Happy Face Home Video

Background
Happy Face Home Video was the public domain family/kids VHS distributor. It was said to be a division of similarly said Happy Face Productions, although this is unknown. The company was founded in 1985.

(1986-1988)


Nickname: "Stretch Films' Twin"

Logo: On a black background, we see a strange lined iris transition (with a lined circle zooming in, then back out again) revealing a large, detailed tan-colored circle with a cheery face looking directly at us sitting on top of a golden ribbon banner reading 'HAPPY●FACE' in a serif font with two other black circles on both sides of the banner, all on a white background. Below the design is 'HOME VIDEO'. The same transition from before (this time in reverse) wipes the logo off the screen.

Variant: Sometimes, the logo simply fades to black.

FX/SFX: The logo's weird iris transition, and that's it. The printed design of the logo explains the overall low-budget aesthetic of it, and it also looks off the screen's perspective.

Music/Sounds: It might vary depending on the video. On Classic Cartoons releases, a bombastic brass fanfare plays, which was taken from the vintage Paramount cartoon "Christmas Comes But Once a Year", albeit low-pitched.

Availability: Seen on Classic Cartoons Volume 1 through 9. It was also seen on other public domain tapes distributed from the company.

Legacy: This logo has been known to unnerve some due to the large face and the bombastic music.