ABC Kids: Difference between revisions

'''ABC Kids''' is the children's block run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It ran as a block on the [[ABC National IDs (Australia)|main channel]] from 1991-2011. From 2001-2009, the block was branded as abckids as it tried to target older children as well as younger ones. In 2009, around the same time ABC3 launched, the block returned to being preschool-focused and revived the original ABC for Kids name and logo, since [[ABC ME|ABC3]] was now catering to older children. At the same time, a secondary block launched on [[ABC TV Plus|ABC2]], then called ABC for Kids on 2. In 2011 the block on the main channel ended after 23 years, with all preschool programming moving to ABC2. Since then ABC Kids has aired from 6-7pm, with ABC2 (later ABC Comedy, and as ABC TV Plus) taking over at 7pm. Since the start of the block in 1991, the ABC Kids branding has been used on home media releases of children's programming from ABC.

'''Logo:''' A card features Babar the Elephant next to a B, as a voiceover says "B is for ''Babar''" and a clip of the show plays accompanied by its theme song, the same pattern is followed for the following shows: ''Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends'', ''Play School'', ''Fireman Sam'', and ''Spot''. 3 more similar cards to the ones used for all the shows flash up with the letters A, B, and C before cutting to the ABC for kids logo which consists of 6 squares in a 2x3 grid with the top 3 squares containing the letters A, B and C and the bottom row containing items that start with the letters above, in order, an apple, a bee and a carrot. Below the squares, "For Kids" is written in a small spaced out font with 2 small ABC "Lissajous curve" logos on either side. As the logo appears, the voiceover says "And ABC is for the best in children's video. They're all available for you to collect now".

'''Logo:''' A bee buzzes around with a banner containing the letters A, B and C in the style of the then-current ABC For Kids logo, the Banner snaps into place in the centre towards the top of the screen, the bee then appears below the banner and flies around to create a dust trail in the shape of the ABC Lissajous curve logo before disappearing.

'''Variant:''' At the end of ''ABC for Kids Video Hits Vol 2'' (1992), the logo continues with the Bee flying into the screen and ending up below the B, an apple falling down below the A and a carrot emerging from the ground below the C, "For Kids" fades in below. While this happens, a child's voice talks about ABC For Kids books and merchandise being available at ABC Shops and Centres. This variant was also seen as the intro to ''ABC for Kids: Live in Concert'', albeit with the opening theme.

Towards the end of the narration, the extended version of the previous logo's animation introduces the ABC for Kids logo, then once it finishes, it zooms up and a ladybug comes in from the left forming the words the best in children's entertainment on video and then the bee buzzes past and we see another clip. The clips before the 2D animation are all playing in a frame with the boxes A, B and C with the Apple, Bee and Carrot following respectively, sliding left and right, with the bee bouncing back and fourth.

'''Technique:''' Just the clips, live action, stop motion and animated from different shows, plus 2-D animation for the ABC for Kids towards the end.

* '''Home Video Promo:''' The TV ident plays out as normal, we then cut to a clip show featuring in order: ''The Hooley Dooleys'', ''Blinky Bill'', ''Bananas in Pyjamas'', ''Arthur'', ''Noddy's Toyland Adventures'', ''Johnson and Friends'', ''Magic Mountain'', ''Sesame Street'', ''Postman Pat'', ''Thomas the Tank Engine'', ''Spot'', and ''The Wiggles: Wiggledance!''. The last few seconds of the ident animation play again, this time, after the kids say "ABC!" we hear a voiceover (possibly that of veteran ABC TV announcer Tony Ferguson) saying "Bringing you the best in children's video".

'''Logo:''' In the logo, we see kids doing activities such as skateboarding, swimming, among others, while the text "cool", "kids", and "cool kids" show up. After we see a girl swimming, the cool kids text zooms into an underwater environment as three stingray-like things fly and become straight. We last see a fish swimming to the logo, as a blue abc kids text shows up and the fish swims away from it.

* In the long IDs, we see a clip of kids having fun, leading into an animation featuring the abckids logo, essentially an abstract green shape based on the ABC Lissajous curve with the words "abckids" in blue, with the C lowered slightly relative to the rest of the text on the shape.

* In the short IDs, we see a CG animation either forming the logo or happening around it. Notably, some of these idents featured a group of purple balloon puppies which interacted with the logo.

'''Logo:''' The same concept as the "There's More to..." IDs used by ABC TV at the time, except the metallic Lissajous curve is replaced by the green abckids logo and the IDs feature various kids and characters from abckids shows.

'''Logo:''' We see an ant come out of a box stacked on another one, it goes down to another box which opens to reveal an armadillo like the one from the last logo with an apple, he throws the apple to a live action boy sitting next to an "A" as the ant and a live action girl looks on, we see another stack of boxes balancing precariously with a live action boy and a bilby (an Australian marsupial, for those who don't know) at the top, butterflies emerge from the second box and the third box is revealed to be balancing on a "B" with a live action girl sitting next to it pointing up as a bee flies down, a cat bounces across a series of boxes, turning into a crocodile and then a carrot as it finally bounces off the letter "C", we cut to 3 kids in the middle of the frame who run off as 9 blocks bounce in and form into a new version of the ABC for Kids logo, the first 2 rows are a redesigned version of the original boxes, but this time "FOR" and "KIDS" get their own boxes and the final box contains the 2002-2014 ABC Lissajous curve logo.

* The short IDs feature a brief animation of the disembodied 4 of the new "ABC 4 kids" logo interacting with the rest of the logo, inevitable leading them to be joined together.

'''Logo:''' We start with the 2015 ABC Kids Logo, which is ABC in small print at the bottom with a Lissajous curve next to it as per the previous logo with the word "KIDS" in big letters above with new, round, versions of the objects previously used in the "Boxes" logos. the new logo squeezes up and flies off like a firework, turning into a red rocket, leaving the "objects" behind, as the background cuts to a cartoony version of space, we see that the rocket has a live action kid in it, we cut to a pink rocket with another kid in it, waving as a third kid uses some kind of slide, we then see a kid throwing a frisbee to a cartoony dog in a space helmet and some other kids playing, one using a hopper ball at the base of a blue rocket. We then cut back to the ABC Kids logo, now on a blue background and on an angle, and the original red rocket flies round and then behind the logo as it shuts like a door.

'''Logo:''' On a blue background, we see the ABC Kids logo slowly inflating. When it comes to its correct size, the apple, bee and carrot circles fly around, and then arrive back into the logo.

'''Technique:''' The logo inflating, and the circles flying back into place.

'''Logo:''' On a white background, we see an apple jumping in the air with different coloured circles. The same happens with the bee and a teal crocodile. Afterwards, we see all three of them bouncing on a blue circle as the logo forms from it. It goes away, and the three characters stand in a stilted pose towards the audience.

'''Variant:''' A closing variant exists. We see the three characters having fun on a slide. Shortly after, they all get off as the apple rolls on its side to the crocodile. The crocodile helps the apple up as the logo forms in teal. The characters stand in a stilted pose like in the above logo.