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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 9 2009, 2:24 AM EST | 1deal2008 | 71 words added, 2 words deleted, 2 photos added, 2 photos deleted |
| Jan 3 2009, 10:55 AM EST | curiousgeorge60 | 4 words added, 1 word deleted, 7 widgets added, 5 widgets deleted |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
Compiled by Jason Jones, James Fabiano, Matt Williams, Ryan Mead, and Michael Bode
Editions and images by Shadeed A. Kelly, Logophile and others
Video captures courtesy of subzero917, lukej0268, lexingtonboy, JohnnyL80 and mcy919
Background: Columbia TriStar Television was a merger of Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television (after branding Columbia TriStar Home Video). It was founded in 1994 after taking over Merv Griffin Enterprises, and used a logo since the inception, being renamed and rebranded as Sony Pictures Television in 2002.
1st Logo
(1994-2000)
Nickname: "CGI Boxes"
Logo: On a solid blue background, we see two boxes, the left one contains the Columbia Torch Lady (90s version), and the right one contains the TriStar Pegasus (again, 90s version over Columbia cloud BG). Above the logo, "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" is seen, with the words positioned over their respective logos, and on the bottom is the word "TELEVISION" and the standard Sony Pictures Entertainment byline.
Variant: A rare variant just like the 1996 logo. Charlie O'Donnell says "Columbia TriStar Television" over the fanfare. This is also presumably done to blend in with the spiel at the end of the program and cover up the end reference to King World.
Announcer Variants: From 1994-1996, there were different announcements over the logo and fanfare.
Trivia: This is basically Columbia TriStar's home video logo, but "HOME VIDEO" is edited out to put "TELEVISION" in, the background is solid blue, both boxes have a black boarder instead of a gold boarder, and a Sony byline is added.
FX: No animation used for this logo.
Music/Sounds: A re-arranged version of the infamous CPT '93 theme done by Steven Kaplan. On the VHS promo for Godzilla: The Series, it's silent, except for non-U.S. releases that carries the logo theme.
Availability: Actually quite rare; appeared on GSN up until their infamous "Dark Period", then was replaced with the current logo. Also could have been spotted on Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune (until July 1996), and some network shows. Generally during this time, however, whatever logos the shows were always using were used; C-Tmania did not start until 1997. Was last seen back in 2002 on reruns of Men in Black: The Series on Nickelodeon's short-lived "SLAM!" block. It can also be found on VHS releases of the 1998 movie Godzilla on a Godzilla: The Series promo. Was also last seen on season 4 of Early Edition and Malcolm & Eddie from 1999-2000. When GSN reran the 1995-1996 season of Jeopardy! over a decade ago, this logo was plastered by the 1996 CTT logo.
Scare Factor: None; you either love it or hate it.
2nd Logo
(1996-2002)
Nicknames: "The Sliding Boxes", "The Boxes of Boredom"
Logo: We start out with a background of clouds, which happens to be a lighter conception of the 1993 CTHV intro logo, and a blank square is shown. The square divides into 2 where the current Columbia Torch Lady appears in the left square and the TriStar Pegasus in the right. The words "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" appear above the boxes and "TELEVISION," "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION," or "DOMESTIC TELEVISION" on the bottom with "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" below everything else.
Variants:
FX: The box fading in and splitting.
Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.
Music/Sound Variants:
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
Final Note: In 2002, CTT became Sony Pictures Television.
Editions and images by Shadeed A. Kelly, Logophile and others
Video captures courtesy of subzero917, lukej0268, lexingtonboy, JohnnyL80 and mcy919
Background: Columbia TriStar Television was a merger of Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television (after branding Columbia TriStar Home Video). It was founded in 1994 after taking over Merv Griffin Enterprises, and used a logo since the inception, being renamed and rebranded as Sony Pictures Television in 2002.
1st Logo
(1994-2000)
Nickname: "CGI Boxes"
Logo: On a solid blue background, we see two boxes, the left one contains the Columbia Torch Lady (90s version), and the right one contains the TriStar Pegasus (again, 90s version over Columbia cloud BG). Above the logo, "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" is seen, with the words positioned over their respective logos, and on the bottom is the word "TELEVISION" and the standard Sony Pictures Entertainment byline.
Variant: A rare variant just like the 1996 logo. Charlie O'Donnell says "Columbia TriStar Television" over the fanfare. This is also presumably done to blend in with the spiel at the end of the program and cover up the end reference to King World.
Announcer Variants: From 1994-1996, there were different announcements over the logo and fanfare.
- Wheel of Fortune (Charile O'Donnell) (1994-1995) (on the Wheel of Fortune/Califon card with the drumroll) Wheeeeel of Fortune (on the CTT logo) is produced by Columbia TriStar Television! (on the King World logo) Distributed by King World!; (1995-1996) Created by Merv Griffin. (On the Wheel of Fortune/Califon card with the drumroll) Wheel of Fortune is produced by (on the CTT logo) Columbia TriStar Television! (on the King World logo) Distributed by King World.
- Jeopardy! (Johnny Gilbert) (1994-1995): (on the Jeopardy! title card) This is Johnny Gilbert speaking. (on the CTT logo) Jeopardy! is a production of Columbia TriStar Television. (on the King World logo) Distributed by King World; (1995-1996): This is Johnny Gilbert speaking...speaking. Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin. (on the Jeopardy! title card) Produced by (on the CTT logo) Columbia TriStar TelevisionTelevision. (on the King World logo) Distributed by King World.
Trivia: This is basically Columbia TriStar's home video logo, but "HOME VIDEO" is edited out to put "TELEVISION" in, the background is solid blue, both boxes have a black boarder instead of a gold boarder, and a Sony byline is added.
FX: No animation used for this logo.
Music/Sounds: A re-arranged version of the infamous CPT '93 theme done by Steven Kaplan. On the VHS promo for Godzilla: The Series, it's silent, except for non-U.S. releases that carries the logo theme.
Availability: Actually quite rare; appeared on GSN up until their infamous "Dark Period", then was replaced with the current logo. Also could have been spotted on Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune (until July 1996), and some network shows. Generally during this time, however, whatever logos the shows were always using were used; C-Tmania did not start until 1997. Was last seen back in 2002 on reruns of Men in Black: The Series on Nickelodeon's short-lived "SLAM!" block. It can also be found on VHS releases of the 1998 movie Godzilla on a Godzilla: The Series promo. Was also last seen on season 4 of Early Edition and Malcolm & Eddie from 1999-2000. When GSN reran the 1995-1996 season of Jeopardy! over a decade ago, this logo was plastered by the 1996 CTT logo.
Scare Factor: None; you either love it or hate it.
2nd Logo
(1996-2002)
Nicknames: "The Sliding Boxes", "The Boxes of Boredom"
Logo: We start out with a background of clouds, which happens to be a lighter conception of the 1993 CTHV intro logo, and a blank square is shown. The square divides into 2 where the current Columbia Torch Lady appears in the left square and the TriStar Pegasus in the right. The words "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" appear above the boxes and "TELEVISION," "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION," or "DOMESTIC TELEVISION" on the bottom with "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" below everything else.
Variants:
- On some Game Show Network reruns (mostly old episodes of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune), Charlie O'Donnell says "Columbia TriStar Television" over the fanfare. This is presumably done to blend in with the spiel at the end of the program and cover up the end reference to King World.
- There is another version where a darker box zooms back and then splits to form the logo. This version was seen on Walker, Texas Ranger and Seinfeld.
- A silent version existed for the short version of CTTD.
- A strange variant was featured on Spain on a television broadcast of the theatrical film Torrente: El Brazo Tonto de la Ley, on which this logo was silent, and said "DISTRIBUIDO POR COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILMS DE ESPAÑA, S.A"., with the Sony byline also in spanish. The DVD version doesn't retain this version, so it's a hard call.
- The company name was changed entirely to Columbia TriStar Domestic Television in 2001. The logo was also expanded in ratio size in observance to High Definition programming. This version has been nicknamed "Enhanced Boxes of Boredom". An early variant of this doesn't feature "DOMESTIC" underneath.
- There also was a variant featuring an "in association with" on the top left corner of the logo on CTTD.
- There's also a black & white variant.
FX: The box fading in and splitting.
Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.
Music/Sound Variants:
- Sometimes a shorter version of the jingle is used, only about the second half of the long version. This version of the music sounds like a reorchestration and not a truncation of the regular logo. This is mostly seen on the "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" variation of the logo.
- On some TriStar produced shows (especially Mad About You and Early Edition) the ending of the original TriStar movie theme from 1992-1993 or even TriStar's '93-'99 television theme was played. This was started in 1997.
- The 1987 CPT theme was also heard on this logo on several Three Stooges shorts part of Stooge TV on The Family Channel. Short version of CTTD only.
- The 1993 CPT theme was also heard on the 2001 CTT logo only on Phantom Investigators.
- On several 2001-2002 episodes of Jackie Chan Adventures, there was a high and a low tone included based on the theme song.
- On Married... with Children: The Most Outrageous Episodes: Volume 2, at the end of the episode "If Al Had a Hammer", the Sony Pictures Television music is heard.
- In other cases, the ending theme of the show plays over it.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
- None with the standard, long, short version, and high tone themes; this is a good logo, but it was also wildly hated by many people for several years due to its over-common presence and use of plastering old logos, until the Sony Pictures Television logo came around in 2002, and that's when things went from tolerable, to bad, to worse, MUCH WORSE.
- Minimal with the 1987 and 1993 TriStar Television themes.
- Low with the 1987 CPT theme. Some may still have bad memories with the 1987 CPT logo and fanfare.
Final Note: In 2002, CTT became Sony Pictures Television.
