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Ruby-Spears Productions/Enterprises
Logo descriptions by Jason Jones and James Fabiano
Logo captures by Eric S. and Shadeed A. Kelly
Editions by V of Doom
Video captures courtesy of Phasicblu, JohnnyL80 and TLogos
Background: The men named in the company are Kenneth Spears and Joseph Ruby who started this company in 1977; however, they did not use a logo until September 1978 when it was sold to Filmways that same year. After, it was sold to Taft Broadcasting Co. in 1981 becoming a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and finally it formed a short-lived partnership with Ashi Productions in 1994, closing definitively in 1996. Today, all Ruby-Spears library is owned mainly by TimeWarner, except Rambo: The Animated Series is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc., It's Punky Brewster is owned by NBC Universal, Inc., and Alvin & The Chipmunks is released by Paramount Home Entertainment through Bagdasarian Productions.
1st Logo
(1978-1981)
Nickname: "Rising RS"
Logo: Over a sky blue background, we see the phrase "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION". There are 4 orange lines that emerge from left and right of the screen. The initials, an robust R-S, slide upward from the stacked lines. Then it reads "A COMPANY OF", cutting to the next logo, that of Filmways, their former owner.
Variants:
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The sliding up of the R-S name.
Music/Sounds: None, although it plays through the end of the show's end theme (ala HB "Rainbow" ID) and generally, it's followed by the Filmways Television "Trail" logo theme.
Availability: Rare and currently seen on S1 of Thundarr, The Barberian on Boomerang. The version without the company name appears on the 3-part ABC Weekend Special Scruffy (1980).
Scare Factor: Medium, due to the scary font of the logo.
2nd Logo
(1981-1992)
Nickname: "Golden RS"
Logo: 2 gold bars fly from the left and right of the black screen, join together, zoom back, and reveal a stylized "RS" that shines gold and white at different times (at one point it shines so brightly that it even obscures the company name). When the logo stops, the words "RUBY-SPEARS ENTERPRISES" appears under in an italic, futuristic, blocky font.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The bars joining, the zoom-out.
Music/Sounds: A "whoosh" accompanied by a dramatic synthesized sound effect that has a kind of "shining" effect. On some shows, it used the closing theme of the show.
Availability: Uncommon. Currently seen on S2 of Thundarr The Barbarian, Centurions, and Dink the Little Dinosaur on Boomerang. It was also seen years ago on the defunct BKN's reruns of the Rambo cartoon that followed by the 1986 Carolco Television logo. It also appeared on the '80s Alvin and the Chipmunks when it was last seen on Cartoon Network around 2002.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
3rd Logo
(1994-1996)
Nickname: "RS Moon"
Logo: Over an eclipse, we see a big flash of light, revealing the company name "RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTIONS" opposite another company by the name of "ASHI PRODUCTION CO., LTD.". Both of these names are written in a font that was prevalent during the time this logo was used (we don't know its name yet).
FX/SFX: The flashing light.
Music/Sounds: A generic fanfare, accompanied by a weird almost-"whoosh" sound. The fanfare is very likely a piece of library music.
Availability: Extinct; it only appeared on two shows, Skysurfer Strike Force, and Megaman which are both long gone. Those two aired on the now-defunct BKN syndicated block, so you know that they faded into obscurity.
Scare Factor: Minimal.
Logo captures by Eric S. and Shadeed A. Kelly
Editions by V of Doom
Video captures courtesy of Phasicblu, JohnnyL80 and TLogos
Background: The men named in the company are Kenneth Spears and Joseph Ruby who started this company in 1977; however, they did not use a logo until September 1978 when it was sold to Filmways that same year. After, it was sold to Taft Broadcasting Co. in 1981 becoming a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and finally it formed a short-lived partnership with Ashi Productions in 1994, closing definitively in 1996. Today, all Ruby-Spears library is owned mainly by TimeWarner, except Rambo: The Animated Series is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc., It's Punky Brewster is owned by NBC Universal, Inc., and Alvin & The Chipmunks is released by Paramount Home Entertainment through Bagdasarian Productions.
1st Logo
(1978-1981)
Nickname: "Rising RS"
Logo: Over a sky blue background, we see the phrase "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION". There are 4 orange lines that emerge from left and right of the screen. The initials, an robust R-S, slide upward from the stacked lines. Then it reads "A COMPANY OF", cutting to the next logo, that of Filmways, their former owner.
Variants:
- In some cases, the lower phrase "A RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTION" is missing.
- There is other variant with the red BG replacing the original blue.
- Some newer prints may freeze the logo right before "A COMPANY OF", in order for removal of the Filmways logo.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The sliding up of the R-S name.
Music/Sounds: None, although it plays through the end of the show's end theme (ala HB "Rainbow" ID) and generally, it's followed by the Filmways Television "Trail" logo theme.
Availability: Rare and currently seen on S1 of Thundarr, The Barberian on Boomerang. The version without the company name appears on the 3-part ABC Weekend Special Scruffy (1980).
Scare Factor: Medium, due to the scary font of the logo.
2nd Logo
(1981-1992)
Nickname: "Golden RS"
Logo: 2 gold bars fly from the left and right of the black screen, join together, zoom back, and reveal a stylized "RS" that shines gold and white at different times (at one point it shines so brightly that it even obscures the company name). When the logo stops, the words "RUBY-SPEARS ENTERPRISES" appears under in an italic, futuristic, blocky font.
Variants:
- 1981-1982: The logo, itself appearing in a more lighter gold color than the later variations, fades out to make room for the company byline disclaimer reading "A DIVISION OF THE TAFT ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY".
- 1982-1988: The latter text is seen below the logo, after the logo flashes. Also, the logo itself has less of a shining effect than of that in the 1981 version.
- 1988-1992: As part of the elimination of Taft bylines, the 1981 variation would sometimes be played in slow motion over the regular-speed music to keep the second screen from appearing.
- On Police Academy: The Animated Series, this logo appears without the Taft byline, and "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears under the name. This would follow to the 1984 WBTV Shield logo.
- There is also a still variation.
FX/SFX: The bars joining, the zoom-out.
Music/Sounds: A "whoosh" accompanied by a dramatic synthesized sound effect that has a kind of "shining" effect. On some shows, it used the closing theme of the show.
Availability: Uncommon. Currently seen on S2 of Thundarr The Barbarian, Centurions, and Dink the Little Dinosaur on Boomerang. It was also seen years ago on the defunct BKN's reruns of the Rambo cartoon that followed by the 1986 Carolco Television logo. It also appeared on the '80s Alvin and the Chipmunks when it was last seen on Cartoon Network around 2002.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
- Low to medium, due to the dark background and the dramatic-sounding synthesizer music.
- Minimal to low with the closing theme of the show.
- None to minimal for the still variant.
3rd Logo
(1994-1996)
Nickname: "RS Moon"
Logo: Over an eclipse, we see a big flash of light, revealing the company name "RUBY-SPEARS PRODUCTIONS" opposite another company by the name of "ASHI PRODUCTION CO., LTD.". Both of these names are written in a font that was prevalent during the time this logo was used (we don't know its name yet).
FX/SFX: The flashing light.
Music/Sounds: A generic fanfare, accompanied by a weird almost-"whoosh" sound. The fanfare is very likely a piece of library music.
Availability: Extinct; it only appeared on two shows, Skysurfer Strike Force, and Megaman which are both long gone. Those two aired on the now-defunct BKN syndicated block, so you know that they faded into obscurity.
Scare Factor: Minimal.
MichalkaManiac |
Latest page update: made by MichalkaManiac
, Today, 1:15 AM EDT
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About This Update
Edited by MichalkaManiac
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Keyword tags:
Ruby-Spears Enterprises
TimeWarner
More Info: links to this page
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jnelson09 | Ruby-Spears: Minimum? | 4 | Sep 7 2008, 11:15 AM EDT by Hoa | ||
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