Motion Picture Association

1st Bumper (June 28, 1934-August 1, 1935)
Nicknames: "Purity Seal", "Production Code Seal of Approval", "Giant MPPDA Seal"

Bumper: On a charcoal grey background, the seal of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) is seen (in a large size and centered), depicted as a stylized "MPPDA" embedded inside an oval. Superimposed over the seal is the text "This picture approved by the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America.", all in uppercase. On the bottom of the screen, the text "Certificate No.", also in uppercase, is seen, with the film's certificate number to the right of that text.

Trivia:
 * The Production Code Administration required all films released from July 1, 1934 onwards to obtain a certificate of approval before being exhibited to theaters.
 * The first film to be approved under the 1934 Production Code rules is The World Moves On, released on June 28, 1934 and carrying certificate number 1.
 * Films approved by the MPPDA's New York office have a leading zero in the certificate number. Hits of Today (1934), a short subject by Universal Pictures, carried certificate number 01, while Mouse Trek (1967), the last cartoon short produced by Famous Studios, was issued certificate number 06807 (the last number so far with a leading zero).
 * A letter "R" is often added as a suffix to the certificate number for a pre-Production Code film re-released for compliance.
 * In 1935, the MPPDA allowed to just have its seal and the certificate number be incorporated into the titles of short subjects (beginning March 15) and feature films (beginning August 1).

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare.
 * It was seen on MPPDA-approved films released from 1934 to 1935 and pre-Code films re-released for compliance during that time period, including Of Human Bondage (1934, certificate number 53), which has been in the public domain since 1962.
 * It also appears on 1980s and 1990s videocassette and videodisc prints of Animal Crackers and most prints of Monkey Business.
 * This bumper usually appeared before the opening titles of the film.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Bumper (November 1, 1968-May 5, 1975)
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Nickname: "GMRX"

Bumper: On a sky blue background, we see the following text, in yellow:

THE MOTION PICTURE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION Has Rated This Motion Picture

Below it is one of four ratings, all inside an outlined square unless otherwise noted:

The MPAA logo appears below the rating's description. Most of the text is in the Alternate Gothic No. 1 font, while "Has Rated This Motion Picture" is in a Franklin Gothic font, and the rating letter is in Folio. On the X bumper, "16" is taller than the rest of the text.

Trivia:
 * The first film to be given an MPAA rating is Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, which is rated G.
 * The G rating is the only one of the original four film ratings that exists in its original form today.
 * As X-rated features were disqualified from MPAA approval, the MPAA logo does not appear on any of the X bumpers.
 * The MPAA released an advertisement for film theaters called GMRX (pronounced as "gym-rex" and named after the original ratings of G, M, R, and X), introducing their then-brand new film rating system.
 * Another version of this bumper has the minimum age limit for the X rating raised to 18.

Variants:
 * On Cinema Center Films releases, such as A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the yellow parts are desaturated to match the Cinema Center logo.
 * On the Italian Super 8 printing of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), the audio from the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo is heard. This was due to the audio being recorded from the Italian DVD itself.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On the 1969 Merrie Melodies short Shamrock and Roll, a fanfare composed by William Lava (which will later become the theme song of The Merrie Melodies Show) plays over the G rating card.

Availability: Extremely rare. It can be seen on MPAA-rated films in the rating system's infancy.
 * The G bumper appears at the start of the Magnetic Video releases of Hello, Dolly! (1969) and Don't Drink the Water (1969), the 20th Century-Fox Video release of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), and the original two-tape Paramount Home Video VHS of True Grit (1969), and is also retained on the DVD and VHS releases of Change of Habit (1969). Its last appearance was at the end of Airport (1970), though it continued to appear at the end of DePatie-Freleng's short subjects (such as The DogFather) until 1975.
 * The M bumper appears at the end of the Magnetic Video release of The Only Game in Town (1970) and a 16mm print of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). It's also known to have appeared at the start of the 1969 reissues of A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), and Hang 'Em High (1968).
 * An in-credit variant appeared on the New York premiere print of Patton (1970), which was used for initial DVD releases (later releases, including the Blu-ray one, use the 1970 bumper as seen in the general release).
 * The R bumper appears at the start of the Media-Home Entertainment release of Rebel Rousers (1970).
 * The standard X bumper can be considered extinct, as the only evidence of its existence is on an old video print of the original trailer for The Damned (1969). It surprisingly resurfaced at the end of the Amazon Prime print of Fritz the Cat (1972).
 * The yellow-on-blue color variant is the only one, apart from the odd in-credit variants, to have been used outside of trailers, so don't look for any of the other color variants on feature film prints.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Bumper (January 25, 1970-March 2, 1984, March 6, 1987, December 6, 1991, March 22, 2002, September 7, 2012)
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Nickname: "White Stripe"

Bumper: On a blue background, we see a white horizontal stripe near the bottom of the screen. Above that stripe, we see the following text, in white:

THE MOTION PICTURE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION HAS RATED THIS MOTION PICTURE

On the stripe, we see the rating symbol (in the Melior Roman font and colored black), and below the stripe is the rating description (in a Franklin Gothic-esque font). Below the rating description is the MPAA logo (showing only the globe-and-reel emblem and the organization's name, the latter now being on two rows instead of one). All text, the rating symbol, and the MPAA logo are positioned to the right side of the screen.

Rating Symbols and their Descriptions:

Trivia:
 * The GP rating replaced the M rating in 1970, and was in turn replaced by the PG rating on February 11, 1972.
 * The minimum age limits for the R and X bumpers were raised to 17 in 1970.
 * MPAA released two film theater advertisements during this time period that each presented the then-current set of film ratings: the first was titled Symbols (1970), which was an update to GMRX, and the second one from 1972 featured Charlton Heston.
 * Another version of Symbols had the X rating described as "no one under 18 admitted".
 * The cover to the Queens of the Stone Age album Rated R (released in 2000) is inspired by the 1970 R rating bumper, which is also parodied at the end of the music video for "Monsters in the Parasol".
 * In the middle of the 1981 Paramount comedy-horror film Student Bodies, the film suddenly cuts to a scene featuring a long zoom-in on a man discussing that the film doesn't have enough features to warrant an R rating (i.e.: nudity, profanity, violence), despite proven research that "R-rated films are by far the most popular with the movie-going public". He then closes the scene by giving one of the very few examples of the film's R rating (and one of the very few profanities spoken in the film) by stating that "the producers of this motion picture have asked me to take this opportunity to say... f*** you." After he says this, the film cuts to the 1970 R rating bumper, then resumes as normal.

Variants:
 * On some trailers, the rating/initials, text and MPAA logo may appear in the center rather than to the right.
 * On The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, the text is in a different font.
 * Some PG-rated films have "Some material may not be suitable for pre-teenagers" appearing on a single line.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare.
 * One of the first films to use this bumper was M*A*S*H, which went into wide release in March 1970.
 * It recently appeared at the end of the 2012 IMAX version of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
 * This bumper can be seen on some Disney videos, most notoriously during the Neon Mickey era, and also at the end of the film itself on the 1998 VHS of Taxi Driver (1976) and at the start of some prints of the theatrical version of Angel Heart (1987), including early VHS releases.
 * It can appear on DVD on many pre-1984 films released by Universal (restored on most releases). It was also shown in theatres during this era.
 * An MCA/Universal VHS of Dead Reckoning (1990) shows this screen after the MTE logo. This bumper can also be seen at the end of MCA/Universal's demo tape of At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991).
 * Recent releases of Jaws (1975) have this bumper plastered with the next bumper, but its sequel kept this bumper.
 * It is also intact at the end of the 2002 VHS of E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) with the next bumper proceeding it. (It is possible that Universal forgot to delete this bumper when putting together the VHS release).
 * The G bumper appears at the end of the 1977 reissue of The War of the Worlds (1953), a print of which was used for the 1979 Paramount Home Video release.
 * The GP bumper surprisingly appears on the Blu-ray release of Patton (1970).
 * The R bumper appears on the 1994 Live Home Video laser videodisc release of First Blood (1982).
 * The X bumper appeared on the Magnetic Video release of Last Tango in Paris (1972), but not the 20th Century-Fox Video laser videodisc, and was also seen on the trailer of The Telephone Book (under the title Hot Number) (1971).
 * In Australia, this has been spotted at the end of a early 1990s CIC Video release of The Blues Brothers (1980).

Editor's Note: None.

4th Bumper (November 1973-present)
Nicknames: "Modern Rating Box", "Modern Blue Band"

Bumper: On a blue background, we see the words "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED". In a white square, one of their ratings will be seen (inside a box with the rating symbol and its name on one row, and the rating's description on another row below), along with the MPAA logo:

On the bottom of the rating box are the words "BY THE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION", and below that phrase is the MPAA logo. The phrase "BY THE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION" was changed to "BY THE CLASSIFICATION AND RATING ADMINISTRATION" beginning on October 7, 1983 with Never Say Never Again. The PG rating card was the first to undergo this makeover; the R rating card followed a couple of months later on Gorky Park, while the G rating card continued in its original form as late as January 17, 1986.

Trivia:
 * On July 1, 1984, the PG-13 rating is introduced as a response to complaints about violence and gore in PG-rated films; the first film to be released with this rating is Red Dawn.
 * The X rating was replaced on September 27, 1990 by the NC-17 rating, and in 1996, the minimum age limit for that adults-only rating is raised to 18. The first film released in theaters with an NC-17 rating is Henry & June.

Variants:
 * On red band movie trailers from 1973-1983, the bumper was on a red background.
 * Starting in 2004, the bumpers feature the URLs "www.filmratings.com" and "www.mpaa.org".
 * The text and rating symbol/initials fonts varied from 1973-1983; the font most used for the rating symbol during this time was Clarendon, though the standard Melior Roman font was used from time to time, and the normal text font was Times New Roman Condensed, with "MOTION PICTURE" in Helvetica. Also, the earlier PG text said "PRE-TEENAGERS" instead of "CHILDREN" and the earlier PG-13 text said "Parents Are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13. Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Young Children" instead of "PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED/SOME MATERIAL MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13." The original variant was mainly seen on trailers but also appeared on some feature films, including the 1977 re-release of THX-1138 (1971), The Evictors (1979), Stardust Memories (1980), Raging Bull (1980), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), and The Adventures of the American Rabbit (1986). Its earliest known appearance was on Little Miss Innocence (1973).
 * On Raging Bull, the R rating card's background is black.
 * Beginning in 1996, the PG bumper has the MPAA logo appear beside "Parental Guidance Suggested".
 * On the 1994 reissue of Woodstock (1970), "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED" is replaced with "WOODSTOCK, 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC", with "HAS BEEN RATED" directly below, and "BY THE" and the MPAA name below its logo are omitted for some reason. Additionally, the whole screen burns up several seconds in, with the R rating itself being the first to catch fire, and after the flames dissipate, only the top line of text remains.
 * 20th Century Fox used a variation only on their VHS tapes from 2002-December 2005, where it showed a bigger version of the bumper. However, the PG-13 version contains an error with the rectangle saying "RESTRICTED" instead of "PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED". On their DVD counterparts, it is the normal versions.
 * Paramount also had their own variation used from 2000 to 2017. It is the same bumper at the time, but on a black background instead of the usual blue, the words "This motion picture has been rated" are in lowercase, and at the bottom it says "For more information on the film ratings go to www.filmratings.com." The Paramount variation is not used on Paramount releases of movies from CBS as it used the CBS Video logo.
 * Sony Pictures also used their own version of the bumper from 2002-2013; similar to Paramount's, it was originally on a black background, but in 2004 it was put on a blue background, and there's no text on the top or bottom. However, the PG-13 version contains an error with the rectangle saying "PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED" instead of "PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED".
 * Some 2001-present home video releases of films from New Line Cinema (2001-2006 for VHS and 2007-2008 for DVD) have an additional row added below the rating box to display the content descriptor. This variant is still in use as of 2021, even after the introduction of the redesigned rating box in 2013, the theatrical version of this bumper being phased out in 2017, and MPAA's renaming to Motion Picture Association in 2019.
 * For some films rated PG and higher, the space for the content descriptor is left blank and below the MPAA logo is the following text, all in uppercase and in the same font as the rest of the text: "{Name of film} has been rated {rating of film} for {reason for rating}", with the font for the film's name (and, sometimes, the rating) in a slightly larger size. The bumper content from "This motion picture has been rated" up to the MPAA logo is moved upwards to give way for the content descriptor text.
 * At the bottom of the screen, the URL "www.filmratings.com" is always shown, either aligned to the left (in the case of the G rating box or if the rating box for a film rated PG or higher has a filled-up content descriptor space) or centered (if the content descriptor space for the rating box is left blank and the text of the content descriptor instead appears below the MPAA logo).
 * At least on the Disney Channel print of Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002), the PG rating is integrated into the closing credits, with "This film is rated" above it.
 * English-dubbed prints of X: The Destiny War (1996, released in 2000 in North America) had the R rating fade in austerely against a black screen, with no text above or below.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None. The X: The Destiny War variant of the R rating had the closing notes of "Forever Love" by X Japan playing over it.

Availability: Common. The 1973-1983 versions were used in tandem with the 1970 "White Stripe" bumper, with the G bumper lasting until at least The Adventures of the American Rabbit. Even after the 2013 bumper was introduced, this one still appears in theaters at the end of newer releases, and on some post-2017 Warner Bros. titles.
 * Seen on many Universal films and New Line Cinema films on their DVDs.
 * Only pre-2013 Disney DVD/Blu-ray/VHS releases don't use this screen (perhaps because the rating symbol and the box already appear on the back of the cover). However, there are two exceptions: the PG-13 bumper oddly appears at the end of the Blu-ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), and the PG bumper appears at the end of the Blu-ray release of The Incredibles (2004).
 * This plasters older MPAA bumpers on some recent releases from Universal on DVD and Blu-ray, including Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969, titled Doppelgänger in Europe) and The Thing (1982).
 * The PG variant surprisingly appeared at the end of the UK DVD release of Ice Age (2002). It also popped up at the end of Fathom Events' 2017 screening of An Affair to Remember (1957), even though it appears that the film (or any alternate version of it) was never rated by the MPAA.
 * The 1983 variant of the PG bumper additionally appeared at the end of IMAX 3D presentations of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which was presented as the short subject before The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in its first week at the IMAX.
 * The PG-13 bumper strangely appears at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), which was in fact rated PG.
 * The X: The Destiny War variant can be seen on the dubbed version on VHS; it is unknown if it appears on the DVD release.
 * The Melior Roman variant of the 1973-1983 version can be seen on the trailer for the 1979 re-release of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), which is included on most DVD and Blu-ray releases as a bonus feature.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Bumper (2013- )
2019-

Nicknames: "Modern Rating Box II", "Modern Blue Band II", "Check the Box"

Bumper: Same as the previous bumper, except the rating box is redesigned (rating initials still appear in Melior) and the text font is Gotham. It also shows the reasons for classifying the film with the particular rating on the right side of the rating box.
 * For the G rating card, "GENERAL AUDIENCES" is instead displayed on the content descriptor space.
 * For the PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 rating cards, the first part of the rating description (e.g. "ADULTS ONLY" for a film rated NC-17) is displayed as a heading (in inverted colors) at the top of the box containing the rating symbol.
 * The bottom row of the rating box contains the second part of the rating description (e.g. "All Ages Admitted" for a G-rated film).

Trivia:
 * As part of its "Check the Box" rating awareness campaign, MPAA released a PSA that explains the content descriptor panel on the right side of the redesigned rating box.

Variants:
 * On pre-2019 Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases, such as Despicable Me 2, Jobs, Jurassic World, Minions, both The Secret Life of Pets films, Sing, Despicable Me 3, The Grinch (2018), and Abominable, the rating symbol, the MPAA logo, and all the text have a drop shadow effect. The word "for" is removed and the text is in Helvetica.
 * Starting in November 2019, after the Motion Picture Association of America's renaming to the Motion Picture Association, the organization's name and the line below it in the MPAA logo are replaced by the letters "MPA", and the web address "www.mpaa.org" was changed to "www.motionpictures.org". Some titles like Spies in Disguise used the previous design instead.
 * From 2021, Paramount has a variation of this bumper where the text for "This motion picture has been rated" and the URLs are in Helvetica, the MPA globe's outlines are thicker, and the "MPA" wordmark is in a different font.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Current. Seen on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases, 20th Century Fox/Studios Home Entertainment releases until April 14, 2020, Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases on DVD and Blu-ray, and most post-2017 Warner Bros. DVD and Blu-ray releases. This also appears at the end of a few odd theatrical releases, such as Pompeii (2014, from TriStar Pictures), The F Word (2013, from Entertainment One, also titled What If), and Step Up: All In (2014, from Summit Entertainment). Again, this doesn't appear on post-2013 Disney DVD/Blu-ray releases, nor on 20th Century Studios releases since May 12, 2020. This began appearing on Paramount releases in 2017, starting with Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Some Warner Bros. titles like Scoob! use the previous bumper instead.

Editor's Note: None.

1st Bumper (1967-1968)
Bumper: On various backgrounds (which vary depending on the trailer; see the Variants section below), we see the phrase "Suggested for Mature Audiences".

Variants:
 * The trailer for Valley of the Dolls (1967) has, at the end, the "Suggested for Mature Audiences" phrase, in a white sans-serif font, inside a white-outlined box on a red background.
 * The SMA bumper shown at the end of the trailer for Barbarella has the phrase in a white Peignot font and slightly aligned to the right on a blue background.
 * The trailer for Wild in the Streets (1968) has a bumper just like the one in Valley of the Dolls (red background and white phrase and box border), only with the addition of the MPAA globe (in white and horizontally center-aligned) along the bottom border of the box.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on trailers of movies from 1967 to 1968, such as Rosemary's Baby, Barbarella, and Valley of the Dolls.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Bumper (November 1, 1968-February 1970)
Nickname: "GMRX"

Bumper: Same as the feature film bumper of the era.

Rating Symbols and Their Descriptions:

Variants:
 * Some trailers have the bumper appear in different colors. Among them were white-on-blue, white-on-green, white-on-red, red-on-black, yellow-on-black, and white-on-black.
 * For X-rated movies, "16" is at the same height as the rest of the text in its line on these variants, unlike the feature film bumper.
 * Trailers for most United Artists films from this era used the white-on-black variant, but with the rating symbol in blue, to match the Transamerica T motif. Also, there is no "MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA" text under the MPAA logo.
 * A unique bumper has the background a darker blue and the text and rating symbol a slightly darker shade of yellow. This is only known to have appeared on a trailer for The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968).
 * Most X bumpers on trailers had the text and rating symbol wipe in from left to right. This was seen on trailers for Medium Cool and Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (both released in 1969), both of which used the white-on-blue variant.

FX/SFX: None usually, but most X bumpers have the text and rating symbol wipe in from left to right.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Some bumpers feature an announcer which says the film's rating aloud.
 * On a trailer for The Girl on a Motorcycle, a male announcer says "This picture has been rated X".

Availability: Extremely rare. It can be seen on trailers for MPAA-rated films of the time like True Grit (1969), The Wild Bunch, and The Girl on a Motorcycle.
 * The G bumper appears at the end of the 1969 reissue trailer for One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), which is seen on the 2008 DVD release.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Bumper (1970-1971)
Nickname: "GMRX II"

Bumper: Same as the United Artists variant of the previous bumper, except one of the following ratings are shown (and in different fonts, namely for the rating initials, i.e. GP):

The font appears to be Helvetica-like for most of the text and Melior Roman for the rating symbol. Also, the background color is black and the "Motion Picture Association of America" text and the line below it do not appear under the MPAA globe. The rating box and initials are in color too, though usually as the result of a tint (exceptions include Love Story and most anything United Artists advertised, the latter where the rating symbol is once again deliberately blue to match the Transamerica T).

Variants:
 * This appeared with a blue background on a trailer for Love Story (1970).
 * One variant of the GP bumper has the background in dark blue and the text above the rating symbol formatted in the same way as the upper text from the "White Stripe" bumper.
 * One variant of the X bumper had the rating symbol, in red, appear in a square instead of a circle. The notice at the top instead reads "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED", and the advisory below it instead reads "Due to the extremely graphic nature of this motion picture, no one under 17 will be admitted." This is presumed to have appeared on an early trailer for Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, but the only confirmed sighting thus far is at the end of a trailer for Machete as seen on the 2007 film Grindhouse.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare.
 * Films which have this on their trailers include The Boys in the Band (1970), THX-1138, Love Story (1970), The Hawaiians, I Drink Your Blood, and End of the Road (1970).
 * The GP variant with the dark blue background and the upper text being in the same layout and font as the one in the "White Stripe" bumper can be seen on a trailer for The Walking Stick.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Bumper (1970-1984?)
Nickname: "White Stripe"

Bumper: Same as the feature film bumper of the era.

Rating Symbols and Their Descriptions:

Variants:
 * On some R-rated trailers, the words "This Preview has been Approved by the Motion Picture Association of America for General Audiences." is shown on top of the bumper, and all text is in Helvetica (except for the rating, which remains in Melior).
 * Sometimes, the word "Preview" is entirely in uppercase.
 * On some GP-rated trailers, an asterisk appears beside the GP symbol, then moves to the left side of the screen a few seconds later, with text appearing beside it that reads "THIS FILM CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR PRE-TEENAGERS".
 * On some PG-rated trailers, the text above the white stripe is in a Helvetica-like font and the words "PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED" are in a bold Futura-like font. Sometimes, the MPAA logo may not appear.
 * On the trailer for Infra-Man (1975), the stripe background and rating symbol are in white, while the stripe, text, and MPAA logo are in green.

FX/SFX: The moving asterisk and the appearance of additional text for some GP-rated trailers. None otherwise.

Music/Sounds: None, or the music that comes with the trailer. Some trailers have the film's rating (with or without its corresponding description) being said aloud.

Availability: Rare.
 * Can be seen at the end of a 1966 trailer (which was most likely reused for the 1972 reissue) for The Ten Commandments (1956) on its 2004 DVD.
 * The GP* variant can be seen on a re-release trailer for Targets (1968).
 * The PG variant with the "PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED" in the bold Futura font and without the MPAA logo can be seen on a trailer for Billy Two Hats.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Bumper (1977-1980)
Nickname: "Special Preview"

Bumper: On a blue background, we see the following text:

THIS SPECIAL PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

The font for the highlighted words is Futura-like, while the font for the rest of the text is in Times New Roman Condensed.

Trivia: Usually, the "Modern Rating Box" film rating bumper of this time period appears at the end of trailers carrying this bumper.

Variants:
 * Some R-rated trailers use a red background in which the text says:

THIS PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR RESTRICTED AUDIENCES ONLY BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA


 * Sometimes, the blue background may be used for the restricted trailer.
 * The blue background color may be losing color or in a shade of a different one.
 * The font may be a little spaced out or narrow depending on the trailer.
 * One trailer for Monty Python's Life of Brian has all text above and below the rating box in the Franklin Gothic font (the "MOTION PICTURE" part of the upper text is also bolded); the word "RESTRICTED" inside the rating box being in a bold Futura-like font, and the MPAA logo showing only the globe-and-reel emblem with "MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA" below on one line in the same font as the text above and below the rating box.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on American and Canadian prints of trailers of films released from 1977-1980. Some of the first trailers to use it were those of Star Wars, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown,, Rolling Thunder, and The Rescuers, all released in 1977. Some of the last trailers to use it were Alien, Phantasm, The Champ, and Rock 'n' Roll High School all released in 1979. Early teaser trailers of 1949, The Black Hole, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (all 1979) have this bumper, but later trailers for each had the next bumper. Most of these trailers pair it with the 1973-1983 variation of the 4th feature film bumper at the end, with this one at the beginning, though some trailers, such as those for Audrey Rose (1977) and The Rose (1979), have the 3rd feature film bumper at the end instead.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Bumper (1979-2009)
Nicknames: "Modern Green Band" (standard), "Modern Red Band" (restricted)

Bumper: On a green background, we see the following text:

THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

In a white square, either one of their ratings will be seen (inside a box with the rating symbol and its name on one row, and the rating's description on another row below), along with the MPAA logo:

The text "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" appears above the rating box.

Variants:
 * There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):

THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR RESTRICTED AUDIENCES ONLY BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA


 * There is a yellow background for very few Internet trailers, such as Burn After Reading (2008), in which we see the black, altered text:

THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED ONLY FOR AGE-APPROPRIATE INTERNET USERS BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC.


 * Some trailers do not feature a rating box and the above "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" at all.
 * The rating box/initials/symbols and text sometimes have a drop shadow.
 * Sometime in the 2000s, the text "For information on film ratings, go to www.filmratings.com" appeared below. In later years, the www.filmratings.com and www.mpaa.org links appeared and last line of the main text read "BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC."
 * On a trailer for Schindler's List (1993), the background is gray (since the trailer, like most of the film itself, is in black-and-white).
 * On a trailer for Commando (1985) and a home video trailer for Monsters, Inc. (2001), the background is blue.
 * Many VHS tapes from the 1990s released by Columbia TriStar Home Video has the words in a different font and only "PREVIEW" and "ALL AUDIENCES" is capitalized, all with and without the rating cards. Even some versions exist with the "The Film Advertised Has Been Rated" with no rating card.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Can be seen on trailers for films (many of which are available on their Blu-rays, DVDs and VHS tapes).
 * Some of the first films to have this on its trailers were 1942 (1979), All That Jazz (1979), Roller Boogie (1979), Penitentiary (1979), and American Gigolo (1980).
 * Starting in 2002, DVDs started using trailers for upcoming films at the beginning, and the ones coded Region 1 have this band. Don't expect to see this on international trailers of MPAA-approved movies or trailers shown at AMC Theatres or Cinemark Theatres (although Cinemark does have a screen that says the same thing as the second band before the 1st trailer starts) as they go straight to the trailer.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Bumper (2009-2013)
Bumper: Same as before, except the words "APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" replace "ALL AUDIENCES", and the rating box/initials/symbols and text have a drop shadow. In a white square, either one of their ratings will be seen, along with the MPAA logo:

Variants:
 * Some trailers do not feature a rating box and the above "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" at all.
 * There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):

THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR RESTRICTED AUDIENCES ONLY BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC.

("RESTRICTED" may be sometimes replaced with "MATURE".)

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Seen at the beginning of Region 1 DVDs during this era and in theatres. See the sixth bumper for information regarding international releases.

Editor's Note: None.

8th Bumper (2013-2018)
Standard variants

Nicknames: "Modern Green/Red Band II", "Check the Box"

Bumper: On a green background, we see the words "THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC." ("TO ACCOMPANY THIS FEATURE" instead of "FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" is for trailers shown in theatres) in the Gotham font. Below this is the MPAA rating box in its new design, carrying one of the following ratings:

The text "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" appears above the rating box.
 * For the G rating card, "GENERAL AUDIENCES" is instead displayed on the content descriptor space.
 * For the PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 rating cards, the first part of the rating description is displayed as a heading (in inverted colors) at the top of the box containing the rating symbol.
 * The bottom row of the rating box contains the second part of the rating description.

Trivia: This and the new rating symbols debuted on April 15, 2013.

Variants:
 * Some trailers do not feature a rating box and the above "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" at all.
 * The rating box/initial/symbols and text sometimes have a drop shadow.
 * On trailers shown before theatrical movies in a three-dimensional format (such as films in Real-D 3D), the text "APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" or "ACCOMPANY THIS FEATURE" slowly and subtly bulges out at the viewer.
 * There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):

THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTED PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC.

FX/SFX: None, except for the 3D variant's text bulging out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Can be seen on trailers for current theatrical releases on Blu-ray, on DVD, on YouTube, and in theatres. See the sixth bumper for information regarding international releases.

Editor's Note: None.

9th Bumper (2018- )
Nickname: "Giant MPAA/MPA Globe", "Modern Green/Red Band III", "Check the Box II"

Standard variants

Restricted variants

Bumper: On a green background, we see a giant MPAA globe logo in a lighter green shade in the center. In front of that globe are the words "THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC." in a bold Gotham font. Below this is the MPAA rating box introduced since 2013, carrying one of the following ratings:

The text "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" appears above the rating box.
 * For the G rating card, "GENERAL AUDIENCES" is instead displayed on the content descriptor space.
 * For the PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 rating cards, the first part of the rating description is displayed as a heading (in inverted colors) at the top of the box containing the rating symbol.
 * The bottom row of the rating box contains the second part of the rating description.

On the bottom-left of the screen are two web addresses, "www.mpaa.org" and "www.filmratings.com", stacked on one another and also in the bold Gotham font, while a smaller white MPAA logo (with a registered trademark symbol but without the usual "Motion Picture Association of America, Inc." text and the line below that) is on the bottom-right.

Variants:
 * Some trailers do not feature a rating box and the above "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" at all.
 * There is a red background for some NC-17 and R-rated films, in which the giant globe is reddish-pink and we see the altered text:

THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTED PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC.


 * Starting in November 2019, after the Motion Picture Association of America's renaming to the Motion Picture Association, the words "OF AMERICA" in the main text were removed, the small MPAA logo on the bottom right of the screen has the organization's name and the line below it being replaced by the letters "MPA" (without a registered trademark symbol), and both URLs are in a different sans-serif font with the first one changed to "www.motionpictures.org". The changes also apply to the red band variant.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Current.
 * This bumper debuted in summer 2018 on trailers for films like Night School (2018), Peppermint (2018), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), and Toy Story 4 (2019). A few trailers that use the November 2019 variant are Bombshell (2019), Onward, Scoob!, Soul (all 2020), Raya and the Last Dragon, Luca, Ron's Gone Wrong, Encanto (all 2021), and Turning Red (2022).
 * The variant with a PG rating box can be seen on The Water Man.
 * The red band variant can be seen on a trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021).
 * Films that feature the variant without a rating box on their respective trailers include Come to Daddy and Mortal Kombat (2021).

Editor's Note: None.