Logo descriptions by Jason Jones, Matt Williams and Eric S.
Logo captures by Eric S., Bob Fish, Codyfinke2, Shadeed A. Kelly, Logozextreame102 and V of Doom
Editions by Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly and V of Doom


Background: Universal Pictures was formed in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, a German Jewish immigrant who settled in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he managed a clothing store. It is the second longest-lived studio in Hollywood (beaten by one month by Paramount Pictures). However, it was fully established in 1915. In 1990, the studio celebrated its 75th anniversary. Currently, it is part-owned by Vivendi SA and General Electric and is a subsidiary of NBC Universal.


1st Logo
(1915-1922)

Nicknames: "Saturn Globe", "Early Saturn Globe"

Logo: We see a checkered background with a Saturn-like globe with the words "UNIVERSAL FILMS" on it. "UNIVERSAL" is shown above the globe in a stencil-like font. "FILM MANUFACTURING COMPANY", "PACIFIC COAST STUDIOS", and "Universal City, Cal." are shown below, in different fonts (and the first line in an upward arc).

FX: Not determined yet.

Cheesy Factor: It's a very old logo.

Music/Sounds: Appeared on silent films that appears on TCM.

Availability: Rare.

Scare Factor: None.



2nd Logo
(1922-1926?)

Nickname: "Rotating Letters", "Saturn Globe II"

Logo: We see a biplane flying around the rotating globe and leaving a trail of smoke behind it, and the smoke forms the words "UNIVERSAL PICTURES".

FX: The plane rotating around the globe, the forming of the name.

Cheesy Factor: Very cheesy logo, but pretty for its time.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: Ultra rare. Currently appears on some 1920's Universal films on TCM.

Scare Factor: Low. Will surprise you the first time you see it.



3rd Logo
(1926?-1936)
Nickname: "Airplane Passing Globe"

Logo: On a cloud-like background, an earth globe rotates. No clouds are visible on the globe. As the globe rotates, a biplane flies around it, with "A UNIVERSAL PICTURE" being wiped in diagonally as the biplane passes the globe.

Closing title: The words "THE END" are seen superimposed in the globe. Then those words fades out when the biplane passes around, wiping "IT'S A UNIVERSAL PICTURE" in."

FX: The biplane, wiping on of letters, and the globe.

Cheesy Factor: This logo just SCREAMS 1920's, as everything is a cheesy model. Still, it looked nice for the time, and you have to give them the effort of trying.

Music/Sounds: None; just the sound of the biplane's engine.

Availability: This is one of the rarest Universal logos. Can be seen on some early films still, though. The current DVD release of Frankenstein has plastered this with the B&W variation of the current logo for now. This logo can sometimes be seen after the current logo of Universal on certain movies. A warp speed variant can be seen at the beginning of Balto 3: Wings of Change. However, this logo is re-created on Xanadu, used during the opening credits. This logo made a comeback on Cry-Baby, which was a 1990 film.

Scare Factor: None.



4th Logo
(1937-1946)

Nickname: "The Art-Deco Globe"

Logo: A stylized glass globe is seen, tilted at an angle. Around the globe, the words "A UNIVERSAL PICTURE" rotate, in a stylized 1930s font. Stylized five-point stars (ala the stars on the Paramount logo) surround the globe.

Closing title: Superimposed in a special background or in the last seconds of a movie, fades in the words "The End" with lettering variating on that movie along with the disclaimer "A Universal Picture/Release".

FX: The stars, globe, and rotating letters.

Cheesy Factor: This has to be cheesier than the first one : ) the stars honestly look like they're hung from a mobile or something. And the glass globe and letters look like crap. It did look okay for its time, though, and they did get better later on.

Music/Sounds: Usually the beginning of the movie's opening theme. However, a proud, bombastic orchestral fanfare is sometimes used, and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid uses a remix of the tune.

Availability: Can be seen on Universal releases of the era, and makes surprise appearances on The Sting, The Brink's Job, and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.

Scare Factor: None.



5th Logo
(1946-1963)

Note: In 1946, Universal is merged with International Pictures, headed by Leo Spitz and William Goetz. This team runs Universal-International, while Nate Blumberg and J. Cheever Cowdin remain at the helm of Universal Pictures, the parent company.


Nickname: "Rotating (40's) Globe"

Logo: On a space background, a model globe (harkening back to logo 1; still no clouds though), rotates. Superimposed onto the globe are the words "Universal International" (in white for B&W films or yellow-orange for color films) in a majestic script font, symbolizing Universal's merger with International Pictures.

Closing title: Same as above, but the disclaimer is "A Universal-International Picture".

Byline: Later on, the credit "EDWARD MUHL, IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION" would appear in the lower-left corner.

FX: The rotating globe.

Cheesy Factor: Well, they got sane with this one. Relatively minimal on the cheesy scale, though you can tell it's a model globe.

Music/Sounds: The opening of the movie's theme.

Availability: Again, seen on Universal International releases of the period.

Scare Factor: None.



6th Logo
(1963-1990)

Note: In 1962, MCA purchases Decca Records and with it, Universal Pictures, leaving Milton Rackmil and Edward Muhl in charge, while Dr. Jules Stein (Board Chairman) and Lew Wasserman (President) guide MCA. As a result of a consent decree with the justice departament, MCA divests itself of its talent agency business.


Nicknames: "Zooming Globe", "Gaseous Globe", "Famous Globe"

Logo: We zoom through space, and a pair of asteroid belts start to form. The rotating earth globe appears in the distance, and as we get closer to it, the word "UNIVERSAL", in a bold, planetary font, fades in close-up to us and zooms out to a comfortable distance. When the word and the globe are in position, "AN MCA COMPANY" fades in below it, in a bold yellow font. Two rings surround the globe.

Variants: Several renditions of this logo have been discovered. This is going to get complicated, so let's explain this simply:
There are two main variations of this logo:

• Widescreen: Always shown in a letterboxed ratio, the globe appears to zoom in rather slowly, and the"UNIVERSAL" text is blurred when it fades in, becoming clearer as it zooms out. The logo is much wider than usual, to accommodate the extra space.
• TV Screen: Always formatted to fit the television screen, the logo appears to move somewhat faster than the widescreen version. The "UNIVERSAL" logo is not blurred, and simply fades in. The logo most people are familiar with. Now, there are several byline variations.
• Off-center: Only known to exist on Charade, the logo is slightly off-center.
  

There are, again, three main ones, used with all three logos:

• "A UNIVERSAL PICTURE", with the "UNIVERSAL" logo text sandwiched between "A" and "PICTURE" or "RELEASE". (1962-1972)
• "PRESENTS" is underneath the "UNIVERSAL" logo text.
• "AN MCA COMPANY", in a yellow blocky font, appearing below the Universal logo text. (1973-1990)

And several miscellaneous additions:

• A credit for Edward Muhl, then-head of Universal, can be seen on the lower-left of the first movies to feature this logo.
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestial had this logo in reverse.
• The 1973-1990 version is bylineless on some films.
• The widescreen version of "Jaws 3" has the MCA Company text in a more extended font.
• For their Pay Television division, the Pan and Scan variation was used, with the MCA byline moved down a bit, and "PAY TELEVISION" below the Universal logo.

FX: The rotating globe zooming in, and "Universal" zooming out.

Cheesy Factor: This was very advanced for its time, and its longevity is amazing, especially during the 80s, when computerized logos were making their debut. So, this one is very low on the cheese scale.

Music/Sounds: Usually did not have music, but did occasionally, composed with horns. The Pay Television version of this logo used a very cheesy rendition of the music from logo 4, orchestrated using a 1930s-esque horn section.

Availability: It's common as this was never plastered over (except E.T. plastered it with the E.T. 20th Anniversary variant of the 1997 Universal logo for its 20th Anniversary, but seeing this on old VHS releases and the theatrical DVD release of this will be commonly seen), and was used for a total of 27 years, the longest-used logo since the classic era of movies. The "PRESENTS" variation of the logo is seen on Journey to The Far Side of The Sun, followed by the "a GERRY ANDERSON CENTURY 21 CINEMA PRODUCTION" logo.

Scare Factor: None to minimal; this is one of the most popular logos ever to exist in history.



7th Logo
(1990-1997)

Nickname: "CGI Globe"

Logo: A large "flash" appears as we view the far right side of the Universal globe, still cloudless and in CGI. We move down the globe and see, in golden letters, the word "UNIVERSAL", in a brand new font, circle the globe. We zoom out and the globe moves to center, as the word "UNIVERSAL" straightens itself out and takes its place across the globe. "AN MCA COMPANY", in white, appears below the logo. On the late days of this logo, would appear without the MCA Byline.

Variants:

• Universal was celebrating its 75th Anniversary, and the initial version of this logo was different from the one used afterwards. It began with clips of logos 3, 4, and 6, and then segued into the current logo, as if it were a grand unveiling, or a passing of the torch. The end logo also had "75th Anniversary" on top of the logo, with "75" in the middle of "ANNIVERSARY" and written out in script. A few movies that have this logo include Darkman, Back to the Future Part III, Kindergarten Cop, Jetsons: The Movie, and Problem Child. This was only used from May 1990 to March 1991.
• A "PRESENTS" variation is also seen on various releases, including the Action Pack logo (which is gone outside of tapes).

FX: The rotating globe and letters.

Music/Sounds: A majestic orchestral fanfare by James Horner. A French horn fanfare was played during the clips of the old logos during the 75th Anniversary logo; a sped-up version of this was later used as the 1991 UTV theme.

Availability: It's easy to see, as this was on all Universal releases of the era. The 75th Anniversary version can be seen on the aforementioned films above. Also, it was seen too on the DVD release of Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic Vertigo.

Scare Factor: None.



8th Logo
(1997-)

Nicknames: "CGI Globe II", "The Glittering Globe"

Logo: On a black background, an arc slowly appears and brightens. Lights begin appearing below the arc and we see that this is another globe, looking over Europe. We move down as the lights appear all over Europe, and then Africa. As we begin to zoom out, the letters "UNIVERSAL", in a similar font as the last logo but handsomely redone, rotate to the front of the globe. By this time, the globe is shining from the back. A small copyright appears at the bottom-right.

Variants: A treasure trove. There are a few variations:

• There is a shorter version of this logo, beginning as the "UNIVERSAL" text slides in over the logo, with a shortened version of the fanfare. This is usually found at the end of documentaries produced for DVD by Universal Home Entertainment, with a web address for Universal Home's website.
• Starting in 1999, the www.universalstudios.com web address, in an orangish color, fades in at the end. By now the copyright is gone, moved to the end credits of the movie.
• The biggest variation came in November 2001, when the studio celebrated the 20th Anniversary of E.T. The logo animates as normal until the very end, when the "UNIVERSAL" text fades out and the silhouette of E.T. and Elliott, on their bike, fly across the shining globe. Text appears on the bottom, "UNIVERSAL STUDIOS CELEBRATES E.T. THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY". This was used from November 2001 to April 2002, as of The Scorpion King, the normal logo has been reinstated (see below).
• Sometime in 2005, the globe in dark color was rotating below the ark in the begining of the logo. It was graphically enhanced.
• On The Cat in the Hat (2003), the logo is custom-made for the movie, taken place on a blue background, the globe is red with the continents in white with black outline, the flash is white, and "UNIVERSAL" is in a white, black-outlined custom font for the movie with the URL, also in the custom font. This logo then morphs into their ball, which is white, has a red stripe with a white star on it. Then it would go to the Dreamworks logo, also custom-made for the movie, the same for the Imagine Entertainment logo following the Dreamworks logo.

FX: The lighting of the globe and the rotation of the letters.

Cheesy Factor: The globe looks more like a giant rubber ball than anything else, but the lighting effects looks very professional though.

Music/Sounds: Begins with a powerful, majestic horn fanfare, followed by two orchestra hits. Then, another horn fanfare, followed by two more hits. Then, a very majestic fanfare as the logo is completed. Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who composed the music for the Carolco logo.

Music/Sound Variants: From November 2001 to April 2002, the music was changed to go with the customized E.T. logo; there is only one horn fanfare/hits sequence, followed by the end fanfare. This then segues into the theme from E.T. as he and Elliot fly across the globe. When the E.T. logo was dropped in April 2002, the music did not change back to the 1997 version: instead, it's a reorchestration of the 1997 fanfare. Same melody, but like the E.T. logo, it is in a different key and sounds more "powerful".

Availability: It's Universal's current logo. This logo precedes releases originally without this logo on video (and serves as a de-facto Home Entertainment logo) and occasionally on cable channels (don't worry, the original logos still remain).

Scare Factor: None; this logo isn't as popular or well-received with fans as the previous logo, but there's nothing scary about it.