Motion Picture Association
Bumper descriptions by XthebiglogofanX, antoniopadilla2811, IlCattivo25, DaBigLogoCollector, Lisa12971, CooleyBoy10, rjsmith09
Additional bumper descriptions by DatuDimatablan
Edited by DatuDimatablan
Feature Film Bumpers
1st Bumper (1934-1935?)
Bumper: On a charcoal grey background, the seal of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) is seen, depicted as a stylized "MPPDA" embedded inside an oval. Superimposed on the seal is the text "This picture approved by the Production Code Administration of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America", all in uppercase. On the bottom right of the screen, the text "Certificate No.", also in uppercase, is seen, with the film's certificate number to the right of that text.
Trivia:
- The first film to be approved under the 1934 Production Code rules is The World Moves On, carrying certificate number 1.
- Films approved by the MPPDA's New York office have a leading zero in the certificate number.
- A letter "R" is often added as a suffix to the certificate number for a pre-Production Code film re-released for compliance.
- By 1935, the MPPDA allowed to just have its seal and the film's certificate number be incorporated into the titles of that film.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. Seen on films released from July 1, 1934 to around 1935 and pre-Code films re-released during that time period, including Of Human Bondage (1934, certificate no. 53), which has been in the public domain since 1962.
Editor's Note: None.
2nd Bumper (November 1, 1968-February 1970)
Bumper: On a blue background, we see the yellow words "THE MOTION PICTURE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION Has Rated This Motion Picture". Below it is one of four ratings, all in a square unless otherwise noted:
- G: Suggested for General Audiences
- M: Suggested for Mature Audiences - Parental Discretion Advised
- R: Restricted - Persons Under 16 Not Admitted Unless Accompanied by a Parent or Adult Guardian
- X: Persons Under 16 Not Admitted - Higher Age May Be Posted In Theatre Lobby (the "X" rating symbol is in a circle)
Most of the text is in the Alternate Gothic No. 1 font, while "Has Rated This Motion Picture" is in a Franklin Gothic font, and the rating letter is in Folio. On the X bumper, "16" is taller than the rest of the text.
Trivia:
- The first film to be given an MPAA rating is Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), rated for general audiences.
- As X-rated features were disqualified from MPAA approval, the MPAA logo does not appear on any of the X bumpers.
Variants:
- On the Italian Super 8 printing of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), the audio from the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo is heard. This was due to the audio being recorded from the Italian DVD itself.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. It can be seen on MPAA-rated films in the rating system's infancy. The G bumper appears at the start of the Magnetic Video releases of Hello, Dolly! (1969) and Don't Drink the Water (1969), the 20th Century-Fox Video release of The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the original two-tape Paramount Home Video VHS of True Grit (1969), and is also retained on the DVD release of Change of Habit (1969). The M bumper appears at the end of the Magnetic Video release of The Only Game in Town (1970) and a 16mm print of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). An in-credit variant appeared on the New York premiere print of Patton (1970), which was used for initial DVD releases (later releases, including the Blu-ray one, use the 1970-1984 bumper as seen in the general release). The R bumper appears at the start of the Media-Home Entertainment release of Rebel Rousers. The yellow-on-blue color variant is the only one, apart from the odd in-credit variants, to have been used outside of trailers, so don't look for any of the other color variants on feature film prints. The standard X bumper can be considered extinct, as the only evidence of its existence is on an old video print of the original trailer for The Damned.
Editor's Note: None.
3rd Bumper (January 25, 1970-March 2, 1984, March 6, 1987, December 6, 1991, March 22, 2002, September 7, 2012)
Bumper: On a blue background, we see a white horizontal stripe near the bottom of the screen. Above that stripe, we see the words "THE MOTION PICTURE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION HAS RATED THIS MOTION PICTURE". On the stripe, we see the following words (in a Franklin Gothic-esque font) and rating (in the Melior font), depending on the film:
- General Audiences: G
- Parental Guidance: GP (1970-1972); PG (1972-1983)
- Restricted: R
- No One Under 17: X (the X is in a circle and the text below reads "NO ONE UNDER 17 ADMITTED" and below that "AGE LIMIT MAY VARY IN CERTAIN AREAS". The MPAA logo and text are omitted, and "THE MOTION PICTURE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION HAS RATED THIS MOTION PICTURE" is replaced with "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED".)
Trivia:
- The cover to the Queens of the Stone Age album Rated R is inspired by the 1970 R bumper, which is also parodied at the end of the music video for "Monsters in the Parasol".
- In the middle of the 1981 Paramount comedy-horror film Student Bodies, the film suddenly cuts to a scene featuring a long zoom-in on a man discussing that the film doesn't have enough features to warrant an R rating (i.e.: nudity, profanity, violence), despite proven research that "R-rated films are by far the most popular with the movie-going public". He then closes the scene by giving one of the very few examples of the film's R rating (and one of the very few profanities spoken in the film) by stating that "the producers of this motion picture have asked me to take this opportunity to say... f*** you." After he says this, the film cuts to the 1970 R bumper, then resumes as normal.
Variants:
- The rating "GP" (full meaning: "All Ages Admitted: Parental Guidance Suggested") was used during the early years of this card.
- The rating/initials, text and MPAA logo may appear in the center rather than to the right (normal for the R-rated trailer variant).
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. This bumper can be seen on some Disney videos, most notoriously during the Neon Mickey era, and also at the end of the film itself on the 1998 VHS of Taxi Driver (1976) and at the start of some prints of the theatrical version of Angel Heart (1987), including the 1989 IVE VHS. An MCA/Universal VHS of Dead Reckoning (1990) shows this screen after the MTE logo. This bumper can also be seen at the end of MCA/Universal's demo tape of At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991). It recently appeared at the end of the 2012 IMAX version of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). It can appear on DVD on many pre-1984 films released by Universal (restored on most releases). It was also shown in theatres during this era. It is also intact at the end of the 2002 VHS of E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) with the next bumper proceeding it. (It is possible that Universal forgot to delete this bumper when putting together the VHS release). The R bumper appears on the 1994 Live Home Video laser videodisc release of First Blood (1982). In Australia, this has been spotted at the end of a early 1990s CIC Video release of The Blues Brothers (1980). The GP bumper surprisingly appears on the Blu-ray release of Patton (1970). Recent releases of Jaws (1975) have this bumper plastered with the next bumper, but its sequel kept this bumper. This was used on Universal’s films until the spring of 1984. One of the first films to use this bumper was M*A*S*H, which went into wide release in March 1970. The X bumper appeared on the Magnetic Video release of Last Tango in Paris (1972), but not the 20th Century-Fox Video laser videodisc.
Editor's Note: None.
4th Bumper (1974-present)
Bumper: On a blue background, we see the words "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED". In a white square, either one of their ratings will be seen, along with the MPAA logo: Rating Symbols and their Descriptions:
- General Audiences: G
- Parental Guidance: PG
- Parents Strongly Cautioned: PG-13 (introduced in 1984)
- Restricted: R
- No One Under 17: NC-17 (introduced in 1990) (the previous bumper continued to be used when the rating was still X)
On the bottom of the rating are the words "BY THE CODE AND RATING ADMINISTRATION". It was renamed "CLASSIFICATION AND RATING ADMINISTRATION" beginning on December 2, 1983 with Michael Jackson's Thriller. The PG rating card was the first to undergo this makeover; the R rating card followed a couple of weeks later on Gorky Park, while the G rating card continued in its original form as late as January 17, 1986.
Variants:
- Starting in 2004, the films feature the URLs for www.filmratings.com and www.mpaa.org.
- On red band movie trailers from 1974-1983, the bumper was on a red background.
- The text and rating symbol/initials fonts varied from 1974-1983; the font most used for the rating symbol during this time was Clarendon, though the standard Melior font was used from time to time, and the normal text font was Times New Roman Condensed, with "MOTION PICTURE" in Helvetica. Also, the earlier PG text said "PRE-TEENAGERS" instead of "CHILDREN" and the earlier PG-13 text said "Parents Are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13. Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Young Children" instead of "PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED/SOME MATERIAL MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13." The original variant was mainly seen on trailers but also appeared on some feature films, including the 1977 re-release of THX-1138 (1971), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), Raging Bull (1980), and The Adventures of the American Rabbit (1986).
- Beginning in 1996, the PG bumper has the MPAA logo appear beside "Parental Guidance Suggested".
- On the 1994 reissue of Woodstock (1970), "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED" is replaced with "WOODSTOCK, 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC", with "HAS BEEN RATED" directly below, and "BY THE" and the MPAA name below its logo are omitted for some reason. Additionally, the whole screen burns up several seconds in, with the R rating itself being the first to catch fire, and after the flames dissipate, only the top line of text remains.
- 20th Century Fox used a variation only on their VHS tapes from 2002-2006, where it showed a bigger version of the bumper. However, the PG-13 version contains an error with the rectangle saying "RESTRICTED" instead of "PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED".
- Paramount also had their own variation used from 2000-present. It is the same bumper at the time, but on a black background instead of the usual blue, the words "This motion picture has been rated" are in lowercase, and at the bottom it says "For more information on the film ratings go to www.filmratings.com." The Paramount variation is not used on Paramount releases of movies from CBS as it used the CBS Video logo.
- Sony Pictures also used their own version of the bumper from 2002-2013; similar to Paramount's, it was originally on a black background, but in 2004 it was put on a blue background, and there's no text on the top or bottom.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Common. The 1974-1983 versions were used in tandem with the 1970-1984 bumper, with the G bumper lasting until at least The Adventures of the American Rabbit. Seen on many Universal films and New Line Cinema films on their DVDs. Even after the 2013 bumper was introduced, this one still appears in theatres at the end of newer releases. Only pre-2013 Disney DVD/Blu-ray releases don't use this screen (perhaps because the rating symbol and the box already appear on the back of the cover). The PG version surprisingly appeared at the end of the UK DVD release of Ice Age (2002). The PG variant also popped up at the end of Fathom Events' 2017 screening of An Affair to Remember (1957), even though it appears that the film (or any alternate version of it) was never rated by the MPAA. This plasters older MPAA bumpers on some recent releases from Universal on DVD and Blu-ray, including Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969, titled Doppelgänger in Europe) and The Thing (1982). The 1983 variant of the PG bumper additionally appeared at the end of IMAX 3D presentations of Michael Jackson's Thriller, which was presented as the short subject before The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in its first week at the IMAX. The PG-13 bumper strangely appears at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), which was in fact rated PG.
Editor's Note: None.
5th Bumper (2013-present)
Bumper: Same as the previous bumper, except the rating symbols/boxes are redesigned (rating initials still appear in Melior) and the text font is Gotham. It also shows the complete film rating description on the right of the rating box.
Variants:
- On Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases, such as Despicable Me 2 and Jobs, the rating symbol, the MPAA logo, and all the text have a drop shadow effect.
- Starting in November 2019, after the Motion Picture Association of America was renamed to the Motion Picture Association, the organisation's name and the line below it in the MPAA logo are replaced by the letters "MPA", and the web address "www.mpaa.org" was changed to "www.motionpictures.org".
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Current. Seen on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases such as The Smurfs 2 (2013), Grown Ups 2 (2013), and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment releases such as Turbo (2013), and Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases on DVD and Blu-ray. This also appears at the end of a few odd theatrical releases, such as Pompeii (2014, from TriStar Pictures), The F Word (2013, from Entertainment One, also titled What If), and Step Up: All In (2014, from Summit Entertainment). Again, this doesn't appear on post-2013 Disney DVD/Blu-ray releases.
Editor's Note: None.
Trailer Bumpers
1st Bumper (1967-1968)
Bumper: On various backgrounds (which vary depending on the trailer), we see the words "Suggested for Mature Audiences".
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. It was seen on trailers of movies from 1967-1968, such as "Rosemary's Baby".
Editor's Note: None.
2nd Bumper (November 1, 1968-February 1970)
Bumper: Same as the feature film bumper of the era.
Variants:
- Some trailers have the bumper appear in different colors. Among them were white-on-blue, white-on-green, white-on-red, red-on-black, yellow-on-black, and white-on-black.
- For X-rated movies, "16" is at the same height as the rest of the text in its line on these variants, unlike the feature film bumper.
- Trailers for most United Artists films from this era used the white-on-black variant, but with the rating symbol in blue, to match the Transamerica T motif.
- A unique bumper has the background a darker blue and the text and rating symbol a slightly darker shade of yellow. This is only known to have appeared on the trailer for The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968).
- Most X bumpers on trailers had the text and rating symbol wipe in from left to right. This was seen on trailers for Medium Cool (1969) and Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), both of which used the white-on-blue variant.
FX/SFX: None usually, but most X bumpers have the text and rating symbol wipe in from left to right.
Music/Sounds: None.
Music/Sounds Variant: On the trailer for The Girl on a Motorcycle, the film's rating is said aloud.
Availability: Extremely rare. It can be seen on trailers for MPAA-rated films of the time like True Grit (1969), The Wild Bunch (1969), and The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968). The G bumper appears at the end of the 1969 reissue trailer for One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), which is seen on the 2008 DVD release.
Editor's Note: None.
3rd Bumper (1970-1971)
Bumper: Same as the United Artists' variant of the previous bumper, except one of the following ratings are shown (and in different fonts, namely for the rating initials, i.e. GP):
- G: All Ages Admitted, General Audiences
- GP: ALL AGES ADMITTED, Parental Guidance Suggested
- R: RESTRICTED, Under 17 requires accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian
- X (inside a circle instead of a square): No one under 17 admitted (Age limit may vary in certain areas)
The font appears to be Helvetica-like for most of the text and Melior for the rating symbol. Also, the background colour is black and the "Motion Picture Association of America" text and the line below it do not appear under the MPAA globe. The rating box and initials are in colour too, though usually as the result of a tint (exceptions include Love Story and most anything United Artists advertised, the latter where the rating symbol is once again deliberately blue to match the Transamerica T).
Variants:
- This appeared with a blue background on a trailer for Love Story (1970).
- One variant of the X bumper had the X rating, in red, appear in a square instead of a circle. The notice at the top instead reads "THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BEEN RATED", and the advisory below it instead reads "Due to the extremely graphic nature of this motion picture, no one under 17 will be admitted." This is presumed to have appeared on an early trailer for Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), but the only confirmed sighting thus far is at the end of a trailer for Machete as seen on Grindhouse (2007).
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. Films which have this on their trailers include The Boys in the Band (1970), THX-1138 (1971), Love Story (1970), The Hawaiians (1970), I Drink Your Blood (1970), and End of the Road (1970).
Editor's Note: None.
4th Bumper (1970-1984)
Bumper: Same as the feature film bumper of the era.
Variants:
- On some R-rated trailers, the words "This PREVIEW has been Approved by the Motion Picture Association of America for General Audiences." is shown on top of the bumper, and all text is in Helvetica (except for the rating, which remains in Melior).
- On some GP-rated trailers, an asterisk appears beside the GP symbol, then moves to the left side of the screen a few seconds later, with text appearing beside it that reads "THIS FILM CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR PRE-TEENAGERS".
FX/SFX: The moving asterisk and the appearance of additional text for some GP-rated trailers. None otherwise.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. Can be seen at the end of a 1966 trailer (which was most likely reused for the 1972 reissue) for The Ten Commandments (1956) on its 2004 DVD. The GP* variant can be seen on a trailer for Targets (1968).
Editor's Note: None.
5th Bumper (1976-1980)
Bumper: On a blue background, we see the words "THIS SPECIAL PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR ALL AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA".
Trivia: Sometimes, at the end of trailers from 1976-1980, the 1970-1984 rating bumper appears.
Variants:
- There is a red background in which the text says "THIS PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR RESTRICTED AUDIENCES ONLY BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA". Sometimes, the blue background may be used.
- The blue background color may be losing color or in a shade of a different one.
- The font may be a little spaced out or narrow depending on the trailer.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. It was seen on USA and Canada prints of trailers of films released from 1976-1980.
Editor's Note: None.
6th Bumper (1980-2009)
Bumper: On a green background, we see the following:
In a white square, either one of their ratings will be seen, along with the MPAA logo:
- General Audiences: G (All Ages Admitted)
- Parental Guidance Suggested: PG (Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children)
- Parents Strongly Cautioned: (Known as "Parents Are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13" from 1984-1986) PG-13 (Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13)
- Restricted: R (Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian)
- No One 17 and Under Admitted: NC-17 (X until 1990)
The text "THE FILM ADVERTISED HAS BEEN RATED" appears above the rating.
Variants:
- There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):
- There is a yellow background for very few Internet trailers, such as Burn After Reading (2008), in which we see the black, altered text:
- Some trailers do not feature an MPAA rating symbol at all.
- The rating box/initials/symbols and text sometimes have a drop shadow.
- Sometime in the 2000s, the text "For information on film ratings, go to www.filmratings.com" appeared below. In later years, the www.filmratings.com and www.mpaa.org links appeared and the text read "THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC."
- On a trailer for Schindler's List (1993), the background is gray (since the trailer, like most of the film itself, is in black-and-white).
- On a trailer for Commando (1985) and a home video trailer for Monsters, Inc. (2001), the background is blue.
- Many VHS tapes from the 1990s released by Columbia TriStar Home Video has the words in a different font and only "PREVIEW" and "ALL AUDIENCES" is capitalised, all with and without the rating cards. Even some versions exist with the "The Film Advertised Has Been Rated" with no rating card.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Can be seen on trailers for films (many of which are available on their Blu-rays, DVDs and VHS tapes). Starting in 2002, DVDs started using trailers for upcoming films at the beginning, and the ones coded Region 1 have this band. Don't expect to see this on international trailers of MPAA-approved movies or trailers shown at AMC Theatres or Cinemark Theatres (although Cinemark does have a screen that says the same thing as the second band before the 1st trailer starts) as they go straight to the trailer. One of the first films to have this on its trailer was American Gigolo (1980).
Editor's Note: None.
7th Bumper (2009-2013)
Bumper: Same as before, except the words "APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" replace "ALL AUDIENCES", and the rating box/initials/symbols and text have a drop shadow. In a white square, either one of their ratings will be seen, along with the MPAA logo:
- General Audiences: G
- Parental Guidance: PG
- Parents Strongly Cautioned: PG-13
- Restricted: R
- No One 17 and Under Admitted: NC-17
Variants:
- Some trailers do not feature an MPAA rating symbol at all.
- There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):
("RESTRICTED" may be sometimes replaced with "MATURE".)
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen at the beginning of Region 1 DVDs during this era and in theatres. See the sixth bumper for information regarding international releases.
Editor's Note: None.
8th Bumper (2013-2018)
Bumper: On a green background, we see the words "THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" ("TO ACCOMPANY THIS FEATURE" is for trailers shown in theatres) in the Gotham font. In a white square, either one of these ratings would be seen, along with the MPAA logo:
- General Audiences: G
- Parental Guidance: PG
- Parents Strongly Cautioned: PG-13
- Restricted: R
- No One 17 and Under Admitted: NC-17
Trivia: This and the new rating symbols debuted on April 15, 2013.
Variants:
- Some trailers do not feature an MPAA rating symbol at all.
- The rating box/initial/symbols and text sometimes have a drop shadow.
- On trailers shown before theatrical movies in a three-dimensional format (such as films in Real-D 3D), the text "APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES" or "ACCOMPANY THIS FEATURE" slowly and subtly bulges out at the viewer.
- There is a red background for some films, in which we see the altered text (mainly on NC-17 films, but it could also be on R-rated films):
FX/SFX: None, except for the 3D variant's text bulging out.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Can be seen on trailers for current theatrical releases on Blu-ray, DVD, on YouTube, and in theatres. See the sixth bumper for information regarding international releases.
Editor's Note: None.
9th Bumper (2018-present)
Bumper: On a green background, we see a giant MPAA globe in a lighter green shade in the center. In front of that globe are the words "THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC." in the Gotham font. In a white square, either one of these ratings would be seen:
- General Audiences: G
- Parental Guidance: PG
- Parents Strongly Cautioned: PG-13
- Restricted: R
- No One 17 and Under Admitted: NC-17
On the bottom-left of the screen are two web addresses, "www.mpaa.org" and "www.filmratings.com", stacked on one another, while a smaller white MPAA logo is on the bottom-right.
Variants:
- Some trailers do not feature a rating symbol at all.
- Starting in November 2019, after the Motion Picture Association of America was renamed to the Motion Picture Association, the words "OF AMERICA" were removed, the letters "MPA" are seen below the globe logo (replacing the "Motion Picture Association of America, Inc." text and the line below it) only on the bottom right of the screen, and the first web address was changed to "www.motionpictures.org".
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Brand new; debuted in summer 2018 on trailers for films like Night School, Peppermint and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Among the first trailers to use the November 2019 variant are Bombshell and Scoob!.
Editor's Note: None.
