DiC

Background[]

DIC Entertainment Corporation (formerly "DIC Audiovisuel", "DIC Enterprises, Inc.", "DIC Animation City, Inc.", "DIC Productions, L.P.", "DIC Entertainment, L.P." and during its last few years "The Incredible World of DiC", stylized as "DiC" and pronounced as "deek", as in "decaffeinated") was founded by Jean Chalopin as "OGAP" (Office de Gestion et d'Action Publicitaire), an advertising company. In 1971, with an investment from the tabloid newspaper La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, it was incorporated as "Diffusion Information Commercial". It developed into a full production company during the following decade, soon being renamed "Diffusion Information Communication", and becoming specialized in animation. In 1982, the US arm (DIC Enterprises) was founded and Chalopin, Andy Heyward, and Bruno Bianchi were in charge of the company.

In 1987, Heyward purchased DIC Enterprises with help of both Bear Stearns & Co and Prudential Insurance Co, which resulted in both Chalopin and Bianchi leaving the company, being replaced by both Robby London and Michael Maliani, moving all operations to America, the company would be renamed DIC Animation City. Chalopin would retain what was left of the French arm (DIC Audiovisuel) and turn it into a new animation company, Créativité & Développement.

In 1993, DIC was turned into a limited partnership between Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises and Andy Heyward. When Capital Cities/ABC was purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 1996, the partnership continued. In 2000, Heyward reacquired DIC Entertainment from Disney through Bain Capital and Chase Capital Partners. In 2004, Heyward purchased Bain Capital's stake in DIC and took them public the following year.

On July 23, 2008, Cookie Jar Entertainment purchased DIC Entertainment, resulting in it folding into Cookie Jar (later "DHX Media", now "WildBrain"). Currently, most of the DIC library is owned by WildBrain after its acquisition of Cookie Jar Entertainment, with the following exceptions: The Real Ghostbusters, Dinosaucers, Stunt Dawgs and The Karate Kid (owned by Sony Pictures Television), Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling (owned by WWE), Captain Planet and the Planeteers (the first three seasons were produced by DIC and the remainder of the series was produced by Hanna-Barbera; the series is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment via Turner Entertainment Co.), Alvin and the Chipmunks (owned by Bagdasarian Productions), ALF: The Animated Series and ALF Tales (owned by Alien Productions; the holding company for the ALF franchise with distribution rights currently handled by Shout! Factory), the 1989 adaptation of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (owned by Hasbro), Kissyfur (owned by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios), Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures (owned by MGM Television), Where's Wally? (known as Where's Waldo? in the US; owned by Mattel Television via HIT Entertainment), Sailor Moon and Knights of the Zodiac (owned by Toei Animation), Speed Racer X (owned by Tatsunoko Production) and Camp Candy (DIC produced the first two seasons and the third season was produced by Saban Entertainment), and Meet the Deedles, Genius, and the 1999 live-action Inspector Gadget film and its sequel (all of which are owned by The Walt Disney Studios).

Logos[]

1st logo (December 4, 1982-March 5, 1988)[]

Over a screen filled with blue concentric boxes, three of them light up in a purple color while moving inward. As that happens, the stylized word "DiC" zooms up, rotating upward from the bottom as it does so. Once in position, pink sparkles appear as a white outline wipes in.

Variants[]

There are filmed and videotaped variants:
- The filmed variant has a brighter blue vortex (or on some occasions, brighter) and the "DiC" is more of a yellow-orange (amber) color. This variant is seen on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K. and Dennis the Menace.
- The videotaped variant has a dark purplish-blue vortex and "DiC" is in green, which is seen on Inspector Gadget, The Get-Along Gang, Kidd Video, Pole Position, Rainbow Brite, Zoobilee Zoo, Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, Care Bears, Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling, Kissyfur, Popples, The Real Ghostbusters, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Lady Lovely Locks and Beverly Hills Teens.
  - A filmed version of this variant also exists, which can be found on French dubs of their shows of the time.
  - The filmed version of the videotaped variant may also have the DIC logo be smaller with a low-pitched jingle.
On Here Come the Littles, the filmed version of the logo is stretched out, and is also slightly more closer to the screen. It also has a low pitched jingle.
On some episodes of Pole Position, a still shot of the beginning of the logo zooms in, and then the regular animation plays.
Early episodes of The Real Ghostbusters have the byline "Produced In Association With".
On the pilot episode of Kidd Video, the logo is seen in a box in the center top-left part of the screen, and the Saban logo in the center bottom-right. The corner of the DIC logo overlaps the Saban logo, and this is up against a black background with a white streak in the middle. Vice-versa on later episodes, but against an orange background, again with a white streak in the middle (with the logos switching places).
- On at least a filmed copy of said series, the logos swapped places.
One variant has the vortex fade to a green color after the logo zooms in, probably because of quality issues with some prints of the logo. It was often seen on early episodes of Inspector Gadget. It was also spotted on Maier Group/FHE/Kideo Video releases and is preserved on the 1987 UK VHS release of Inspector Gadget: Volume 1 from The Video Collection.
On at least one reissue print of Ulysses 31, the logo animation is slightly slower. Wherever this is a variation or an error with the logo is currently unknown.
At least one CITV airing of Care Bears in the late 1980s (specifically "The Last Laugh/The Show Must Go On") has the 1986 LWT endcap fading in over the logo right as it starts, leaving only the first note of the music and a tiny bit of the second as well.^[1]

2nd logo (1983-1985)[]

A character appears across a background with a green "D.i.C.":

The Littles (September 10, 1983-November 2, 1985): Over an orange background, Dinky runs past the logo, throwing a green button onto the space above the "I" to form the dot. Some prints have this in a pinkish tint, making parts of the logo look pink.
Inspector Gadget (October 3-December 9, 1983): Over a blue background, Inspector Gadget passes over the logo riding skates. Suddenly, his Gadget mallet pops out of his cap, causing Gadget to lose balance and wobble off-screen. As that happens, the mallet slams into a space above the "I", dotting it.

Compared to the previous logo, the entire logo is drawn to be a flat 2D image and has a thick white outline.

3rd logo (September 11, 1987-2005)[]

There are two main variants:

1987-1990: It starts in a stereotypical boy's bedroom, where there is a boy sleeping in his bed with his pet Basset Hound sleeping on top of him. A second later, the screen zooms through a large window inside of the bedroom. There is a spiked star in the distance. The spikes on the star move around as if it were shining. The star then morphs into a ball, as a large, silver "DiC" (with the ball becoming the dot on the "i") zooms up to the camera and rotates 90º to face the camera.
1990-2005: The logo got an update with a darker (and spiffier) star field. The glow effect on the white ball is also removed on this variant. The position of the sleeping boy and dog are also different (as if it were an alternate take) and the zoom effect is more gradual and smooth, rather than a quick and jerky zoom.

Variants[]

When the logo was first used in fall 1987, a trademark symbol ("TM") was used instead of the standard registered trademark symbol ("®").
On Ring Raiders, the 1987 variant fades in and out.
On Wolf Rock TV, the logo is on a cerulean blue-dark magenta vertical gradient background. It is placed on the bottom-left of the screen, with the 4th Dick Clark Productions logo next to it and the 1st Saban Entertainment logo above it.
A variant of the 1987 version exists, where the zoom in happens shorter, and the logo also freeze frames as “PRESENTS” types in below.
During 1990-1991, an opening variant was used, where it omits the kid in bed and "DIC" sound byte, and the word "PRESENTS" in blue fades in below. A sped-up version of this variant exists. This variant was also meant to be used internationally for DIC programs distributed through Silvio Berlusconi Communications.
On Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters, "In association with" is below the logo. Sometimes, it fades in midway or stays throughout the entire duration, and the phrase is completely capitalized.
On some shows from 1991-1994, the byline "COPRODUCED BY RETEITALIA, s.p.a. IN ASSOCIATION WITH TELECINCO" appears below at the end. Another version has it rephrased to "IN ASSOCIATION WITH RETEITALIA s.p.a & TELECINCO".
On the VHS release of Double Dragon: The Legend Begins, the moment the Reteitalia/Telecinco byline swoops into place, the logo freeze-frames even before the star has turned into a dot. The animation continues, but the star still hasn't formed into a dot because the animation continued for a split second. This was due to a video editing error.
On the original NBC broadcasts of Captain N & The New Super Mario World, the logo is higher-pitched, and also lacks the Reteitalia/Telecinco references.
On The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, the 1990 sped-up logo appears, but this logo had the end credits music and the byline:

Produced By DIC Enterprises Inc.
For Bagdasarian Productions

Alternatively, on some episodes of Alvin & the Chipmunks have different bylines, including:

Produced for Bagdasarian Productions
by DIC Animation City

and

Produced by DIC for
Bagdasarian Productions

On DIC's English-dubbed episodes of Sailor Moon (known as Bishoujo Senshi [Pretty Soldier] Sailor Moon in Japan), this copyright stamp appears after the logo (the 1st 1990 variant):

English Language Adaptation
Copyright [1995] DIC Productions, L.P.

For the second season, known as Sailor Moon R in Japan, the copyright stamp was changed, still following the 1st 1990 logo:

English Adaptation
Copyright [1997] DIC Productions, L.P.

On ALF: The Animated Series, the kid in bed animation is cut out, and it cuts straight to a warp speed version of the starfield sequence. The end theme also plays over this.
One Inspector Gadget VHS release features the 1987 logo in warp speed, but the music is not sped up to compensate, thus resulting in several seconds of the DIC logo being freeze-framed.
An episode of Inspector Gadget on a UK VHS release of Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas has the 1987 logo, but when it fades to black, the Claster Television Incorporated logo could briefly be seen, meaning it was sourced from a DIC/Claster-partnered show (such as the 1989 G.I. Joe cartoon, the 1988 COPS cartoon etc.)
On 1989 VHS releases of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! from Kids Klassics, the 1987 logo is played at a slower speed.
A filmed and cropped widescreen variant exists of the 1990 warp-speed version with the 1987 voiceover. This appears on the 1990 TV movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again.
On Old MacDonald's Sing-a-Long Farm, it features the standard 1990 variant, but it includes a copyright stamp that fades in below the DIC logo, right after the logo's sequence. A shortened version of this variant exists, which can be found on U.S. VHS releases of Rimba's Island - You Are Special (similar to the ALF: The Animated Series variant, where it cuts straight to the rotation of the DIC logo, voiding the kid in bed part), minus the sped-up star animation and the end theme playing over it.
On the 1990 Hi-Tops Video VHS release and later TV airings of Madeline (1988), the 1987 variant is a bit shorter, and part of the music is also cut.
In 2003, this logo made a comeback. This time, instead of the regular DIC logo, it has the "The Incredible World Of DIC" globe from the 4th logo zoom up outside the window, with light rays shining behind it. When the globe stops, the light rays flash. The logo also has a different star field that appears to be a cheap rotating 2D image (and is noticeably superimposed over the 1990 star field, as the bedroom is of a different image quality; further, the zoom-in footage plays at a different frame rate).
On Homer & Associates' 1989 demo reel titled Flying Logos on Peter Conn's YouTube channel, the logo is on a completely black background.
On British prints of Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, the logo is shown within the 1996 Scottish Television logo.

4th logo (1995-February 28, 2003 'print logo'; August 28, 2001-December 6, 2008 'standard logo')[]

There is a background with red, green, yellow and blue (the areas are filled with patterns such as a DiC logo outline, and planets). The red and green wipe away until they are left with a yellow background with a blue oval. A purplish globe pops out of the blue oval, then bounces to the center before zooming to fill the screen and backing up again, at which point the planets in the background disappear and are replaced with stars, and stars pop up from behind the globe. On the upper-half of the globe, some sparkles fly across and write the words: The---------------- Incredible World -----------------of

in yellow script, and on the lower-half, the word:

DiC

(in the same-font as the “Kid in Bed” logo, in yellow) zooms out to the logo; also like the previous logo, a kid is often heard saying the company name (the third kid voice-over from the "Kid in Bed" logo).

Variants[]

On the DiC Kids Network, the logo is shown at the beginning followed by the DiC effects that shows the title card logo and the cartoon character(s) with it such as Sabrina: The Animated Series, Sabrina's Secret Life, Archie's Weird Mysteries, Inspector Gadget's Field Trip, The Littles, and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, among others just to name a few.
This logo was found still on GBA games. On Inspector Gadget: Advance Mission, it appeared on a black background, while in Gadget Racing, the background was white with the logo outlined. The white background with no outline was seen on Horseland for NDS. The normal logo appeared on Strawberry Shortcake games on NDS and the PC game Madeline Rainy Day Activities.
The extremely condensed variant starts where the "DiC" caption zooms out to the completed logo.
The instant-pop up version is where the logo starts off with the globe popping up. It was often seen on DiC TV movies on Nickelodeon Sunday Movie-Toons and many other DiC shows from the time, but was less commonly used in the later years of the logo.
A variant of the above exists on Liberty's Kids, where a small copyright notice is seen.
A rare and condensed version exists where the logo starts off with the words finished being written, though it’s hard to describe what part of the longer logo this exactly starts at.

Music/Sounds[]

1st logo[]

An off-tune, ascending eight-note synthesized theme accompanied with whooshing, introduced in September 1984. Composed by Saban Brands founder Haim Saban (with an organ preset) in the keys of G and A♭.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

Originally, the logo had no music when it was first used, which is seen on the 1982 pilot and early first-season episodes of Inspector Gadget. This is also preserved on some VHS releases of the show.
On the original theatrical and VHS release of Here Come the Littles, a new piece of music was introduced at the beginning of the film (using the filmed version), a five-note keyboard tune. This music was also used on at least the second season of Inspector Gadget (1985-86), as well as some later prints of episodes from the first season. On this show, it was used with the videotaped variant, and is also slightly sped-up and higher-pitched as a result.
Sometimes, the logo has the show's ending theme play over it instead.
The superimposed variant had an announcer (John Harlan) saying "Kideo TV is a production of DIC Enterprises...", and then the voiceover continues on through the LBS Communications logo, which is also superimposed. Harlan pronounces the name as "D-I-C".
On some episodes of the Hungarian-dubbed airings of Inspector Gadget, the “green vortex” variant has the audio from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, followed by the 1996 Saban International and 1999 Fox Kids logos. The former is most likely due to a reverse plastering error.
On the 2009 DVD print of the Russian dub of The Real Ghostbusters (specifically the episode "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream"), the "Produced in Association With" variant has the music for the first variant of the 3rd logo (making this a reverse plastering error).
On the Spanish DVD print of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors episode "Ghostship", the filmed version of the logo has the music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, due to another reverse plaster situation.

2nd logo[]

The Littles: The last line of the closing theme song: "You can't stop the Littles 'cause the Littles don't stop!".
Inspector Gadget: A five-note tuba stinger, followed by a "twoing" sound as Gadget's mallet "dots" the "i". Afterwards, there is a three-note brass outro. This is a shortened variation of a background music cue often used on the show to end scenes in an episode, composed by Shuki Levy.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

Inspector Gadget:
- On at least one early use of the logo, the "twoing!" isn't heard as Gadget's mallet dots the "I".
- On some episodes of the Hungarian airings of the show (on M2), it has the music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo, followed by the 1996 Saban International and 1999 Fox Kids logos. The former is most likely due to the fact the channel aired an older video master of the episodes on which they synced over the Hungarian dub that was done on the current Cookie Jar / WildBrain copy.

3rd logo[]

Four different sets of music were used, with a child saying "DiC" (pronounced "Deek") near the end of the latter three versions, in most cases (the first voiceover was rather stoic, while the next two ones featured much perkier voice-overs):

September 1987: A synth note and a whispering choir singing the company name. This variant was only used in early fall 1987 before being discontinued a month later.
September 11, 1987-1990: A brief gust of wind, followed by an echoing series of two keyboard synth notes. This cue was composed by Shuki Levy.
May 6, 1990-January 2, 1999: A held-out orchestral note, followed by a six-note synth chime theme with a cymbal crash on the last note, and two harp glissandos. This cue was composed by Tom Worrall.
January 12, 1999-July 21, 2001, 2003-2005: A dreamy cartoonish theme (which sounds similar to The Video Collection/Strand Home Video music) with a synthesized choir singing "Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!". This cue was composed by Mike Piccirillo. Sometimes, this theme might be extended or shortened.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

Throughout its 14 year run, this logo had many different audio variations:

1987 (TM bug variant 1): Same as the choir variant, but the logo continues over the Coca-Cola Telecommunications jingle, as an attempt to plaster it on video releases.
1987 (TM bug variant 2): Features an extended wind gust, that lasts two seconds longer. With the extended wind gust on this variant, the two pairs of keyboard synth notes play two seconds after the star animation, making it out of sync, in contrast to the standard variant. This appears on at least VHS releases of Barbie and the Rockers and the TV movie Dennis The Menace: Dinosaur Hunter.
There were many sped-up versions of each music variant.
On the 1999 VHS release of Madeline: Lost in Paris (original Disney VHS release; the Shout! Factory release on DVD also keeps it intact, and even a YouTube print from WildBrain Spark does as well), an extended version of the 1999 jingle exists: the last five notes of the original jingle are replayed at a higher chord and is extended (the original five notes are preceded by two additional notes), and then the "DIC" voiceover comes about a second after the music stops.
On The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, the music is superimposed over the ending theme.
Our Friend Martin has the original 1999 jingle, but the "DIC" voiceover has an echo effect.
In exceptional cases, it used the closing theme of the show (e.g., later reruns of Rainbow Brite, Alvin and the Chipmunks).
A warp speed variant exists, where the 1990 logo plays as normal, except it uses the 1987 "DIC!" soundbite instead (and the music is also in a slightly lower pitch).
On Scandinavian and Latin American (the latter only on some episodes) dubbed prints of Sabrina: The Animated Series, the logo has the music from the 2008 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo. This is followed by the 1996 Buena Vista International logo. This is possibly because the prints used are Buena Vista versions; the former is a result of a reverse plaster.
On Sonic Underground episodes aired on the French version of the KidsCo network, the logo is silent.
On a Brazilian VHS release of the cartoon Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, the 1999 jingle is heard without the "DIC" voiceover.
One variant of the 1999 version supposedly exists that uses the regular-length music, but features the “DIC!” voiceover in a slightly different pitch, done by the same child, but more up tempo and quickly.^{[citation needed]} However, it's unknown what are the shows that used this variant.
On a Tubi TV print of S1E6 of G.I. Joe, the 1987 Claster Television Incorporated logo theme comes in early shortly after the last note.
On a Spanish DVD print of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors episodes "Escape from the Garden of Evil", "The Vase of Xiang", "Steel Against Shadow", and "Silver Crusaders", the 1990 warp-speed variant has music from the 2004 Cookie Jar Entertainment logo. This is due to a reverse plastering error.
A Spanish VHS release of Street Sharks has a completely different, xylophone-based tune, heavily reminiscent of the Sesame Street theme.
A French VHS release of Sylvanian Families has an audio error, where the child says "DiC" twice, with the other one sounding slightly softer. The 1987 Coca-Cola Telecommunications jingle can also be heard towards the end.
On at least POP UK airings of Captain N and the New Super Mario World, the "DiC" voice over is muted, likely due to unintentional innuendo.
On the DVD print of episode 8 of Sylvanian Families, the first note of the 1987 Coca-Cola Telecommunications logo's fanfare can be faintly heard over the 1987 variant before the short version of the 1996 Saban International logo appears.
On Homer & Associates' Flying Logos demo reel, a male voiceover (Corey Burton) says that the logo was "extracted from a star", while a triumphant orchestral music is playing in the background.

4th logo[]

A light dance-pop tune with bells and other cartoony sounds. Sometimes the theme is extended, with a few extra bells heard at the end. In other cases, it's edited/warp speed. On Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever, it's silent. The variants end with a child saying "Deek" (the third kid voice-over from the previous logo).

Music/Sounds Variant[]

On a Brazilian print of one episode of Mummies Alive!, the long version of the logo has the audio from the Cookie Jar logo with silence at the end! This could be due to a reverse plaster error.

Scare Factor[]

1st logo[]

Low to medium. The vortex animation, design of the logo looking like it says "Die", pretty cheap color scheme, and warped music may contribute. It's doubtful that many were freaked out over the cheesy appearance of this logo. This logo, however, is probably more cheesy than scary. None to minimal for the closing theme variant.

2nd logo[]

Minimal to low, depending on what you think of the music and the DiC logo’s look. But otherwise harmless, and nothing compared to the follow-up...

3rd logo[]

Depending on the variant:

Low to nightmare for the 1st music variant. The darkness of the logo, sudden appearance of "DIC", spiked star, fast pace, sad-sounding "Deek" voiceover and music can scare some. There is also a barely noticeable smiling clown doll sitting on the dump truck in the room, once noticed it may cause some fear in children. The fact that this "inappropriate" logo was on kids' shows and family friendly content can increase it too.
Medium to nightmare for the choir variant. The choir can make this logo even scarier and can creep some out.
Low to medium for the 2nd and 3rd music variations. The darkness and sudden appearance of "DIC" are still an issue but the slower pace and music makes it less scary.
Low to medium for the other variants.

It is, otherwise, an iconic logo and may be a favourite to many.

4th logo[]

Minimal. The globe popping up on the screen can look in-your-face to some people and we still have the "Deek" voice from the previous logo; but it should be harmless to most people. The logo may be cute for children, but you'll probably be annoyed by its childish and (formerly) overused appearance. However, this is still much tamer than the previous logo.