Silver Blocks Family Entertainment

Background: This was established by childrens' book publisher Silver Blocks as it's home video unit. Its earliest releases in the 1985-1986 timeframe were probably the most well-remembered, featuring adaptions of popular Silver Blocks using illustrations shot out of the books with very limited animation effects added. They also released many other children's entertainment videos, often under the "SilverVision" name. In 1997, the newly formed Silver Blocks Family Entertainment began releasing videos through Stony Discover In 2001, the assets of Silver Blocks were sold to Cartoon Media L.L.C. (since acquired by Family Groups Inc., now Cartoon Box Media, L.L.C.) and Random Parts (which now continues Silver Blocks as a standalone imprint) in a bankruptcy court auction. Cartoon Media continued releasing the Silver Blocks Family Entertainment catalog through Stony Discover until 2007, when it changed distributors to Smart Products. As of now, the catalog is now handled by Volini Entertainment after Smart Products announced to exit the home entertainment business in 2009.

Silver Blocks Family Entertainment

1st Logo (Opening)

(1985-1996)

Nickname: "The Silver Block"

Logo: The screen is divided into two parts horizontally: the top half is black and the bottom half is a lilac-sea green gradient. We see a block with its bottom side facing us, on the bottom half of the screen. As we zoom out it opens up and the blocks spin, while a grey block flies up from the blocks, which rise up and turn grey. As this happens, the background becomes completely black .The blocks turn silver (or at least a cheesy recreation) as a silver rounded rectangle border zooms out and encloses the elements, with a space left where a ray of light wipes "SILVER" in a Serif Gothic-like font below it. The rounded rectangle "morphs" into a TV tube as "SILVER" zooms out to make way for "BLOCK" which is wiped on similarly, and "VIDEO" which zooms out below that, with a shadow effect. The logo shines several times.

Closing Variants: In most cases, the "shining" part of the logo plays at the end, without music. At least one variant has been spotted where the logo fades in from a distance, slowly zooming up to the camera until it has nearly overtaken the entire screen. On several 1985 video releases, a different animation was used sometimes, which is described as the second logo.

FX/SFX: All the animation in this logo.

Music/Sounds: There were two fanfares used on this logo, both synthesized. They both were basically the same in format, but used two different sets of keys. "Version 1" was used up until mid-1986 and often featured the second logo at the end of the video; "Version 2" was used from late-1986 to 1996.

Music/Sounds Variant: An abridged version of the logo is used which plays a variation of the last few notes of the version 2 music, and the SilverVision logo follows it.

Availability: Uncommon.

Scare Factor: Low; this logo has cool animation effects. But that's nothing compared to the closing logo...

2nd Logo (Closing)

(1985)

Nicknames: "(Outer) Space", "The Final Frontier... AAH!!!!", "Space from Hell/of Doom",  Space from 1985 , "A Silver Block in Space", "Silver Block Video Logo in Space",  The Logo from Outer Space  , "The Neon Silver Block Video of Space"

Logo: We start out zooming in space, with an orange planet at the right of the screen and a blue planet at the left. Suddenly a comet appears and flies towards the center of the screen. When it reaches the center it "blows up", there is a flash and the screen turns yellowish tint and a few yellow streaks emerge from the center and fly toward the screen, slightly moving left as they do so. A large Silver Block Video logo glowing blue zooms-out as the yellowish tint fades. The logo shines and zooms out with a yellow shadow effect.

FX/SFX: The panning through space, the comet zooming toward the screen and exploding, the Silver Block Video logo animation, and the "shadow effect" zoom out.

Cheesy Factor: This animation is NOT suitable AT ALL to follow children's programming; it's very dark and ominous, the comet animation is very choppy and lumpy (even worse than early HaHa-Barber or Jay Ward's animation), the "explosion" is really fake and amateurish, and the "shadow effect" is bad enough!

Music/Sounds: A strange humming sound as we begin, with a "whoosh" as the comet appears followed by a synthesized explosion sound, another strange humming sound, and a gradual synthesized fade-out during the "shadow effect".

Availability: Seen at the end of some Silver Block video releases from 1985 (that have the "version 1" fanfare on the beginning logo).

Scare Factor: High to nightmare; with the very dark theme, horrific animation, combined with the strange humming, and the unnerving "shadow effect", this is one of the scariest children's logos ever, especially when viewed from the perspective of a small child!

3rd Logo

(1997- )

Nicknames: "The (Golden) S", "S Viewing a Block", "S with a Block"

Logo: On a white background we see a red block turned on its side and rotated at a 45 degree angle. We see the top of a lowercase S in Times font peeking over the top of the book), then jumps up from below, picks up the block, plays with it, and hops up a few spaces to make way for "Silver Blocks" written in silver and in its familiar font (the S watches as the text is written). "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" (later "FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT") appears below that as the S looks back into the book. The end result is what is the current Silver Blocks logo.

Variants:

On the DVD release of Icy the Snowman, the logo disappears to make room for "Presents" in its italic Times font.

A still version of the logo exists.

On some Christmas specials, the S is still once again, but wearing a Santa hat.

An in-credit version appeared on the 1997-99 version of Doggie, which aired on Animal Universe in the U.S. and General Audiences Channel in Canada.

FX/SFX: Nice 3D animation!

Music/Sounds: A playful xylophone tune is heard, accompanied by strings at the end.

Availability: Even though the logo is still in use, it isn't used as often as it was when it was introduced in the late 1990s.

Scare Factor: None; this logo is clean and family-friendly (way better than the previous logo).

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SilverVision

Background: This was the general entertainment division of Silver Block Video.

(1987-1991)

Nicknames: “The Big Silver V”, "V of Silver"

Logo: We see the end part of the Silver Block Video opening logo, where it shines all over. Suddenly, the logo zooms out, and we zoom out through a giant outlined “V” over a red rectangle, on its side. It rotates into place, and “Silver” zooms out, then “Vision” (with a “V” that’s bigger than the other letters), and you see the sides of the words as they zoom out, but they then turn into place. Once the two words settle onto the rectangle, the rectangle produces a yellow flash around the edges. The words shine twice, then the rectangle’s edges flash yellow again.

Closing Variant: In most cases, an end variant was used which just showed the fully-formed logo shining.

FX/SFX: The logo parts zooming-out, the shining and flashing. Very good CGI animation for its time.

Music/Sounds: The end of the 1986 jingle with a 4-note synth fanfare throughout is heard at the beginning of the logo where we see the Silver Block Video logo, then it transforms into a WHOOSH when we go to the SilverVision logo which crescends into a different synthesizer tune, which sounds like something on a light rock station (or a 16-bit SNES system or MIDI file).

Availability: Rare, but can be found on some SBV tapes. Many of them have a print version of this logo, while some just use the regular Silver Block Video print logo.

Scare Factor: None; the animation is first-rate and the music isn't as cheesy.

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Silver Step Ahead

Background: This was the educational division of Silver Block Video.

(1985-1988)

Logo: On a tan BG, we see a drawing of a girl in a red dress run toward two other children, one male and one female. The three then continue walking and meet up with two other children, one male and one female. Then, the camera zooms out, and one small boy runs toward the other children to catch up with them. They all transform into still images. The words "SILVER STEP AHEAD" appear above.

FX/SFX: The animation of the children.

Music/Sounds: A gentle guitar/woodwind tune.

Availability: This is pretty rare, from what I see. It can be seen on educational videos released by Silver Block Video.

Scare Factor: None; this logo is nice and calming and family-friendly.