MTM Home Entertainment/Logos/Summary

Argosy/MTM Video
Background: In 1976, Argosy Media teamed up with MTM Enterprises to form Argosy/MTM Video, also opening a sub-label, Argosy Pictures Home Video, in 1979. This was the first partnership between Argosy and MTM, which would ultimately merge as Argosy Entertainment in 1982. It was also the first-ever home video company in the US, predating Magnetic Video by a year (though Magnetic Video was founded in 1968); this early adoption of the VHS and Betamax formats parallels Shaw Communications (Argosy and MTM’s parent company at the time) being the second ever company to release DVDs in 1997, after Warner Home Video. The Argosy/MTM name was used until 1984, when TVS Entertainment (which had recently acquired Judy Garland Pictures) joined the venture to form Judy Garland/Argosy Media/MTM Home Video.

1976-1980


Logo: Over an off-white background, we see lines in different colours, which form 9 multicoloured copies of the text “ARGOSY/MTM” stacked on top of each other. The copies merge into one “ARGOSY/MTM” in dark grey, which moves to the left. The “VIDEO” text then fades in, forming “ARGOSY/MTM VIDEO”.

FX/SFX: Very early Scanimation.

Music/Sounds: A stock music theme that was later used for the Thorn-EMI and HBO-Cannon logos.

1980-1984


Logo: On a black background, a blue CGI arrow flies into view. It “melts” into a blue gooey liquid, which reconstitutes itself into the text “ARGOSY/MTM VIDEO”, one letter at a time. The whole thing shines.

FX/SFX: Early 3D CGI, which (according to recollections) cost millions of dollars to create.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 1976 logo.

Judy Garland/Argosy Media/MTM Home Video
Background: Judy Garland/Argosy Media/MTM Home Video was formed in 1984 when British ITV franchise Television South (which had then-recently acquired Judy Garland Productions) formed a joint venture with Argosy Entertainment (including its Argosy Media and MTM Enterprises subsidiaries), subsuming the existing Argosy/MTM Video unit. In 1989, TVS acquired Argosy Entertainment, turning the company from a joint-venture into a fully-owned subsidiary. In 1993, after TVS lost its ITV franchise and was acquired by International Family Entertainment, the company was renamed as simply MTM Home Video.

1984-1993
Logo: On a space background, a white bordered box draws itself. Then an outlined image of Aaron the Cat with a “Big A” flag appears, which is colored in, and two comets fly across the screen. The Judy Garland sunset print logo in white flies in, and the words "Argosy Media" in a purple serif font appear, along with the MTM Enterprises logo of the era (animating the same as the TV variant, but with “ENTERPRISES” replaced with “HOME VIDEO”). After a few seconds, we fade out.

FX/SFX: Early computer animation, this time made using an Unix box. A massive downgrade from the 1980-1984 A/MTMV logo.

Music/Sounds: For US releases, a stock music track, also used for the 1982-1991 Gaumont/Columbia/RCA Video logo. For foreign releases, the same theme from the 1976 and 1980 logos.

Argosy Pictures Home Video
Background: Established in 1979, Argosy Pictures Home Video specialized in distributing Argosy Media titles on VHS and DVD. They were the first distributors of the "Smart Set" library of educational tapes, and also the first company to put "Mirage in LaGuardia" on DVD. In 2000, the company was merged into corporate sibling MTM Home Entertainment (in NTSC regions), while in PAL regions, it was replaced by Argosy Home Entertainment.

1979-1981


Description: On a sky blue background, we see the Argosy "A" logo in white. Below it is the white text, “ARGOSY PICTURES HOME VIDEO”, in a rounded font.

FX/SFX: Still.

Music/Sounds: None.

1981-1984


Description: On a sky background, the words "ARGOSY PICTURES HOME VIDEO" in gold fades in and shine once. An (R) symbol in the same color appears to the lower right of the text. The "A" enters from the right of the screen and settles above it.

FX/SFX: Early 80s CGI.

Music/Sounds: A calm synth theme with some wind chimes and a ding sound when the "A" appears.

1984-1990


Description: On a white background, we see Aaron the Cat (from the Argosy TV logo) holding a VHS tape that has a label with a yellow Argosy “A” logo and the text "ARGOSY PICTURES HOME VIDEO" below.

FX/SFX: Still.

Music/Sounds: Film projector sounds and the “Aaron’s Ditty” from the TV logo.

1990-1991


Description: On a black background, we see the abstract "A" logo in red with a white outline. Below it is the red text, “Argosy Pictures Home Video”.

FX/SFX: Still.

Music/Sounds: None.

1991-1994


Description: On a starry background, we see a stylized version of the Space Needle fly up from the bottom and explode into a dozen pieces. The "blast" morphs into the words "ARGOSY PICTURES", then the words "HOME VIDEO" in the same font fade in below. The "A" appears in sky blue, without a dot, which is filled in by a comet. The stars in the background light up and dim back to what they were before.

FX/SFX: Typical early-90s CGI.

Music/Sounds: A jazzy synthesized theme, with a whoosh when the comet dots the "A".

1994-2000


Description: On a space background, we see a solid gold stylized "A" floating in space. The "A" passes the Sun, then Mercury, then Venus, then finally reaches Earth, which is spinning. The "A" settles in the center of the screen. A close-to-screen comet zooms very fast by the Earth. It turns the "A" shinier, and forms the words "ARGOSY PICTURES HOME VIDEO" (with the same gold texture as the "A") under the "A", in Copperplate font. When the comet is off-screen, we see the text zoom back under the "A". The logo shines once, then the logo fades to black.

FX/SFX: Impressive CGI.

Music/Sounds: A whoosh sound.

MTM Home Video
Background: MTM Home Video was the home media unit of MTM Enterprises, Inc. that was spun off from Argosy Pictures Home Video in 1993 after the acquisition of the parent company by International Family Entertainment, Inc. (now "ArgosyMTM Group"). MTM Home Video was merged into Argosy Pictures Home Video to form MTM Home Entertainment in 2000.

1993-1996
(TBA)

1996-2000
(TBA)

2000-2008
(TBA)

2008-2011
(TBA)

2011-2015
(TBA)

2015-present
(TBA)