PBS Kids/Summary

NOTE: This is a work in progress.

Background: PBS Kids is a programming block and serves as the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States, established as part of PBS' "Ready To Learn" Initiative. The block was launched as PTV on September 10, 1993 to repackage PBS' existing children's programming. The PTV brand was retired on September 5, 1999 and has been officially known as PBS Kids since September 6, 1999. The PBS Kids Channel was launched at the same time as the PBS Kids block and ran for six years and was largely funded by satellite TV provider DirecTV. The channel was shut down on September 26, 2005 and was replaced by PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids), which was developed in partnership with Comcast Corporation (who later bought full control of the network via NBCUniversal). PBS relaunched the PBS Kids Channel on January 16, 2017.

1st Logo (August 30, 1993-November 15, 1999)
Nicknames: "Dot and Dash III", "PBS Kids Girl III", "PBS Kids Boy III", "Doink! PBS Kids III"

Logo: The 1st ident of the set is Dash, the boy, who is seen ice-skating. Suddenly he feels the ground shake and he stops. Then, the camera pans out to reveal that he is in a snow globe, which is held by Dot, with completely different powder blue colored skin, who giggles, "Doink!" Snowflakes are seen during the circular PBS Kids logo. The 2nd one shows Dash looking in his fish bowl to find himself as an orange fish. After a second, he gets swallowed by Dot as a green fish and the circular PBS Kids logo is shown. There are bubbles in this background.

Trivia: This logo was animated at Primal Screen.

FX/SFX: Dash ice-skating, the zoom out, the snowflakes on the snow globe bumper. Dash looking in his fish bowl, the bubbles, the fish on the fish bumper.

Music/Sounds: A whimsical 6-note vibraphone tune for the snow variant and no music for the fish variant. The fish variant has some bubbling sounds followed by a boy scatting the 1999 jingle circle-lipped, as if to imitate a fish. Both end with what you hear above.

Availability: Seen on 2002-2008 prints of PBS Kids programming. Like before, the second ident appears on a few Arthur DVDs by Sony Wonder (such as Arthur's Tooth).

Editor's Note: TBA.

===8th logo (2004)=== Nicknames: "Sports", "Dot and Dash IV", "PBS Kids Girl IV", "PBS Kids Boy IV", "Doink! PBS Kids IV"

Logo: We first see a soccer ball being kicked to our left by Dash, wearing a blue and black uniform. Then the soccer ball turns into a tennis ball, which Dot, wearing a white and pink tennis uniform, hits it with a tennis racket. The ball turns into a baseball, which Dash, now in a blue uniform and helmet, hits it with a bat. The ball then flies past a scoreboard with the circular PBS Kids logo on it and out of the stadium.

FX/SFX: The animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2nd logo's Dot variant. At the end, we hear a crowd cheering.

Availability: Extinct. This was shown during the Big Big Friend Day special which aired on PBS Kids in 2005.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===9th logo (2005)=== Nicknames: "Wrapping Paper", "Dot and Dash V", "PBS Kids Girl V", PBS Kids Boy V", "Doink! PBS Kids V"

Logo: We see Dot and Dash walking through what appears to be a factory. Then, we see a roll of polka-dotted wrapping paper, which the two roll up by its end. With it, the circular PBS Kids logo flies in.

FX/SFX: Same as before.

Music/Sounds: Same as before with no other sound effects.

Availability: Same as before. Like the previous logo, this was shown during the Big Big Friend Day special.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===10th Logo (November 25, 2005)=== Nicknames: "Sand Castles", "Dot and Dash VI", "PBS Kids Girl VI", "PBS Kids Boy VI", "Doink! PBS Kids VI"

Logo: On a bright sunny background in a beach-like setting, we see Dash in a bathing suit and sandals. To the right of him is a sandcastle that he built. He tries to show it off to Dot but then he is surprised as the camera zooms out to reveal Dot's sand structure, which is a sphinx with her head on it. She dusts off her hands as Dash looks in awe at her structure. Then we fade to the circular PBS Kids logo.

FX/SFX: Same as the last 2 logos.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Same as the last 2 logos.

Editor's Note: TBA

===11th Logo (2000s, January 16, 2006; 2015)=== Nicknames: "The Switcher", "The Button", "The Doink! Button" "Dot and Dash VII", "PBS Kids Girl VII", "PBS Kids Boy VII", "Doink! PBS Kids VII"

Logo: We start out by seeing two halves of the screen separated by a black line with what appears to be a button in its center. Dash is on the left side of the screen, while Dot is on the right. Dot is shown as a shadow. She then presses the button, turning Dash into a shadow of a chicken, then Dash presses the button, turning Dot into an umbrella. Then the two keep pressing the button, transforming Dash into a flower, a bear, and an arrow, as well as transforming Dot into a hammer and a rabbit. Then the two keep pressing the button rapidly back and forth until they both turn into shadows of things (Dash is a ball while Dot is a fly). When this happens, the screen is no longer separated, the shadows are on a yellow background, and the circular PBS Kids logo is at the top of the screen and is smaller than usual. We then fade out.

FX/SFX: Same as the last 3 logos.

Music/Sounds: As the button is pressed, we hear "Doink!" noises. When the button is pressed rapidly, the "Doink!" noise is also rapidly heard until we hear a laser-like noise which brings us to Dot and Dash both turning into shadows of things. We then hear the 4 notes of the PBS Kids jingle being played by a bubbly synth, followed by the "PBS Kids!" part of the jingle, which is scatted by synchronized "Doink!" noises.

Availability: Extinct. This is a rare ID which was shown on Martin Luther King Day of 2006 (January 16, 2006). Recently appeared during a 2015 PBS Kids broadcast on the WFWA station. This was also used as a local ID on certain PBS stations starting in 2000.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===12th Logo (September 4, 2006-April 1, 2015)=== Nicknames: "Logo of Boredom", "Logo that like an in-credit logo"

Logo: We see the words "THIS PROGRAM WAS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY" with PBS Kids (with Kids above, not in the logo) logo above.

FX/SFX: None.

Music Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Seen before the NBCUniversal logo on international prints of Curious George.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===13th Logo (September 1, 2008-October 7, 2013)===

Nicknames: "Dot and Dash IV", "PBS Kids Girl IV", "PBS Kids Boy IV", "Doink! PBS Kids IV"

Logo: The logo shows Dot and Dash doing a certain activity, before the PBS Kids circular logo is shown.

Variants: Here are some of the variations of the activities included:
 * Telescopes
 * Fireflies
 * Rock climbing
 * Picnics
 * Gardens
 * Magnets
 * Fireworks
 * Swimming
 * Ants
 * Daffodil
 * Balloon
 * Sandbox
 * Camera
 * Carrots
 * There are also two rare Valentine's Day variants used in 2009. Dash's version has him blowing up a pink balloon and Dot's version has her receiving Valentine's cards in the mailbox. Both versions end with the PBS Kids circle logo on a hot magenta/cerise-textured BG while hearts are cascading in the BG.

Trivia: This logo was designed and animated at Primal Screen, who also did the previous logo.

FX/SFX: A mix of 2-D and cut-out animation.

Music/Sounds: The 2nd ident's jingle once again, but without the kids chanting at the end. Often a single kid simply says "PBS Kids." The musical instruments these variants are played with vary depending on the activity, exactly like the 9th PBS Ident. The VD variants however have totally different music, ending with a group of kids yelling "Happy Valentine's Day!", then a single kid says "From PBS Kids."
 * Sandbox has a bassoon, vibraphone, synth-organ and a tuba.
 * Daffodil has a vibraphone and tuba.
 * Fireflies has a synth-bassoon.
 * Camera has a slit drum and marimba.
 * Fireworks has a hang, timpani, snare drum and bass violin.
 * Carrots has a synth-organ.
 * Sheep has a banjo.
 * Balloon has a mandobass and percussion.
 * Dash's Valentine's Day variant has a jazzy bass violin pizzicato tune with drums beating. Dot's VD variant has a South American-style folk dance tune with conga drums, piano and acoustic guitar.

Availability: Currently used on 2008-2013 prints PBS Kids programming. This logo first aired on Sid The Science Kid.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===14th Logo (October 7, 2013- )===

Nicknames: "Dot, Dee, and Del", ""PBS Kids Boy V", "Doink! PBS Kids V"

Logo: In the same purpose as the 6th logo, the logo shows Dot, Dee, and Del doing a certain activity, before the PBS Kids circular logo is shown. Also, Dash's PBS Kids logo is seen on every variation, meaning that the Dot version is retired.

Variants: Here are some of the variations of the activities included: Trivia: This logo was designed and animated at Primal Screen, who also did the previous two logos.
 * Zipline
 * Beehive
 * Forest Run
 * Magnet
 * Moonwalk
 * Ping Pong
 * Power of 10
 * Cave
 * Band Parade
 * Trampoline
 * Yo-yo
 * Lemonade
 * France
 * Bubbles
 * Rockstar
 * Piano
 * Frisbee
 * And more!

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation that is quite similar to the 2nd logo.

Music/Sounds: The music from the 2nd logo is used again, but without the kids chanting or the kid saying "PBS Kids" at the end. Like the previous logo, the musical instruments these variants are played with vary depending on the activity, exactly like the 9th PBS Ident. Also, the 2nd logo's theme can be heard in different pitches.

Availability: Currently used on PBS Kids programming. First aired on Peg+Cat.

Editor's Note: TBA.

===15th Logo (November 21, 2018-)=== Nicknames: "The PBS Kids Bubble IX", "The Yoyo", "The Paintballs"

Logo: We see the current PBS Kids logo either still or getting formed by objects.

Variants: Each vary by show:


 * Let's Go Luna/Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum: A colorful yoyo is seen spinning on a light blue background. Suddenly, the yoyo's string disappears and the yoyo morphs into the PBS Kids circular logo with Dash in it.
 * TVO Kids and National Geographic Kids airings don't have this logo appearing at all.
 * Clifford the Big Red Dog (reboot; not the book series and 2000-03 original television show of the same name of the latter): Several paintballs fly and combine together to form the PBS Kids logo, then Dash looks up at the PBS Kids text.
 * Elinor Wonders Why: It's an updated version of the 3rd logo: just a still PBS Kids logo superimposed on the credits. Prints on DVD don't have the logo.

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the TV series.

Music/Sounds Variants:


 * On Clifford the Big Red Dog, it uses a ukulele theme with a 12-note whistling tune, the first four notes sound similarly like the Disney Channel logo.
 * On PBS Kids airings of said series, it is silent.

Availability: Currently used on PBS Kids programming that has used it in original production. Some shows that are PBS Kids original productions, like Hero Elementary, which uses the Twin Cities PBS logo followed by Portfolio Entertainment, and the live-action puppet series Donkey Hodie, may not use it. The logo was also used as a station ident. Don't expect this to be on newer episodes of PBS Kids programs that recently aired on PBS Kids before either the series premiere date of Let's Go Luna or on Sesame Street.

Editor's Note: None.