Viacom Spoof

Background: Viacom Spoof is a spoofed version of Viacom starring Bub, Bob and all the enemies from Bubble Bobble.

1st Logo

(2012-)

Nicknames: "Pinball Music", "A Viacom Presentation", "V-IA-COM", “V-IA-COM Pinball”, "Pinball Game", "ViaPinball", "Bub likes pinballs?"

Logo: This logo had the word "Viacom", a group of letters at a time (in an ascending number: "V" (1), "IA" (2) and "COM" (3), slide in from the right, with Bub appearing out of nowhere as the background changing color as each one stops. As the screen fades to purple, the letter "V" slides in as Bub says "That's what I like pinballs, but no sign V of Doom yet!". Then "IA" slides in, changing the background to green. Then "COM" slides in, changing the background to red. When the word "VIACOM" is formed, the camera quickly pans outward and the words "A" and "PRESENTATION" are seen to the left and right of the word "Viacom", over a blue background. Bub jumps on the logo. The logo had a font similar to the one on the "Mary Tyler Moore" logo (called "Peignot") with white lettering.

Variants:

One version of the logo replaces the red background with black, and Bub says "That isn't supposed to be an error?".

Other sources would have this logo completely out of sync with the sound effects and Bub's dialogue.

There is a B&W variant.

There is also a rare dark (not B&W) variant (possibly) due to the film deterioration.

There is also a sepia variant.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: Animation was very rough, primitive keyboard music, the changing backgrounds. Also, shouldn't the letters have animated as "VI-A-COM" instead of "V-IA-COM"? Bub is jumping on the logo I guess.

Music/Sounds: Consists of four synthesized ascending pinball-like chimes, also kind of sounds like the sound effects you hear on some news programs. The first three bring up the letters to "Viacom", and the last, which plays over the zoom-out, has a zap-like "WHOOSH" that blends in with the last bell. This is played underneath Bub's dialogue.

Availability: Extremely rare, due to excessive plastering with the 80s and 90s Viacom logos, the 1995 and 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logos, the CBS Paramount Television logos, and the CBS Television Distribution logos. The in-credit version(s) are rare and is currently see only on VHS tapes and DVDs of Viacom Spoof: The Missiles of October. The color version has turned up on at least 5-10 color episodes of Viacom Spoof: My Three Sons on The Hallmark Channel years ago. Supposedly these include episodes last seen on Niggo X around 1988-1990. The B&W variant was seen on early 70s prints of Viacom Spoof: The Andy Griffith Show, Family Affair, and Viacom Spoof: The Beverly Hillbillies, among other classic shows. It may appear on an old Magnetic Video tape if you're lucky.

Scare Factor: Low to medium. It has scared some by its cheesy animation, fast pace, "zoom-out", and primitive music. But Bub is a fact to get the scare factor lower. But compared to the 2nd logo, it's nothing!

2nd Logo

(2012-)

Nicknames: "V of Doom", "Big V", "Zooming V", "Dark/Black V", "Viacom The Menace", "Bad V", "Creepy/Evil V (of Death)", "V of Death", "The Purple/Black V (of Doom)", "Killer V", "V of Final Judgement", "V of Armageddon", "Viapocalypse", "V of Psycho", "Attack of the Killer V", "Growing V", "A Nightmare on Viacom Street", "The Personification of All That Is MAINLY Evil", "Attack of the V of Doom", "V from Hell", "Viacom V", "Viacom V of Doom", "Yes! It's the Viacom V of Doom!", "The Bad Guys Vs. The V", "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Logo: On a sky blue (or lavender) background, the text "A Viacom Presentation" zooms-in from the center of the screen at a very fast pace. Then, all the eight Bubble Bobble enemies pops out and a Maita says "Here comes a letter V!" as a fancy-cut, navy-blue "V" comes from the center and moves gradually closer and closer to the screen. Then Drunk shouts "Yes! It's the Viacom V of Doom!" followed by Banebou saying "It's about time!". When the V gets to the point where the "V" takes up nearly the entire screen, the screen suddenly fades to black, thus knocking out the enemies, with the "V" still moving ever closer. Then Hidegons says "I guess we had no match for the V!"

Variants:

A network television version usually had the black "V" and the name "Viacom" zooming-in together and stopping once it has come to a huge size. This variant was warp speed and silent. A variation of this version features a copyright stamp for "Viacom International" appearing at the bottom once the "V" stopped. However, some showings have the "V" and the word "Viacom" sliding-in from opposite sides of the screen. Instead of Drunk saying "Yes! It's the Viacom V of Doom!", he says "Yay! It's the black Viacom logo!"

The original version of this logo was filmed. Color variations include black & white and sepia, but Bub and Bob comes to the enemies and Banebou punched them out!

On the earlier color variant of the filmed version, the "V" is black.

Videotaped versions have "A" and "Viacom" spaced farther apart, and the animation is more crisp and smooth.

Some videotaped variants feature the "V" actually stopping at the end. Early filmed variants also do, with the "V" stopping right before it cuts to black.

An extremely rare videotaped variant featuring a yellow "V" was used on syndicated prints of Viacom Spoof: The Honeymooners. This is a result of a chroma-key mistake, as Invader points it out and say "Why the heck was the V turns yellow!?".

There is also a rare videotaped variant with the light green BG and the dark green "V" with two extra pounds of the timpani drum at the end.

An extremely rare turquoise variant with a light blue "V" was used in 2013.

A videotaped variant of this logo has an orange background and a black "V" seen on 1978 episodes of Viacom Spoof: You Don't Say. There is also a warp speed version of this.

There is an uncommon "warp-speed" videotaped variation that has a much sped up logo and music. This was used along side co-distributor idents.

An extremely rare variant was reported to exist that flashes different colors and the enemies gets the seizures, get sick and vomits on the floor. It is unknown if this logo actually exists, but it was reported to be seen on an airing of Viacom Spoof: The Honeymooners episode entitled "A Man's Pride" on The Comedy Network.

An in-credit text would either say "A Viacom (Enterprises) Presentation", "In Association with Viacom Enterprises", or "Distributed by Viacom Enterprises" would be shown on the Goodson-Todman game shows and some TV and theatrical movies.

Dark variants of the Film-O-Vision version in color and B&W, due to film deterioration exist.

An extremely rare variant featuring a white background and a "True Blue" "V" exists.

The first second was lopped off on Magnetic Video's release of Blue Hawaii.

FX/SFX: The text zooming-in from screen center and the "V" logo zooming-in, and the enemies gather.

Cheesy Factor: The filmed version has the appearance that a camera zoomed in on the "V" that was chroma-keyed onto a lighter background, and the text zoom-in looks like it was cheaply animated, even though it doesn't look like a camera zoom-in. The videotaped version has better graphics and animation, thanks to the Scanimate effects, but still looks cheaply done. With the music, was the composer in a hurry and in a bad mood that day? The filmed variant's quality is very poor for a logo that debuted in 1976.

Music/Sounds: Here are the main music variants used on this logo along with an enemies' dialogues:

Usually, the music was a 5-note synthesized tune, complete with a timpani drum playing throughout with a final, rather loud pound at the end. Even after the logo faded to black, the timpani's echo could still be heard.

The very first version of this logo featured the "pinball" music of the first logo and was used until late 1976 (and was also often used when replacing the original "Pinball" logo.

The very first version of the normal 1976 music had a slightly faster sequence of synthesizer notes, used on the same logo with the very dark blue/black "V" logo. PAL versions of the logo were in a higher pitch and had a slightly faster sequence of synthesizer notes.

For the network TV variant, it used only the closing theme of the show or TV movie.

In some rare cases, the closing theme of the show was used, or none.

Availability: Uncommon!

Scare Factor: Nightmare for the filmed and videotaped variants and high for the earlier filmed variant with the "pinball" music, the silent variant, and the network TV variant, because the music and "V" zooming in had been a source of bad dreams and nightmares for many, but the scare factor is lower of you like the enemies. The filmed variant's general quality is also poor. The film deteriorated variants increase the scare factor even more, but lowers to medium due to the one variant where the enemies started to puke. One of the scariest logos ever created along with the "S from Hell". Though this logo is less scary for those who are used to seeing it.