Playhouse Video

Logo description by Matt Williams and James Stanley Barr Logo captures by Eric S. and V of Doom Video captures courtesy of DudeThatLogo

Background: Playhouse Video was another sub-label of CBS/Fox Video for children and family releases on video.

(1983-1990)

Playhouse Video (1983)Playhouse Video (1985, Muppet Video variant)Playhouse Video (B&W)

Nickname: "Multicolored Snow-Globe"

Logo: On a white background, we see a black dot sketching a round snow-globe outline. Then it draws another round outline, followed by outlines of a tree, neighborhood with house, a sun, apples on the tree, and a window on the house. The outlines fill with a rainbow color hue, and the words:

PLAYHOUSE V---I---D---E---O

appear below via a “wiping” effect.

Variants: •On videos associated with Muppet Video, the background would turn red and blue, the Playhouse Video logo would fly away, and the Muppet Video logo animation would form. •There was a grayscale variant on videos of black & white films. •The Chace Surround Sound logo may appear at the top left of the screen.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: Off the scale…with the “etch-a-sketch” style animation, the color “fill-in” effect, the wiping of the words, the 8-bit resolution drawings looking like the entire logo was done on an Apple II.

Music/Sounds: A synthesized piano fanfare.

Availability: Rare. It's seen on any tapes by this company from the era, such as the 1970s Dr. Seuss TV specials aired on CBS, Muppet Video releases, and feature films such as Bad Medicine, Kid Colter, and Eliminators, among others.

Scare Factor: Minimal. The cheap music, the sketchy animation, and the primitive graphics may put some people off. The version with the Muppet Video logo coming after that is slightly lower, as Muppet fans enjoy the Muppet Video logo coming after that.