Nickelodeon Home Media/Opening Logos

Background
The page describes the opening IDs Nickelodeon used on their VHS releases. Starting in 1996, when distribution of Nickelodeon videos switched from Sony Wonder to Paramount Home Video (which Viacom acquired two years prior), Nickelodeon alternated between using their station IDs and their first home video ID before ultimately settling with the former. Currently, the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo is used as a de-facto home video logo.

1st ID (August 31, 1993-October 5, 1999)


Visuals: First, the barbershop singers from the "Easy Groove" ID singing the familiar Nickelodeon theme on the bottom-left of the screen, behind the parrot from the "Dog and Parrot" ID, who caws out the Nickelodeon logo in the form of a speech bubble. Then, the monster from the "Flying TV Monster" ID flies into the screen, and the television on it switches to a background with a white floor and the Nickelodeon logo as its wall. Several characters from Nickelodeon IDs walk across it, including the "Blobman", the "Doo-Wop Dinosaurs", the "Frog" and several others. The DJ from the 1987 "Top of the Hour" bumper appears, holding three tube sticks on them, and hits them onto the screen, transitioning us to another scene where the barbershop singers perform against an orange-tinted clip of the "Take 50" bumper as more Nickelodeon ID characters move around in the background and foreground. The fish from "Top of the Hour" bumper appear. Several transitions bring us to several edited versions of Nickelodeon IDs, such as the "Anteater" and "Brew" bumpers against a "Top of the Hour" background (should've been shot in black-and-white), and the "T-Rex" roaring against the "Better Off by Far" bumper, the singing viking from the "waiter" bumper and the dogs riding bumper cars from the "Top of the Hour" bumper. Finally, the barbershop singers appear again as the Nickelodeon logo (in the stylized splat form seen on, for example, Wild and Crazy Kids), in computer animation, but the "Take 50" bumper is also shot in black-and-white and the splat is rotating from left to right as while its parts move around, appears above them. Finally, the logo ends with a television switch-off effect.

Variant: A shortened version of the ID, beginning when the barbershop singers appear near the end, was used on Sony Wonder releases to close out the tape.

Technique: A mixture of several animation styles of the various IDs used, including hand-drawn animation, claymation, and computer animation. This was done by Charlex (now CHRLX) in New York.

Audio: A funky Madchester-esque remix of the 1985 "Top of the Hour" theme, mixed with all sounds of the IDs, with a "boing" at the end. The short version has the "boing" sound come in earlier.

Availability:
 * Seen on most Nickelodeon releases from the era released by Sony Wonder (alongside live-action series such as Are You Afraid of The Dark?) and early to mid-Paramount Home Video, and was also used on several international releases as well.
 * However, some videotapes, such as the Paramount reprints of the Rugrats Sony Wonder tapes, used certain television bumpers instead of this.
 * It was first seen on the original Sony Wonder releases of Rugrats and Doug (original version only) and was last seen on Rugrats: Make Room for Dil.
 * It also appears on the 1995 Sony Wonder LaserDisc The Ren and Stimpy Show: The Essential Collection - Classics I & II.
 * The ID also appeared on the KaBlam! 3-D VHS.
 * This ID was occasionally used as an actual television bumper, usually before a music video or short was shown in the '90s.

Legacy: For the most part, this is a favorite of many due to its visuals.

2nd ID (1996-2003)


Visuals: A model of the Earth zooms up and fills the screen, remaining in place as the logo's background and spins throughout. We see various children from around the world saying the phrase "One world, one Nickelodeon" in their native language. Over the course of the logo, they interact with a spinning orange sphere with the Nickelodeon wordmark on it, resembling a globe. In order, a Zulu girl puts the orange sphere in place, an Arab boy runs by and pushes the sphere to the center, an American boy (upside-down) tosses the sphere off-screen, a Finnish girl catches the sphere with her fingers, a Mexican boy bounces on the sphere like a trampoline, an Indian boy appears from behind the sphere, two Japanese girls lift up the sphere, and a Chinese girl holds the sphere and throws it. After she does, the sphere briefly engulfs the screen, then bounces back to the upper center. Below the sphere, a boy runs across the screen as the logo ends.

Technique: A mixture of live-action and computer animation.

Audio: A down-tempo beat with a chorus of children singing a short ditty at the beginning and end of the logo, and cartoonish sound effects, including a honk when the Nickelodeon ball comes to its final position. Different kids in the bumper say "One world, one Nickelodeon" in various languages, which in order are Zulu, Arabic, English, Finnish, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, and Chinese.

Availability:
 * Used in tandem with the 1993 logo for a few years, and seen on Nickelodeon videotapes released internationally by CIC Video and eventually Paramount Home Video, such as several Rugrats tapes from the UK and the Australian VHS releases of Blue's Clues: Arts & Crafts and The Ren and Stimpy Show: Incredibly Stupid Stories. Its most recent sighting was on the Canadian VHS release of SpongeBob SquarePants: Christmas. In North America, this logo appeared only on Spanish-language tapes released in the United States and for French-language tapes released in Canada.

3rd ID (January 11, 2000-January 28, 2003)


Visuals: On a white background, a young Asian boy and an older black girl "digitize" onto the screen like static on a CRT television. After spinning around for a little while, they are teleported to a giant maze made up of grassy structures. A set of video controls (from left to right: pause, rewind, stop, play, fast forward) are shown at the bottom left corner of the screen, with the play button being activated as the kids run into the maze. The screen then cuts to a video game-like screen of a maze with orange squares (portals) and two small white squares (the kids) going into the center portal. They teleport to an empty room, while the camera pans at different angles of them looking surprised. An orange butterfly flutters near the girl, which is then followed by several more filling the room. They begin running through the maze again, as the sequence cuts to the same video game-like screen of the maze with the kids teleporting by going into the center portal. The kids teleport to another part of the maze containing a giant orange flower. The camera cuts to different angles of the kids smiling and jumping on the flower like a trampoline. Afterwards, they begin running through the maze once again, this time being followed by an orange orb. The girl can be seen running away from it, with the camera then cutting to the boy chasing it. The two kids eventually reach a dead end, with them being cornered by the orb and the pause button from the video controls highlighted. The screen then cuts to them running and reaching the end of the maze with the orb following them. Finally, the screen cuts to the kids facing the orb on a white background. The camera zooms in while the Nickelodeon logo appears on the orb. The same video controls from before appear and flicker before just the play button shows.

Trivia: The boy in the bumper is played by Giullian Gioiello, making this one of his first acting jobs.

Technique: An implementation of computer effects over live action footage.

Audio: A synth-pop/techno tune with a drum and bass beat, rhythm guitar and some female backing vocals harmonizing near the climax. There are also several sound effects heard throughout, including the kids laughing near the opening, birds and cicadas chirping, various electric whirring sounds, and some boings/beeping as the play button flickers at the end.

Availability:
 * This was seen on Nickelodeon VHS tapes from the era, including later Rugrats tapes and the first few SpongeBob SquarePants VHS releases.
 * It was introduced on Rugrats: I Think I Like You and made its last regular appearance on Rugrats: Mysteries.
 * Other appearances include Rocket Power: Maxing Out, The Wild Thornberrys: A Thornberry Christmas, and various compilation releases containing multiple Nickelodeon shows.
 * Both this logo and the 1995 Paramount Home Video logo make an unexpected appearance on the 2013 Blu-ray release of It's a SpongeBob Christmas. They play if either the first episode or "Play All" on the bonus episodes (which were the same ones used on the Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies DVD releases) are selected. This is due to them using the same video master as the original VHS releases. This is cut on the DVD version, as the correct master is used there.
 * It was also used as a station ID, even after it stopped making regular appearances on VHS releases. TV airings of the bumpers are extremely rare, possibly due to the large amount of commercial time it would take up.

Legacy: While not as popular as the 1993 bumper, it is still a favorite of many for its effects, music, and animation. It is also loved for its celebration of the Y2K aesthetic that was big at the time.

4th ID (March 12-September 24, 2002)


Visuals: On a black background, an orange oval with the Nickelodeon logo on it is shown.

Technique: None.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was only seen on the first two Nickelodeon DVDs: Rugrats: Decade in Diapers and SpongeBob SquarePants: Nautical Nonsense & Sponge Buddies.

5th ID (2002-March 30, 2010)
Visuals: Depends on the logo, but usually, it features a 3D Nickelodeon logo moving to the front of the screen on a black background.


 * Fish: On a black background, an orange 3D fish with the Nickelodeon wordmark on it is seen swimming around, turning directions twice before stopping in the front of the screen for a few seconds. As the fish swims, blue-colored bubbles are seen coming out of the said fish.
 * Robot: On a black background, an orange 3D robot is seen in the top right corner, moving down as it turns its head towards the screen and waves at us. It then swerves to the right before swerving back to the left and then finally rests in the center, arms on its waist.
 * Top: On a black background, an orange 3D spinning top is seen spinning towards the screen, bouncing about before it stands still.
 * Rocket: On a black background, an orange 3D rocket seen flying across the screen. It first goes from bottom right to top left, then top right to bottom left, and then swerves into the center. Blue-colored flames can also be seen coming out of it.
 * Flower: On a black background, a Frisbee-shaped 3D orange flower is seen zooming in and turning towards the screen before blooming its petals.
 * Slime Cloud: On a black background, a moving orange splat appears before swooping over to the center of the screen, showing that it's a 3D Nickelodeon splat logo (which looks more like a cloud) wiggling its edges.
 * Eyes: On a black background, a set of 3D orange eyes bounce around, all having "NICK" inside the pupil. One of them comes to the screen and begins blinking.
 * Crown: On a black background, an orange 3D crown is seen rolling on its side before it collapses down to its bottom.
 * Carpet: On a black background, an orange 3D carpet with the white Balloon font on it flies across the screen before stopping in the center. The carpet waves a bit before fading out.
 * Slug: Same as the closing version, but without any copyright info.
 * Lightbulb: On a black background, there is a lightbulb with "NICK" on the front. The lightbulb flickers a bit.

Trivia: On May 17, 1993, following the "New Shapes Contest" held by Nickelodeon, the network introduced a series of new CGI stings produced in-house. An additional set of stings premiered on August 1, 1996.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Audio Variant: On the VHS of The Fairly OddParents: Channel Chasers, the Fish logo has bubble noises.

Availability:
 * Fish: With the exception of a few releases, this is seen on virtually every Nickelodeon DVD release from this time. Until 2004, it was followed by the Paramount DVD logo.
 * This was seen on the majority of SpongeBob SquarePants releases from this era, including various compilation DVDs, the first five seasons and the first volume of season 6, DVDs of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as many other shows, and later Nick Jr. releases starting in 2008.
 * Also seen on some VHS releases at the time.
 * It makes a surprise appearance on several 2010 DVDs released after the 2009 rebrand (even when the packaging and most of them include the new logo), including Nickelodeon: We Love Our Friends, released on January 5, 2010, SpongeBob SquarePants: Viking-Sized Adventures, released on January 26, 2010, and made its last appearance as a whole on the DVD release of iCarly: iFight Shelby Marx, released on March 30, 2010.
 * Robot: Only appears on the SpongeBob SquarePants: Halloween and Nicktoons Christmas DVDs. The VHS version of the former uses the Maze bumper.
 * Top: Only seen on four Rugrats DVD releases: Mysteries, Saves the Day, Halloween and Turkey & Mistletoe, and makes a surprise appearance on the 2011 reprint of the first title, which was released on September 20, 2011, while the others use the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo on their reprints.
 * Rocket:
 * Can be found on all VHS and DVD releases of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
 * It also appeared on the VHS and DVD releases of Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, and a few DVD releases of Rocket Power and All Grown Up.
 * Flower: Only appears on some VHS releases of As Told By Ginger and The Amanda Show. The regular fish logo appears on the DVD releases.
 * Slime Cloud: This only appears on one release - the VHS version of The Fairly OddParents: Abra-Catastrophe! The Movie. Once again, the DVD release of it just features the regular fish logo.
 * Eyes: It's only seen on the Nicktoons Halloween DVD.
 * Crown:
 * Can be found on the VHS version of SpongeBob SquarePants: Lost in Time (the DVD version has the regular Fish logo), which is also the last SpongeBob SquarePants VHS released.
 * Also appears on some Fairly Odd Parents VHS and DVD releases (the Fish logo is used otherwise), some All Grown Up! VHS releases (which use the Rocket or the Fish on the DVD versions) and the DVD releases of Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2 and 3, as well as the VHS release of the former.
 * Carpet: Originally used as a station ID. It only appeared on the VHS release of The Fairly OddParents: Superhero Spectacle. Yet again, the regular fish logo is on the DVD.
 * Slug: This was not used in the United States and Canada. Only appears on the region 4 DVD release of The Wild Thornberrys: Heroes of the Animal Kingdom. Other prints just have the Fish logo.
 * Lightbulb: Just like the Worm logo, this was not used in the United States and Canada. This was only used on the Region 2 Rugrats VHS and DVD release "Run Riot".

Legacy: The Fish logo is a favorite among Nickelodeon fans (especially SpongeBob fans). Viewers may recognize the Slime Cloud logo from it being used as an endcap, or for its appearances on Rugrats video trailers (after the original version of the series' intro ends) and on the VHS release of The Rugrats Movie.

Final Note
Since the 2009 rebrand (with some exceptions), the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo (but without the word "Productions" and the copyright info), and later the Nickelodeon Digital logo, is used as a de-facto home video logo, despite that logo being replaced in 2017 and again in 2023.