4Kids Entertainment

Background
4Kids Entertainment was a American production company that was established in 1970 initially as "Leisure Concepts, Inc.", specializing in the acquisition, production, and licensing of children's entertainment around the world. The company was most well-known for its range of television licenses, which included the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! media franchises. The company also operated a few program blocks, including the Fox block 4Kids TV (formerly FoxBox) and The CW4Kids (later Toonzai). In April 2011, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in response to a lawsuit from Nihon Ad Systems and TV Tokyo concerning their Yu-Gi-Oh! license; the lawsuit has since been resolved. In 2012, 4Kids' entertainment assets were sold to Saban Brands and 4K Acquisition Group (a subsidiary of Konami), due to lack of profitability. 4Kids was eventually rebranded to 4Licensing Corporation, though they would later file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again in September of 2016, officially shutting down in February 2017.

1st Logo (September 16-December 9, 1995)


Logo: On a murky bluish background, we see a a black filmstrip with the words "4KIDS" (in capital letters) and a red rectangle with the word "PRODUCTIONS" below. Behind the logo, a purple-red supernova-like explosion occurs and releases some blasts.

Technique: 2D computer effects.

Audio: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on the first season of WMAC Masters.

2nd Logo (1996-February 22, 2000)
Logo: On the background from the previous logo, a silver embossed plate that contains the 4Kids logo (which is a silver rectangle with "4Kids" in blue against it, with "PRODUCTIONS" and a red line underneath on the blue rectangle outline) swings up and stays put in the middle, as an explosion which is similiar from before occurs. After a small shimmer hits part of the plate, the supernova in the background flashes.

Variants:
 * On some shows, the logo starts at the part where the "shimmer" hits the plate.
 * On the rare theatrical trailer of Pokémon: The First Movie, "ENTERTAINMENT" replaces "PRODUCTIONS". This variant seems to run in slow/delayed motion. This variant also has no registered trademark "®" symbol.
 * A still version of the "ENTERTAINMENT" variant with the plate taking up the entirety of the screen was spotted on the Game Boy Video cartridges of Pokémon and Sonic X. this can be discovered seen on the Yu-Gi-Oh! cartridge.
 * When Kids WB! aired Pokémon: Indigo League, this logo and The Summit Media Group logo was played in split-screen due to the block's own split-screen credits (the next logo is used instead on other prints).

Technique: 2D computer effects.

Audio: Several ascending whooshing noises, followed by a "bang"; 2 synth notes play in the background. Otherwise, it's the closing theme of the show. On later episodes of WMAC Masters, there is a mystical, ethereal theme synchronized to the logo's actions, which carries on over to The Summit Media Group logo.

Availability:
 * The full version is seen on VHS and DVD releases of Pokémon: Indigo League from "Pokémon, I Choose You!" until "Totally Togepi".
 * The short version appears on Season 2 of WMAC Masters and at the end of Pokémon: Indigo League episodes until "The Breeding Center Secret".

Legacy: It's remembered fondly by many that watched the English dub of Pokémon, though not as remembered as the next logo below.

1st Logo (September 4, 1999-September 3, 2005)
Main Logos=

Split-Screen Variants=

Logo: On a swirly background with a fusion of blue/golden/green colors, we see a plate, two triangles and one square fly in the center. They then rotate and swing around, forming an updated version of the "plate" design from the last logo, only there is no outline, "4" is "cut out" in the square", and the plate overall has a shinier/reflective effect on it. "Kids", in blue, shines onto the plate, while the red-underlined text "ENTERTAINMENT" wipes in underneath.

Variants:
 * Sometimes, this plays at warp speed.
 * Sometimes, this may be shown in a letterboxed format on TV.
 * Some shows (such as Sonic X and a small handful of Pokémon episodes) with the full credits play the theatrical variant.
 * This logo exists in both videotaped and filmed variants and may be shown in 16:9 (for the filmed variant) or 4:3 (for TV shows and full-screen copies of films).
 * On the 1st (later episodes with the 30 second long credits) and early 2nd season episodes of Pokémon and episodes of Shaman King, the theatrical version of the logo plays in split-screen alongside the logo of the show.
 * Late 2nd season episodes of Pokémon through to the first half of the Advanced Challenge season and early seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh! use a shortened version of the logo that cuts in as the plate finishes forming and "ENTERTAINMENT" fades in. This is used also on original Kids WB! airings of both shows, due to the block's own split-screen credits.
 * There is a weird "muddy" variant on Pokémon Heroes. This is due to the film's English and international releases having a blue tint applied to them for unknown reasons.
 * On 4Kids Home Video releases (distributed by FUNimation Entertainment), a copyright notice appears below, and the logo then cuts to the FUNimation logo from the time. However, some very early 2002 releases lack the copyright date.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Sparkles and a "swoosh" as the text wipes in are heard throughout. On television shows, the closing theme plays over the logo.

Audio Variants:
 * On Pokémon 4Ever, a weird chime-like sound plays over this logo (with the swoosh intact) and the Pokémon USA, Inc. logo.

Availability:
 * The full version of the videotaped variant appears on Pokémon VHS/DVD sets from Volume 17 of Indigo League until Advanced Challenge and on Indigo League episodes from "Pikachu's Goodbye" until "The Purr-fect Hero" (with the closing theme).
 * The versions with the copyright info appear on 4Kids Home Video releases.
 * The full short version of the videotaped variant appears on some episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Kirby! Right Back At Ya! and Sonic X (though on some international prints, it's usually removed by having the TMS Entertainment logo held over it) and on early episodes of their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It was also seen on the first season of their dub of Winx Club and on early episodes of their dub of One Piece.
 * The filmed variant of this logo appears on the first five Pokémon movies and Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light.
 * The full split-screen version of the videotaped variant appears on Pokémon episodes from "Princess vs. Princess" of Indigo League to "Charizard Chills" from Adventures on the Orange Islands.
 * The shortened split-screen variant was first used on "The Pokémon Water War" from "Adventures on the Orange Islands" all the way to "The Bicker the Better" from Advanced Challenge.
 * It also appears on Cubix: Robots for Everyone, Shaman King, and Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes until halfway into the Waking the Dragons season.
 * When Nicktoons in the United States aired the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series in 2013-2014, this logo was plastered with the extended version of the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo, due to Nicktoons using their own split-screen credits instead of using the show's original credits.
 * Strangely, the logo appeared on first-run Cartoon Network US airings of some Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension and Pokémon: DP: Galactic Battles episodes, due to an error on the compressed credits. The CN Video prints did not have this error, thoug.

Legacy: A more recognizable logo that not only appeared at the end of Pokémon, but a lot of their other dubs too, given its more widespread use.

2nd Logo (January 22, 2005-October 25, 2008)
Main Logos=

Split-Screen Variants=

Other Logos=

Logo: On a black background, a red ball appears from the center of the screen and moves towards us and shines, then moves back. When the ball shines, the 4Kids logo appears. When the red ball stops on the "I", there's an explosion, and the explosion causes the 4Kids logo to colorize. After the explosion clears away, we see: "4k!DSTV" written in a large, bulging font with a large red shine over it on what appears to be a space background.

Trivia: The logo's animation and sound effects are later adapted for the bumpers of the 4Kids TV block from 2005-2007.

Variants:
 * As with the previous logo, on 4Kids Home Video releases (distributed by Funimation Entertainment), a copyright notice appears below the logo after it forms.
 * This logo was first called "4Kids Entertainment" before becoming "4Kids TV". In this case, the “4KIDS” text was positioned in a flat way (including the black hole of the exclamation point, before the red ball stops on the "I") and "ENTERTAINMENT" was written below in light blue. This variant of the logo also applied to The CW4Kids and Toonzai, albeit with “ENTERTAINMENT” deleted.
 * At the end of episodes of Pokémon Chronicles, the red ball comes into view as the credits near the end.
 * Episodes of Viva Piñata on the 4Kids video-on-demand service use a completely different logo animation, which uses the alternate jingle stated below.
 * On DVD releases of 4Kids shows, the “entertainment” version of this logo contained a copyright date to the year of the DVD’s release.
 * The "TV" logo was seen on Winx Club: Join the Club for PSP. It appeared on a gradient blue background. This logo was also spotted on Viva Piñata: Party Animals for NDS.
 * On a September 2006 airing of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dawn of the Duel, the logo was incorrectly cropped in the split-screen credits, causing part of the logo to be cut off.
 * On Chaotic, the copyright notices for Dracco Co., Ltd. and Chaotic USA Entertainment Group appear underneath.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A long, drawn-out synth chord plays throughout, with a loud "WHOOSH" as the ball flies into view, and a zapping sound as it hits the logo and colors it. This jingle, however, is limited to appearing on FUNimation DVDs of 4Kids material, as all 4Kids shows have the ending theme of the show playing over the logo. Episodes of Viva Piñata on the 4Kids Video On Demand service use a completely different jingle, which sounds like a bunch of rapid drum beats.

Availability: This logo debuted when the FoxBox block became 4KidsTV in January 2005 and was used during the split-screen credits of shows, plastering the 2nd logo. However, outside of the 4KidsTV block, it made its first appearance halfway through Pokémon: Advanced Challenge and three-quarters of the way through ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Waking the Dragons''.
 * The "entertainment" variant appears on later episodes of their dub of One Piece, some Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes, and on Pokémon Chronicles.
 * Also appears on 4Kids Home Video releases.
 * The splitscreen variant appears on post-2005/2006 episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (from the episodes "Grass Hysteria" until "The Garden of Eatin'?"), Yu-Gi-Oh! (starting from the Waking the Dragons episode "Fighting For A Friend - Part 4"), among others.
 * The "4Kids TV" version appears on many TMNT episodes, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Chaotic (with a copyright notice), Viva Piñata, and Magical DoReMi, among others. It could also be seen on their dub of Winx Club (seasons 2-3 only) and subsequent episodes of their dub of One Piece.
 * The split-screen variant appears on the last four episodes of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (starting from "A Scare to Remember") as well as the 8th and final season of the series to be dubbed by the company, Pokémon: Advanced Battle. It also appears on the first two series of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, in addition to the first arc of season 3 - Survival Duels and the first few Quest of the Rainbow Dragon episodes (The last to feature this logo is the episode "The Return of the Sacred Beasts").

Legacy: Reception for this logo is rather diverse. On one hand, it's another memorable logo for those who grew up with their dubs. On the other hand, this logo is rather infamous due to being during a time when 4Kids was very notorious for its poorly-regarded dubs of anime shows.

3rd Logo (September 8, 2007-October 6, 2012)
Main Logos=

Split-Screen Variants=

Logo: Similar concept to the previous logo, but this time, the red ball flies from the right onto the left and lands on the 4Kids logo, which is positioned in a flat way, with "TV" next to "4Kids" instead of under it. The shine from the logo is also changed to blue, and doesn't shine until a half second when the logo brightens.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The end theme of the show.

Availability: Used in tandem with the previous logo until 2008. Appears on the last 4Kids-produced shows and dubs before their bankruptcy.
 * The standard version appears on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Back to the Sewer and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
 * Appeared on later season 3 episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Quest for the Rainbow Dragon starting with "Breaking of the Sacred Seal" and continuing on with the show's last dub story arc - Into the Shadows (the episode "All For One" onwards). The official YouTube uploads of season 2 plaster the previous logo with this one, for unknown reasons.
 * Also appeared on Dinosaur King and early episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal (though curiously enough, it was used through the French dub of said series). Also applied to the 2007 rebranding of the 4Kids TV block.
 * It does not appear on the first season of The Adrenaline Project, as the logo only appears as an on-screen credit. In addition, on the second season of the show, the credit is removed, leaving only the Decode Entertainment logo in the frame it was on. This was possibly due to 4Kids Entertainment leaving production of The Adrenaline Project after the first season.

Legacy: Same as the previous logo.