Family Home Entertainment

Background

Family Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as F.H.E.) was an American home video distribution company established in 1980 by Noel C. Bloom. Headquartered in Newbury Park, California, it was a direct opposite to Bloom's earlier adult-only Caballero Home Video label, with F.H.E. instead mostly releasing family-friendly licensed content on home video. The company would be the main distributor of many popular 1980s cartoon shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, G.I. Joe, ThunderCats, Inspector Gadget, Pound Puppies, Jem, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Care Bears, Gumby, and several others.

In its first couple years, it would also release content geared more towards older viewers, such as Tom Jones: Live in Las Vegas and the "World of Horror" video line. In 1982, F.H.E. launched its USA Home Video division for such releases. Two years later, both labels came together under Bloom's NCB Entertainment Group that also included his Caballero, Monterey Home Video, Thriller Video, USA Sports Video and Celebrity Home Entertainment labels. In 1985, NCB would reorganize itself as International Video Entertainment, later renamed LIVE Entertainment. In 1989, F.H.E. became a main distributor of Rankin/Bass specials aired on CBS alongside Vestron Video, becoming the sole distributor in 1991 after its parent company acquired and folded Vestron. Distribution of the specials would continue until 1998 when Sony Wonder took over and the home media rights as a whole going to Golden Books Family Entertainment.

In 1998, LIVE Entertainment rebranded itself yet again to Artisan Entertainment, creating the F.H.E. Kids sub-label as well as an extremely-short lived theatrical film division in 2002, FHE Pictures. In 2003, Artisan Entertainment was acquired by Lionsgate and subsequently folded into their own home entertainment division. In 2005, F.H.E. was also restructured into Lionsgate Home Entertainment, rendering it defunct.

Early releases in the Eighties were distributed by MGM/UA Home Video and by MCA later in the decade, the latter most notably in Canada.

1st Logo (June 1981-1985; 1987)

The nearly-finished logo, with the colors of the text intact

The finished product

Nicknames: "Soda Pop", "Cheesy FHE", "FHE in Space", "Cheesy Star"

Logo: A starfield background fades in, with a large pink/purple "sun" slowly moving towards the viewer. After a few seconds of sizzling, it then transforms into the purple words "FAMILY HOME", set in Baby Teeth font (whose digital incarnation goes by "Surfside") with the green word "ENTERTAINMENT" in the same font flying from behind the text on top of the screen, settling underneath the "FAMILY HOME" text. The logo then flashes and becomes white. After a few seconds, the logo flies up with computer effects, leaving only the starfield for a couple seconds before fading out.

Variants:

• At the end of some tapes such as Beauty and the Beast and pre-1985 videos from Monterey and U.S.A. Home Video, a "Prevues of Coming Attractions" bumper plays before fading to a short version of the logo.
• Sometimes, the logo will either cut in, out, or sometimes both.
• A few short versions exist. Some tapes start the logo just as the "sun" appears, while others start the logo right as it morphs into the words "FAMILY HOME".

FX/SFX: The moving starfield, the transformation of the sun into "FAMILY HOME ENTERTAINMENT", the "flying" effects. Very early computer graphics that look very cheesy.

Music/Sounds: Electronic popping/fizz noises are heard all throughout. When the logo forms, a 4-note synthesized chord/whoosh fanfare plays.

Availability: Rare.

• Releases that may include this logo are Blackstar, The New Adventures of Zorro, Journey Back to Oz, Dorothy in the Land of Oz, Panda and the Magic Serpent, Gaiking, a few Spaceketeers releases, some Inspector Gadget tapes, and early releases of Gumby (retained on a 1987 reprint of A Gumby Summer) and Care Bears; just find an over-sized box containing an early FHE print of this logo on the cover.
• This also appears on the 1986 reprint of Peter Cottontail's Adventures instead of the next logo.
• Surprisingly, this logo still pops up on a few releases and current prints past the VHS era, such as the CBS Home Entertainment DVD of Peter and the Magic Egg and Amazon Video's print of The Great Bear Scare.

Editor's Note: The "sun" looks ridiculously fake (resembling a fizzing Alka-Seltzer tablet more than anything else), the colors are rather gaudy, the music is super annoying, the font is really ugly and the space background looks like it was done on an Apple II. The overall dated animation and unusual noises may get to some people, but the logo is probably one of the most soda-like in the world!

2nd Logo (1985-1991)

Nicknames: "F.H.E.", "Handwriting Pad", "Cheesy Writing", "Another Cheesy F.H.E"

Logo: A yellow-orange screen "flips" in, resembling a blank sheet used to practice handwriting. The letters "fhe" are drawn on the lines in a crude crayon-like font one at a time. Each letter is colored red, blue and yellow respectively. Black dots appear in between the letters, changing to "f.h.e.". Under that, the words "Family Home Entertainment" are typed in, and the picture zooms away downward after the logo is completed.

Trivia: Before 1990, there was often a jarring cut from the warning screen to this logo. When the 1988 IVE logo was introduced, there was more of a gentle fade instead of a hard cut.

Variants:

• On several Robotech releases from 1987, as well as The Teddy Bears' Picnic and Babar: The Movie from 1989, the colors are a bit faded. After the logo is formed, it fades to black.
• Later video releases have the logo on a black background with the lines fading-in and the FHE text drawing itself on faster than usual and a bit different. A byline for IVE/NCB is shown on the bottom. A still version can be seen on various Transformers promos.
• A still variant appears on the 1987 VHS of To Be a Clown, where the background is black and the logo is shifted further down.
• At the end of some tapes, a yellow screen that reads "also AVAILABLE from" (in white) zooms in. After three seconds, the screen zooms downward surging to the regular FHE logo.
• Some tapes feature a short version that starts at the point where the letters are drawn in.

FX/SFX: The "flipping" screen, the drawn letters. More early computer effects.

Music/Sounds: It starts with a loud whirring/whining sound (kind of like a Jetsons flying car starting), and leads into a synth theme with three different tones for the drawing of each letter. Three very fast synth-trumpet notes bring forth the periods after each initial, and a toy piano that plays a descending tune is used when the company's name appears. At the end, a laser zap is heard as the screen "flies" away.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• High and low-toned variants exist.
• On the short variant, there is no "WHOOSH" at the end.
• The still and black background variants are either silent or use the theme of the promo.

Availability: Uncommon.

• Can be seen on early releases of home video releases of shows such as Transformers, G.I. Joe, Inspector Gadget, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Also spotted on some Rankin/Bass video releases from 1989 to 1991.
• Also spotted on the Chuck Jones releases of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Mowgli's Brothers, and The White Seal.
• You may also spot this on some tapes of British cartoons like Wil Cwac Cwac and Roobarb, and the Australian Dot cartoons should have this logo, too.
• Also seen on later Gumby and Care Bears VHS releases.
• It makes a surprise appearance on Amazon Video's print of The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas, likely due to it using the FHE video master.

Editor's Note: The screen "flipping" is an Eighties SFX standard; it is merely the image being stretched and squashed. However, this is an improvement of the previous logo, despite its loud soundtrack.

3rd Logo (1991-1998; 2001; 2006-2007)

Nickname: "The Paintbrush"

Logo: On a white canvas-textured background, a red paintbrush draws an "f" then puts a red dot after it. A blue paintbrush similarly draws the "h" and a blue dot, and lastly a yellow paintbrush gets the "e" and its dot. The camera pans to each letter as it is drawn and then pulls out. Above the logo, the paintbrush washes on the words "Family Home Entertainment", with each word in red, blue and yellow, respectively.

Alternative DVS Description: In a logo, a cartoon paintbrush dipped in red paints a letter "f". Next, the paintbrush swirls a blue "h", followed by a yellow "e". Above the letters, the brush draws the words "Family Home Entertainment".

Variants:

• On rare occasions, the logo is still.
• An abridged version was used for some promos.
• On some promos for Rankin/Bass holiday releases, the second half of the logo plays in warp speed.

FX/SFX: The paintbrush painting the letters. This is all CGI, which looks amazing even for today!

Music/Sounds: A 4-note synth tune (which was done on the Roland D-50 synthesizer by using the "Staccato Heaven" patch) can be heard at the start, followed by a 2-note synth horn tune, then silence, followed by another 2-note synth horn tune when the "f" is being drawn and a synthesized stinger when the red dot appears, followed by a descending harp sound and a 5-note horn-like tune when the "h" is being drawn and another synthesized stinger when the blue dot appears, followed by an ascending then descending clarinet tune when the "e" followed by yet another synthesized stinger when the yellow dot appears, then a hybrid of an ascending synthesized tune with some clarinet notes marking the appearance of "Family Home Entertainment". It all ends with the synth tune from the start of the logo, complete with a choir, with synth chimes at the end.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• On the screener cassettes of Queens Logic and Bloodmoon, an announcer says, "Here's what's new from Family Home Entertainment!" at the end.
• Promo variants have their themes playing over it, sometimes with an announcer mentioning the F.H.E. name.

Availability: Common.

• Can be seen on most FHE releases from the period, including later Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tapes, the original release of Tom and Jerry: The Movie and many Rankin/Bass specials distributed by FHE until 1997.
• The last new releases to have this were their 1998 Christmas videos, and its last appearance overall was on the 1999 Sony Wonder VHS of Here Comes Peter Cottontail, which is likely a reprint.
• The only DVD to feature this logo while it was still in regular use was the 1998 release of Merlin. After it was retired, it made some surprising reappearances such as the 2001 Pioneer release of Speed Racer: The Movie and on the 2006-07 Lionsgate DVDs of TMNT, specifically at the end of the episodes, "Plan 6 from Outer Space", "Farewell Lotus Blossom", "Michelangelo Meets Bugman", and "What's Michelangelo Good For?".

Editor's Note: A major improvement over the previous two logos, and even for the next two as well. This is a favorite of many.

4th Logo (1998-2001)

Nickname: "Flipping Letters"

Logo: Against a black background, a green "F" flips toward the screen, followed by a vermilion "H" and a lavender "E". A triangular vermilion "roof" lands on the "H" shortly after. The words "F A M I L Y H O M E E N T E R T A I N M E N T", which are written in white, fade in below. At the same time, two white dots fade in between the letters "FHE". The words shine.

Variants:

• Sometimes, a URL appears below.
• On the DVD release of The Tangerine Bear, the logo differs at both ends:
  • Beginning: The logo fades in the same time as the white text & dots fades in.
  • Ending: Just the normal logo playing slightlyf aster.

FX/SFX: The letters flipping, the roof landing on the "H", and the words shining.

Music/Sounds: None.

Music/Sounds Variant: The Tangerine Bear closing version has the ending theme playing over it.

Availability: Uncommon. Appears on most FHE releases up until 2001, such as Clifford The Big Red Dog: "Here Comes Clifford".

Editor's Note: Not really an improvement over the previous logo, and it's pretty boring.

5th Logo (2000-2005)

Nickname: "Flying Letters"

Logo: On a white background, the letters "FHE" fly up to the screen. Then, two black dots fly in and appear between the letters. "FAMILY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" fades in under the letters. A roof is then drawn above the "H", making the whole thing look a lot like the previous logo. It then fades out.

Variants:

• A short version of this logo was seen on promos such as on Animal Planet Video, TLC Video, and later "FHE" flies up, and a link to "www.familyhomeent.com" below. Seen on the 2000 VHS print of Baby Einstein, a Family Home Entertainment Kids release.
• Another variant appeared on other Baby Einstein videos, where the logo flies in as usual, then it falls down flat. Then a bunch of logos appear, such as Baby Einstein, FHE Kids, and Animal Planet. They circle the screen once. Then, the logos fade out, the F.H.E. logo flies in again and forms "www.familyhomeent.com".

FX/SFX: The letters flying up, the dots appearing, the roof drawing.

Music/Sounds: A jingle used with many musical instruments and sound effects. An oboe and a tuba are two of the instruments.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• There is a voice-over on promos saying "Family Home Entertainment. We like to share yours from Family Home Entertainment".
• On the variant with the FHE website the voice-over says "Family Home Entertainment. From our family to yours, there's always something special for everyone. At www.familyhomeent.com".
• A silent version appears on 2001-early 2005 material from Mattel.

Availability: Uncommon.

• Seen on releases from this era until the company's folding.
• On most Baby Einstein releases, the F.H.E. Kids "Doghouse" logo would follow the promo variant of this one.
• Despite its theatrical arm, FHE Pictures, co-producing Big Idea's Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, it doesn't appear on home video releases aside from a screener DVD.

Editor's Note: While it uses better animation and has sound compared to the previous logo, it isn't as memorable as their '90s "Paintbrush" logo.

See Also

• For other related logos and images see: Family Home Entertainment/Other