Background: "API" stands for "Air Programs International".
(1969-1975?)
Warning: Do not watch the video if you are prone to epilepsy.
Nicknames: "Spinning Vortex", "Vortex of Doom", "The Spinning Propeller of Doom", "Crazy Looking Koru", "API Tornado"
Logo: We start out with a yellow screen, which then wipes away horizontally to become a white background, As soon as the yellow background begins to clear, a rapidly spinning black vortex comes from the left and stops in the middle, rapidly spinning clockwise as it does so. a few seconds later, the vortex zooms back and shifts to the right while spinning. As this does so, the letters "a p i" in purple (the letters themselves resemble Futura) began zooming from all sides of the screen until coming together. The camera zooms out and in and out as this hoppens, The vortex begins to spin next to the "i" until it comes to a complete stop, which makes the "i" overlap one of the tips of the vortex. the words "TELEVISION PRODUCTION" appears on the bottom of the text and vortex, set in Microgramma.
Variant: Some projects superimposed the print logo with an in-credit notice.
FX/SFX: The vortex spinning, the letters coming.
Cheesy Factor: Very cheesy indeed. You can really tell that the vortex is stop-motion animation. The appearance of the words seem wrong. The film is very poor and grainy, and what's the idea of the camera zooming in and out? Did the animators' coffee get spiked with acid the day this logo was thought up?
Music/Sounds: A whooshing synth note when the vortex comes, followed by a sped-up/+12 pitch version of a classic Hanna-Barbera descending synth sound, and 3 loud synth dings when the letters come, ending with a timpani drum solo.
Availability: Ultra rare. Appeared on The Story of the First Christmas as API Television Productions, and on Heidi (1978 TV series) as A.P.I. Television Productions. The Active Home Video release of King Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table might have it. The in-credit notices should be intact on such projects.
Scare Factor: Medium to high. The zooming in and out, the weird music and the rapid speed of the vortex's spinning can scare more than a few, not to mention the spinning may make you be dizzy. None for the in-credit notices.