Jar Entertainment, with the following exceptions: The Real Ghostbusters, Dinosaucers, Stunt Dawgs and The Karate Kid (owned by Sony Pictures Television), Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (owned by WWE), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (the first three seasons were produced by DIC and the remainder of the series was produced by Hanna-Barbera; the series is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment via Turner Entertainment Co.), Alvin and the Chipmunks (owned by Bagdasarian Productions), ALF: The Animated Series and ALF Tales (owned by Alien Productions; the holding company for the ALF franchise with distribution rights currently handled by Shout! Factory), the 1989 adaptation of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (owned by Hasbro), Kissyfur (owned by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios), Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater  and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures (owned by MGM Television), Where's Wally? (known as Where's Waldo? in the US; owned by Mattel Television via HIT Entertainment), Sailor Moon and Knights of the Zodiac (owned by Toei Animation), Speed Racer X (owned by Tatsunoko Production) and Camp Candy (DIC produced the first two seasons and the third season was produced by Saban Entertainment), and Meet the Deedles, Genius, and the 1999 live-action Inspector Gadget film and its sequel (all of which are owned by The Walt Disney Studios).

DIC Entertainment

Standard Logos

1st Logo (December 4, 1982-March 5, 1988)

Videotaped variant
Videotaped variant w/ slower animation
Filmed variant + alternate theme
Filmed variant
Videotaped variant + alternate theme
Videotaped variant w/ ending theme played over
a PSA to Kideo TV
Care Bears variant
Filmed variant w/ Saban logo

Visuals: Over a screen filled with blue concentric boxes, three of them light up in a purple color while moving inward. As that happens, the stylized word "DiC" zooms up, rotating upward from the bottom as it does so. Once in position, pink sparkles appear as a white outline wipes in.

Trivia: It was thought for many years that this was the second DiC logo, while the logo described below was the first, as it wasn’t widely known that this logo had appeared on early episodes of Inspector Gadget.

Variants:

  • There are filmed and videotaped variants:
    • The filmed variant has a brighter blue vortex (or on some occasions, brighter) and the "DiC" is more of a yellow-orange (amber) color. This variant is seen on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K. and Dennis the Menace.
      • A variant of the filmed variant also exists where the "DiC" is green (similar to the videotaped variant), which can be found on French dubs of their shows of the time.
        • This variant also sometimes has the "DiC" logo slightly smaller with a low-pitched jingle.
    • The videotaped variant has a dark purplish-blue vortex and "DiC" is in green, which is seen on Inspector Gadget, The Get-Along Gang, Kidd Video, Pole Position, Rainbow Brite, Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, Care Bears, Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling, Kissyfur, Popples, The Real Ghostbusters, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Lady Lovely Locks and Beverly Hills Teens.
  • On Here Come the Littles, the filmed version of the logo is stretched out, and is also slightly more closer to the screen.
  • On some episodes of Pole Position, a still shot of the beginning of the logo zooms in, and then the regular animation plays.
  • Early episodes of The Real Ghostbusters have the byline "Produced In Association With".
  • On the pilot episode of Kidd Video, the logo is seen in a box in the center top-left part of the screen, and the Saban logo in the center bottom-right. The corner of the DIC logo overlaps the Saban logo, and this is up against a black background with a white streak in the middle. Vice-versa on later episodes, but against an orange background, again with a white streak in the middle (with the logos switching places).
    • On at least a filmed copy of said series, the logos swap places. What appears to be a burn spot on the film also appears above the "C".
  • On A Christmas Adventure/Story of Santa Claus, the same formula as Kidd Video used. This time the DIC logo is on the top left while Saban Productions is on the bottom right (both with diagonal cuts). This followed the Coca-Cola Telecommunications prototype logo.
  • One variant has the vortex fade to a green color after the logo zooms in, probably because of quality issues with some prints of the logo. It was often seen on early episodes of Inspector Gadget. It was also spotted on Maier Group/FHE/Kideo Video releases and is preserved on the 1987 UK VHS release of Inspector Gadget: Volume 1 from The Video Collection.
  • On at least one reissue print of Ulysses 31, the logo animation is slightly slower. Wherever this is a variation or an error with the logo is currently unknown.
  • At least one LWT airing of Care Bears in the late 1980s (specifically "The Last Laugh/The Show Must Go On") has the 1986 LWT endcap fading in over the logo right as it starts, leaving only the first note of the music and a tiny bit of the second as well.[1]

Technique: Early computer animation (possibly Scanimate).

Audio: An ascending eight-note synthesized theme accompanied with whooshing and a slightly off-tune droning note at the start, introduced in September 1984. Composed by Saban Brands founder Haim Saban (with an organ preset) in the keys of G and A♭.

Audio Variants:

  • Originally, the logo had no music when it was first used, which is seen on the 1982 pilot and early first-season episodes of Inspector Gadget. This is also preserved on some VHS releases of the show.
  • On Here Come the Littles, a new piece of music was introduced at the beginning of the film (using the filmed version), a five-note keyboard tune. This music was also used on at least the second season of Inspector Gadget (1985-86), as well as some later prints of episodes from the first season. On this show, it was used with the videotaped variant, and usually it is also slightly sped-up and higher-pitched.
  • Sometimes, the logo has the show's ending theme play over it instead.
  • The superimposed variant had an announcer (John Harlan) saying "Kideo TV is a production of DIC Enterprises...", and then the voiceover continues on through the LBS Communications logo, which is also superimposed. Harlan pronounces the name as "D-I-C".
  • On some episodes of the Hungarian-dubbed airings of Inspector Gadget, the “green vortex” variant has the audio from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, followed by the 1996 Saban International and 1999 Fox Kids logos. The former is most likely due to a reverse plastering error.
  • On the 2009 DVD print of the Russian dub of The Real Ghostbusters (specifically the episode "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream"), the "Produced in Association With" variant has the music for the first variant of the 3rd logo (making this a reverse plastering error).
  • On the Spanish DVD print of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors episode "Ghostship", the filmed version of the logo has the music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, due to another reverse plaster situation.
  • On A Christmas Adventure/Story of Santa Claus, the 1985 Saban Productions music used continuing to the Coca-Cola Telecommunications prototype logo.

Availability: Seen on shows from this company from the time-period until 1987. Outside of shows that are not owned by Wildbrain (and before then, Cookie Jar), it is nowadays plastered over, usually with Cookie Jar.

  • This logo first appeared on the pilot of Inspector Gadget in late 1982, and was also seen on multiple first-season episodes of the show in September 1983, though the logo wouldn’t begin its official run until September 1984 on other shows, MeTV Toons airings of said show plasters this with Cookie Jar.
  • MeTV Toons airings of The Real Ghostbusters retain it.
    • If the shows are rerun, the 2004 Cookie Jar logo will typically appear instead; when they were rerun on a channel like pre-2015 Boomerang, this logo might have been intact.
  • Some NCircle DVD releases of Heathcliff also retain this logo.
  • It was also seen when Boomerang and Atlanta's WATC 18 reran Dennis The Menace.
  • The variant with the closing theme can be found on some shows, such as The Real Ghostbusters (1st season and syndicated episodes), Kissyfur, The Get Along Gang, and the Liberty and the Littles movie, among others. The Liberty and the Littles variant can also be found in the "Visual History of the DIC Logo" special feature on S'More Entertainment's The Littles: The Complete Unedited Series DVD set as the second logo in the montage (appearing after the Littles custom variant of the next logo and preceding the 1990 variant of the 3rd logo).
    • This variant is also intact on uploads of The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin on both the official The Jim Henson Company YouTube channel and Amazon Prime Video.
    • It was also seen on the 1984 television special Poochie and is also intact on its VHS release, however, the special has not received a DVD or digital release.
  • It was also left intact on Kabillion On Demand's prints of The Real Ghostbusters (followed by the 2002 SPT logo) and is also retained on both DVD releases and the MeTV Toons airings thereof.
  • The videotaped variant was left intact on reruns of certain shows.
    • On Starz Encore Kids & Family, this, along with the 1984 LBS Communications logo, is retained on at least one episode of Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats.
    • The videotaped variant, along with the 1984 LBS Communications logo is also intact on the 1991 UK VHS release of Heathcliff And Cats And Company: Xmas Memories from Tempo Video.
    • The silent variant of the videotaped version of this logo is also seen at the end of the 2000 UK VHS release of Inspector Gadget: Monster Lake and Other Stories, which is then followed by the 1996 Saban International logo.
  • Saban/Fox Kids Worldwide prints (such as the UK DVD releases and VHS releases from Maximum Entertainment) also tend to keep this logo, followed normally with the 1996 Saban International logo (sometimes, the 1999 Fox Kids logo may also follow).
  • Aside from Here Come the Littles, this logo was only used on television productions, so it is absent from the 1985 film Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer and the 1986 film Heathcliff: The Movie, which both use an in-credit notice instead.
  • All Kidd Video variants are preserved on a few VHS releases in its time, but the show has not been rerun in many years and has not received any DVD or digital release.
  • The logo's last appearance was I'm Telling!, and the second season of Popples.
  • Several episodes of Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats on Paramount+ retain this along with the following 1984 LBS Communications logo.

2nd Logo (September 10, 1983-November 2, 1985)

Inspector Gadget

Visuals: A character appears across a background with a green "D.i.C.":

  • The Littles (September 10, 1983-November 2, 1985): Over an orange background, Dinky runs past the logo, throwing a green button onto the space above the "I" to form the dot. Some prints have this in a pinkish tint, making parts of the logo look pink.
  • Inspector Gadget (October 3-December 9, 1983): Over a blue background, Inspector Gadget passes over the logo riding skates. Suddenly, his Gadget mallet pops out of his cap, causing Gadget to lose balance and wobble off-screen. As that happens, the mallet slams into a space above the "I", dotting it.

Compared to the previous logo, the entire logo is drawn to be a flat 2D image and has a thick white outline.

Trivia: As detailed above, it was thought for many years that this was the first DiC logo, as it was not widely known that this logo did not appear on all season one episodes of Inspector Gadget.

Technique: Traditional animation, done by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (currently known as TMS Entertainment).

Audio:

  • The Littles: The last line of the closing theme song: "You can't stop the Littles 'cause the Littles don't stop!".
  • Inspector Gadget: A five-note tuba stinger, followed by a "twoing" sound as Gadget's mallet "dots" the "i". Afterwards, there is a three-note brass outro. This is actually the shortened variation of a background music cue often used on the show to end scenes in an episode, composed by Shuki Levy.

Audio Variants:

  • Inspector Gadget:
    • On at least one early use of the logo, the "twoing!" isn't heard as Gadget's mallet dots the "I".
    • On some episodes of the Hungarian airings of the show (on M2), this variant has the music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, followed by the 1996 Saban International and 1999 Fox Kids logos. The former is most likely due to the fact the channel aired an older video master of the episodes on which they synced over the Hungarian dub that was done on the current Cookie Jar / WildBrain copy.
  • The Littles: Sometimes, the audio is in Spanish or French.

Availability Notes:

  • The Littles:
    • This logo did not appear when The Littles made the rounds as part of a syndicated package of DIC shows appearing on local stations syndicated by Tribune Entertainment between 2003 and the summer of 2008 (nicknamed the "DIC Kids Network" and later the "Cookie Jar Kids Network"); the end credit animation is slowed down except for the audio to run at the allotted time, so they plastered this logo with the 2001 logo instead.
    • This logo also does not appear on some modern foreign prints of the series, as the 2004 Cookie Jar logo plasters it, with the music still intact.
  • Inspector Gadget:
    • Most later releases of the series have replaced this logo with the later DIC logos, while the 2004 Cookie Jar logo is usually seen on current prints.
    • This variant is also retained on the Australian DVD releases of the series, as well as on many European Fox Kids/Jetix DVD releases (this is because the prints Fox Kids Europe used were from the original masters of the series).
    • It was also last seen on the American television through late 1990s airings of Inspector Gadget on Nickelodeon and is also preserved on many early Family Home Entertainment releases (with the 1985 logo).
Availability

Edit Table

Media Title Date of Release Additional Notes
The Littles
OSCA
September 10, 1983-November 2, 1985
Debut and final appearance.
Inspector Gadget
OSCA
October 3-December 9, 1983
It was seen on older prints of many first-season episodes of the series, starting with the episode "The Ruby". Some early episodes up to "Don't Hold Your Breath" generally had the previous logo, along with some later episodes. The second season reverts this logo back to the previous logo (unlike The Littles, that used its variant throughout its entire run); this is due to the series taking a break in 1984.


3rd Logo (September 11, 1987-November 18, 2006)

Later episodes of The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
1987 variant w/ Coca-Cola Telecommunications music
Normal 1987 variant
IAW 1987 variant (with and without fanfare)
Shortened 1987 variant
1987 variant w/ choir
Shortened 1990 variant
Normal 1990 logo
w/ full 1999 theme
Shortened 1999 theme
Madeline: Lost in Paris variant
2003 variant
Filmed variant
Our Friend Martin variant
Lower-pitched and sped-up 1990 jingle with 1987 soundbite
G.I. Joe S1E6 (Tubi TV) variant
Street Sharks Spanish VHS variant
Sylvanian Families French VHS variant
DIC Toon-Time Video
The 1990 logo resotred in HD, used on the "Project Sailor Scout" channel
The DIC, Turner Program Services and WBTV logos used on MeTV prints of Captain Planet and the Planeteers (albeit both logos upscaled to HD)

Visuals: There are two main variants:

  • 1987-1990: It starts in a stereotypical boy's bedroom, featuring a boy sleeping in his bed with his pet Basset Hound sleeping on top of him. A second later, the screen zooms through a large window inside of the bedroom. There is a spiked star in the distance. The spikes on the star move around as if it were shining. The star then morphs into a ball, as a large, silver "DiC" (with the ball becoming the dot on the "i") zooms up to the camera and rotates 90º to face the camera.
  • 1990-2006: The logo got an update with a darker and more detailed star field. The glow effect on the white ball is also removed on this variant. The position of the sleeping boy and dog are also different (as if it were an alternate take) and the zoom effect is more gradual and smooth, rather than a quick and jerky zoom.

Trivia:

  • This logo was designed and animated by Homer & Associates. A former employee of this company, Peter Conn, did the animation for the silver star/ball and the word "DiC."
  • One of the toys on the shelf is a stuffed animal of Sonja, Heathcliff's girlfriend; another is an action figure of Hulk Hogan. A plush of Heathcliff himself can be seen sitting at the end of the bed.
  • On a nightstand on the left, the ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters, as a toy, can be seen.
  • In the 1987 version, the kid in bed footage is actually not a still image; the dog can be seen blinking if one looks closely enough due to using video as main source.
  • This was notable as the most ironic logo DIC had, factoring in for its darkness, spiked star, music and voice (more so with the 1987 variant and especially the early choir variant that has scared some). Like the first logo however, it has gained a cult following, especially for those into DIC as a whole.

Variants:

  • When the logo was first used in fall 1987, a trademark symbol ("TM") was used instead of the standard registered trademark symbol ("®").
  • On Ring Raiders, the 1987 variant fades in and out.
  • On Wolf Rock TV, the logo is on a cerulean blue-dark magenta vertical gradient background; it is placed on the bottom-left of the screen, with the 4th Dick Clark Productions logo next to it and the 1st Saban Entertainment logo above it.
  • A variant of the 1987 version exists, where the zoom in happens shorter, and the logo also freeze frames as “PRESENTS” types in below.
  • During 1990-1991, an opening variant was used, where it omits the kid in bed and "DIC" sound byte, and the word "PRESENTS" in blue fades in below. A sped-up version of this variant exists. This variant was also meant to be used internationally for DIC programs distributed through Silvio Berlusconi Communications.
  • On Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters, "In association with" is below the logo. Sometimes, it fades in midway or stays throughout the entire duration, and the phrase is completely capitalized.
  • On some shows from 1991-1994, the byline "COPRODUCED BY RETEITALIA, s.p.a. IN ASSOCIATION WITH TELECINCO" appears below at the end. Another version has it rephrased to "IN ASSOCIATION WITH RETEITALIA s.p.a & TELECINCO".
  • On the VHS release of Double Dragon: The Legend Begins, the moment the Reteitalia/Telecinco byline swoops into place, the logo freeze-frames even before the star has turned into a dot. The animation continues, but the star still hasn't formed into a dot because the animation continued for a split second. This was due to a video editing error.
  • On the original NBC broadcasts of Captain N & The New Super Mario World, the logo lacks the Reteitalia/Telecinco references, while the logo's audio plays in a slightly high pitch.
  • On The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, the 1990 sped-up logo appears, but this logo had the end credits music and the byline:
Produced By DIC Enterprises Inc.
For Bagdasarian Productions
  • Alternatively, on some episodes of Alvin & the Chipmunks have different bylines, including:
Produced for Bagdasarian Productions
by DIC Animation City

and

Produced by DIC for
Bagdasarian Productions
  • On DIC's English-dubbed episodes of Sailor Moon (known as Bishoujo Senshi [Pretty Soldier] Sailor Moon in Japan), this copyright stamp appears after the logo (the 1st 1990 variant):
English Language Adaptation
Copyright [YEAR] DIC Productions, L.P.
  • For the second season, known as Sailor Moon R in Japan, the copyright stamp was changed, still following the 1st 1990 logo:
English Adaptation
Copyright [YEAR] DIC Productions, L.P.
  • On ALF: The Animated Series, the kid in bed animation is cut out, and it cuts straight to a warp speed version of the starfield sequence. The end theme also plays over this.
  • One Inspector Gadget VHS release features the 1987 logo in warp speed, but the music is not sped up to compensate, thus resulting in several seconds of the DIC logo being freeze-framed.
  • An episode of Inspector Gadget on a UK VHS release of Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas has the 1987 logo, but when it fades to black, the Claster Television Incorporated logo could briefly be seen, meaning it was sourced from a DIC/Claster-partnered show (such as the 1989 G.I. Joe cartoon, the 1988 COPS cartoon etc.)
  • On 1989 VHS releases of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!  from Kids Klassics, the 1987 logo is played at a slower speed.
  • A filmed and cropped widescreen variant exists of the 1990 warp-speed version with the 1987 voiceover, which is seen on the 16:9 prints of the 1990 TV movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again.
  • On Old MacDonald's Sing-a-Long Farm, it features the standard 1990 variant, but it includes a copyright stamp that fades in below the DIC logo, right after the logo's sequence. A shortened version of this variant exists, which can be found on U.S. VHS releases of Rimba's Island - You Are Special (similar to the ALF: The Animated Series variant, where it cuts straight to the rotation of the DIC logo, voiding the kid in bed part), minus the sped-up star animation and the end theme playing over it.
  • On the 1990 Hi-Tops Video VHS release and later TV airings of Madeline (1988), the 1987 variant is a bit shorter, and part of the music is also cut.
  • In 2003, this logo made a comeback. This time, instead of the regular DIC logo, it has the "The Incredible World Of DIC" globe from the 4th logo zoom up outside the window, with light rays shining behind it. When the globe stops, the light rays flash. The logo also has a different star field that appears to be a rotating 2D image (and is noticeably superimposed over the 1990 star field, as the bedroom is of a different image quality; further, the zoom-in footage plays at a different frame rate).
  • On Homer & Associates' 1989 demo reel titled Flying Logos on Peter Conn's YouTube channel, the logo is on a completely black background.
  • On the 1999 UK VHS release of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, the logo is shown within the 1996 Scottish Television logo.

Technique: CGI mixed with chroma-key effects; live-action video (later photo) for the kid in bed portion. All made using Digital Arts DGS 1.0 and 2.0 on the IBM Personal Computer AT (expanded with a Definicon Accelerator Board and an AT&T Truvision TARGA graphics chip).

Audio: Four different sets of music were used, with a child saying "DiC" (pronounced "Deek") near the end of the latter three versions (the first voiceover was rather stoic, while the next two ones featured much perkier voice-overs):

  • September 1987: A C major synth note and a male choir singing the company name. This variant was only used in early fall 1987 before being discontinued a month later.
  • September 11, 1987-1991: A brief gust of wind, followed by an echoing series of two keyboard synth notes in C major. This cue was composed by Shuki Levy.
  • May 6, 1990-January 2, 1999: A held-out orchestral note, followed by a six-note synth chime theme with a cymbal crash on the last note, and two harp glissandos. This cue was composed by Tom Worrall.
  • January 12, 1999-July 21, 2001, 2003-2006: A dreamy cartoonish theme (which sounds similar to The Video Collection/Strand Home Video music) with a synthesized choir singing "Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!", sometimes shortened. This cue was composed by Mike Piccirillo.

Audio Variants: Throughout its 14-year run, this logo had many different audio variations:

  • 1987 (TM bug variant 1): Same as the choir variant, but the logo continues over the Coca-Cola Telecommunications jingle, as an attempt to plaster it on video releases.
  • 1987 (TM bug variant 2): Features an extended wind gust, that lasts two seconds longer. With the extended wind gust on this variant, the two pairs of keyboard synth notes play two seconds after the star animation, making it out of sync, in contrast to the standard variant. This is seen on at least VHS releases of Barbie and the Rockers: Out Of This World and the TV movie Dennis The Menace: Dinosaur Hunter.
  • There have been many sped-up versions of each music variant.
  • On the 1999 VHS release of Madeline: Lost in Paris (original Disney VHS release; the Shout! Factory release on DVD also keeps it intact, and even current prints — e.g., a YouTube print from WildBrain Spark — do as well), an extended version of the 1999 jingle exists: the last five notes of the original jingle are replayed at a higher chord and is also extended (the original five notes are preceded by two additional notes), and then the "DIC" voiceover comes about a second after the music stops.
  • On The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, the first part of the music is superimposed over the ending theme.
  • Our Friend Martin has the original 1999 jingle, but the "DIC" voiceover has an echo effect.
  • In exceptional cases, it used the closing theme of the program (e.g., later reruns of Rainbow Brite, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the Disney 1999 TV film Genius).
  • Disney Channel's master of the Madeline episode "Madeline's Christmas" ended on the 1990 DIC logo, but with the 1987 "DIC" voice clip playing instead.
  • A warp-speed version exists, where the 1990 logo plays as normal, except that it uses the 1987 "DIC" voice clip instead and the music is also in a higher pitch.
  • On Scandinavian and Latin American (the latter only on some episodes) dubbed prints of Sabrina: The Animated Series, the logo has the music from the 2008 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo. This is followed by the 1996 Buena Vista International logo. This is possibly because the prints used are Buena Vista versions; the former is the result of a reverse plastering error.
  • On Sonic Underground episodes aired on the French version of the KidsCo network, none (for some unknown reason).
  • On a Brazilian VHS release of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, the 1999 jingle is heard without the "DIC" voiceover.
  • One variant of the 1999 version supposedly exists that uses the regular-length music, but features the “DIC!” voiceover in a slightly different pitch, done by the same child, but more up tempo and quickly.[citation needed] However, it's unknown what are the shows that used this variant.
  • On a Tubi TV print of S1E6 of G.I. Joe, the 1987 Claster Television Incorporated logo theme comes in early shortly after the last note.
  • On the Spanish DVD print of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors episodes "Escape from the Garden of Evil", "The Vase of Xiang", "Steel Against Shadow", and "Silver Crusaders", the 1990 warp-speed variant has the music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo. This is due to a reverse plastering error.
  • A Spanish VHS release of Street Sharks has a completely different, xylophone-based tune (heavily reminiscent of the Sesame Street theme).
  • On a French VHS release of Sylvanian Families, an audio error occurred where the child says "DiC" twice with the other one sounding slightly softer. Also, the 1987 Coca-Cola Telecommunications jingle can be heard towards the end.
  • On at least POP UK airings of Captain N and the New Super Mario World, the "DiC" voice over is muted, likely due to unintentional innuendo.
  • On a DVD print of episode 8 of Sylvanian Families, the first note of the 1987 Coca-Cola Telecommunications logo's fanfare can be faintly heard over the 1987 variant before the short version of the 1996 Saban International logo appears.
  • On Homer & Associates' Flying Logos demo reel, a male voiceover (Corey Burton) says that the logo was "extracted from a star", while the triumphant orchestral music is playing in the background.

Availability: Most airings and releases of DIC shows today have the Cookie Jar Entertainment logo plastering it, but some TV airings, online prints, and older DVD and VHS releases of DIC shows keep this logo intact, and remains the easiest logo to find from the company, especially the 1990 variant.

  • The 1987 variant first appeared on Dennis The Menace: Dinosaur Hunter.
    • It is also seen on season 2 both of The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin and Dennis The Menace (the latter of which aired on Boomerang until 2015), The New Archies, and on other shows from the time.
    • The choir version was seen on syndicated programs that switched from Columbia Pictures Television to Coca-Cola Telecommunications at the last minute, including some syndicated episodes of The Real Ghostbusters (plastering the first logo - the syndicated episodes were produced during the era that logo was used), and some episodes of Starcom: The U.S. Space Force.
    • This variant is also intact on some of the episodes on the recent DVD release of The Real Ghostbusters from Time-Life.
    • The version that continues over the Coca-Cola music is preserved on older VHS prints of these two shows.
    • However, international prints of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!  normally do not have this logo. They instead use the 1988 Saban International logo, though some episodes use both the 1987 DIC and 1988 Saban International logos.
    • PlutoTV prints of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! have this plastered with the Cookie Jar logo, but the following ultra-warp-speed 1986 Viacom "V of Steel" is kept intact.
  • As mentioned before, the 1990 variant is the easiest logo of the company to find for its wide prevalence during this time, as well as being used to plaster older logos and variants.
    • The regular longer version is seen on Captain Planet and the Planeteers (it was also retained on Boomerang airings before the 2015 rebrand; the same goes for the Season 1 prints on the now-defunct Boomerang streaming app, and is also intact on the MeTV Toons airings of the first three seasons thereof, which is then followed by both the 1983 Turner Program Services and 2003 Warner Bros. Television logos), Inspector Gadget's Field Trip, DIC's Sailor Moon dub, the Sterling DVD and VHS releases of Inspector Gadget: The Gadget Files, two episodes on the Shout! Factory DVD set of Inspector Gadget: The Original Series ("The Boat" and "The Ruby"), A Hollywood Hounds Christmas, and Extreme Dinosaurs, among others, and is also intact on Captain Zed and the Zee Zone before the 1989 HiT Communications logo (same as the 1980's Where's Waldo/Wally, albeit the logo is shortened with the 1989 HiT Communications logo either played in the short version or the long version with or without music).
      • It is also preserved on several early Buena Vista Home Video-distributed DIC Toon-Time Video releases, examples include Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas and VHS releases of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
    • The warp speed variant is easier to spot.
      • This version is preserved on shows like Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (When Hub Network aired this series, the logo was retained and was also seen on the UK airings of the former on Channel 4 in the mid-1990's, with it followed by the 1992 20th Television logo), the first two seasons of Madeline, and on some DVD releases of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, respectively.
    • This is also intact on ALF: The Animated Series and ALF Tales DVD releases and MeTV Toons airings and Mummies Alive!.
    • This logo was last used on some prints of the BKN series Pocket Dragon Adventures.
    • A number of DIC shows on various official WildBrain YouTube channels might retain this logo, or plaster it with the 2004 Cookie Jar logo.
      • The DIC Presents variant is also retained at the start of Captain N & The New Super Mario World, although the Reteitalia/Telecinco byline variant is plastered by the 2004 Cookie Jar logo at the end.
    • The Reteitalia/Telecinco byline variant is seen on a few shows like Super Mario World, the first episode of Double Dragon, Wish Kid, Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire, Sonic the Hedgehog (commonly known as Sonic SatAM) and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It is also included as part of the "Visual History of the DiC Logo" special feature on The Littles: The Complete Unedited Series DVD set.
    • The alternate byline is seen on some episodes of Hammerman and on a majority of episodes of Double Dragon.
    • The version with the xylophone theme is only preserved on the Spanish VHS release of Street Sharks as of writing.
  • The 1999 variant, however, isn't easy to find in North America, though it's more common outside of North America.
    • This variant of the logo first appeared on Sonic Underground.
      • Interestingly, most recent prints of the episode A Hedgehog's Home is Her Castle (including the DVD release) keep the logo intact, though all other episodes have it plastered with the 2004 Cookie Jar logo.
    • The long version first appeared on Our Friend, Martin and is eventually seen on the U.S. VHS release of Archie's Weird Mysteries: Archie and the Riverdale Vampires and the DTV feature Monster Mash.
    • The extended longer variant is only seen on Madeline: Lost in Paris, and is also retained on the Shout! Factory DVD release.
    • The shortened version is seen on most airings of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Archie's Weird Mysteries and last appeared on Season 3 of The New Adventures of Madeline.
    • This version also plastered older DIC logos on shows that aired on PAX TV's "Cloud Nine" block.
    • This variant is also a lot rarer, due to its short time of use, but is still easy to find on Region 2/4 DVD releases of the aforementioned shows.
  • The 2003 variant was seen on reruns of Speed Racer (that DIC had licensed from Speed Racer Enterprises in addition to Speed Racer X) on Speed Channel (now FS1).

Logo (March 23, 1976-1987)

Visuals: The "DiC" logo is featured in a stylized, rounded font and with 3D depth facing the lower left.

Variants:

  • Depending on the show used, the logo's coloring may change.
  • An in-credit version exists where the logo is also superimposed in the credits.
    • Cro et Bronto has this version with a black outline.
    • On Japanese prints of Ulysses 31, the logo's depth is removed.
  • On the demo reel of the pilot episode used to pitch The Real Ghostbusters, the letters are in black and white on a dark background and the logo is silent.
  • Another variant is identical to the above variant, except "DIC" is yellow. This is seen on a print of the first episode of Care Bears, but it is unknown as to which one (likely an early VHS release of the 11-minute version).
  • On original airings of The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, a segment called Protect Yourself Featuring Teddy Ruxpin features the logo in red on a yellow background, with "Produced by" above and "in association with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children" below, all in red. A copyright notice appears below all that.

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None or the closing theme of the show.

Availability: It first appeared as an in-credit logo on Cro et Bronto. That variant was also seen on original Japanese airings of Ulysses 31. However, shows from this period either had this logo replaced or are lost outside of original TV airings.

The Incredible World of DIC

Logo (August 28, 2001-December 6, 2008)

Normal
Shortened variant without voice-over
Shortened variant
Horseland shortened variant
Website variant
Extremely short variant

Visuals: This logo begins with a background with red, green, yellow and blue (the areas are filled with patterns such as a DiC logo outline, and planets). The red and green wipe away until there is just a yellow background with a blue oval. A blueish-purple globe pops out of the blue oval, then bounces to the center before zooming to fill the screen and backing up again, at which point the planets in the background disappear and are replaced with stars, and stars pop up from behind the globe. On the upper-half of the globe, some sparkles fly across and write the words "The Incredible World of" in yellow script, and on the lower-half, the word "DiC" (in the same-font as the previous logo, in yellow) zooms out to the logo.

Trivia: "The Incredible World of DIC" name was originally introduced in 1994 as a print logo. It was in-name-only until 2001 when an on-screen logo was made.

Variants:

  • An opening variant used for the DIC Kids Network strand was also used.
  • The on-screen version appears still on games as well, like Horseland for the Nintendo DS.
  • Shorter versions of this logo exist:
    • The instant-pop-up version is where the logo starts off with the globe popping up. It was the most commonly used version but was less commonly used in the later years of the logo.
      • A variant of the above exists on Liberty's Kids, where a small copyright notice is seen.
      • A variant of the shorter version of this logo exists.
    • An extremely short variant also exists, where the "DIC" caption zooms out to the completed logo.
    • A short version also exists, where the logo starts off with the words finished being written, though it’s hard to describe what part of the longer logo this exactly starts at.
  • A similar logo appears on the DIC Entertainment website from 2005: On a plain orange background, the globe jumps out of a white hole from the ground and bounces to its usual position with transparent stars zooming in from the background. Afterwards, the words and "DIC" caption zoom out and land on the globe, with the "DIC" caption bouncing slightly.

Technique: 2D computer animation. The website variant utilizes Flash animation.

Audio: A light dance-pop tune with bells and other cartoonish sounds (from the Series 6000 library), and ending with a child saying "DiC" ("Deek"; the third kid voice-over from the previous logo). The music for this logo was done by Andy Heyward's daughter, Bianca.

Audio Variants:

  • Sometimes, the theme is extended, with a few extra bells also heard at the end.
  • In other cases, it is edited/warp speed.
  • On Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever, the logo is silent.
  • On a 2000s Brazilian DVD print of one episode of Mummies Alive!, the long version of the logo features the audio from the 2004 Cookie Jar logo at the beginning, with the rest of the logo being silent, due to a reverse plastering error.
  • The website version had a slightly sped up version of the "instant popup globe" audio.
  • The logo's theme may be slightly sped-up.


Logo (March 22, 1996-February 28, 2003)

Visuals: On a black or white background, a blue gradient globe with stars within its upper half is shown. In front of the wireframe globe, there is the following text "The Incredible World of" in yellow script. On the lower-half, the word "DiC" (in the same-font as the 1987 logo, in yellow) is shown.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Final Note

Cookie Jar Entertainment took over for the then-current shows DinoSquad (for the series finale) and Sushi Pack (for season 2), which formerly ended with this logo until December 2008.

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on DIC's series:

  • 1983-1987: © [YEAR] DIC Audiovisuel
  • 1983-1993: © [YEAR] DIC Enterprises, Inc.
  • 1987-1994: © [YEAR] DIC Animation City, Inc.
  • 1993-1997, 2000-2001: © [YEAR] DIC Entertainment, L.P.
  • 1994-1999: © [YEAR] DIC Productions, L.P.
  • 2002-2008: © [YEAR] DIC Entertainment Corporation

References

DIC Entertainment
Cookie Jar Entertainment



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