TOY Productions
Matt Anscher, Jeffrey Gray, and Shadeed A. Kelly
Captures by
Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, TrickyMario7654, Derrick Anderson, TheEriccorpinc, and Eric S.
Editions by
Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, and V of Doom
Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw
Background
After Bud Yorkin ended his partnership with Norman Lear, he formed his own production company joining forces with writers and producers Saul Turteltaub and Bernie Orenstein under the name of "Bud Yorkin Productions, Inc." in 1975. However, the series like What's Happening!! would have Yorkin's copyright stamp on the show. After Grady was canceled a year later, Turtletaub, Orenstein, and Yorkin established "TOY Productions". Yorkin however, was still involved with Tandem Productions as executive vice president. On February 19, 1979, TOY Productions was acquired by Columbia Pictures Television (now "Sony Pictures Television") and was folded in 1982 after the cancellation of One of the Boys.
Logo (November 13, 1976-April 24, 1982)
Visuals: Just in-credit text that says "A TOY PRODUCTION" in 3 rows.
Variants:
- Originally, the letters "T. O. Y." had periods between them.
- On the S2 episode "Rerun Gets Married", a proper logo was used, consisting on a white ball with the word "TOY" in a cut-out with the text "A TOY PRODUCTION" below. The design looks noticeably different in its first appearance: The logo is larger, the "T" and "Y" are slightly unevenly thinner, and the "O" is smaller, not even touching the other letters.
- Starting on the episode "It's All in Your Head" on September 29, 1977, the letters in the ball are colored orange or brown, and the text "A TOY PRODUCTION" is seen below.
- In the rest of the episodes in mid-season two starting in November, the text says "TOY PRODUCTIONS" (which was reverted to "A TOY PRODUCTION" during the 1978-1979 season). The word "TOY" in the ball is now in white with a cut-out outline.
- On One of the Boys, the company was renamed to "TOY II Productions". The logo is now outlined and colored brown, and there's animation; the "T" and "Y" letters, as well as the halves of the "O" on each side, slide from the left and right side of the ball respectively. The text "A TOY II PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH" zooms in from the bottom of the ball.
Technique: A superimposed graphic.
Audio: The closing theme of the show.
Availability:
- It appears throughout all three seasons of What's Happening!! except the second episode. It also appears on the three short-lived series Carter Country, 13 Queens Boulevard, and One in a Million.
- The animated version only appears on the 1982 NBC sitcom One of the Boys with Mickey Rooney.
