Rhino Home Video

Background
Rhino Home Video (formerly "Rhino Video") was the home video arm of Rhino Records, now part of the Warner Music Group.

1st Logo (1985-1987)
Nicknames: "Elvis Rhino"

Logo: On a black background, we see a still shot of a rhino with an Elvis Presley hairdo snapping his fingers. Then there is a diamond transition, and the words hot pink "RHINO VIDEO" appear.

Trivia: This same rhino was also used for the print logo for Rhino Records at the time.

FX/SFX: The diamond transition.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Can be seen on a 1987 copy of Commercial Mania: Special Edition, and maybe on other videotapes.

2nd Logo (1987-1995)


Nicknames: "1, 2, 3...RHINO!", "Elvis Rhino II"

Logo: On a "stone" background, we see the number one. The screen "flashes" and we see the number two. Again, we see a number three. Then on the fourth flash, we see a cartoon rhino (wearing what looks like a leather jacket and gloves and a modified Elvis haircut) in a TV tube, with the word "RHINO" over him, changing colors and "VIDEO" below. While all this happens, the rhino snaps his fingers and winks (this is barely noticeable). A yellow "haze" surrounds the rhino.

FX/SFX: The "flashing".

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Very rare. This was on the earliest Rhino tapes.

3rd Logo (1995-1999)
Nickname: "The Football"

Logo: Against a light gray marble background, the words "RHINO" (in jumbled white letters) come in from the right side of the screen, along with a smooth, red 3D ellipse. They turn to face us and zoom back, then the lights dim.

Variant: The logo was brown with silver text on some VHS releases.

FX/SFX: The text and "ball" coming in.

Music/Sounds: A synth bass sounder with a dramatic UAV-like "whoosh" when the logo comes in.

Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on South Park and Mystery Science Theater 3000 tapes from 1998-1999 and other releases and early DVDs of the time.

4th Logo (1999-2009)


Logo: Against a black background, a 2D version of the Rhino logo from before (this time in red) zooms-up. It shines with a lens flare, and "HOME VIDEO", in plum, fades in below.

FX/SFX: The zoom and shine.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic synth-string sounder with a "bling" during the shine, and ending with a short choir tune and a "slam" sound.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The music was also used for the 2000s Plastic Wax, 2002 Eureka Multimedia (lacking the slam sound), and 2004 Favorit-Film logos.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on recent DVDs of music videos, many Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs, as well as some Transformers Armada and Gumby DVDs.