Nick Jr. Productions

Background
Nick Jr. Productions was the television production arm of Nickelodeon's preschool block, Nick Jr., founded in 1993. On February 2, 2009, the Nick Jr. Productions brand was folded into Nickelodeon Productions, as Nick Jr. was re-branded as "Nickelodeon's Play Date" at the same time (though the block's name would return to Nick in 2014). However, international Nick Jr. channels (most notably Nick Jr. UK) continue to use a Nick Jr. production tag (usually in-credit) at the end of their shows.

1st Logo (April 5, 1993-2000)
Nicknames: "Game Of Catch", "Holding Hands", "Air Catch", "Father and Son", "Pretend Catch"

Logo: On a white background, an orange dad with "NICK" on his body and a blue child with "JR" on his body are seen making "throwing" motions, like they are playing catch. The orange dad throws underhand and the blue child throws overhand. Several black lines and curved lines are drawn, tracing the motion of their arms. They jump to each other and hold their hands together. The copyright stamp is below.

Variants:


 * On the first two Max & His Alphabet Adventures shorts, a still version is shown on a black background. This variant also appears with a copyright stamp at the end of a Little Bear preview on the VHS release of Blue's Clues: Blue's Big Musical Movie.
 * On Allegra's Window, the words "Grow, Learn and Play" appear above the logo.
 * On Little Bear and the Blue's Clues: Blue's Safari VHS release, the copyright notice is omitted.
 * On an early VHS release of Little Bill, the logo is still and on a yellow background. Below is the word "Productions" in black, along with the copyright stamp. This may have been a prototype version of the 3rd logo.

FX/SFX: The moving arms and jumping; digitally-colored cel animation by Lee Corey.

Music/Sounds: Usually the end theme of the show plays over, but sometimes it had its own music: a synthesized piano jingle whose notes corresponded to the movements (the ending of which is similar to the Touchstone Television logo).

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Allegra’s Window, we hear a child giggling and an ascending xylophone followed by the show‘s finishing theme song.
 * On the Blue's Clues: Blue's Safari VHS release, we hear the Blue's Clues ending theme's guitar pluck from the 2nd logo.

Availability: Rare. This was originally used as a Nick Jr. ID. Appeared on several shows of the era, such as Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window. It was on Little Bear episodes from 1995 to late-1999, and at the end of the Blue's Clues: Blue's Safari VHS release. It's still preserved on Little Bear and Gullah Gullah Island reruns on Nick Jr. (formerly Noggin), as well as VHS releases of Allegra's Window, Gullah Gullah Island, and Little Bear (along with the 1995 Paramount Television logo). The still version can be also found at the beginning of the Blue's Clues video trailer on the VHS releases of Blue's Discoveries, Blue's Big Treasure Hunt, Blue's Big Pajama Party, Blue's Safari, Magenta Comes Over, and Stop, Look, and Listen. Once the 3rd logo was introduced, this was used in tandem with it until the beginning of the 21st century.

Editor's Note: This is a very memorable logo for those who grew up with the Nick Jr block in the 1990s.

2nd Logo (September 8, 1996-March 2, 2004)
Nicknames: "The Animals", "Alternate Logo", "Different Characters", "Father and Son II"

Logo: On a black background, a still version of the Nick Jr. logo is seen (it varies in shape, like Nickelodeon's). The parent has "NICK" on its body while their child has "JR" on its body. It fades out after 3-4 seconds. The copyright stamp in the logo reads "© [YEAR] VIACOM International, INC.", or sometimes not at all.

Animals: The animals in the logo vary for each episode that has this logo (even episodes that have the same pair of creatures) from the following:
 * Cat and kitten
 * Dog and puppy
 * Elephants (2 versions)
 * Pig and piglet
 * Giraffes
 * Duck and duckling
 * Chicken and chick
 * Rooster and chick
 * Frogs
 * Penguins
 * Monkeys
 * Kangaroo and joey
 * Seals
 * Hippos
 * Bear and cub
 * Turtles
 * Dinosaurs
 * Lion and cub
 * Porcupines
 * Rabbits
 * Fish
 * Swans
 * Crocodiles
 * A dad with a child holding hands together (see the 1st logo)
 * A dad holding a child (see the 3rd logo)
 * A dad and a child walking
 * A dad and a child running

Variants:


 * On 1999-2001 Blue's Clues VHS releases, the copyright is extended to read "©[YEAR] Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Blue's Clues and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc."
 * A version exists without copyright info exists on the first two Blue's Clues VHS tapes ever released: "Arts and Crafts" and "Story Time". The ending theme of said show plays over this.
 * Starting in June 2001, the logo would be used as a primary closing logo at the end of VHS and DVD releases from Nick Jr. The "Monkeys", "Bears" and "Pigs" variants are known to be used.
 * On the 2001 VHS Nick Jr.'s Imagine That!, the "Monkeys" logo is small, and three copyrights are under it:
 * For the Dora the Explorer episode "Sticky Tape", the top copyright reads "©2001 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Dora the Explorer and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc."
 * For the Blue's Clues episode "Blue's Big Treasure Hunt", the middle copyright reads "©2001 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Blue's Clues and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc."
 * For the Little Bill episode "Super Family Fun Land", the bottom copyright reads "©2001 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Little Bill is a trademark of Smiley Inc. Original Little Bill characters ©1997 William H. Cosby Jr."

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The end of the Blue's Clues closing theme, which concludes with a guitar pluck and a small squeak.

Music/Sounds Variants:


 * Sometimes on Blue's Clues, the ending theme can be heard without the guitar pluck, or it can be silent.
 * On the Blue's Clues episode "What is Blue Afraid Of?", the General Series 6000 "CAT - DOMESTIC: SINGLE MEOW, ANIMAL 01" sound effect plays, followed by the guitar pluck.
 * On later episodes of the UK version of Blue's Clues, audio from the 3rd logo can be heard, which is most likely a reverse plaster.
 * VHS and DVD releases from Nick Jr. shows omit the guitar pluck.

Availability: Uncommon. On TV, this logo mainly appeared on Blue's Clues. It was last seen when the show reran on Nick Jr. (formerly "Noggin") on July 1, 2019, although the series is intact on Amazon Prime Video and its VHS releases along with the 1995 Paramount Television logo, with the exceptions of Blue's Birthday, Blue's Discoveries and Blue's Safari. Although Blue's Clues was the only show to air this logo on TV, the silent version without the copyright stamp can also be found on some VHS and DVD releases of Dora the Explorer and Little Bill. The last Blue's Clues episode to use this logo was Blue's Big Holiday. This will not appear on post-October 2003 releases because this is cut out, leaving the Nickelodeon "Haypile/Scribble". Starting in August 2001, a new elephants logo was made for international prints of Oswald. It also should be seen on the UK and Portugal versions of Blue's Clues.

Editor's Note: This logo is a favorite for those that are fans of Blue's Clues, especially for those that grew up watching the show.

3rd Logo (November 28, 1999-February 2, 2009)
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Nicknames: "Father and Son III", "The Clay Logo", "Bouncing Boys", "Hugging Boys"

Logo: On a yellow "swirly" background, we see the orange dad and a blue child from the 1st logo, both with "NICK" and "JR" on their bodies. They bounce around as the word "Productions", in a childish multicolored font with a little red heart on the letter "I", forms. The dad & child both hug together after the logo completely forms (closely resembling a variant from the 1st logo).

Variants:


 * On 2000-2001 episodes of Little Bear and some episodes of Dora the Explorer, a warp-speed version can be seen.
 * Strangely, this logo was spotted after the split-screen credits on the November 5th, 2007 airing of the 2007 Nick Jr. TV movie Dora Saves the Mermaids. It might be considered an error on the production or broadcast.
 * On Little Bill, a copyright notice is seen. On VHS prints of said show, the first frame of the regular copyright stops the logo, causing the heart on the "I" to be tilted instead of straight.
 * On Whoopi's Littleburg, an extended copyright notice in blue can be seen.

FX/SFX: Clay animation by Webster Colcord. Colcord animated this logo in his garage on a downshooter setup on glass. The background was a watercolor painting, Ed Navarro did the lighting, and the letters were animated in CG by Jeffery Roth.

Music/Sounds: A bongo rhythm and a tuba playing a rendition of the Nick Jr. "Just for me!" theme, accompanied by kids laughing and a Hanna-Barbera "BOING!" sound when they jump. Mixed at Clack Sound Studios.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On The Backyardigans, the ending theme plays over it.
 * On Whoopi’s Littleburg, the logo is silent.
 * On a DVD print of the Dora the Explorer episode "Swiper the Explorer", one second of the ending theme plays over it, followed by the logo's music. TV airings had this logo with the music starting regularly without the end theme, otherwise, the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo will plaster it.
 * On shows such as Blue’s Clues and Little Bill, the ending theme trails off onto the logo.

Availability: Common. It can be seen on pre-2005 episodes of shows like Blue's Clues beginning with the episode "Pool Party", The Backyardigans, Little Bill, etc. on Nick Jr. and pre-2009 episodes of Dora the Explorer on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., excluding Max and Ruby. It plasters over the 2nd logo at the end of the first three episodes on the DVD release of Blue's Clues: Blue's Biggest Stories.

Editor's Note: A very nice and well-animated logo that's a favorite of those who grew up with Nick Jr. during this logo's usage.

4th Logo (2001-2010)
Nickname: "Father and Son IV", "In-Credit Father and Son"

Logo: Essentially the same as the 1st logo, but it is still and in-credit.

Variants:


 * On some shows, the logo has a yellow outline and/or the word "Join in!" is under the logo. Said variant was used on a white background on some UK prints of Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps.
 * Another variant exists with the logo in a white square.
 * Most shows used the "Father and Son" logo. However, depending on the show, it can be a different creature/shape/person.
 * Sometimes, the outline is a different color.
 * A version exists with the URL "www.nick.co.uk".
 * On 2009 episodes of Peppa Pig, the word "NICK" is off-centered.
 * On Nick Jr. UK airings of Season 8 episodes of Thomas and Friends, it has the tagline "A Nickelodeon UK Channel" under the logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the show, or in other cases, none.

Availability: Uncommon. This logo can be seen on select episodes of Fifi and the Flowertots and Roary the Racing Car on PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids). Also seen on on 2002-2004 episodes of Thomas and Friends (in the UK only), seasons 1-2 and the first half of season 3 of Peppa Pig and the first season of Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom on Nick Jr. Strangely, this was also seen on Peppa Pig when it aired back in 2005 on Cartoon Network's short-lived "Tickle U" block. It also made a surprise appearance on the U.S. Thomas & Friends DVDs "Percy's Chocolate Crunch and Other Thomas Adventures" (2003) and "Best of Gordon" (2004). Don’t expect to see this on Nickelodeon airings of older Peppa Pig episodes though, as it is either plastered with the 7th logo or removed entirely.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (2001-2004)
Logo: We see a postcard with a stamp placed to the right of the screen, with the orange dad and the blue son from the previous logos visible in the stamp. The blue son jumps around, and is then picked up by the orange dad, with their final pose looking identical to one of the variants from the second logo. The text "A Nickelodeon UK Channel" fades in below the dad and son. A copyright stamp can be seen below.

Variant:


 * An opening variant exists where the postcard, the stamp and the copyright stamp are omitted and after "A Nickelodeon UK Channel" fades in, big text reading "presents" (in a round font) fades in.

FX/SFX: The little animation of the dad and son.

Music/Sounds: The sound of a child giggling and laughing.

Availability: Ultra rare. This logo (and the opening variant) was only ever seen on You Do Too, a show aired on Nick Jr. UK during the early 2000s. The show hasn't been seen since it's original run outside of a brief rerun period in 2010, and so both the show and this logo are incredibly hard to find.

6th Logo (2004)


Nickname: "Nick Jr. Frogs"

Logo: On a green background, we see two frogs, one orange and one blue. Then, a fly appears, and the orange frog tries to catch it twice, but then the blue frog catches it. The orange frog gets surprised and laughs with the blue frog as the words "NICK JR" appear on the frogs. Then, fireworks appear below them, spelling "PRODUCTIONS".

FX/SFX: Cel-shaded CG animation by Virtual Persuasion.

Music/Sounds: A strange fantasy tune, a stock fly buzzing sound, the frogs giggling, and a five-note tune at the end based on Nick Jr.'s then-current "Where I Play To Learn" jingle.

Availability: Unused. This logo was created as a possible replacement for the 3rd logo, but it was never used on-air. It was falsely long rumored to have appeared on the premiere of Dora's Pirate Adventure.

Editor’s Note: Even though it has cute animation, this can be considered a wasted logo.

7th Logo (August 22, 2005-February 2, 2009)
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Nicknames: "Father and Son VI", "Father and Son on Water", "The Puddle", "Playing Boys", "Hugging Boys II", "Colorful Puddle", "Rainbow Puddle"

Logo: On a light blue/green gradient background, the orange dad and a blue child are playing on a colorful puddle. Then, after they jump around and splash in the puddle, the words "NICK JR" can be seen on both bodies like the 1st logo, while the word "Serif" appears below. The two boys are hugging together again after the company's name appears.

Variants: Here is a list of the variations of this logo:
 * There is an edited version of the logo, which cuts out the first 1.9 seconds of the regular version.
 * There exists a second-longer version which has a different laugh and the puddle appears after 0.5 seconds.
 * On the Blue's Clues 10th Anniversary special Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue, a copyright notice is shown.
 * On The Wonder Pets! and 2007 airings of Go, Diego, Go!, the logo starts with the orange dad and blue child jumping.

FX/SFX: The father and son playing on a puddle and hugging together again (see the previous logo), produced by Primal Screen in Atlanta, GA.

Music/Sounds: A nice piece of music played by a violin and an oboe, with the melody being a 4-note marimba tune followed by a 9-note clarinet sounder. The music is accompanied by kids laughing and puddle splashing sounds.

Music/Sounds Variants:


 * On The Backyardigans and Behind The Clues: 10 Years with Blue, the ending theme plays over the logo.
 * On the Blue's Room episode "Knights of the Snack Table", the regular music is high pitched.
 * The longer version has a xylophone remix of Nick Jr.'s 2005 jingle with a different laugh.
 * On Dora's World Adventure and Dora Saves the Mermaids, the 3rd logo's music is heard.

Availability: Pretty common.
 * The short version of the logo can be seen on The Wonder Pets! and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan on Nick Jr. The long version appears on Go, Diego, Go! and The Backyardigans on DVD. Another sighting of this logo was seen twice on the Blue's Clues 10th Anniversary special Behind the Clues: 10 Years with Blue, during the interview with the pilot, and at the end after the County Line Productions logo, and did appear in season 2 of Blue's Room. It was also seen on the Blue's Clues series finale "Meet Blue's Baby Brother".
 * The second-longer version appears on early episodes of Go, Diego, Go! and was a network ID on CBS.
 * The logo was retired on February 2, 2009 in favor of the 2008 Nickelodeon Productions "Lightbulb" logo.

Editor's Note: This logo is well-liked for those who are fans of Nick Jr. shows during the time period, especially to those who grew up with them.

8th Logo (September 24, 2010-)
Logo: Same as the 4th logo, but the new Nick Jr. logo is used.

Variant: There are many depending on the show that airs.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The show's end theme.

Availability: Seen on Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom episodes since season 2 and Peppa Pig episodes since the 2nd half of season 3. Usually seen whenever the latter airs on Nickelodeon, and even plasters the 4th logo at times, but sometimes it's removed.

Editor's Note: None.

Final Note: Post-2009 Nick Jr. shows now use the current Nickelodeon Productions logo instead.