Vin Di Bona Productions

Credits

Descriptions by
John Montagnino, Cameron McCaffrey, AsdfTheRevival, Tlogos, Hoa, Yeow95, and rj4712

Editions by
AsdfTheRevival, Bob Fish, Michael Bass, and V of Doom

Video captures courtesy of
JohnnyL80 and Eric S.

Background

Vin Di Bona Productions is an independent television production company established in 1986 by television producer Vin Di Bona. Undeniably its best-known show is America's Funniest Home Videos.

1st Logo (August 8, 1987-September 1, 1990)

Visuals: On a gray/black gradient background, the pale gold text "Vin Di Bona", in Vin's signature, spins around on a invisible tube. Curled at first, the text then unravels itself. A gold diamond outline opens under the signature as a dark orange rounded rectangle with the pale gold word "PRODUCTIONS" on it slides up from the bottom of the screen onto the center of the diamond. A slight sheen glides over the "Vin Di Bona" text.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synth humming tune with two quick organ notes right at the beginning, followed by a quick ascending harp note, after which the rest of the tune plays a note higher. The music plays in sync with everything. Composed by Dan Slider.

Availability: This was last seen on S1 episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos (a.k.a. AFV) on the Hallmark Channel. It also appeared on the ABC series Animal Crack Ups.

Legacy: Some have been turned off by this logo's rather wonky-sounding synth music, though the theme nevertheless managed to appear on the company's logos for 21 years.

2nd Logo (February 4, 1990-May 20, 1998)

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Visuals: On a deep blue/black gradient background, the "Vin Di Bona" signature from before spins around briefly before slowing down and unfolding. After this is done, a coral-pink rounded rectangle with the text "PRODUCTIONS" (in white) on it, similar to before, zooms in underneath the signature. The "Vin Di Bona" shines.

Variants:

• On season 1 of the Showtime TV series Sherman Oaks, the logo is superimposed over the light blue scratchy background used for the credits (the logos preceding this one are superimposed over the same background as well). The "PRODUCTIONS" oblong is now colored scarlet and looks slightly different as well, and zooms up from the bottom of the screen like the first logo, but at a much slower pace. (As a side note, this logo was the only logo on the program to feature its music.)
• On the TV movie For the Love of Nancy, the logo is chromed in over a red-black gradient background. In addition, the "Vin Di Bona" text spins around longer. The "PRODUCTIONS" oblong has the same design and animation as the Sherman Oaks variant as well. The byline "A VIN DI BONA COMPANY" appears below the "PRODUCTIONS" oblong, and the signature shines afterward.
• On the U.S. game show pilot Conquer Fort Boyard, a copyright stamp is seen below the logo.
• Two short versions exist, one starting as the signature stops, and the other starting right as the signature opens.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the 1st logo.

Audio Variants:

• On some shows and TV movies such as some 1990-1991 episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos, the ending theme plays over the logo.
• On season 2 of Sherman Oaks, the logo's music plays after the closing theme, sometimes trailing into the 4th Chris Bearde Productions logo, and then is followed by a line from the episode.

Availability:

• This can be seen on the CBS/Fox Video releases of The Best of America's Funniest Home Videos, America's Funniest Pets, and America's Funniest Families.
• Strangely, this plastered the next logo on airings of the Daisy Fuentes/John Fugelsang era of America's Funniest Home Videos on WGN America (now NewsNation).
• It was also seen on AFV's spin-off, America's Funniest People, which ran from 1990-1994.
• The 1992 CBS special Storm the Castle (which was based on Japan's Takeshi's Castle) should have this logo as well.

3rd Logo (January 5, 1998-May 16, 2008)

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Visuals: In an environment with five blue spotlights in the background that light the bottom in light-blue (making everything resemble a stage), the signature spins as usual, only now a little slower compared to before and also now in 3D. A faint shadow of the signature can also be seen on the floor (when viewed closely). Right before it unfolds, the word "PRODUCTIONS", now rectangle-less and thin, fades in next to the "B" in "Bona" and unfolds with the script. The signature shines as usual.

Variants:

• Two short versions exist, as well as medium-long and longer variants.
  • Both short versions are in the same lengths as before, with the medium-long version in the same duration as the red background variant of the previous logo. In the longer version, the signature spins in a full circle once, starting from the rear.
• A warp-speed variant of the medium-long version was seen on Richard Simmons' Dream Maker, a Russian airing of one AFV episode, and the game show The Big Moment.
  • On the latter, after the logo finishes, it shifts up to make room for the following text which flashes in below:in association withRichard Brustein
    Entertainment
• On later appearances of the logo, a registered trademark symbol fades in next to "PRODUCTIONS".
• On HD prints of AFV episodes from the era, which are edited and cropped to widescreen, the logo is superimposed on a widescreen background using the background based on the era it was on.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the last two logos. Original ABC airings of The Big Moment and a 2001 AFV episode use generic network music.

Availability:

• It debuted on original airings of the Fuentes/Fugelsang revival of AFV in 1998, and is left intact on Tom Bergeron-era episodes of the show on Freeform, NewsNation, Up, and local syndication, as well as on DVD and Disney+.
• It also appeared on the Disney Channel game show Off the Wall, the ABC game show The Big Moment, and the Lifetime special The I Do Diaries: Wackiest Wedding Videos.

4th Logo (October 5, 2008-)

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Visuals: On a swirly red/yellow background with a bit more of yellow (similar to the background of the 2004-2011 AFV graphics), the "Vin Di Bona" signature spins in the same way as before, but unfurls quicker. The entire signature is now colored in a shiny gold color, which radiates off light for the 1st half of the logo. It has also been noticeably updated to match Vin's signature better, is at a slight angle, and appears to have a black outline. "PRODUCTIONS" is also spaced out and appears just as the logo frills out. The logo shines after the unfurling.

Variants:

• The original version has both 4:3 (SD) and 16:9 (HD) versions.
• On seasons 22-24 of AFV, the background is more yellow-orange colored. This color scheme is similar to the background of the ABC Entertainment logo found at the end of the show at that time.
• On seasons 25-28 of AFV, the background is now a blue-green gradient (similar to the background of the 2011-2015 AFV graphics).
• Starting in 2018, the logo can now sometimes be seen superimposed over the closing credits.
• On the AFV special AFV: America This is You, the logo is on a black background.
• On Videos After Dark, the logo is set in a night city (seen on the Videos After Dark graphics) with a red-tinted picture of Vin Di Bona himself at the right of the building, as well as the blue-tinted banners of Bob Saget and the Videos After Dark logo.
• Starting with season 31 of AFV, the logo appears on a black background with a red double-gradient, similar to the then-current ABC Entertainment logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A calm synth theme with a soft, rising hum similar to the usual Vin Di Bona theme, as well as a ticking beat and twinkling heard with the final note (this is all composed by Dan Slider). Due to Bill Ratner or other announcers plugging the show that follows AFV, it typically isn't well-heard on ABC.

Audio Variants:

• On some reruns of America's Funniest Home Videos on UPtv, along with the ABC Entertainment logo before it, the music is slowed down/low pitched. The pitch varies from one episode to another. On a handful of episodes, the pitch is so low that the theme literally "crashes" (a la Windows), though this has yet to be determined.
• Since 2018, original ABC airings use generic network music.
• Sometimes, the closing theme of the show plays over it.
• On a January 16, 2022 rerun of the October 17, 2021 episode of America's Funniest Home Videos, none (due to the death of the show's original host Bob Saget).

Availability: Seen on current episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos. It is also seen on AFV: America, This is You! and Videos After Dark.