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.

HAL America

1st Logo (April 1989-June 1992)

Visuals: On a black background, the large, white, italicized letters "HAI" are seen in the center of the screen. The letter "H" has a streak trail to the left of it and the letters have 4 colored stripes running through the upper middle portions: dark blue, dark green, old yellow, and burnt orange from top to bottom are seen. Copyright information can also be seen below.

Variants:

The way the logo looks is different for each game.
- On The Adventures of Lolo, the "HAI" is seen in pink on a sky blue background, with a notable segmented appearance to it. No copyright info is seen.
- On The Adventures of Lolo II and III, the logo's space is confined to a long black bar, surrounded by blue.
- On Kabuki - Quantum Fighter, the logo is seen in a grey box with the company name below, as well as the logo in a higher resolution. The logo slides in from the left before stopping in the center, brightening to a white color.
- On Rollerball, the variant from Adventures of Lolo is seen but on a black background and with copyright text in pink.
- On Day Dreamin' Davey, the logo is in a much higher resolution and on a white background, sliding in from the left. Basically an 8-bit version of the 2nd logo.

Technique: A still, sprite-based graphic.

Audio: None or the opening theme of the game.

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

Availability: It can be seen on the American versions of the games listed above.

2nd Logo (September 1991-May 1992)

Visuals: On a black background, from a ovoid-shaped iris out effect, the HAI logo from before slides in from the left side of the screen. Here, the logo is shown in much higher quality, with a more saturated color scheme and visible beveling and a slight shine to the edges. When the logo reaches the center, it stops and the top and bottom portions of the screen are filled with navy blue, resembling the The Adventures of Lolo II variant from the previous logo, as a TM symbol appears in the bottom right corner of the logo.

Technique: Sprite-based animation.

Audio:

On HAL's Hole In One Golf, it used 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.

HALKEN/HAL Laboratory

1st Logo (August 9, 1988-February 21, 1991)

Visuals: Just the text "HAL" in a pink segmented, font with "Laboratory" in purple below.

Variants:

On Eggerland: Meikyuu no Fukkatsu, "HAL" is in 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: A still, sprite-based graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on Japanese and European copies of some of HAL America's games.

2nd Logo (January 6, 1990-1992)

Visuals: Just the stacked white text "HAL LABORATORY INC.", with "HAL" being bigger than the other words.

Technique: A still, sprite-based graphic.

Audio: None.

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

3rd Logo (February 23, 1991-March 27, 1998)

Visuals: On a black background, a spring-like object is seen in the center, colored green on the outside and blue on the inside. 2 green are also seen on the upper left and lower right corners of it. Below is the bold white text "HALKEN".

Variants:

An animated variant which appeared on earlier games has the upper left dot move along the spring's path, wiping it in as it goes before "HALKEN" fades 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 a light blue Nintendo logo. It fades in while rotating to the right and bouncing as it gets into place. It then flies off towards the screen as it fades to the opening cinematic of the logo.
On Kirby's Dream Land 3, the logo is shown as a sketchy crayon drawing on an off-white background, wiggling slightly.

Technique: Either a still, sprite-based graphic or sprite-based 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 Japanese 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 an cream/white rounded rectangle surrounded by a black outline, a brown dachshund-like dog is seen in a tan nest, sleeping as it cuddles three eggs within it, everything with colored outlines. Below the logo, the text "HAL LABORATORY, INC." can be seen.

Variant: Earlier games with this logo, such as Pokemon Snap, have no rectangle, just the text "HAL" in a wider font, and a more realistic looking nest.

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: A still graphic.

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

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