Reader's Digest Home Entertainment

Reader's Digest Home EntertainmentThis is a featured page Logo descriptions by Photos by Video captures by Editions by

Background: Reader's Digest Video (a.k.a. Reader's Digest Home Entertainment, and Reader's Digest Video And Television) was the home video division of American magazine Reader’s Digest.

1st Logo (1988-1999) Logo: On a black background with several colorful lights at the bottom of the screen moving towards the left, a series of rainbow lines drop down at the top of the screen and draw in an alicorn figure. The eye of the atlicorn glows, and it zooms out to the top part of the screen, with lights shooting off its wings, and sparkles appearing on it a lot. We zoom out through an “R”, and the text “Reader’s Digest”, with the “R” extended, and “Reader’s” on top of “Digest” (this was the magazine’s font and logo from 1963 to 2008, although the alicorn figure was dropped in 2001) zooms out underneath the alicorn. The alicorn continues to sparkle until the logo fades out.

Variants:

From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, a blue bar with the white text “HOME ENTERTAINMENT” in it wipes in underneath “Reader’s Digest”, and the background changes into a black/navy blue gradient color. On UK releases, the ending is the same as the above variant but instead, the white text “VIDEO” wipes in.

FX/SFX: Rather advanced animation for the 1980s.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant synth orchestral theme. There is a long whoosh sound as the alicorn zooms out and another whoosh as “Reader’s Digest” appears.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On some releases, the fanfare is modified and sounds more synthesized. On UK releases, a soothing piano/string tune ending with a 3-note horn tune is used instead.

Availability: Seen on a variety of special interest tapes from the era in the US and the UK. It also appeared on some rare tapes of Arthur, Adventures from the Book of Virtues, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures, and Franklin.

Scare Factor: Low. The logo often appears at the very start of tapes and can startle some by its sudden appearance and rather loud music, but it’s mostly harmless. Minimal for the modified music variant and none for the UK variant.

2nd Logo (1997-2007)

Logo: TBA

FX/SFX: The parts of the logo zooming in.

Music/Sounds: A new-age theme with a flute section.

Availability: Seen on later Reader’s Digest releases.

Scare Factor: None.