PBS Kids

Background
PBS Kids is a children's programming block on PBS and 24-hour digital channel. For the IDs used on PBS Kids, see PBS Kids IDs.

1st Logo (August 30, 1993-November 15, 1999)
Nicknames: "P-Pals", "E/i", "PBS Cartoon P-Pals", "PBS P-Pals", "This is PBS Woo-Hoo-Hoo", "Cartoon PBS P-Head", "This is! P-B-SSSSSS!", "Arf!"

Logo: On a white background, we see some crudely drawn P-heads (the first of which is named Pernell P-Pal), with Pernell wearing a red cap and an earring, singing "This is! P-B-SSSSSS!" (the "P-B-SSSSSS!" part of which is done by a female choir) while dancing and changing patterns. Near the end, the P-heads raise their arms in the air and Pernell ad-libs "Woo-hoo-hooooo!" a la the late Michael Jackson as his cap flies off. Then, the word "PBS" in the same font as the 3rd PBS logo fades in black as the cap drops back on his head, and an orange P-shaped dog (whose name is P-Pet) runs across the screen and barks, then walks away.

Trivia: The logo was designed and animated by Gene Mackles and Chris Pullman at WGBH Boston using Macromedia Director.

Variants:
 * There is a variation where the dog gives the P-head a dark blue balloon with the text "e/i" (pronounced "ee-eye", short for "Educational and Informative") on it, which was added in 1997, a year after the 6th PBS ident debuted.
 * Sometimes, the logo fades out after the P-Pet barks.
 * There is a variation where the camera quickly goes through a doorway on a black background and the three color-changing P-heads are seen against the white background, with confetti falling from the top, and all three P-heads yell "Surprise!" and cheer with loud party horns heard in the background. There is no text. This was a very short-lived version and was usually played in-between shows as a promo.
 * There is a long version of the "Surprise!" variant which first takes place on a black background. Then the door opens and one of the P-pals peeks in. Then it peeks out and the door closes. Then the P-Pet (from the standard version), walks through the screen and into the door. Then another P-Pal peeks in from the above and peeks out. Then the door opens and we proceed into the animation above.
 * There is another variant of the long version where some kids say "The P-Pals are coming!" 8 times, then they say "Who are the P-pals?" right before the door opens, then after the door opens and the P-Pals yell "surprise" they shout "The P-Pals are coming!" one last time, and then one of the kids says "Watch for them!"
 * On a 1994 episode of In the Mix, the logo looks a bit washed out, with the brightness and contrast pumped up in excess.
 * An alternate variant exists where the P-Pals are drawn slightly different, the image quality is clearer, and the color scheme is also over-saturated.
 * There is a variant where we see a bird's-eye-view of the "PTV Park" setting, which starts with a sign that says "PTV" in its corporate font being guarded by two P-Pals named Polly and Pernell. The camera flies in under the sign so we get a good view of everything: lots of P-Pals doing their own activities, multicolored P-Pal-style drawings of the Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood sets, and carnival-themed structures. We head towards a periwinkle tent with a red top and a movie screen is on it (resembling those old commercial tents where the people used to go see in the 1930s) and the regular 1993-1999 PBS Kids ident plays (minus the "This Is...!" part).

FX/SFX: The P-heads dancing and changing patterns, the cap flying off, P-Pet sliding in and barking, and "PBS" fading in.

Music/Sounds: A techno-pop tune with drums and a bass, as well as the P-Pals singing their lines. The drum machine was a Roland R-8. The "Surprise!" variation just has loud party horns and cheering, but the long versions have giggling and a door creaking.

Availability: Uncommon overall, but extinct on TV as a result of heavy plastering.
 * It appeared on PBS Kids shows between 1993 and 1999 from the era, such as Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Bill Nye the Science Guy, WishBone, Arthur, and The Magic School Bus among others, but it's usually been replaced with newer logos since then. So, at this rate, our best bets are checking those old recordings, along with a selection of PBS Home Video releases from the late '90s.
 * This can be seen on video releases of Theodore Tugboat, Zoom (1999 version) including Party with Zoom and The Making of Zoom, and early Teletubbies tapes from Warner Home Video; the Paramount re-release of "Here Come the Teletubbies" on VHS from 2004 preserves this, while the DVD release from that same year has the 1999 PBS Kids logo instead.
 * The original version of this logo is also preserved on some PolyGram Video releases of Wishbone episodes, including "Salty Dog" and "Terrified Terrier", though it's missing on "The Prince and the Pooch", "The Slobbery Hound", and "Twisted Tail".
 * When Sprout (now Universal Kids) aired Barney and Friends episodes from the era, this logo was edited out.
 * The "Surprise!" variants are extinct, with the short variant in particular very short-lived; however, it was used on UNC-TV until late 2001.
 * The logo made its first appearance on the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood week "Mister Rogers Talks About Then and Now", and the E/I variant first appeared on The Magic School Bus episode "Meets Molly Cule".
 * The 1993 variant appeared on Twitch.tv's prints of various Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes from the era, as well as Episode #1643 from 1991 and the 1997 E/I variant appeared on Twitch.tv prints of many episodes that were created between 1997 and 1999.
 * The last known appearance of this logo on television was in 2005 on ETPTV after an episode of Square One TV Math Talk. This logo was used on WIPR-TV well into 2002. The last known new program to use this logo was the In the Mix episode "Cliques: Behind the Labels", broadcast on November 15, 1999. On Adventures from the Book of Virtues, the original version appeared on the three-part primetime premiere (it was plastered by the 1996 PBS logo on the individual rebroadcasts the next year, which additionally have an added funding credit for public television viewers that wasn't on the primetime premiere versions), and the later version appeared on all episodes of the second season; among those episodes featured in the three-part primetime premiere, it's been confirmed to appear on a Reader's Digest-branded videocassette of "Courage", where the opening PBS logo is replaced by an opening graphic for Reader's Digest.
 * The standard 1993 variant is also surprisingly retained on Amazon Video's print of Sesame Street Stays Up Late and also appeared on the VHS of Barney's First Adventures after the PolyGram Television logo for some reason.
 * Most master tapes of The Magic School Bus also have this logo, with the exceptions of "Gets Lost in Space", "Hops Home", and "In the Arctic", and don't expect this to appear on the KidVision/Warner Home Video releases, as they go straight from the closing funding credits to the book promo at the end of each episode.
 * On Shining Time Station, it plasters the 3rd and 4th PBS logos on "Things That Go Ga-Hooga in the Night" and "Is This the End?". On pledge programming, we can see this on Barney Live in New York City, but don't expect this to appear on Elmopalooza; oddly enough, that one uses the 1998 PBS logo instead.
 * The alternate variant has been preserved on YouTube. It is unknown if it was used on any shows.
 * The PTV Park variant is extinct, as it was retired with the "e/i" version of the normal logo being introduced in 1997. It was seen at the end of some broadcasts of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but was only occasionally seen in-between shows like the "Surprise!" variant.

Editor's Note: Fondly remembered by many who grew up with this logo. Others may have been scared or annoyed by the loud music and flashing effects, and (for the latter) its plastering of older logos.

2nd Logo (July 11, 1994-1997)


Nickname: "Hip PTV"

Logo: Over footage of kids in red and blue uniforms swinging jump ropes around, the P-head zooms in, facing left as it did until 1984. Then a stylized T, looking like three red dots across with three red dots below, zooms similarly, followed by a green square with a cutout V.

Trivia: The drum break used in this logo is known as the Funky Drummer break, originating from the drum break performed by Clyde Stubblefield in the James Brown single "Funky Drummer" (1970). The sample also appears as the first sample on the first track of "Zero-G Datafile" (1990), volume one.

FX/SFX: The live-action footage, and the computer-generated animation.

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers: A catchy drum beat, with an announcer calling out each letter as they appear.

Availability: Extinct. This logo and other similar spots appeared following shows aimed at older children during the era, such as Reading Rainbow and reruns of Square One TV. Like before, check those old recordings to find this logo.

Editor's Note: This is a fitting logo for older-skewing PBS kids programming at the time.

1st Logo (September 6, 1999-2015)
Nicknames: "Dot and Dash", "Boy and Girl", "PBS Kids Girl", "PBS Kids Boy", "Doink! PBS Kids", "The PBS Kids Bubble"

Logo:
 * Dash / Boy: On a lime green background, we see a close-up of an eye. The eye blinks. After that, the camera zooms out to reveal a boy (officially given the name Dash in 2006) wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt. Then, he points his finger in the head and scratches his head trying to think about something. A great big smile on his face appears and says “Doink!”, and then the background becomes a green circle with his face on it on a pink striped background, and a white thought bubble appears with the letters PBS growing until they reach the bubble. The URL address for PBS Kids appears at the bottom left corner of the screen.
 * Dot / Girl: On the same lime green background as the boy, there is a pathway at the bottom of the screen, and a girl (officially named Dot in 2007) runs up to the screen, wearing a long sleeved pink-striped shirt, black pants and white shoes. Once she reaches the screen, a great big smile on her face appears. A circle zooms out on a white background with moving pink, yellow and blue lines. A white thought bubble appears with the letters PBS growing until they reach the bubble. The URL address for PBS Kids appears at the bottom left corner of the screen.

Trivia:
 * This logo was designed by Richard McGuire (an artist that creates PBS Kids-style characters for the magazine The New Yorker, although he has created PBS Kids-style characters long before this logo was introduced) and Bob Shea for Lee Hunt Associates.
 * For their first few weeks, these two IDs were used in tandem with the first logo. Eventually, they replaced the first logo. However, some PBS stations used the previous logo until 2002.

Variants:
 * There is a variation of this logo used for international prints of PBS Kids shows. In this variant, the background is black, the entire logo is removed except for the word "PBS" and the words "Comic Sans MS" in the Comic Sans font are seen above the word "PBS". This variant appears instead of the funding credits and the end of international prints of most PBS Kids shows. The start of the international prints of PBS Kids shows cut out the funding credits entirely, meaning it goes straight into the respective show's intro.
 * On VHS and DVD releases of PBS Kids shows, the word "kidsvideo" appears below the logo. Both Dot and Dash were used for both variants. It was used until 2013, with the regular Dash logo being used on several DVDs of PBS Kids shows afterwards.
 * A variant used for a trailer advertising DVDs of PBS Kids shows exists; here, the Dot variant is used and an iris-out effect appears once Dot smiles.
 * A variant exists where the Dash variant is with green borders and is in widescreen. This was seen on the DVD trailer of WordWorld.

FX/SFX: 2D animation (digitally colored and composited with USAnimation software) by Passion Pictures and King Camera for Lee Hunt Associates.

Music/Sounds: A tongue rolling sound, then a catchy 4-note a cappella tune sung by a specific child, depending on each variant; the Dot variation has a chorus of young girls, and the Dash version is sung by boys. At the end of both (and other variants) idents, a "doink" sound is heard and they all end up eventually singing "PBS Kids!". These IDs were composed by Baron & Baron. None, or the closing theme of the respective show for the international "Produced In Association With" variant. In both variants, a bubbling sound is heard when the thought bubble appears.

Music/Sound Variants:
 * The trailer variant uses a synthesized dance-pop theme with a voiceover saying "Did you know that your favorite PBS Kids programs are now available on DVD?"
 * For the "kidsvideo" version of the Dash variant, the music from the Dot variant is used for some reason, most likely due to an audio error.
 * Another variant has the Dot variant using the music from the Dash variant.
 * Another version of Dash's "kidsvideo" variant used the right music (meaning that it used the music from Dash's variant). This was discontinued in 2007.
 * On a Maya & Miguel DVD, the international variant uses the PBS Kids Go music.

Availability: Used to be very common in its own time, but due to plastering with other PBS Kids logos, now it's uncommon.
 * While seen on older prints of PBS Kids shows, it is becoming incredibly hard to find on TV, as many of the shows that used it were either "repackaged" (plastered) by prints containing newer logos or removed from PBS entirely, though given its very long run of 15 years, it shouldn't be too hard to find on your old VHS recordings and or video releases.
 * Also, this logo plastered the 1993 logo on some prints of PBS Kids programs. However, other prints used the 1993 logo until 2002.
 * The "kidsvideo" variant can be seen on Caillou, Theodore Tugboat, Zoboomafoo and Teletubbies DVDs and tapes from Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Entertainment, but the Dot variant was dropped starting with the PBS Kids 3 pack DVD set in October 2006.
 * A few episodes of the teen program In the Mix also ended with this logo.
 * Don't expect this to appear on international prints of PBS Kids programs, as it is replaced alongside the funding credits by the International variant. Strangely, said variant can be found on Clifford the Big Red Dog tapes and Maya & Miguel DVDs from Artisan Home Entertainment/Lionsgate.
 * Appears on numerous 1979-2001 episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on Twitch.tv, often plastering older logos. On the 2017 PBS rebroadcast of the latter, the Dash variant was preserved on Episodes #1465 (followed by a period promo from 1979 for an educational booklet made as a tie-in to the week's episodes), #1475, #1644 (marking the logo's first national appearance in years), #1653, #1655, #1695, #1709, and #1716, and the Dot variant was preserved on Episodes #1652, #1721, #1755, and #1756. In September of 2018, PBS began re-using older prints of these episodes, so both variants were still intact on their respective episodes until the show was repackaged in October 2021 removing both logos and replacing them with 2013 logos.
 * The Dash variant may still be seen at the end of The Berenstain Bears, but not many PBS stations continue to air said show.
 * Though the logo stopped being used regularly in 2008, it continued to be used on DVD releases of PBS Kids shows until 2015, when it was replaced with the 2013 logos on newer releases.
 * Whatever remaining appearances of this logo were likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.

Editor's Note: A very well-known logo and one that is fondly remembered by many, though it can be seen as annoying by some for how long it lasted and plastered older logos.

2nd Logo (1999; September 4, 2000-October 7, 2013; October 13, 2018)
Nicknames: "Transform", "Dot and Dash II", "Boy and Girl II", "PBS Kids Girl II", "PBS Kids Boy II", "Doink! PBS Kids II", "Tiger, Octopus and Astronaut", "Caveman, Scuba Diver and Robot", "The PBS Kids Bubble II"

Logo: The 1st ident of the set is Dash, the boy, who is at first a caveman, then a scuba diver, and then a robot. He grabs the letters "PBS", and the circular PBS Kids logo is shown. There is no "doink" or similar sound in this ident. Blue bubbles are shaking on a pastel spring bud background. The 2nd one is Dot, the girl, who is at first a tiger, then an octopus, and finally an astronaut. After that, the circular PBS Kids logo is shown on a blue background with stars. Also, like the previous logo at the lower left hand of the screen, the URL address for PBS Kids will appear like before. In both variants, either Dot or Dash is on the top-right corner of the screen.

Variants:
 * On international prints of PBS Kids shows (mainly from the Bookworm Bunch programming block, but produced by the Canadian animation studio), as well as the series George Shrinks, Seven Little Monsters, The Berenstain Bears (2003 series) and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, there is a variation in which the logo is a still picture of the Astronaut part of this logo. However, the logo is slightly off-center and Dash in his robot form is replaced with the words "Produced In Association With" and the PBS "Circle P-Head" logo below. A French variant of this logo also exists.
 * A cropped 16:9 version of the Dot variant exists. It was only seen on DragonflyTV.

FX/SFX: Same as the 1st logo.

Music/Sounds: Some kids softly scatting the music from the 1999 logo at first accompanied by a synthesizer, then a weird bubbling-up-like rocket ship sound effect (which can be heard echoing in the Dash variant), a THX-like sound (only heard in the Dot variant), something that suspiciously sounds more like "Doy!" than "Doink!" (also only heard on the Dot ident), and then the kids singing "PBS Kids!" in a higher tone than the previous logo. These IDs were also composed by Baron & Baron. None, or the respective show's closing theme for the international variant.

Availability: Uncommon.
 * Animated Variant: It was first spotted on a Lee Hunt Associates reel featuring other PBS Kids bumpers made and introduced in 1999. Seen on 2000-2013 prints of PBS Kids programming at the time, though most of the shows that used it were either plastered with newer logos or have stopped airing on PBS entirely. International prints of PBS Kids programs have also cut this logo and funding credits and replaced them with the International variant. It also appears (for some reason) on certain Sony Wonder DVDs of Arthur. On Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the Dot variant appeared on Twitch.tv's print of 'Episode #1526', and the Dash variant was retained on PBS airings of 'Episode #1482', including the 2018 remastered version up until October 2021, when the logo was plastered. The Dot variant was also used on Reading Rainbow DVDs dedicated to particular episodes originally broadcast in 2004. Yet again, check those old VHS tapes to find this. Again, whatever remaining appearances of this logo were likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.
 * International Variant: It was preserved on Qubo airings of Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, and Columbia TriStar/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD and VHS prints of 2003's The Berenstain Bears. Also appears on Timothy Goes to School on Tubi, Treehouse Direct and until 2017, when the channel lost the broadcast rights to the show, Tiny Pop airings in the UK.

Editor's Note: The comments for the 1st logo apply to this one as well.

3rd Logo (September 3, 2001-October 5, 2002, September 4, 2006-April 1, 2015)


Nicknames: "Logo of Boredom", "Logo that Looks like an In-Credit Logo", "The PBS Kids Bubble III"

Logo: We see the PBS Kids logo (which has "KIDS" in white below) above in-credit. Sometimes, the text, "THIS PROGRAM [WAS] PARTIALLY FUNDED BY" above the logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Common. Seen before the NBCUniversal logo on international prints of Curious George. Also seen on Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (2000; January 21 or September 2, 2002?-October 7, 2013)
Nicknames: "Dot and Dash III", "Boy and Girl III", "PBS Kids Girl III", "PBS Kids Boy III", "Doink! PBS Kids III", "The PBS Kids Bubble IV"

Logo: The 1st ident of the set is Dash, the boy, who is seen ice skating on a pond. Suddenly, he feels the ground shake and stops. Then, the camera pans out to reveal that he is in a snow globe, which is held by Dot, who giggles. Snowflakes are seen during the circular PBS Kids logo. The 2nd one shows Dash looking in his fishbowl to find himself as an orange fish. After a second, he gets swallowed by Dot as a green fish and the circular PBS Kids logo is shown. There are bubbles in the background.

Variants:
 * A URL version exists where the words "pbskids.org" is shown at the end of this logo.
 * There is a prototype variant of the snow globe bumper where the color of the background is a bit darker, the pond has a slightly different shape, the animation is different and less smooth, the snowflakes are brighter and bigger, and "KIDS" is below the circular logo. This logo is only seen on season 1 of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks.
 * There is a prototype version of the fish bumper that is presented in true widescreen also has "KIDS" below the circular logo; however, there are no other changes. This logo is only seen on season 2 of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, early 2008 episodes of Sid the Science Kid and Lomax The Hound of Music.
 * An recolored version of the true widescreen version of the fish bumper is shown. But again, it's a regular colored version of the 2nd logo.
 * There is a Primal Screen version of the fish bumper where the bubbles background and the PBS Kids logo was zoomed in slightly at the end, but without the URL. The 2D animation logo was made by Primal Screen.
 * Cropped 16:9 versions exist. These were seen on Martha Speaks and Super WHY!.

FX/SFX: Dash ice-skating, the zoom out, the snowflakes on the snow globe bumper. Dash looking in his fishbowl, the bubbles, the fish on the fish bumper. Both logos were animated by Primal Screen.

Music/Sounds: A whimsical 10-note vibraphone tune (the last 4 notes are the PBS Kids jingle, possibly spoofing C. E. Levy's "Skater's Waltz" but in F major) for the snow variant and no music for the fish variant. The fish variant has some bubbling sounds followed by a boy scatting the 1999 jingle circle-lipped as if to imitate a fish. Both end with the doink sound and the kids saying the company name. The "PBS Kids!" chant sounds less like singing and more like a simple yell. If you listen closely, you can also hear the "PBS Kids" chant from the Dot variant of the 1999 logo. Music and sound design by Primal Screen.

Music/Sounds Variant: The prototype version of the fish bumper has some slightly different bubbling sounds. It ends with a slightly quiet doink sound and the kids saying the company name, slightly different.

Availability: Same as the second logo (uncommon). Appeared on 2002-2013 prints of PBS Kids programming at the time. Again, many of the shows it appeared on have either been plastered with newer logos or do not air on PBS anymore. This logo was first seen on a Primal Screen reel featuring other PBS Kids bumpers, most of which were produced and premiered between 2000 and 2001; its first introduction on TV may have possibly been on Cyberchase or Arthur: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll. Like before, the 2nd ident appears on a few Arthur DVDs by Sony Wonder (such as Arthur's Tooth). The prototype version can be found on ''Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks''. The normal fishbowl variant was seen on the final season of ''Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks''. The true 16:9 variant of the fish bumper is also rare. Check those old tapes. Once again, whatever remaining appearances of this logo were likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.

Editor's Note: Also a well-known and memorable logo from PBS.

5th Logo (November 25, 2005)
Nicknames: "Sports", "Dot and Dash IV", "Boy and Girl IV", "PBS Kids Girl IV", "PBS Kids Boy IV", "Doink! PBS Kids IV", "The PBS Kids Bubble V", "Wrapping Paper", "Sand Castles", "The Dot Sphinx", "Play Ball!"

Logo:
 * Sports. We first see a soccer ball being kicked to our left by Dash, wearing a blue and black uniform. Then the soccer ball turns into a tennis ball, which Dot, wearing a white and pink tennis uniform, hits with a tennis racket. The ball turns into a baseball, which Dash, now in a blue uniform and helmet, hits with a bat. The ball then flies past a scoreboard with the circular PBS Kids logo on it and out of the stadium. In the end, we hear a crowd cheering.
 * Paper: We see Dot and Dash walking through what appears to be a factory. Then, we see a roll of polka-dotted wrapping paper, which the two roll up by its end. With it, the circular PBS Kids logo flies in.
 * Sandcastles: On a bright sunny background in a beach-like setting, we see Dash in a bathing suit and sandals. To the right of him is a sandcastle that he built. He tries to show it off to Dot but then he is surprised as the camera zooms out to reveal Dot's sand structure, which is a sphinx with her head on it. She dusts off her hands as Dash looks in awe at her structure. Then we fade to the circular PBS Kids logo.

FX/SFX: The animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 1st logo's Dot variant with additional sound effects.

Availability: Extinct. These were shown during the Big Big Friend Day special which aired on PBS Kids in 2005.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (September 4, 2006-September 4, 2009)
Nicknames: "Preschool Dash", "The PBS Kids Bubble VI"

Logo: TBA.

Variants: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: Depending on the variant.

Availability: Extinct. Only seen on some pre-2009 PBS Kids Preschool block episodes from September 4, 2006 to September 4, 2009. Like before, check those old tapes.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo (August 11 or September 1, 2008?-October 7, 2013)
_JUEzp6uaHs Nicknames: "Dot and Dash V", "PBS Kids Girl V", "PBS Kids Boy V", "The PBS Kids Bubble VII"

Logo: The logo shows Dot and Dash doing a certain activity before the PBS Kids circular logo is shown with the URL elsewhere on the screen.

Variants: Here are some of the variations of the activities included:


 * Bubbles
 * Telescopes
 * Fireflies
 * Rock climbing
 * Picnics
 * Gardens
 * Magnets
 * Fireworks
 * Swimming
 * Ants
 * Daffodil
 * Balloon
 * Sandbox
 * Camera
 * Carrots
 * Submarine
 * Cave
 * Box: Dot steps into a box, imagining she is a sailor, a cowboy, a ranger, and an astronaut. Dot then climbs out of the box, walking like she's on the moon with Dash.
 * There are also two rare Valentine's Day variants used in 2009. Dash's version has him blowing up a pink balloon and Dot's version has her receiving Valentine's cards in the mailbox. Both versions end with the PBS Kids circle logo on a hot magenta/cerise-textured BG while hearts are cascading in the BG.
 * Footprints (unused)

Trivia: These IDs were animated and composed by Primal Screen, who previously made PBS Kids' 2001 branding elements (see the 4th logo).

FX/SFX: A mix of 2D and CGI animation.

Music: The 1st ident's jingle once again, but played with musical instruments that vary depending on the activity and without the kids chanting at the end.


 * "Sandbox" has a bassoon, vibraphone, synth-organ, and a tuba.
 * "Daffodil" has a vibraphone and tuba.
 * "Bubbles" has a pizzicato.
 * "Fireflies" has a synth-bassoon.
 * "Camera" has a slit drum and marimba.
 * "Fireworks" has a hang, timpani, snare drum, and bass violin.
 * "Carrots" has a synth-organ.
 * "Sheep" has a banjo.
 * "Balloon" has a mandobass and percussion.
 * Dash's Valentine's Day variant has a jazzy bass violin pizzicato tune with drums beating. Dot's VD variant has a South American-style folk dance tune with conga drums, piano, and acoustic guitar. Both idents have different music, ending with a group of kids yelling "Happy Valentine's Day!", then a single kid says "From PBS Kids."

Sounds:
 * "Carrots" has the sounds of Dash pulling out the carrots and a rooster crowing.
 * "Sheep" has the sound of sheep bleating.
 * "Bubbles" has the sound of the bubbles popping and then a slide whistle sliding up when Dot blows the bubble with the PBS Kids logo on it.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The variants that use the Dot variant have a girl saying the name. The variants that use the Dash variant have a boy speaking instead.

Availability: Was common during its usage, but is now uncommon as the logo was retired on October 7, 2013 in favor of the next logo. Appeared on 2008-2013 prints of PBS Kids programming, though certain shows that had this logo either no longer air or have been plastered with other PBS Kids logos. However, the shows WordWorld and Season 1 of Sid the Science Kid were not updated to use the new logos outside of the PBS Kids 24/7 channel (launched in 2017), though a very few PBS stations still show them outside of their Kids subchannel; thus, the shows still retain these logos on PBS airings, though the kids subchannel (PBS Kids 24/7) channel omits the logo. Also seen on some post-2009 PBS Kids Preschool block episodes from September 7, 2009 to October 4, 2013. Certain variants have been spotted on Sid the Science Kid DVDs; but please don't expect the logo to appear on DVDs of other PBS Kids shows from the era, though. Some PBS Stations, especially ones with their own kids subchannel before 2017, often used their own recordings of shows often captured when these logos were still in use (WFWA for example), which resulted in these logos being seen again on some stations, however, not many stations still use their own recordings, as most have switched to using the PBS national feed by now. The PBS station WNEO also occasionally still uses these logos as general bumpers to fill in time between programs. The logo may have either been first seen on Season 39 of Sesame Street or the premiere of Sid the Science Kid, or both. So once again, check your old tapes. Rootle airings of 2008-2013 broadcasts may definitely have this logo. It also appeared, for some reason on Netflix prints of Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps and Barney and Friends, probably due to Netflix using PBS Kids prints. Once again, whatever remaining appearances of this logo likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.

Editor's Note: As with many previous logos, these are very well remembered by PBS Kids viewers at the time.

8th Logo (October 7, 2013-)
Nicknames: "Dot, Dee, and Del", "PBS Kids Boy VI", "PBS Kids Girl VI", "The PBS Kids Bubble VIII"

Logo: In the same vein as the previous logo, the logo shows a redesigned Dot, along with two new characters, a girl with a biker helmet named Dee and a boy with a raccoon tail named Del, doing a certain activity. Then the PBS Kids circular logo is shown, with Dash using his 1999 design. Also, Dash's PBS Kids logo is seen on every variation (as Dot's version had been retired around this time).

Variants: Like the previous logo, here are some of the variations of the activities included:

There were unused ones in 2015 which included:
 * Zipline
 * Beehive
 * Forest Run
 * Magnet
 * Moonwalk
 * Ping Pong
 * Power of 10
 * Cave
 * Band Parade
 * Trampoline
 * Yo-yo
 * Lemonade
 * France
 * Bubbles
 * Rockstar
 * Piano
 * Frisbee
 * Asteroid Hop
 * Carrot Forest
 * Gull
 * Motherboard
 * Prism Parkour
 * Scientist
 * What Box

Trivia: This logo was designed by longtime PBS Kids creative director Chris Bishop, and animated by Primal Screen, previously responsible for PBS Kids' 2001 and 2008 branding elements.

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation that is quite similar to the 1st logo.

Music/Sounds: The music from the 1st logo is used again, but without the kids chanting or the kid saying "PBS Kids" at the end. Like the previous logo, the musical instruments these variants are played with vary depending on the activity, exactly like the 12th PBS ident. Also, the 1st logo's theme can be heard in different pitches.


 * Zipline, Magnet, Ping-Pong, Balloon Launch, Light Rays, Ladybug, Mainframe and Ants have crazy-like music and then the PBS Kids jingle in A/E. The Ping-Pong, Balloon Launch, Ladybug and Mainframe variants have the music played on an accordion.
 * Piano, Trampoline, Board Game, Jump Rope, Giraffe, Power of 10, Bubbles, Jelly Sandwich, Frisbee Climb, Jack-In-The-Box, Yo-Yo, Carrots and Apples have a 4-note synth organ theme, (B, A, G♯, E) which sounds similar to the song, “Pretty Rachel” by Gerald “Maxwell” Rivera or the Qumi-Qumi theme and then the PBS Kids jingle in what sounds like E and A at the same time. Frisbee Climb, Jelly Sandwich and Jump Rope had the 4/4 drum beat replaced with an exotic-like drum music.
 * Moonwalk, Beehive, Waterski, Collecting Fruits and Lab Splat have the music in B♭ and then we hear the PBS Kids Jingle.
 * Fireflies, Tuba, Trapeze, Gunshot Wound and Parachute have shrill music and then we hear the PBS Kids jingle in its regular pitch.
 * Lemonade, Paint Flip, Bats, and Comet have an accordion tune sounding similar to the CBN and NBC jingles in E minor with a random bottle synth and the PBS Kids jingle in A.

Music/ Sounds Variants: On DVDs and other media, a female announcer is heard saying "PBS Kids opens the world of possibility, thanks to PBS stations and viewers like you".

Availability: Current, but currently in the process of being phased out. This logo was first seen on Peg + Cat and is currently used on PBS Kids programming. Oddly enough, this plasters previous logos and the closing funding credits on 2013-17 reruns of ''Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman'', but otherwise doesn't appear at all on the PBS Kids Channel. This logo also plasters the 1971 PBS logo and 1999 PBS Kids logo on the 2018 week-long rebroadcast of vintage episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, beginning with "Death of a Goldfish", and it also appears on newer entries into the Saturday morning rotation. Don't expect to see this on the older Saturday morning package, however—episodes from that package retain the classic Dash and Dot logos. Also seen on the final episode of the PBS Kids Preschool block on October 7, 2013. Starting on July 19, 2022, PBS Kids rolled out a new multi-platform logo without the Dash character, which resulted in changes to older branding elements like these. An on air rebrand will also follow - a transitional period between the two logos is underway.

Editor's Note: These logos have been rather divisive among fans. Some dislike the new artstyle, faster pacing, character designs, and removal of Dash. Other fans like the logos however, finding them cute and creative.

9th Logo (November 21, 2018-)
Nicknames: "The PBS Kids Bubble IX", "The Yoyo", "The Paintballs"

Logo: We see the PBS Kids logo either still or getting formed by objects.

Variants: Each vary by show:


 * Let's Go Luna/Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum: A colorful yoyo is seen spinning on a light blue background. Suddenly, the yoyo's string disappears and the yoyo morphs into the PBS Kids circular logo with Dash in it.
 * TVO Kids and National Geographic Kids airings don't have this logo appearing at all.
 * Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019): Several paintballs fly and combine together to form the PBS Kids logo, then Dash looks up at the PBS Kids text.
 * Elinor Wonders Why: It's an updated version of the 3rd logo: just a still PBS Kids logo superimposed on the credits. Prints on DVD don't have the logo.

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the TV series.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Clifford the Big Red Dog, it uses a ukulele theme with a 12-note whistling tune and dance-vibe drum beats, the first four notes sound similar to the Disney Channel logo.
 * On PBS Kids airings of said series, it is silent.

Availability: Again, current, though it is being phased out in favor of the next logo. Currently used on PBS Kids programming that has used it in original production. Some shows that are PBS Kids original productions, like Hero Elementary, which uses the Twin Cities PBS logo followed by Portfolio Entertainment, and Donkey Hodie, may not use it. The logo was also used as a station ident. Don't expect this to be on newer episodes of PBS Kids programs that recently aired on PBS Kids before either the series premiere date of Let's Go Luna or on Sesame Street. Doesn't appear on Rosie's Rules as resulted for the new logo. As mentioned for the previous logo, PBS Kids introduced a new multi-platform logo, so this logo is in the process of being phased out.

Editor's Note: None.

10th Logo (June 30, July 19, 2022-)
Logo: Reuses animation from the 2013 logos, but with an updated design for the logo itself. The new logo omits Dash and consists of a blue circle containing the text "PBS KIDS", "PBS" in green and "KIDS" in white.

Variants: TBA.

FX/SFX: Same as the 8th logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 8th logo.

Availability: Brand new. Debuted in a sizzle reel on June 30, 2022. It made its television debut on July 19 in the same year.

Editor's Note: The design of the new logo is polarizing, with some considering it another victim to the minimalization trend in logo design and others considering it a breath of fresh air.

1st Logo (September 4, 2000-February 25, 2006)
JhENCKLfH-c SUYhvXfXnHQ 2SX26KOVD18 T44BtkQzN0k Nicknames: "Thinking Children", "PBS Kids Ready To Learn"

Logo: On a background with two halves of different colors, we see a kid's head and a thought bubble on the bottom and top halves. The background transforms from two different objects to another kid's head. The sponsors for the shows on which this bumper appeared on are next to the kids' heads. Throughout the bumper, the kids' heads smile at the viewer and look around.
 * PBS Kids Ready To Learn: The top half is yellow and the bottom half is blue. On the bottom left, there is a girl's head. The thought bubble has a flower, music notes, and a boy's head.
 * US Department of Education: The top half is orange and the bottom half is green. On the bottom left, there is a boy's head. The thought bubble has a truck, a kite, and another girl's head.
 * Corporation for Public Broadcasting: The top half is red, the bottom half is yellow, and a girl's head is placed on the bottom right. The objects appearing in the thought bubble above the girl's head are a monkey, a star, and a snow (or ice cream) cone.

Variants:
 * On Reading Rainbow, Season 2 of Clifford the Big Red Dog, Sesame Street, and Clifford's Puppy Days, the PBS Kids Ready To Learn logo is replaced with the text "Ready To Learn Television Cooperative Agreement".
 * On Clifford's Puppy Days, Season 2 of Clifford, Reading Rainbow, and Sesame Street, the circular PBS Kids logo (with a registered trademark symbol) is shown before the CPB logo.
 * The CPB logo isn't seen on some episodes of Clifford's Puppy Days.
 * A prototype variant seen on Season 1 of Clifford the Big Red Dog and Plaza Sésamo has the music notes, the kite, and the monkey missing from the thought bubbles.
 * On Sesame Street, Clifford's Puppy Days, Dragon Tales, and later episodes of Clifford the Big Red Dog, there is a byline under the CPB logo that reads "A private corporation funded by the American people".
 * On various Reading Rainbow DVDs, the "Ready To Learn Television Cooperative Agreement" variant is used, and it's in VHS quality. On others, the "PBS Kids Ready To Learn" version is used and it has a more washed-out color scheme.
 * Sometimes, the PBS Kids Ready to Learn logo has two registered trademark symbols.
 * For Sesame Street and Dragon Tales, the kids heads and bubbles were removed while the logos are centered on the screen. Also, the CPB logo appears on the second screen as well. For season 3 episodes of Dragon Tales, the words "Viewers Like You" and "Thank You" appear on top of the red/yellow half screen with the girl, but the CPB logo and the thought bubble are removed.

FX/SFX: The background switching colors, the objects in the thought bubbles changing, and the kids' heads smiling and looking around. All done in still photo animation by Lee Hunt Associates.

Music/Sounds: A synth tune with beating drums, scatting, and a whoosh sound at the end, composed by Baron & Baron.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Season 2 of Dragon Tales, the music is extended and there is another whoosh sound at the beginning.
 * On Season 1 of Clifford and Plaza Sésamo, the music is slightly sped-up.
 * On Plaza Sésamo, there is a different recording of the same male announcer as the Dragon Tales variant reading the funding credits (with the exception of "Is funded in part by" and "Through the corporation for public broadcasting since they were reused from the DT variant).
 * On Sesame Street, it's an instrumental brass/woodwind version of the show's theme song.
 * On Reading Rainbow, the music starts and cuts off partway through.

Voice-overs:
 * Clifford the Big Red Dog:
 * Season 1: Charlie (Gary LeRoi) says "Clifford is funded in part by a Ready To Learn grant from the US Department of Education through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
 * Season 2: Cleo (Cree Summer) says "Clifford is funded in part by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service. And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and from viewers like you."
 * Clifford's Puppy Days:
 * "Clifford is funded in part by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service. And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and from viewers like you."
 * "Clifford is funded in part by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service. And by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you."
 * Plaza Sésamo and Dragon Tales (Season 2): "This program is funded in part by a Ready To Learn grant from the US Department of Education... through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
 * Reading Rainbow:
 * "Reading Rainbow is also made possible by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service." (DVD versions edit out the word "also".)
 * 2004-2005 episodes (opening): "This program was funded in part by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service."
 * 2005 episodes (closing): "And by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service."
 * Sesame Street: Gordon (Roscoe Orman) says "Sesame Street is also brought to you by a Ready To Learn television cooperative agreement from the US Department of Education through the Public Broadcasting Service. And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."
 * Dragon Tales (Season 3): "This program was funded in part by a Ready to Learn, No Child Left Behind grant from the US Department of Education though the Public Broadcasting Service, and by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you, thank you".

Availability: Was common in the past, but is now uncommon. It is becoming hard to find on TV, as certain shows it appeared on either no longer air on PBS or have been plastered with a new funding screen. Was seen on Clifford the Big Red Dog, Seasons 2-3 of Dragon Tales, Clifford's Puppy Days, Seasons 33-35 of Sesame Street, Plaza Sésamo, and certain episodes of Reading Rainbow (as well as all post-2003 reruns of the show). Preserved on certain Reading Rainbow and Dragon Tales VHS tapes and DVDs. The Clifford's Puppy Days variants are the only variants that can still be seen on TV, as the show did not receive an updated funding screen, and although the show has stopped airing regularly on PBS since 2014, reruns continue to be shown on certain holidays. The Clifford the Big Red Dog, Sesame Street, and Plaza Sésamo variants are extinct. So for the last time, you better check your old recordings.

Editor's Note: These funding bumpers are very well-known and fondly remembered by many.

2nd Logo (2017- )
Nicknames: "The Lazy Funding Screens", "The Return of Funding Templates"

Logo: We see some animals (or robots for the Clifford variant) doing an activity like dancing or playing a game while the funding credits are announced. The animation for these are usually recycled from existing station idents used by PBS stations.

Variants:
 * For special presentations like the Gruffalo and Friends event, a generic funding screen is used with the voiceover "This program is made possible in part by contributions to your PBS station by viewers like you, thank you." Three dogs (two of which look like an Airedale and a Scottish terrier) dig up and fight over bones until all three of them end up finding one.
 * For Let's Go Luna, we see a squirrel surrounded by acorns. A massive flock of red birds fights over the acorns, leaving one sad bird without any acorns to eat behind. The squirrel gives the sad bird its last acorn. The funding credits are on screen.
 * For Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, we see rabbits in a garden popping out of holes and chasing each other while the funding credits appear on screen.
 * For Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019 series), we see robots dancing on a conveyor belt while the funding credits appear on screen.
 * For Elinor Wonders Why, we see a city background with a bird on a bench. There are also many black and yellow buildings, some trees, and a sailboat on a pond. The bird watches the funding credits appear on screen.
 * For Rosie's Rules, it uses the same as the Elinor Wonders Why funding screen.

FX/SFX: Animation that is recycled from existing station idents, as mentioned above.

Music/Sounds:
 * The generic funding screen uses slow relaxing music that sounds similar to some Animal Crossing music.
 * The Let's Go Luna funding screen uses faster and upbeat music.
 * The Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum funding screen recycles music from a 2008 PBS Kids station ID.
 * The Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019 series) funding screen uses jazzy music.
 * The Elinor Wonders Why and Rosie's Rules funding screens use the music from the "Birdhouse" system cue.

Availability: Current.

Editor's Note: None.