Ruby-Spears Productions: Difference between revisions
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===Background=== | ===Background=== | ||
'''Ruby-Spears Productions''' was an American animation studio founded by ''Scooby-Doo'' creators and former [[Hanna-Barbera Cartoons|Hanna-Barbera]] employees Joseph '''Ruby''', Jr. and Kenneth '''Spears''' in 1977 as a subsidiary of [[Filmways Television|Filmways]]. However, they did not use a logo until September 1978 when the first show from the studio, ''Fangface'', premiered. In 1981, Taft Broadcasting Co. acquired Ruby-Spears, which became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and broke in 1992. It formed a short-lived partnership with Ashi Productions in 1994, but the studio shut-down two years later. Today, a majority of Ruby-Spears' library is owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]], except ''Rambo: The Force of Freedom'' which is owned by [[StudioCanal]] (with [[Lionsgate Home Entertainment|Lionsgate]] handling home video rights), ''It's Punky Brewster'' which is owned by NBCUniversal Media, LLC (with Shout! Factory handling DVD rights), and ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' which is owned by [[Bagdasarian Productions]]. | '''Ruby-Spears Productions''' was an American animation studio founded by ''Scooby-Doo'' creators and former [[Hanna-Barbera Cartoons|Hanna-Barbera]] employees Joseph '''Ruby''', Jr. and Kenneth '''Spears''' in 1977 as a subsidiary of [[Filmways Television|Filmways]]. However, they did not use a logo until September 1978 when the first show from the studio, ''Fangface'', premiered. In 1981, Taft Broadcasting Co. acquired Ruby-Spears, which became a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and broke in 1992. It formed a short-lived partnership with Ashi Productions in 1994, but the studio shut-down two years later. Today, a majority of Ruby-Spears' library is owned by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]], except ''Rambo: The Force of Freedom'' which is owned by [[StudioCanal]] (with [[Lionsgate Home Entertainment|Lionsgate]] handling home video rights), ''It's Punky Brewster'' which is owned by NBCUniversal Media, LLC (with Shout! Factory handling DVD rights), and ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' which is owned by [[Bagdasarian Productions]]. | ||
{{ImageTOC | |||
|Vlcsnap-2016-04-19-15h02m54s350.png|1st Logo (September 9, 1978-1981) | |||
|Ruby-Spears Enterprises (1981).png|2nd Logo (September 12, 1981-December 4, 1993) | |||
|Ruby_spears_logo3.jpg|3rd Logo (September 11, 1994-December 10, 1996) | |||
}} | |||
===1st Logo (September 9, 1978-1981)=== | ===1st Logo (September 9, 1978-1981)=== | ||
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'''Logo:''' Over a sky blue background, we see the words "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION". There are 4 orange lines that emerge from left and right of the screen. The initials, a robust "RS" (set in the Mecanorma Jackson typeface), slide upward from the stacked lines. Then it reads "A COMPANY OF", cutting to the next logo, that of Filmways, their former owner. | '''Logo:''' Over a sky blue background, we see the words "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION". There are 4 orange lines that emerge from left and right of the screen. The initials, a robust "RS" (set in the Mecanorma Jackson typeface), slide upward from the stacked lines. Then it reads "A COMPANY OF", cutting to the next logo, that of Filmways, their former owner. | ||
'''Variants:''' | '''Variants:''' | ||
* On some TV specials, the lower text "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION" doesn't appear. | *On <u>some TV specials</u>, the lower text "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION" doesn't appear. | ||
* There is another variant with a red background replacing the original blue. | *There is another variant with a <u>red background</u> replacing the original blue. | ||
* Some newer prints may freeze the logo right before "A COMPANY OF", in order for removal of the Filmways logo. | *Some <u>newer prints</u> may freeze the logo right before "A COMPANY OF", in order for removal of the Filmways logo. | ||
* On ''The Horse That Played Centerfield'' and ''The Trouble with Miss Switch'', there is an in-credit notice that generally reads "Produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, Inc., a company of Filmways, for American Broadcasting Companies, Inc." | *On ''<u>The Horse That Played Centerfield</u>'' and ''<u>The Trouble with Miss Switch</u>'', there is an in-credit notice that generally reads "Produced by Ruby-Spears Productions, Inc., a company of Filmways, for American Broadcasting Companies, Inc." | ||
'''Technique:''' Traditional animation. | '''Technique:''' Traditional animation. | ||
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'''Availability:''' Rare. | '''Availability:''' Rare. | ||
* Was seen on the first season of ''Thundarr The Barbarian'' and ''Fangface'' on Boomerang until these shows were taken off the schedule. | *Was seen on the first season of ''Thundarr The Barbarian'' and ''Fangface'' on Boomerang until these shows were taken off the schedule. | ||
* Can be seen on said shows' DVDs; however, the Warner Archive release of the former has the 1994 Hanna-Barbera "Action All Stars" logo plastered over this logo instead. | *Can be seen on said shows' DVDs; however, the Warner Archive release of the former has the 1994 Hanna-Barbera "Action All Stars" logo plastered over this logo instead. | ||
* The version without the company name appears on the 1980 3-part ABC Weekend Special ''Scruffy''. | *The version without the company name appears on the 1980 3-part ABC Weekend Special ''Scruffy''. | ||
===2nd Logo (September 12, 1981-December 4, 1993)=== | ===2nd Logo (September 12, 1981-December 4, 1993)=== | ||
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'''Variants:''' | '''Variants:''' | ||
* 1981-1982: The logo, itself appearing in a more lighter gold color than the later variations, fades-out to make room for the company text reading "A DIVISION OF THE TAFT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY". | *<u>1981-1982</u>: The logo, itself appearing in a more lighter gold color than the later variations, fades-out to make room for the company text reading "A DIVISION OF THE TAFT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY". | ||
* 1982-1988: The latter text is seen below the logo, after the logo flashes. Also, the logo itself has less of a shining effect than of that in the 1981 version. | *<u>1982-1988</u>: The latter text is seen below the logo, after the logo flashes. Also, the logo itself has less of a shining effect than of that in the 1981 version. | ||
* 1988: As part of the elimination of Taft bylines, the "shining" part of the 1981 variation would sometimes be played in slow motion over the regular-speed music to keep the second screen from appearing. This was seen on reprints of ''Thundarr the Barbarian''. | *<u>1988</u>: As part of the elimination of Taft bylines, the "shining" part of the 1981 variation would sometimes be played in slow motion over the regular-speed music to keep the second screen from appearing. This was seen on reprints of ''Thundarr the Barbarian''. | ||
* 1988-1992: The 1982 version is now bylineless. | * <u>1988-1992</u>: The 1982 version is now bylineless. | ||
* On ''Police Academy: The Animated Series'', this logo appears without the Taft byline, and "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears under the name. This would be followed by the 1984 WBTV logo. | *On ''<u>Police Academy: The Animated Series</u>'', this logo appears without the Taft byline, and "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears under the name. This would be followed by the 1984 WBTV logo. | ||
* There is also a still variation used on season 1 of ''It's Punky Brewster'' and ''Piggsburg Pigs''. | *There is also a still variation used on <u>season 1 of ''It's Punky Brewster''</u> and ''<u>Piggsburg Pigs</u>''. | ||
* On some programmes like ''Miss Switch to the Rescue'', and ''Bad Cat'', there is an in-credit notice that generally reads "Produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Inc., a division of the Taft Entertainment Company." | *On some programmes like ''<u>Miss Switch to the Rescue</u>'', and ''<u>Bad Cat</u>'', there is an in-credit notice that generally reads "Produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Inc., a division of the Taft Entertainment Company." | ||
* A short variant exists that starts in the middle of the logo shining and the name below it simply reads "RUBY-SPEARS". This was seen on the CBS Schoolbreak Special "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book". | * A <u>short variant</u> exists that starts in the middle of the logo shining and the name below it simply reads "RUBY-SPEARS". This was seen on the CBS Schoolbreak Special "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book". | ||
'''Technique:''' Camera-controlled animation, possibly combined with Oxberry. | '''Technique:''' Camera-controlled animation, possibly combined with Oxberry. | ||
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'''Music/Sounds:''' A "whoosh" accompanied by a dramatic synthesized sound effect that has a kind of "shining" effect. | '''Music/Sounds:''' A "whoosh" accompanied by a dramatic synthesized sound effect that has a kind of "shining" effect. | ||
'''Music/Sounds Variant:''' On some shows, it used the closing theme of the show. | '''Music/Sounds Variant:''' On some shows, it used the <u>closing theme</u> of the show. | ||
'''Availability:''' Uncommon. | '''Availability:''' Uncommon. | ||
* It was seen on the second season of ''Thundarr The Barbarian'', ''Centurions'', and ''Dink the Little Dinosaur'' when these shows were shown on Boomerang. | * It was seen on the second season of ''Thundarr The Barbarian'', ''Centurions'', and ''Dink the Little Dinosaur'' when these shows were shown on Boomerang. | ||
* Currently seen on said shows' DVD releases. | *Currently seen on said shows' DVD releases. | ||
* This was kept intact on ''It's Punky Brewster'' on the DVD prints. | *This was kept intact on ''It's Punky Brewster'' on the DVD prints. | ||
* It was also seen years ago on [[BKN International|BKN]]'s reruns of ''Rambo: The Force of Freedom'', followed by the 1986 [[Carolco Television Productions|Carolco Television]] logo; this was also retained on DVD. | *It was also seen years ago on [[BKN International|BKN]]'s reruns of ''Rambo: The Force of Freedom'', followed by the 1986 [[Carolco Television Productions|Carolco Television]] logo; this was also retained on DVD. | ||
* It also appeared on the 1980s ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' when it was last seen on Cartoon Network around 2002 (it also appeared on the 1988 episodes produced by [[Murakami-Wolf-Swenson]] for Ruby-Spears). | *It also appeared on the 1980s ''Alvin and the Chipmunks'' when it was last seen on Cartoon Network around 2002 (it also appeared on the 1988 episodes produced by [[Murakami-Wolf-Swenson]] for Ruby-Spears). | ||
* The ''Thundarr The Barbarian'' episode "Last Train to Doomsday", and the Ruby-Spears' ''Superman'' series both use the 1988 variant. | *The ''Thundarr The Barbarian'' episode "Last Train to Doomsday", and the Ruby-Spears' ''Superman'' series both use the 1988 variant. | ||
* It does not appear on DVD prints of ''Q*bert'' and syndication prints of ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' from ''Saturday Supercade'', which plaster this logo with the 1980 [[MCA TV]] logo. | *It does not appear on DVD prints of ''Q*bert'' and syndication prints of ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' from ''Saturday Supercade'', which plaster this logo with the 1980 [[MCA TV]] logo. | ||
===3rd Logo (September 11, 1994-December 10, 1996)=== | ===3rd Logo (September 11, 1994-December 10, 1996)=== | ||
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'''Availability:''' Extremely rare. | '''Availability:''' Extremely rare. | ||
* It only appeared on ''Skysurfer Strike Force'' and ''Mega Man'', both of which are long gone. | *It only appeared on ''Skysurfer Strike Force'' and ''Mega Man'', both of which are long gone. | ||
* Those two shows aired on the now-defunct Bohbot Kids Network syndicated block. | *Those two shows aired on the now-defunct Bohbot Kids Network syndicated block. | ||
* This logo is also retained on ''Mega Man''<nowiki/>'s DVD releases by ADV Films in 2003 and by Discotek Media in 2014. | *This logo is also retained on ''Mega Man''<nowiki/>'s DVD releases by ADV Films in 2003 and by Discotek Media in 2014. | ||
[[Category:Television logos]] | [[Category:Television logos]] | ||