CBBC IDs

Background
CBBC (called Children's BBC from 1985-1997) is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is aimed at children ages 6 to 12. It originally started on September 9, 1985. BBC Four, along with CBBC and BBC Radio 4 Extra are likely about to end their terrestrial networks by 2025.

1st Logo (September 9, 1985-1989)
Logo: On a black background, the letters "BBC" (in red, green and blue respectively) appear one by one, then "CHILDREN'S" pops up in light yellow.

Trivia: This logo was made on the BBC Micro B computer.

Variants:
 * Originally, "CHILDREN'S" was underneath the BBC text and had no animation except the flickering.
 * In its early days, the logo took place on a blue background.
 * In 1986, a later version was created, in which "BBC" is in gold and "CHILDREN'S" is in teal, and the background is either black (for BBC One) or white (for BBC Two).
 * Sometimes, the colors of the first "B" and "C" would be swapped.
 * The later version can also be seen on BBC1 Saturday Superstore's "Presentation Tour" when Philip Schofield pushes the many buttons on his vision mixer. Only the end flickering is shown during its cameo. A still version of it on a black background can also be seen on one of his fourteen front monitors.

Technique: A wipe transition is used.

Music/Sounds: A high-pitched 4-note 8-bit theme.

Availability: Extinct on TV. It is preserved on recording media by many, however.

2nd Logo (1987-September 4, 1989)
Logo: On a black background, moving trails begin to form shapes via their initials, showing the letters of the word "CHILDREN'S". Then, the trails form the BBC logo.

Variant: A shorter version also exists.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A funk-styled theme song.

Availability: Same as before.

3rd Logo (September 4, 1989-September 8, 1991)
Logo: On a teal CGI background with copies of the CBBC logo engraved in, a gold BBC fades in like a TV aerial, then "CHILDREN'S" wipes in turquoise.

Trivia: This logo was made on the Acorn Archimedes computer.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: An electronic jingle, accompanied by a chorus and a 3 note fanfare once the BBC text is formed.

Availability: Same as before.

4th Logo (September 9, 1991-September 25, 1994, 2015)
Logo: On a black background, letters in an odd font which spell "CH|LD)REN'S" form out and then rotate to their usual positions. The 1988 BBC logo pops up afterwards.

Technique: CGI animation.

Variants:
 * On the later variant, the 1988 BBC logo takes slightly longer to pop up.
 * An in-credit version of the logo also exists.
 * A variant exists where an explosion occurs. Later, a shape-formed face appears distorting in a black background, sometimes cutting to split-second shots of the logo. After the logo is formed, the 1988 BBC logo appears under the "N" in "Children's", as the text "...But First This" wipes in below the logo.

Music/Sounds:


 * September 9, 1991 – April 1992: A downbeat electronic theme. This theme was considered to be too dull and was eventually replaced with the next theme.
 * April 1992 – September 26, 1994: A bouncy, upbeat theme with a huge thud at the end. This was usually followed by a man saying "OOH! OOH! OOH!", taken from the song "Looking Out My Window" by Tom Jones.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Christmas occasions, a rendition of "Jingle Bells" is heard.
 * Another variant exists where a man can be heard saying "Tell that aardvark, it's a wrap." This is most likely a reference to Children's BBC puppet presenter Otis the Aardvark.

Availability: Same as before. It has been in use on CBBC in the early 90s, but made a surprise appearance, on the 30 Years of CBBC TV special made to commemorate the network's 30th anniversary, since its launch in 1985.

5th Logo (September 26, 1994-October 3, 1997)
Logo: On a gradient background, the same "Children's" sign from the last logo rendered in 3-D forms itself in chunks. A white 3-D 1988 BBC logo later appears.

Variants:


 * Alien – A farmer's field is shown, with an alien spaceship hovering above and a scarecrow standing in the fields. The scarecrow turns around to reveal an alien in its place, and the shot pans out to the field with "Children's" inscribed in it, and the BBC logo on the spaceship.
 * Bee – A bumble bee encounters a Venus flytrap, which it then swallows, before turning into the black and yellow BBC logo and the "Children's" letters falling from above.
 * Boy – Letters from the "Children's" jump out from his face in various orders, and when the boy opens his mouth, the 'Children's' can be seen on his uvula, dangling from the roof of his mouth, with the BBC logo on his tongue.
 * Christmas Rooftop – On a winter's night (with the flashing grey "Children's" logo in the dark), Father Christmas twists a few times in a chimney (with the "Children's" logo on the sack next to the chimney) and boings up high into the sky. The reindeer stands in the chimney for a few seconds. Then, Father Christmas crashes back into the chimney and the BBC logo appears on the grey paving slabs on the roof after the snow slides off the roof, while the reindeer have a couple giggles behind the rooftop.
 * Christmas Tumble – Father Christmas strolls along the snow and then boings out of sight when letters of the "Children's" logo (and a couple of presents) fly in all directions. Father Christmas then gasps when he sees the "Children's" logo electrocuting on the reindeer's antlers, while he holds the BBC logo between his teeth.
 * Cow – Four cows are seen standing on small balls of grass. The last one blows a bubble containing the "Children's" logo, with the BBC logo contained in three flowers.
 * Egyptian – In Egypt, a mummy walks past where a lizard sits on the coffin. A lid opens and the mummy's bandages come undone one by one. The letters of "Children's" are shown inside while the lizard does an Egyptian dance.
 * Frankenstein – A sad monster looks out of the window. Thunder rumbles and lightning crackles as the machine contains the "Children's" logo. The monster cheers himself up by pulling every lever of the machine whilst electrocuting himself.
 * Jazz – The Children's BBC logo is split vertically and stretched in many directions against a plain blue background, accompanied by a jazzy version of the theme.
 * Mechanical Dogs – Metal, mechanical dogs bark at letters of the "Children's" logo raised on metal stilts above them, which come together to form the logo. The BBC logo is on one of the dogs.
 * Otis the Aardvark Paint – A cartoon version of Children's BBC's puppet Otis paints a picture, with the logo in the middle of the painting.
 * Otis the Aardvark Toffee – Otis eats toffees out of a tin, and gets his nose caught in it. The logo is on the bottom of the tin.
 * Pig – A live piglet roams around an area with numerous "Children's" logos imposed on the floor, and just as many BBC logos imposed on the back wall. Various shots of the pig end with the Children's BBC logo on the pig's rear.
 * Princess & Frog – A princess kisses a frog, turning her into a variety of objects including a cow and a pair of pants, before becoming a frog. Another kiss turns both into the Children's BBC logo, before the changes continue.
 * Sculptor – A man in a toga sculpts a block of stone, with the BBC logo carved into it. He eventually hits it too hard, resulting in the stone crumbling away to reveal "Children's". The man then crumbles into a delighted child.
 * Singing Friends – Two animal friends (bird and fish) sing a short jingle about Children's BBC, while the fish holds up the lyrics. The Children's BBC logo appears on the back wall.
 * Space – A spaceship flies around some planets, before crashing into a moon, leaving the Children's BBC logo to circle the wreckage.
 * Surfboard – A man surfs on a board before falling off, sending a large wave into shore, which washes up the Children's BBC logo.
 * Teen's Bedroom – A teenager straggles out of his messy bedroom into the hall. While he is gone, numerous letters of "Children's", the BBC logo, and the logo of the channel it is on all appear in different locations around the room. The same is repeated when he staggers back in.
 * Underwater – A diver appears inside a fish bowl, only to reveal the bowl being underwater, inhabited by an Elvis fish.
 * Beginning in January 1996, the background was changed to a vibrant yellow and a grey 2-D 1988 BBC logo appears.

Technique: CGI animation, although some idents are either live-action, hand-drawn or stop-motion.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat theme, with different pitches and instruments depending on the variant.

Availability: Same as before.

6th Logo (October 4, 1997-February 10, 2002)


Logos: The logo varies, but all of them use the CBBC logo at the end.


 * Blobs – Black blobs, similar to those found in a lava lamp, are seen rising up the screen.
 * Cat and Bird – A bird pecks around on seeds and crumbs before finding a worm stuck down a hole. Pulling the worm free, the bird finds out it is a cat's tail, who promptly chases after the bird.
 * Cat and Mouse – The cat chases a mouse into its hole and lies in wait. The mouse emerges disguised under a leaf. The cat, now impatient, sticks his head in the hole, allowing the mouse to get away.
 * Dragon – A dragon scrambles up onto a rock and prepares to take flight, only to fall down to the bottom.
 * Fish – A shoal of five fish swim across the screen and turn to where they're only seen as thin lines emitting bubbles, before turning back across the screen. A longer version of this ident was produced.
 * Frog – A frog, sitting on a lily pad, spots a fly above him and sticks his tongue out to catch the fly, only to be pulled off into the air.
 * Magician – A magician performs the act of pulling his own shirt off, as he attempts to pull something from his top hat, much to his embarrassment.
 * Man and Dog – A man walks his fluffy dog on a leash. The dog, however, gets caught on a rock and unravels into a single line, much to the owners bemusement.
 * Mole – A mole digging a tunnel comes to the surface to clear his glasses, before continuing on.
 * Mouse – A mouse (out of breath) arrives on screen and comes up with the idea of becoming a bicycle by taking his ears off for wheels, his tail for handlebars, and his nose for a seat. The mouse then cycles quickly off-screen, with the rest of its body looking like a bike racer. A still from this ident was used when they had technical difficulties at the time.
 * Octopus – An octopus swims into view, spots the viewer, and hides itself in its own ink, allowing itself to get away.
 * Space Girl – A girl flies a spaceship in a Japanese Manga style.
 * Snail – A snail moves, checks if anybody is looking, and quickly scratches its back by lifting its shell off.
 * Spiral – Various swirls, spirals and circles all move towards the screen.
 * Tiger – A tiger stalks and hides in a jungle environment. The tiger then surprises the camera.
 * The Breakfast Show (1997-1999) – A rooster is seen snoring on a fence. Then a smiling sun rises and watches a plane pass by, with the trail of smoke from the plane forming "BREAKFAST". The two clouds next to the sun form "SHOW". The rooster wakes up and crows.
 * The Breakfast Show (1999-2001) – A boy is served breakfast in bed by a Rube Goldberg machine, which is activated by his alarm clock. The CBBC logo and the words "Breakfast Show" appear below him.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Uses a remix of the 5th logo, which depends on the variant.

Availability: Same as before.

7th Logo (2002-2005)
TBA. We'll give you what the logo looks like for now.

Logo: Depends on the variant, but variants will be TBA for now.

8th Logo (September 30, 2005-September 3, 2007)
TBA. We'll give you what the logo looks like for now.

Logo: In a blue tunnel, we see a sparkle flying around the maze with some strings. Then we stop with the 2002 CBBC logo sliding in with a circle forming.

9th Logo (September 3, 2007-September 10, 2010)
TBA. We'll give you what the logo looks like and what music it uses for now.

Logo: On a white background with green shapes in the corners, the CBBC logo forms in the center.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat rock theme ending with a male chorus singing "C-B-B-C!" The theme (as well as the voices) varies depending on the ident, but it is the same jingle.

10th Logo (September 10, 2010-September 13, 2014)
TBA. We'll give you what the logo looks like and what music it uses for now.

Logo: On a white background, the CBBC letters pop out toward the camera as green shapes and lines emerge.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 9th logo.

11th Logo (September 13, 2014-March 14, 2016)
TBA Logo: Depends on the ident.

12th Logo (March 14, 2016- )
Logo: The channel's logo is represented by a green C, a pink and magenta B, a teal and cyan B and a orange and red C on a dark blue background similar to BBC Three's redesign.

Variants:
 * Generic: - Animated bright colours form the CBBC logo.
 * Bed: - A boy with a headlamp reads a book on his duvet cover.
 * Drone: - A group of students walk to school with one bag being held by the drone. The logo is then formed by animated drones flying different segments of the logo in.
 * Lights: - A group of children move around glow sticks to form the logo.
 * Powder: - A teenage boy jumps on a trampoline with powder of the different coloured logo segments flying around. A piece of stencil card is then held up to form the logo.
 * Slinky: - A group of children in a gym place coloured slinkies on the treadmills to make an infinite loop. The camera pans to show the formed logo.
 * Window: - A boy and a girl throw coloured plastic toy animals such as frogs and spiders on a window to form the logo.
 * Igloo: - Children create an igloo shaped like the logo. First used in December 2016 as the Christmas ident; it was later edited to be part of the set.
 * Starting in 2022, the current BBC logo appears on the corner of the CBBC logo.

Technique: Every ident (barring Generic, which is just 2D animation) features live action footage. Most end with 2D animation forming the CBBC logo.

Music/Sounds: Similar to the 9th logo. A techno/dubstep beat with a man, woman, or kid's voice singing "C-B-B-C!", sometimes the voice is absent. The theme varies depending on the ident, but it is the same jingle.

Availability: Airs on the channel regularly.

AVID Extra!
Here is an official logo history for the company, which might be almost complete.

We used to show this logo history, which is very incomplete. We archived this for now.