Hanna-Barbera Poland

Background
Hanna-Barbera Poland was a Polish branch of Hanna-Barbera Productions that dealt with the promotion and distribution of animated films from the studio in the country. The company is most well known for releasing numbered compilation VHS releases featuring various Hanna-Barbera shows on one tape.

In 1993, the company was separated and was re-incorporated as Curtis Art Production, but continued to release Hanna-Barbera VHS releases under license from Turner Entertainment Co.

(1988-1993)
Logo: On a blue background, a 3D cube slowly zooms in into the center of the screen, rotating as it does this. The background of the cube is black with a half yellow, half black lemon-like shape. On the yellow side is a black "H" and on the black side is a "B" with the straight part yellow and the rounded parts red. One side of the cube has a yellow background with the colored sides of the lemon shape switched and the "B" is yellow. After a bit, the cube freezes and it cuts to a copyright screen on the same blue background with the following white text:

© HANNA BARBERA PRODUCTIONS

INC. Hollywood USA

After a bit, the copyright info disappears and two squares with white borders flip towards the screen from the top-left and top-right sides, respectively. The left square has the "HB" in the half black lemon-half yellow background with "POLAND" in white in the bottom left near the "H" with a white border. The right square has a black background with a white circle with a red musical note inside the circle. When the two logos meet, the following white words

HANNA-BARBERA POLAND

P.P. POLSKIE NAGRANIA

fade in below. Then it cuts to another screen with the H-B Poland square and below is the following text:

dystrybucja przez (Polish for "distributed by")

HANNA-BARBERA POLAND

we współdziałaniu z (translates to "in cooperation with")

WORLDVISION ENTERPRISES, USA

Then after a moment, it cuts to a square in the background (similar to an album sleeve). The square is lime green with a colored music scale (color order from top to bottom: white, yellow, red and blue) with a record in the middle and three music notes (in order: red, yellow and blue). The red note is at the bottom-left of the scale, the yellow is in the middle of the record and the blue is on the top-right of the record. And below that is:

sprzedaż i wynajem (translates to "sale and rental")

P.P. POLSKIE NAGRANIA

Variants:
 * On some videos, there's an extra screen for Unifilm: on a light blue background, we see a yellow strip going diagonally with black borders with "UNIFILM" in black in the middle of it. Two red circles are on the left and right respectively. A red circle is above with "uF". Below the line is white Polish language. This appears between the "Distributed by HANNA-BARBERA POLAND" screen and the "P.P. POLSKIE NAGRANIA" screen.
 * There is another UNIFILM variant with a yellow background and with the strip in a lighter tone of yellow which used the normal music and the first music variant described below.


 * Sometimes, after the flipping animation, it skips to the "P.P. POLSKIE NAGRANIA" screen. Seen with the second music variation.


 * A variant exists which skips past the copyright and flipping animation and just goes straight to the "Distributed by" screen sans the Worldvision info. This variant also lacks the UNIFILM and Polskie Nagrania logos at the end. A variation of this has the same result, but goes to the copyright and fades out, leaving room to have a poster for "OSKAREK '91" to open up and appear. This screen has a pair of twinkling sounds, one for the opening and the other after it opens.
 * Two versions exist which just have one screen: One with the H-B Poland and Polskie Nagrania logos with no flipping animation, and one with just the Polskie Nagrania logo. These versions use the first music variant.
 * A later version exists where after the cube animation, it cuts to a completely different logo. On a green background, there is a black swirl in a white circle, with a parrot head on the end. Below it is "Hanna-Barbera Poland" in the signature H-B font. Unlike the other variant, this stays on screen through out the music's length.
 * A variant has the Hanna-Barbera Poland screen without the Worldvision info that precedes the copyright screen.

Music/Sounds: At the first part where the cube revolves, a gong is heard. Then at the copyright screen, a repeated six-note synth tune plays. Interestingly, this was heard in the Charter Entertainment logo (including a synth strum at the end). This is actually a piece of stock music called "Music - Billboard #2" from the Sound Ideas Series 1000 sound library - it can also be heard in the video game Worms Armageddon as a victory fanfare.

Music/Sound Variants:
 * Some versions have a soft xylophone theme that plays through out all of the animation.
 * Sometimes the gong sound is missing and the synth tune plays immediately.


 * Some other occasions, have the logo silent for a few seconds and the synthesized music plays before cutting from the cube.
 * During each program, a narrator can be heard.

Availability: Seen on Hanna-Barbera home video releases in Poland at the time and presumably also on Polish television, so it is possible you may run into it (especially if you live in Poland).

Editor's Note: This logo is a favorite of many, especially of those in Poland.