King of Video/Paragon Video Productions

King of Video
Background : King of Video was a VHS distributor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company was known for distributing many public domain titles of genres such as horror, martial arts, action, etc.

Note : Not to be confused with King of Video Australia.

1st Logo (1981-1982)
Nickname : "Lights on Crown"

Logo : An iris-out reveals a crown with nine spikes on it. The spikes are topped with empty circles. Yellow lights flash in the letters of the word "KING" in the top four circles. "Of" then appears in a cursive font while yellow lights flash in the letters of the word "VIDEO", in the next row of five circles. "PRESENTS" then fades in below the crown, and a light bounces to random letters in the text of the logo, as if you were watching the light bounce around on the Press Your Luck board.

Variant : A short version of this logo exists, where the logo fades in as the word "Of" appears.

FX/SFX : The animation, which is very late '70s/early '80s Scanimation/CGI.

Music/Sounds : A triumphant horn fanfare composed by John Barry for the soundtrack of The Lion in Winter, along with an announcer saying "King of Video is proud to bring you the following motion picture on videocassette."

Availability : Ultra rare. You might want to check eBay or Amazon or a used video store to find the logo. One tape that has the regular, long version is Elvis The Legend, and one that has the short version is Touch of Satan.

 Editor's Note : None.

2nd Logo (1981-1985)
Nicknames : "Star Trail", "5-Pointed Star Space"

Logo : On a black space background with white 5-pointed stars zooming towards us for six seconds, a gold colored "King of Video" text zooms-in with a trail behind it.

Variant : A version with "PRESENTS" appearing has been seen.

FX/SFX : The logo and background zooming in.

Music/Sounds : A cheesy hip-hop jingle after three seconds of silence.

Availability : Ultra rare.

Editor's Note : None.

Wonderland Video
Background : Wonderland Video is a subsidiary of King of Video to release kid-friendly and family oriented titles.

(1984-1985)
Logo : We see a picture of a house with many doll figures, such as a girl, a boy, a mermaid and a koala. We see a sparkle behind it, and transform into the glowing text "Wonderland Video". The words "A" and "PRESENTATION" are above and below the logo, in yellow.

FX/SFX : The sparkling effect.

Music/Sounds : None, just a sparkling sound.

Availability : Seen on children's tapes from the company, such as Spectreman.

 Editor's Note : None.

Paragon Video Productions
Background : Paragon Video Productions was a subsidiary of "King of Video" to release more public domain horror and action films. This video sub-label was operated around the years of 1981 to 1985.

Note : Not to be confused with Paragon Entertainment Corporation (Canada).

(1981-1985)
Nicknames : “Star Trail II”, "5-Pointed Star Space II", "Persistent Background"

Logo : Same as the King of Video logo, except a gold colored “” with an outlined star next to the “V” in “” (where the letters are much smaller than the “V” and “Paragon”), zooms-in in the place of the King of Video logo with a trail behind it.

Variants : One of the words may appear under "":
 * "PRESENTS" - Seen at the beginning of previewless releases.
 * "PREVIEWS" - Seen before the reel at the start of the VHS of The Night of Bloody Horror.

FX/SFX : Same as the King of Video logo, except the background animation loops constantly.

Music/Sounds : An overly-bombastic orchestral fanfare.

Availability : Ultra rare. Seen on American Nitro, along with other B-movies from the era.

Editor's Note : None.