British Columbia Film Classification Office

Background
British Columbia Film Classification Office is, since 2007, a division of Consumer Protection BC (Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority), a government agency of the Canadian province of British Columbia responsible for regulating businesses and consumer transactions within the province. The BCFCO's responsibilities is to classify and censor films that are exhibited within British Columbia in accordance with the province's Motion Picture Act. The provinces of Manitoba (since 2018), Ontario, and Saskatchewan also use the British Columbian film ratings via bilateral agreements.

In August 1960, the Restricted Cougar symbol was introduced (under the direction of R.W. MacDonald, the chief censor at the time) to accompany films classified with the Restricted category due to increased public demand for film rating information. That symbol (copyrighted on July 6, 1965 and trademarked on April 29, 1966) was chosen because the animal it represents is the largest wildcat native to British Columbia. The famous cougar symbol was discontinued in 1997 to give way for the new 18A rating when the government of British Columbia updated its film rating system to be consistent with the Canadian Home Video Rating System; several years later, the symbol was brought back to classify films "with artistic, educational, scientific, historic, or political merit" that are exhibited only for ages 18 and above.

1st Bumper (Late 1970s?-December 31, 1996?)
jnuux7Rfok0

Nicknames: "Kitten", "For Your Information..."

Bumper: On a black background, a box wipes from the left side of the screen and reaches the left boundary of a tall darker red box which touches the top of the screen. Above and below the long red box is a dark yellow square and a square, respectively (which were already there before the long red box wipes in). The phrase "FOR YOUR INFORMATION...", with the third word below the first two, appears in a bold Franklin Gothic font. Then, the bottom square fades into a footage of a white kitten playing with yarn. The "FOR YOUR INFORMATION.." text disappears as the top square fades to a footage of a different white and dark-colored kitten playing with yarn. The tall darker red box fades into a footage of a dark kitten playing with yarn while the phrase "THE FOLLOWING FILM IS..." (in the same font as the previous caption with a new line after the second word) fades in. The white text then fades into the Restricted Cougar symbol (facing right) with the word "RESTRICTED" in a bold Franklin Gothic font. The following text fades in together with the cougar symbol, in the same font as the captions inside the red box, right-aligned and positioned below the red box:

NO ADMITTANCE TO PERSONS UNDER 18

FX/SFX: The red box wiping in, the captions appearing and disappearing, the squares and the tall box fading into the footage of the kittens, and the restricted cougar symbol appearing along with the accompanying text below.

Music/Sounds: An orchestral fanfare.

Availability: Rare.
 * It was seen in film theaters located in British Columbia during the time period.
 * It also appears in the 2007 double feature film Grindhouse, shown before the Planet Terror segment.
 * Since November 2011, this and the other bumpers can be seen on this YouTube playlist, courtesy of Consumer Protection BC.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Bumper (1970s-December 31, 1996?)
KQv_UIg495I

Nicknames: "Jungle", "Cartoon Cougar I", "1970s Cartoon Cougar", "Blue Cougar"

Bumper: A young blue cougar, facing the viewer's left, is strolling along a jungle (we can see a tree and some flowers in front of it). When it hears a roar, it turns around, then continues walking until it stops near a dark tree and wags its lower left paw. Then it looks surprised, with its tail pointing upward, then a lightning bolt strikes, startling the cougar. The cougar runs offscreen to the left, and the camera pans leftwards (focusing on the dark tree) to a dark blue background with the Restricted Cougar symbol (facing left). As the cougar symbol's tail wiggles to its normal position, the following lines of white text appear one-by-one: "THE FOLLOWING FILM IS" (above the cougar), "RESTRICTED" (on the cougar), and "LIMITED ADMISSION" (below the cougar). The word "RESTRICTED" is in a bold Futura-like font, with the text above and below the cougar in Microgramma Bold Extended. The cougar then growls.

FX/SFX: The blue cougar walking and turning around, the lightning strike, and the transition to the Restricted Cougar on a blue background.

Music/Sounds: Chirping crickets, screeching monkeys, and the roars of a cougar along with bongos.

Availability: Same as above.
 * It was seen in film theaters located in British Columbia during the time period.
 * It also appears in the 2007 film Grindhouse and in the 2012 film The Sleeper.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Bumper (Late 1980s-December 31, 1996)
Ucj8suFprBU

Nicknames: "Sold Out", "Movie Theaters"

Bumper: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Rare.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Bumper (Late 1980s-December 31, 1996)
nDVHMbB320c

Nickname: "Poolhall"

Bumper: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Bumper (Late 1980s-December 31, 1996)
2lfPZmWkns0

Nicknames: "Monkey", "Changing Channels"

Bumper: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Bumper (Late 1980s-December 31, 1996)
R2uKdK-aTf8

Nicknames: "Bijou", "Cartoon Cougar II", "1980s Cartoon Cougar"

Bumper: TBA.

FX/SFX: TBA.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Same as before.

Editor's Note: None.