The Video Collection

Background
The Video Collection was a UK-based video company formed in 1984 and established in 1985. Originally part of the Prestwich Group, based in New Southgate, London, it was subject to a management buyout headed by Steve Ayres as CEO and Paddy Toomey (ex-Woolworths) as MD. The vision of "Sell Through Video" was born with the strong Woolworths association driving the retail sales. The Video Collection was allied with ITV and Channel 4, and distributed many of their titles from their franchises; they also operated the Cinema Club budget label, as well as an American division, Strand Home Video. The company was renamed to Video Collection International in 1994 due to financial difficulties (although The Video Collection name would remain in place until 1995), and in 1999 the company was sold to the Kingfisher group. In 2004, the company merged with BBC Video to form 2 Entertain.

1st Logo (April 1985-1989)
Logo: On a background, several white lines wipe in from the right. A black rectangle with "COLLECTION" in a tall white font at the bottom flips up from the bottom of the screen and "Times New Roman" awkwardly flies and pastes itself at the top at a rather sharp diagonal angle. Then "Times New Roman" in a rectangle, written with "V" in a black serif font and "ideo" in a skinnier, white italicized serif font, swoops from behind the "COLLECTION" box and plasters itself on it, positioned into the same angle as "the". Shadows also appear behind the logo when the pieces get into position.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A 13-note synth theme, accompanied by 4 deeper synths and 3 synthesized chords when "Video" appears. This is actually from the Bruton Music library titled "Video Fanfare" composed by Brian Bennett. It was also used as a weather jingle by TVS at the time, as well as the 2nd Scand Video logo.

Availability: Uncommon.
 * Can be seen on releases of cartoons (mostly Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears) in the UK from the period.
 * Even though the next logo was introduced in 1986 a year after this one, this logo was used in tandem with it until three years later.
 * This logo also does not appear on the 1986 UK VHS release of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends for unknown reasons.
 * It also appears on the 1986 UK VHS releases of M.A.S.K.: Volume 1: The Threat of Venom, M.A.S.K.: Volume 2: The Power of Venom, Care Bears To The Rescue and Jane Fonda's New Workout, respectively, as well.

2nd Logo (October 6, 1986-September 4, 1995)
Logo: Cutting in from black, a floor with light and dark grey "marble" scratches and a light grey grid is seen slowly shifting towards the upper right, as a  triangle zooms out from the top left edge and moves towards bottom centre with a shadow effect. An angled rectangle with a black front face then "opens" up and several more pieces appear around it, forming up a strange TV-like monitor with a satellite dish on top. The device rotates around a full 360 degrees as several pieces fly off it, then reattach, and then zooms in while tilting violently until the black screen takes up the whole area for a brief moment. It then cuts back to the floor, although its now stationary, and a rectangle takes up the middle via a "blinds" effect before retracting on the sides. The rectangle then flips around once and rotates up, as a black "V" spins in as well and the background fades to black. It then plasters itself onto the rectangle as the rest of the white text "Times New Roman Times New Roman" fade in and white lines drop down from the rectangle. A background fades in, with a tall black rectangle remaining with a shadow effect, and the white lines contort into the tall white text "COLLECTION". The end result resembles the 1st logo.

Variant: On PAL tapes in Spain, the logo reads "Times New Roman COLECCION". It is unknown if there are other language variations.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A quiet beeping sound, followed by a synthesised swoosh and some metallic clunks when parts forming the television, then a little synthesised organ-like tune. It ends with a sparkling chime and two timpani drum beats.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On some Spanish PAL tapes, an announcer can be heard. Translated from Spanish, he says: "Don't hesitate to join the millions in the world who "video-collect", and thanks to us learn, play, laugh, cry and know now what to do with their free time. Video Collection: a new concept on video is born to you. Thank you for your confidence."
 * On some promos from 1986 and 1987, an announcer can be heard.

Availability: Very common.


 * It can be spotted on many UK VHS releases of ITV programmes, mostly ones under the Central Video label.
 * It also appeared on earlier Thames Video Collection releases such as a rare 1986 UK VHS reissue of Rainbow, but does not appear on later releases.
 * Its most famous appearance are on the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends releases in the UK from 1986 to 1995, although this logo does not appear on the 1986 UK VHS releases of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends: Troublesome Trucks and Other Stories and Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Coal and Other Stories, respectively, for unknown reasons, which is likely due to the fact that Screen Legends (and later Pickwick Video) were distributing the second season of the show on video separately at the time until the 1990s.
 * Also appears on several UK VHS releases of Ragdoll shows - Playbox, Rosie & Jim, Brum, and Tots TV, respectively.
 * The Spanish variant can be seen on a Spanish VHS release of Yogi's First Christmas (1980).
 * This logo debuted in 1986, on She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949).
 * This logo also appears on the original 1994 UK VHS release of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends: Rock 'n' Roll and Other Stories as well.
 * This logo also appears on the 1991 UK VHS release of Learn with Sooty: Have Fun with Numbers 2 Multiplication before and after the 1991 Thames Video ident as well.
 * This logo also appears on the mid-to-late 1980s UK VHS releases of Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears cartoons (including the 1986 reissues) as well.
 * This logo also appears on the 1986 UK VHS release of the colourised version of It's a Wonderful Life (1946), the 1987 UK VHS releases of Inspector Gadget: Volume 1, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, ThunderCats Ho! The Movie and The Video Hits Collection Vol. 3, the 1988 UK VHS release of Dogtanian and the 3 Muskehounds, the 1989 UK VHS releases of Around the World with Willy Fog: Volume 2, Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, Bedtime Stories: Fairy Tales and The Smurfs: Once In A Blue Moon, the 1990 UK VHS releases of Terrytoons' Cartoon Heroes, The Smurfs: Papa's Worrywarts/Lazy's Slumber Party, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Alice's Family, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland: Vol 2, Vicky the Viking: The Contest/The Trap, The Adventures of Black Beauty: The Viking Helmet and Torvill and Dean: Fire and Ice, the 1991 UK VHS releases of Oliver Twist (1987) and Lizzie & Joggy Bear, the 1992 UK VHS releases of Wish Kid, Widget: Great Whale Adventure/Gorilla My Dreams and Children's Choice and the 1993 UK VHS releases of Super Mario World: The Wheel Thing, Super Mario World: Born to Ride and Strictly Ballroom, respectively, as well.
 * This logo, along with the 1991 Central Video logo also appears on the Carlton UK VHS re-release of Rosie and Jim: Sailing and Other Stories as well, due to it being a direct reissue of the original release.
 * This logo also appears at the start of the 1988 UK VHS release of Original Sylvanian Families, but strangely not at the end of it for unknown reasons.
 * The same case also happens on the 1994 UK VHS release of Children's Preschool Compilation which has the logo at the start, but not at the end of it for unknown reasons as well.
 * The last VHS release to feature this logo was released on September 4, 1995.
 * Some reissues of VHS releases during the VCI-era will either keep this intact, or use modified masters using the 1995 VCI logo instead.