Crown Video (USA)

Background

This was the home video division of the Crown Publishing Group, which distributed general-interest videos as well as public domain films through Crown Movie Classics. In 1988, the company was purchased by Random House, and it became dormant sometime in the 1990s.

Logo (1983-1993)

Visuals: On a black background, a parallelogram made of white lines zooms and flips forward towards the screen, stopping after 3 flips. On the parallelogram is the text "CROWN VIDEO" in a odd-looking multicolored stripe pattern, containing red, orange, pink, sky blue, lime, and hot pink, and the lines surrounding them also in their colors. Below it is the white byline "a division of Crown Publishers Inc.". The logo then zooms out to the left, and the large white text "presents" fades in to the right of it. The entire logo uses the Helvetica font.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: An excerpt of Keith Mansfield's "Superstar Fanfare".

Availability: It was seen on videos like This Old House, Living Language and Nova tapes from the time period, as well as Crown Movie Classics releases.