HAL Laboratory

Background
HAL Laboratory, Inc. is a Japanese video game company that was founded on February 21, 1980. It is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan and has been led by Masahiro Sakurai. The company is best known for the video game character, Kirby, the protagonist of many of the company's video game series of the same name, as well as the Super Smash Bros. series. Masahiro Sakurai currently owns his new company known as Sora Ltd. The company was known as HAL America, Inc. in the U.S., up until the mid-90's, when it was referred to as HALKEN.

1st Logo (April 1989-June 1992)
Visuals: Over a customized background is the large, italicized letters, "HAI" in the center of the screen. The letter "H" has a "shadow-like" texture behind it and the letters have white, turquoise, yellow, and orange stripes. The italicized words "HAL AMERICA, INC." are below.

Variants:
 * Sometimes there would be a (TM) bug.
 * On The Adventures of Lolo, the "HAI" is pink on a sky blue background.
 * On The Adventures of Lolo II and III, the logo is seen between two large blue bars, with a copyright notice on the 2nd bar. This variant would later be the basis for the following logo.
 * On Kabuki - Quantum Fighter, the logo is seen on two gray boxes which move to the center and make a brighter version of the logo.
 * On Rollerball, the variant from Adventures of Lolo is seen but on a black background. The copyright notice is seen below.

Technique: None.

Audio: None or the opening theme of the game.

Audio Variants: Sometimes a sound from the game is used.

Availability: It can be found on many games from the era such as Air Fortress and The Adventures of Lolo series, which is available on the Virtual Console, among others.

2nd Logo (September 1991-May 1992)
84RCdof-HZ4 Visuals: On a black background, the HAI logo emerges from a black wipe moving to the right. The logo here is much larger and detailed than before, with shines and clear definition. 2 dark blue bars then appear above and below the logo, along with a "TM" bug in the lower right corner of the logo. The final result resembles the 1st logo, but much larger and with no copyright.

Technique: 8-bit animation.

Audio: A dramatic rising sound, ending with a chime.
 * On HyperZone, it used an ominous pad with arpeggiated xylophone notes.
 * On Arcana, it used a calmer, similar-sounding theme like the one from HyperZone. A choir is also heard.

Availability: Seen on the American versions of HyperZone, Arcana and HAL's Hole In One Golf. Other versions of the game used the HALKEN logo.

1st Logo (August 9, 1988-February 21, 1991)
Visuals: There is "HAL" in pink with "Laboratory" in purple below.

Variants:
 * On Eggerland: Meikyuu no Fukkatsu, the HAL is gold.
 * The PAL version of The Adventures of Lolo omits "Laboratory" and it's seen on a sky blue background, like the 1st HAL America logo.

Technique: None.

Audio: None.

Availability: Found on some of the European/Japanese versions of the company's NES games.

2nd Logo (January 6, 1990-1992)
Visuals: There is the stacked white text "HAL LABORATORY INC.", with "HAL" being bigger than the other words.

Technique: None.

Audio: None.

Availability: Found on later European/Japanese versions of the company's games including New Ghostbusters II and The Adventures Of Lolo III.

3rd Logo (February 23, 1991-March 27, 1998)
h2bog-nosV8 Visuals: Over a background, there are two dots, one that is across from the other at a slant. There are two green lines which are slanted toward the right. Behind the lines and the dots are blue straight lines. The word "HALKEN" is underneath.

Variants:
 * An animated variant which appeared on earlier games has one of the dots draw the whole logo on a black background. The "HALKEN" text would then fade in below.
 * On EarthBound (known as Mother 2 in Japan), the logo is in black and white.
 * On Kirby Super Star, the logo is seen below the Nintendo logo.
 * On Kirby's Dream Land 3, the logo is seen as a crayonlike drawing.

Technique: None or 16-bit animation.

Audio: The opening/ending theme of the game or silence.

Audio Variants:
 * On Kirby's Dream Land 3, a "crumbling" noise is heard.
 * The animated variant had a synth arpeggio.
 * The European version of HAL's Hole In One Golf, international versions of HyperZone and the Japanese version of Arcana had their own respective themes from the HAL America logo's sound variants.

Availability: Was first seen on HAL's Hole in One Golf (European and Japan versions only; the US version has the HAL America logo) and last used on Kirby's Dream Land 3, along with Kirby Super Star (not counting its remake, which used the next logo, instead), all for SNES and available on the Wii's Virtual Console, except for HyperZone. The animated variant was found on the Japanese and European versions of HAL's Hole In One Golf and HyperZone (the American version has the 2nd HAL America logo).

4th Logo (Dream Hatcher/Inutamago (Dog Eggs)) (March 21, 1999-)
Visuals: In a black rectangle, there is a dachshund-like dog sleeping inside a nest with three eggs under it. Under the nest is black text reading "HAL Laboratory, Inc."

Variant: Earlier games with this logo such as Pokemon Snap has the text simply say "HAL" and usually no rectangle around the logo.

Trivia:
 * This logo was commissioned by former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and designed by Shigesato Itoi, who's otherwise known as the creator of the Mother/EarthBound series of cult RPGs.
 * According to a Nintendo Power interview with Kirby Air Ride producer Masayoshi Tanimura, the dog is not a dachshund, but a fictional creature. The eggs represent incubating ideas that will eventually "hatch" into new games.
 * In all Kirby games from Kirby Super Star Ultra onwards, the rarest possible form the Stone copy ability can take is the Dream Hatcher, a golden rendition of this logo. The Dream Hatcher is also a rare keychain in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and a rare sticker in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
 * Here is a section of HAL's website specifically about Inutamago and the story behind it, including an interview on its making with Shigesato Itoi. Some notable quotes from him on the logo's creation from the interview include:
 * "Actually, I’d had that image in my head for about 20 years. Dogs and eggs are two completely different things, right? But, even if it’s a dog providing the warmth, as long as the eggs are warmed well, they’ll hatch properly. Maybe birds will hatch from those eggs… or maybe something different, something even greater. There are all these hidden possibilities where you don’t know at all what might come of it. What’s being incubated is the ideas, the people even. But, up until then, I never found a company that was just right for the image, so I carried it with me all that time, waiting for a company that could use that logo. That’s why, when we had the conversation we did, I thought to myself, “Ah, the time has come at last.”
 * "With the nest, I envisioned it as being a gathering of various things. Nests aren’t just made of twigs-sometimes you’ll find a bit of wire from a clothes hanger in there. You know, nests can be made up of all sorts of ridiculous things like that, too."
 * "Dogs are pets, but they’ve also been our companions since ancient times. Anyway, if it were a cat, you’d have this feeling like it’d just abandon the eggs and go off somewhere, right?"

Technique: None.

Audio: None or the opening/ending theme/sounds of the game.

Availability: Is usually shown either with or after the Nintendo logo in most current HAL games, including most Kirby games starting with Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Super Smash Bros., and Super Smash Bros. Melee.