Monkeypaw Productions

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Monkeypaw Productions is a production company launched by Jordan Peele in 2012, with Win Rosenfield as its president. The company is named after the 1902 horror tale The Monkey's Paw, which is Peele's favorite story. Since 2017, they are under an overall deal with Universal Pictures to invest, produce and distribute genre films for the studio. In September 2021, they signed a multi-year deal with their television division, after ending a previous first-look deal with Amazon.

1st Logo (January 31, 2012-September 9, 2015)

Visuals: Next to the Cindylou logo, on a gray crumpled paper background, there is an orange paper with a gray monkey's paw, making an "M" with the letters "ONKEYPAW" next to it and "PRODUCTIONS" underneath, both scrambled out in random positions.

Technique: A live-action photograph.

Audio: Just Jordan Peele singing "I gotta do my one line here." with a backup.

Availability: Seen on Key and Peele.

2nd Logo (March 31, 2018-)


Visuals: The screen fades into some stuff (such as a typewriter, taxidermy alligator head, and a mask) with curtains that move a bit, as well as a magic 8-ball and the package, inside a moving train. The camera pans up to a door opening, rattling between two arrows with some warning signs to the right. It then pans to the left on a seat where a monkey's disembodied paw stirs a cup with a spoon as the screen zooms in with raindrops on the window, as the company name in green fades in between.

Trivia:

  • The stirring teacup comes from Peele's film Get Out, where stirring a teacup is part of a hypnotism/mind-control technique.
  • The print version of this logo can be seen on the hat of the Jordan Peele Funko Pop!.

Variants:

  • Short and still versions exist.
  • On Candyman (2021), the logo is mirrored alongside the Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and BRON Studios logos, to reference the saying of Candyman's name into a mirror five times.
  • The black & white version of The Twilight Zone (2019) uses a variant to fit the theme.
  • An alternate version exists where we first see the print logo (with the name below) close-up and zoom back twice before cutting back onto a black concrete-like background which animates. This variant is sometimes still.
  • On Wendell & Wild, the Rust Bank Brewery from the film is seen through the window.

Technique: Stop-motion animation designed by ShadowMachine Films and animated by Wendy Fuller. 2D computer animation for the alternate version.

Audio: A train moving sound, coupled with sounds that correlate to the animation. Sometimes, none or the opening/closing theme.

Availability: First seen on The Last O.G. (as a short version; the full logo debuted at the end of BlacKkKlansman) and on all projects produced by Peele since.

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.