Bubble Bobble Animation Studios

Background: Bubble Bobble Animation Studios (also known as "Bubbletoons Productions"), the animation unit of Bubble Bobble, was established from Ataries Animation in 1990 to produce animated TV shows known as Bubbletoons for Bubble Bobble and Bubbletoons Network.

1st Logo

(1990-2009)

Nicknames: "The Soda", "The Soda Can", "The Bub Soda", "The Bub Scribble"

Logo: Over a black background, we see a Bubble Bobble logo, which resembles a green soda. Copyright info is seen below.

Copyrights:

1990-1994: (C)(year) ZTV Networks

1994-1996: (C)(year) Bubble Bobble

1995-2009: (C)(year) TAITO (The byline was blurry in 1995 and early 1996) (Starting in late 1997, additional copyright information was added below.

Variants:

On Season 1 episodes of Hey Mario!, the copyright text was in a chalk-like font.

On the original Pokémon pilot, the logo is darker.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None, or the end theme of the show.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On most episodes of Pokémon, as well as The Florence Bros., OH NO! Not Monsters, Band Power, and As Told by Maria, a humorous quote from the episode is heard, for example on the 2000 episode of Pokémon called "Discover New Islands", Pikachu says "That's 'Ms. Tour Guide to you Mr. Sir!" In most 1993 episodes, the beginning of Zatch's yelling followed by inaudible dialog is heard.

Starting with the debut of their second logo, Zippo Pictures used the sound of kids laughing during the logo.

On the first two seasons of OH NO! Not Monsters, the tail end of the Zippo Pictures "Graffiti" logo's theme plays over the logo.

On the first season of Lance, the Giant Pictures music carries over to this logo.

Availability: The ZTV Networks copyright can be currently be seen on VHS tapes and DVDs of Pokémon episodes from the era, (Including the pilot) and is currently seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, VHS tapes and DVDs of early episodes of Rocky's Modern Life and is also seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, and 1991-1994 episodes of Super Mario Bros. Super Show on VHS and is again, also seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, as the Seasons 1 & 2 DVD edit it out. However, it's intact on the Seasons 3 and a Halfish and Season 5 and Some more of 4 DVDs, and VHS tapes and DVDs of pre-1994 episodes of Lance, which is, once again, currently seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X. The Bubble Bobble byline is rather rare as it was used for a short time along with being used concurrently with the Taito copyright from 1995-1996 and it can be seen on VHS tapes of some Pokémon episodes from the era and is seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, VHS tapes and DVDs of Super Mario Bros. Super Show episodes from the era and is currently seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, VHS tapes of some Rocky's Modern Life episodes from this era and is seen on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X, and season 1-3 episodes of OH NO! Not Monsters on VHS, which was last seen in October 2011 on The '90s Are All That Jazz on Niggo X. The Taito variant is super-duper common and can be seen on all Bubbletoons up until 1997, when they used the logo below. At that point, only Zippo Pictures shows such as Pokémon, As Told by Maria, and The Florence Bros. used this logo along with Planeman (current prints of the latter use the next logo instead). This logo also appears on The Adventures of Mario & Luigi season 1 on DVD and all Planeman DVDs from 2003 to 2009, along with several Bubble Jr. shows on DVD and Comcast Video on Demand. The first two seasons of Rocky's Modern Life have this logo intact (2011-2012).

Scare Factor: It depends on the sound variant:

None for the silent variant.

None with the closing theme of the show.

None to low for the Pokémon variant. It depends on what quote from the episode is heard.

Minimal bordering on low with the sound of kids laughing.

Minimal for theOH NO! Not Monsters variant, because of Zippo Pictures' "Graffiti" logo's music, but those who like that logo should be OK with it.

2nd Logo

(1996-2009)

Nicknames: "Splat!", "The Green Splat", "The Bubbletoons Splat"

Logo: We see the Bubble Bobble splat logo, but reading "BUBBLETOONS" on a black BG (although sometimes it reads "BUBBLE BOBBLE" and is stretched out more). Copyright information is seen below, or sometimes not at all.

Variant: There is an animated version of the Bubble Bobble logo which is seen on the trailer for The Spy and on Mega Yak. A CGI ball appears on a black background and then forms a "BUBBLE BOBBLE" splat. The long version was only seen on the "Fat Files" shorts.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show or a soundbite of the show. Sometimes, none.

Music/Sounds Variant: On Jackie Newton we hear the theme song and Jackie saying "Gotta Jet!".

Availability: First seen on the trailer for The Spy. The "Bubbletoons" variant appeared on every new Bubbletoons starting with The Angry Dogs, and was also used on Cars!, Mario Zone, and recent prints of Planeman episodes from the era, plastering the Scribble, among others, excluding all Zippo Pictures/Bub shows, up until Superstar Saga. The "Bubelodeon" variant is seen on Jackie Newton, Ealge Flare and non-US airings of early Toronto Star episodes and 2006 episodes of Planeman. It's also superimposed over the closing credits of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The main logo still appears on new episodes of shows that debuted prior to 2007, such as Planeman, up until 2009. The version without the copyright info was seen on The Lion King 1½ and the teaser trailer for Pokémon: The First Movie.

Scare Factor: None.

3rd Logo

(1998-2000)

Nickname: "Basic Splat", "Trampoline Splat", "The Bouncing Splat"

Logo: On a white background, we see a 3d CGI GREEN ball bouncing on a blue trampoline 2 times, then it bounces to the center of the screen, and resembles a 3d Bubble Bobble splat with the words "A BUBBLE BOBBLE PRODUCTION" then a few seconds, it turns into a 2d splat.

Variant: There's variant seen on Band Power which does not contain the words "A" and "PRODUCTION"

FX/SFX: CGI animation of the ball and the trampoline.

Chessy Factor: The animation of the ball bouncing looks a bit choppy.

Availability: First seen on the famous Bubbletoon: Planeman, it can be also seen on the first season of Alice The Explorer, on some episodes of Clint's Hints, and Band Power. It's currently unknown if it's on DVD.

Scare Factor: None to low: On Band Power, the logo is bigger, and the ball getting to closer of the screen can get to some.