Nickelodeon Home Media Opening IDs

Background
The page describes the opening IDs Nickelodeon used on their VHS releases. Starting in 1996, when distribution of Nickelodeon videos switched from Sony Wonder to Paramount Home Video (which Viacom acquired two years later), Nickelodeon alternated between using their station IDs and their first home video ID before ultimately settling with the latter. Since 2009, the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo is used as a de-facto home video logo.

1st ID (August 31, 1993-October 5, 1999)


Nickname: "Montage", " Nickelodeon Month"

Logo: First, the barbershop singers from the "Easy Groove" ID singing the familiar Nickelodeon theme on the bottom-left of the screen, behind the parrot from the "Dog and Parrot" ID, who caws out the Nickelodeon logo in the form of a speech bubble. Then, the monster from the "Flying TV Monster" ID flies into the screen, and the television on it switches to a background with a white floor and the Nickelodeon logo as its wall. Several characters from Nickelodeon IDs walk across it, including the "Blobman", the "Doo-Wop Dinosaurs", the "Frog" and several others. The DJ from the 1987 "Top of the Hour" bumper appears, holding three tube sticks on them, and hits them onto the screen, transitioning us to another scene where the barbershop singers perform against an orange-tinted clip of the "Take 50" bumper as more Nickelodeon ID characters move around in the background and foreground. The fish from "Top of the Hour" bumper appear. Several transitions bring us to several edited versions of Nickelodeon IDs, such as the "Anteater" and "Brew" bumpers against a "Top of the Hour" background (should've been shot in black-and-white), and the "T-Rex" roaring against the "Better Off by Far" bumper, a dish lid opens a viking singing and two dogs are riding bumper cars. Finally, the barbershop singers appear again as the Nickelodeon logo (in its form seen on, for example, Wild and Crazy Kids), in computer animation, but the "Take 50" bumper is also shot in black-and-white and rotating from left to right as its design moves, appears above them. Finally, the logo ends with a television switch-off effect.

Variant: A shortened version of the ID, beginning when the barbershop singers appear near the end, was used on Sony Wonder releases to close out the tape.

FX/SFX: A mixture of various animation styles of the various IDs used, including hand-drawn animation, claymation, and computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A funky Madchester-esque remix of the 1985 "Top of the Hour" theme, mixed with various sounds of the IDs.

Availability: Common.
 * Seen on most Nickelodeon releases from the era released by Sony Wonder (with live-action series) and Paramount Home Video, and was also used on several international releases as well.
 * However, some videotapes, like the Paramount reprints of the Rugrats Sony Wonder tapes, used certain television bumpers instead of this.
 * It was first seen on the original Sony Wonder releases of Rugrats and Doug (original version only) and was last seen on Rugrats: Make Room for Dil.
 * It also appears on the 1995 Sony Wonder LaserDisc The Ren and Stimpy Show: The Essential Collection - Classics I & II.
 * The ID also appeared on the rare KaBlam! 3-D VHS.
 * This ID was occasionally used as an actual television bumper, usually before a music video was shown in the '90s.

Legacy: Some have stated this logo scared them when they were younger due to the large amounts of animation going on, as well as the switch-off effect. However, this is only a few people who have mentioned this. For the most part, this is a nostalgic favorite of many due to its impressive mixture of a lot of Nickelodeon's older bumpers of the time.

2nd ID (1996-2002)


Nickname: "One World, One Nickelodeon"

Logo: We see a model of the Earth zoom into the screen, and it remains in place as this logo's background, spinning throughout. We see different children from around the world saying the phrase "One world, one Nickelodeon" in their native language. Throughout the logo, they interact with a spinning orange ball reading "NICKELODEON". At the end, a girl throws it towards the screen and it bounces back to the center.

FX/SFX: A mixture of live-action and computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A downtempo beat alongside a chorus of children singing "Na-na-na-Nick!", as well as various sound effects, including a honk when the Nickelodeon ball is thrown up to the screen and bounces back. The kids in the bumper repeatedly state "One world, one Nickelodeon" in their native languages, which in order are: Zulu(?), Arabic, English, Finnish, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, and Chinese.

Music/Sounds Variant: There is also a rare PAL high-pitched version, which can be seen on the UK VHS release of Rugrats: Angelica Knows Best.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on Nickelodeon videotapes released internationally by CIC Video and later Paramount Home Video, such as several Rugrats tapes from the UK and the Australian VHS releases of Blue's Clues: Arts & Crafts and The Ren and Stimpy Show: Incredibly Stupid Stories. In North America, this only appeared on Spanish-language tapes released in the United States and for French-language tapes released in Canada.

3rd ID (January 11, 2000-January 28, 2003, 2013)


Nicknames: "Maze", "The Nostalgic Maze", "The Green Labyrinth"

Logo: On a white background, we see a young boy and a black girl "digitize" onto the screen, appearing like static on an old-school CRT television. They spin around a bit, and then are "teleported" to a giant maze with grassy structures. A set of video controls (from left to right: pause, rewind, stop, play, fast forward) are shown at the bottom left corner of the screen as the kids run through the maze (as play is activated) before we go through a video game-like screen of a maze with orange squares (portals) and two small white squares (the kids), going into the center portal. The kids teleport into a different part of the maze while the camera pans at different angles. An orange butterfly then flutters near the kids (followed by several more) before they begin running through the maze again (as well as another video game-like screen of a maze with the kids going into the center portal, teleporting them once again). We then cut to the kids jumping on an orange flower at different perspectives, then cutting to the kids running through the maze once again being followed by and chasing an orange sphere before they reach a dead end, in which we then cut to them running and reaching the end of the case with the orange sphere following them. Finally, we cut to the kids facing the sphere on a white background. The camera zooms in while the Nickelodeon text appears and the same video controls from before appear and flicker before just the play button shows.

FX/SFX: A very good mixture of live-action and computer effects.

Music/Sounds: A synthpop/techno tune with a guitar section and some female vocalizing near the climax. There are also various sound effects heard throughout, including laughing near the opening, birds and cicadas chirping, and some boings/beeping as the play button flickers at the end.

Availability: Just as common as the first bumper.
 * Seen on Nickelodeon videotapes from the era, including later Rugrats tapes as well as the first few SpongeBob SquarePants VHS releases.
 * It was introduced on Rugrats: I Think I Like You and made its last regular appearance on Rugrats: Mysteries.
 * Strangely, this logo, alongside the 1995 Paramount Home Video logo, makes a surprise appearance on the 2013 Blu-ray release of It's a SpongeBob Christmas, if either the first episode or "Play All" on the bonus episodes (which were the same ones used on the Nautical Nonsense and Sponge Buddies DVD) are selected, due to using the same video master as the original VHS releases. This is cut on the DVD version as the correct master is used.
 * It was also used as a station ID.

Legacy: This is a favorite bumper of many for its unique effects, great music and impressive computer animation.

3rd ID (March 12-September 24, 2002)


Nicknames: "The Oval", "Nickelodeon Oval", "The Dull Orange Oval"

Logo: Over a black background, an oval-shaped, 2D Nickelodeon logo is seen.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. It was only seen on the first two Nickelodeon DVDs: Rugrats: Decade in Diapers and SpongeBob SquarePants: Nautical Nonsense & Sponge Buddies.

Legacy: Compared to the other bumpers on this page, this is much more lazy and doesn't have much effort put into it. However, it was likely just a placeholder.

4th ID (August 27, 2002-September 30, 2003)


Nickname: "Nickelodeon Robot"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D robot is seen in the top right corner, moving down as it turns its head towards the screen and waves at us. It then swerves to the right before swerving back to the left and then finally rests in the center, arms on its waist.

FX/SFX: The robot moving.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Only appears on the SpongeBob SquarePants: Halloween and Nicktoons Christmas DVDs. The VHS versions have the regular Fish logo.

5th ID (January 28, 2003-August 31, 2004, 2011)


Nickname: "Nickelodeon Top"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D spinning top is seen spinning towards the screen, bouncing about before it stands still.

FX/SFX: The top spinning.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Fairly rare. Only seen on four Rugrats DVD releases: Mysteries, Saves the Day, Halloween and Turkey & Mistletoe, and makes a surprise appearance on the 2011 reprint of the first title, which was released on September 20, 2011, while the others use the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo on their reprints.

6th ID (2003-2005)


Nicknames: "Nickelodeon Rocket", "The Jimmy Neutron DVD/VHS Logo", "The Jimmy Neutron Logo", "The Rocket"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D rocket seen flying across the screen. It first goes from bottom right to top left, then top right to bottom left, and then swerves into the center. Blue-colored flames can also be seen coming out of it.

FX/SFX: The rocket flying around.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare.
 * Can be found on all VHS and DVD releases of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
 * It also appeared on the VHS and DVD releases of Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, and a few DVD releases of Rocket Power and All Grown Up.

7th ID (2002-March 30, 2010)


Nicknames: "Nickelodeon Goldfish", "The SpongeBob SquarePants DVD/VHS Logo", "The SpongeBob SquarePants Logo", "The Goldfish"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D fish with the white Balloon font on it is seen swimming around, turning directions twice before stopping in the front of the screen for a few seconds. As the fish swims, blue-colored bubbles are seen coming out of the said fish.

FX/SFX: The CGI fish swimming and the bubbles.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the VHS of The Fairly OddParents: Channel Chasers and the DVD of SpongeBob SquarePantsː Season 3, bubble noises are heard.

Availability: Very common. With the exception of a few releases, this is seen on virtually every Nickelodeon DVD release from this time.
 * This was seen on the majority of SpongeBob SquarePants releases through the era including the first five seasons and the first volume of season 6, DVDs of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as many other shows, and later Nick Jr. releases.
 * Also seen on some VHS releases at the time.
 * It makes a surprise appearance on several 2010 DVDs released after the 2009 rebrand (even when the packaging and most of them include the new logo), including Nickelodeon: We Love Our Friends, released on January 5, 2010, SpongeBob SquarePants: Viking-Sized Adventures, released on January 26, 2010, and made its last appearance as a whole on the DVD release of iCarly: iFight Shelby Marx, released on March 30, 2010.

Legacy: The most common opening ID on this page. It is fondly remembered by many, especially those who grew up with SpongeBob DVDs.

8th ID (2003-2005)


Nickname: "Nickelodeon Flower"

Logo: On a black background, a Frisbee-shaped 3D orange flower is seen zooming in and turning towards the screen before blooming its petals.

FX/SFX: The flower blooming.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Only appears on some VHS releases of As Told By Ginger and The Amanda Show. The regular fish logo appears on the DVD releases.

9th ID (July 15, 2003)


Nicknames: "Nickelodeon Slime", "The Wiggling Slime"

Logo: On a black background, a moving orange splat appears before swooping over to the center of the screen, showing that it's a 3D Nickelodeon splat logo (which looks more like a cloud) wiggling its edges.

FX/SFX: The slime spinning.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. This only appears on one release - the VHS version of ''The Fairly OddParents: Abra-Catastrophe! The Movie''. Once again, the DVD release of it just features the regular fish logo.

Legacy: A sadly wasted effort that makes only one appearance. Viewers may recognize this logo from it being used as an endcap, or for its appearances on Rugrats video trailers and on the VHS release of The Rugrats Movie.

10th ID (August 26, 2003)


Nickname: "Nickelodeon Eye"

Logo: On a background, a set of 3D orange eyes bounce around, all having "NICK" inside the pupil. One of them comes to the screen and begins blinking.

FX/SFX: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Only seen on the Nicktoons Halloween DVD.

Legacy: The shape looks weird to some, and can be classified as creepy, though given this was on a Halloween-themed DVD this was probably the intention.

11th ID (2004-July 25, 2006)


Nickname: "Nickelodeon Crown", "The Crown"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D crown is seen rolling on its side before it collapses down to its bottom.

FX/SFX: The crown spinning.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare.
 * Can be found on the VHS version of SpongeBob SquarePants: Lost in Time (the DVD version has the regular Fish logo), which is also the final SpongeBob SquarePants VHS released.
 * Also appears on some Fairly Odd Parents VHS and DVD releases (the Fish logo is used otherwise), some All Grown Up! VHS releases (which use the Rocket or the Fish on the DVD counterparts) and the DVD releases of Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2 and 3, as well as the VHS release of the former.

12th ID (2004-2005)


Nicknames: "The Flying Carpet", "Nickelodeon Carpet"

Logo: On a black background, an orange 3D carpet with the white Balloon font on it flies across the screen before stopping in the center. The carpet waves a bit before fading out.

FX/SFX: The carpet moving.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Originally used as a station ID. It only appeared on the VHS release of The Fairly OddParents: Superhero Spectacle. Yet again, the regular fish logo is on the DVD.

13th ID (2005?)


Nicknames: "Nickelodeon Worm", "The Crawling Worm"

Logo: Same as the closing version, but without any copyright info.

FX/SFX: The worm moving (computerized).

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. This was not used in the US and Canada. Only appears on the region 4 DVD release of The Wild Thornberrys: Heroes of the Animal Kingdom. Other prints just have the Fish logo.

Final Note
Since the 2009 rebrand (with some exceptions), the 2009 Nickelodeon Productions logo (but without the word "Productions" and the copyright info) is used as a de-facto home video logo, despite that logo being replaced in 2017.