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)
Logo: On a black background, a purple TV tube shape can be seen, in which it has an anthropomorphic rhino inside it. The rhino has an Elvis-like pompadour, a jacket with zippers on them, and appears to be grinning at us, while snapping his fingers. A diamond transition then brings forth the hot pink text "RHINO" in a 50's-era styled font, each on unevenly placed squares that invert colors for every other letter. Below it is the word "VIDEO".

Variant: A opening variant found on Bizarre Music Television has the logo in black on a cornflower blue background. "RHINO VIDEO PRESENTS" in a yellow serif font fades in over it.

Trivia: This same rhino was also used for the print logo for Rhino Records at the time, illustrated by Will Stout in 1974, although the rhino here lacks the record on his horn. The rhino's name is also Rocky, according to the 1983 Rhino Records catalog cover.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Can be seen on the original copy of Johnny Legend presents: Commercial Mania, and maybe on other videotapes.

Legacy: This seems like a prototype for the next logo. However, it's unknown if a video contains the real animation.

2nd Logo (1987-1993)


Logo: On a white background, multiple blue scribbles with red shadows are seen, possibly supposed to be stones, while a large serif "1" can be seen. The screen buzzes with white for a second, which it then flashes to a "2" in the same font and different-looking "stone" scribbles. It then buzzes with white again, changing to a "3" on a different scribble background, filled with light green, yellow, and teal strokes. It then fades to an actual stone wall with a white plate in the middle of it. On it is the Rhino Video logo from before, but fully colorized with a skin colored rhino with a black pompadour and jacket, and a white gloved hand. Above it is "RHINO" in the same configuration from before, but with black letters and cycling multi-colored squares, and below that is "VIDEO" in the same font from before as well. The screen then suddenly starts rapidly flashing white, in which the rhino snaps its fingers, developing a yellow glow around the tube, the squares to stop shifting colors, and the rhino also winks at us (which is hardly noticeable). After several seconds of flashing, it stops and the logo slowly fades out.

Technique: The flashing.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Uncommon. It can be seen on most releases from this time period like Commercial Mania: Special Edition.

3rd Logo (1993-February 16, 2003)
Logo: On a light gray stone background, a large silver "RHINO" word flies in on the left, which is in a serif font but is also arranged like the 1978 wordmark. The whole thing then suddenly shifts to the right, where a red football-like oval is seen behind it. Passing through the "O", the logo straightens itself out and settles onto the background, which shifts to a darker, different-looking stone background. The words also seem to zoom back a bit.

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

Technique: 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. It has also been spotted on My Dinner with Jimi.

4th Logo (1999-2009)


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

Technique: The zoom and shine.

Music/Sounds: The same music from Plastic Wax, which is a stock piece.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on DVDs of music videos, many Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs and later VHS releases of the show, as well as some Transformers Armada and Gumby DVDs.