Venus Distribution (New Zealand)

Venus Distribution was founded in 1972 in Wellington, New Zealand. It distributes television shows from the US, Canada, and parts of Europe to New Zealand.

1st Logo (1972 - 1988)

Venus Distribution (1978)

Logo: On a black background, we see a red line fading in, and "Venus" appearing above the line, and "Distribution" fading below.

Variations:

On some shows, "in association with..." appears at the bottom. On others, "distributed by" appears at the top.

On The Pink Panther Show, the background is pink.

On Leave It To Beaver, the background is blue, and the line is green.

Music/Sounds:A 14-note piano tune mixed with bongos.

Availability:Very rare for the standard variation, was seen on Yogi Bearshorts when aired on Cartoon Network, but Boomerang airings plaster it with the 1989 logo. The "in association with..." variation is easier to find, it was seen on The Muppet Show, St. Elsewhere, Lidsville, and others. The "distributed by" variation is extinct, it only appeared on reruns of the pre-1948 Looney Tunes cartoons before 1996.

Scare Factor:Minimum, the music may surprise some, but its harmless. However, the scare factor may rise, due to the ITC "Spinning Diamonds of Doom" logo following it on The Muppet Show.

2nd Logo (1985 - 2006)

Venus Distribution (1985)Venus Distribution (1994, 30 years)

Logo:On a blue background, we see a purple "V" zoom in, then a red "D" zooms in as well, with "enus" and "istribution" sliding in next to the V and the D, respectively.

Variations:

From 1985 until 1999 (2001 on movies), the logo "melted" away.

Since 1999 (2001 on movies), the URL faded in, via two black bars.

In 2002, the message "30 Years of Family Entertainment" faded in, via two white bars.

On Aussie prints of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the logo is in the credits, and also still.

On all Venus prints of Hamtaro, the logo is still on a black background with the text "Hamtaro is presented by" above.

On some shows,the logo is still.

Music:

1985 - 1999:First, four drumbeats, followed by a majestic 10 note synth tune, and a long held synth note, and a whoosh as the logo melts.

1985 - 2006:The end credits of the show.

1989 - 1999:The same as the 1985 theme, only the held synth note is replaced by a choir note.

1989 - 2001:The same as the 1985 theme, only the majestic synth is replaced by a trumpet, and the held synth note is replaced by a choir note (different from the other 1989 variation.)

1989 - 2006:A shortened version of the 1985 theme.

1999 - 2006: The same as the 1989 theme, only the whoosh is replaced by a harp as the URL fades in.

1999 - 2002:The same as the 1985 theme, only the whoosh is replaced by a harp as the URL fades in.

2001 - 2006:First, eight drumbeats, followed by a seven note horn tune, and three drumbeats, ten other horn notes of the same tune, the choir from the 1989 variation, and lastly, eight ascending flute notes as the URL fades in.

Availability:Common, as it was used for 21 years, the 1985 version is rare, it can be seen on Sailor Moon, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and The Muppet Show. The 1989 version is easier to find, it was seen on Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Woody Woodpecker Show, and Pingu. The 1999 version is the most common, it was seen on season 1 of Teen Titans, some episodes ofseasons 7 - 8 of Thomas and Friends,Season 1 - 3 of Aqua Teen Hunger Forceand other shows.

Scare Factor:None, it's a favourite of many, thanks to the music.

3rd Logo (1989 - 2000, 2004)

Venus Distribution (1990)

Logo:On a blue background, we see Venus rotating on its axis while zooming in, then "Venus Distribution" in yellow, zooms in, and turns into yellow dust.

Variations:

On Australian prints of The Muppet Showand New Zealand prints of Alvin and the Chipmunks, the background is black, Venus is red, and the text is white.

On New Zealand prints of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the logo is still.

Music/Sounds:An Moog synthesizer tune with seven rising loops, with each loop having four synth beeps.

Availability: Rare, seen on prints of The Muppet Show, Thomas the Tank Engine, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield and Friends,and other programmes, in Venus' library, often plastering the last logo. This logo can still be seen on Seasons 1 - 4, and 6 of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Scare Factor:Medium to high for the standard variation, High to nightmare for the darker version, the music and animation may scare more than a few. None for the TTTE version.

4th Logo (1999 - present)

Venus Distribution (2002)

Logo: On a blue background, we see a blue shield with the word "VENUS" in red, zoom in, and a red circle with "DISTRIBUTION" fades in.

Variations:

On Season 5 - 10 of Thomas and Friends, the logo is still.

On Teen Titans, the circle is green, and the text is white.

Music:Usually the closing theme of the show, on others, a loud whoosh is heard.

Availability: Uncommon, as this is no longer used as the primary logo, it can be seen on Teen Titans, seasons 5, 7 - 10 of Thomas and Friends(season 6 used the previous logo.), and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast.

Scare Factor:None for the standard version, low to medium with the whoosh.

5th Logo (2002 - present)

Venus Distribution (2002)

Logo:There are two variations of this logo.

Variation #1: On a black background, we see the text "Venus Distribution presents..." in gold and it shines.

Variation #2: The same as variation #1, but "presents..." isomitted.

Music:

Variation #1:A lilting dreamy string tune.

Variation #2: The closing theme of the show, or silent.

Availability:Common, the opening version can be seen on current TV prints and DVD prints of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, and other shows.The closing version can be seen on most of Venus' shows now.

Scare Factor:None to low for variation #1, and none to medium for variation #2, the darkness may get some.