Argosy Media/Logos/Summary

Background: Argosy Pictures first experimented with TV broadcasts in 1930, on the station KX7BY-TV (now KMTM). Argosy Media Television was officially formed in 1935 (though it celebrates anniversaries based on 1913, when Argosy Pictures was founded).

1930-1936
Logo: Just the text "The Argosy Media Company presents" in Times New Roman font.

Technique: The basic logo, lack of animation, extremely shaky camera, and loads of film scratches make this a low-quality logo, although it IS the first TV logo ever made, so you've gotta give them credit.

Music/Sounds: None, unless you count the crackles and pops of the film.

Availability: Extremely rare. Was only seen on test broadcasts from the 1930s, which are extremely hard to find nowadays. The broadcasts were seen on the Argosy Historical Collection DVD, with this logo left intact.

1936-1940


Logo: On a white background, we see a black outlined circle with the Argosy “A” logo inside. Below the circle is the text “Argosy Media Television Service” in an italicized serif font with a line below.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Near extinction, since this logo was only used for four years, and this was the infancy of television as a medium.

1940-1948


Logo: On a dark grey background, we see the heraldic Argosy Media Television symbol (two cats rampant with a banner saying “ARGOSY MEDIA TELEVISION”), outlined in white.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare, due to being an early TV logo. Can occasionally be found on old TV movies that air on Argosy Archives. Check your video tapes and DVDs of old Argosy shows and TV movies too.

1948-1952


Logo: We see the Argosy “A” on a white rectangle on a static background. We cut to a black background containing a white rectangle at the left, with the text “An Argosy Media Presentation” and a byline for “Marcus-EMI Systems, Inc.” inside it. We then cut back to the first screen.

Technique: The cutting. More of a slideshow than a proper logo.

Music/Sounds: A xylophone chord repeated 3 times.

Availability: Rare. Only used as a corporate ID, but was used after every show they distributed. Can also be seen on Argosy-200 (this is currently plastered by the 2006 logo) and late-40s/early-50s Argosy programs on any network that doesn’t use plastered prints. Currently, this is always followed by the MTM Enterprises logo, since MTM currently distributes all of Argosy’s productions.

1952-1958
Logo: On a white or grey background, the Argosy “A” logo appears, and “argosy media television” fades in underneath, with a Marcus-EMI byline and a copyright stamp below.

Technique: The fading.

Music/Sounds: A short horn fanfare, or None.

Availability: Seen on shows from Argosy Media in the early 1950s. This logo is nearly extinct, because very few recordings have been found with this logo on them.

1958-1966
Logo: On a white background, we see the Argosy “A” logo flip onto the screen. The words “Argosy Media Television Incorporated” fade in under it, along with a Marcus-EMI byline and a copyright stamp.

Technique: Basic cel animation.

Music/Sounds: A 5-note bell theme.

Availability: Very rare, bordering on extinct. Rereleased Argosy shows from this era ("Frog Heaven", "Alton and Glory") are often plastered with later logos.

1966-1973
Logo: On a white background, we see a yellow square with the text “Argosy Media” inside it. The new Hughes+Coleman byline is below. A diecast Argosy “A” pops up out of the yellow square.

Technique: Stop-motion trickery.

Music/Sounds: A couple of drumbeats, and then a triumphant fanfare.

Availability: Rare, often plastered with later logos. "Apples to Grapes", "Loans of Death" and international showings of "What's That Smell" are the only shows to have this logo intact in reruns. Was shown accidentally on at least one episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Argosy Archives.

1973-1975
Logo: On a white background, we see the text “60 YEARS”, with the Argosy A in red below. The “Argosy Media” text and Hughes+Coleman byline are below.

Technique: None. This was a still logo.

Music/Sounds: A synth tune with an announcer saying, "60 years of entertainment!"

Availability: Extremely rare; was seen on Farthest Reaches, which last aired with this logo on CBS on December 18th, 1981. It can also be seen on the "Argosy Archives" channel, but expect a MTM Enterprises logo or a MTM Television Distribution logo after it, because MTM currently distributes all Argosy productions.

1975-1980


Logo: On a space background, we see the Argosy "A" logo in red zoom up to the screen. "argosy media", in white with a red underline, flashes in below, along with a byline.

Bylines:
 * ”A Hughes + Coleman Company” (1975-1977)
 * ”A Division of Argosy Media Affiliates, Inc.” (1977-1980)

Variants:
 * There is a bylineless version that is slightly more common.
 * An alternative version exists where the A and underline are blue instead of red. This appeared on the 1978 pilot of Camp Daisy.
 * Long and High has the A and underline coloured fuchsia.
 * On British ITV programs co-distributed by Argosy and ITC, "and" fades in below.
 * On programs co-produced with MTM Enterprises, "In Association With..." fades in below.

Technique: Early Scanimate animation.

Music/Sounds: An eight-note piano fanfare.

Availability: Extremely rare; was seen on early episodes of Camp Daisy, Road Rash, and the original live-action Revenge of Sarah. It can also be found on the "Argosy Archives" channel, but again, expect a MTM logo afterwards. Extinct for the blue variant.

1980-1983


Logo: On a dark green/black gradient background, the word "Argosy" flips in, in an underlined Times New Roman font, letter by letter. "Media" fades in below, in a Rockwell font, and it gets surrounded by a white box, with a solid white box that contains the Argosy "A" logo in red to the left of it. The whole thing sparkles. An Argosy Media Affiliates byline appears below in lime green.

Variants:
 * On Always Angry, the background is a red/black gradient, and the byline is cyan.
 * On Feelin' Blue, the background is a blue/black gradient, and the byline is yellow.
 * An ultra-rare video-taped variant with an brown background and a purple byline was reportedly used on some shows.
 * There is a bylineless variant.
 * Some shows have a different byline, where “Division” is replaced by “Service Mark”.

Technique: Yet again, Scanimate effects.

Music/Sounds: A 3-note glockenspiel theme that sounds similar to the NBC Chimes, followed by a drumbeat sound.

Availability: Has rare written all over it. You can see it on videotapes of Bright Idea distributed by Argosy/MTM Video. Like the last two logos, it can also be seen on the "Argosy Archives" channel, but, like before, expect a MTM logo to follow.

1983-1993


Logo: On a white background, we see Aaron (a grey cartoon cat with green eyes and an open mouth). Attached to his tail is a flag saying "Argosy". "Media", in a purple serif font, is below Aaron. At the bottom of the screen is an ownership byline.

Bylines:
 * A Division of Argosy Entertainment (1983-1989)
 * A TVS Entertainment Company (1989-1993)

Variants:
 * There is a bylineless variant.
 * There is also an alternative variant of the bylineless variant, where the background is light blue and the word “Media” is dark yellowish-olive green.
 * On the TV movie That Sinking Feeling, there is another bylineless version, where the background is grey and the text is yellow. This was quickly plastered by the normal version of the logo on reruns and the re-release of the movie.
 * On the TV movie Fire Prince, the “Media” text and byline are white, and the background is a rainbow gradient.
 * There is a 70th anniversary version of this logo which was used on some shows during 1983.
 * On Medical Challenge, Aaron wears a doctor's suit. On the final episode, he is hooked on life support on a hospital bed throughout the last credit roll. The credits run as usual over a picture of Aaron, with life support equipment attached on either side. You can hear the beeps of the heart monitor over the end theme, too. After the credits complete, the company name fades in and Aaron flatlines and dies, with a long, high-pitched beep heard. This variation is especially rare, as reruns of the finale plastered it over with the typical credits.
 * An extended version is occasionally used where the logo stays on screen for 6.5 seconds longer.
 * A version exists on shows distributed by the company that features the words "DISTRIBUTED BY" above.
 * On The Twisted World of MTM, the logo is seen on a TV set and is the same, except that "AND" in a black slab serif font fades in above the cat. Then the logo freezes completely, the sound looping. A hand with a TV remote attempts to change channels, but is still frozen on the logo. Then the TV is turned off and the logo disappears.

Technique: None. This is a still logo.

Music/Sounds: Ending theme or a cute little ditty (a.k.a. Aaron's Ditty).

Availability: Uncommon. Can be seen on shows from the era. This logo is seen on the unaired pilot episode of The Aaron Show (1993-2006), which can be easily found online.

1993-1997
Logo: We see a cel-shaded version of the cat, with a Big A flag on his tail, on a blue and white horizontal background, with the purple text “Argosy Media” below. An International Family Entertainment byline fades in below.

Variants:
 * On shows co-produced with Development Through Creativity, mostly edutainment shows, that company’s logo is seen in the corner as a union bug.
 * A distribution version exists where "Distributed by" is chyroned in at the top of the logo.

FX/SFX: The fading.

Music/Sounds: A calm 5-note acoustic guitar tune.

Availability: Common, can be seen on Argosy shows, both live-action and animated, of the era (such as The Aaron Show). Argosy Archives and Classix air The Aaron Show and Mercy and Friends, so you can see it. Also appears on Y2K: Romano Family Quartet. This logo can also be seen on 1993-1997 episodes of Farthest Reaches.

1997-1999
Logo: We see many colors moving across the background, forming the Argosy Media print logo of the era, with a Shaw byline below.

Variant: There is a version with a URL.

Technique: Basic CGI.

Music: An 8-note bell tune followed by an orchestra note. Sometimes silent.

Availability: Uncommon. Note that this logo debuted in 1997, but it was widely believed to debut in 1996 because of an accidental 1996 copyright date on some Season 5 episodes of The Aaron Show, possibly due to Shaw Communications acquiring International Family Entertainment in 1996.

1999-2003
Logo: On a black background with a white glow, black triangle and circle segments and a blue rounded rectangular piece of glass fly to the center. They then form the familiar Argosy A logo. The Argosy Media wordmark fades in below, followed by the Corus byline.

Variants:
 * For international distribution, "Distributed By" is chyroned in above the A, and "INTERNATIONAL" is in between the “Argosy Media” text and the Corus byline.
 * On some shows, the logo is bylineless.
 * Sometimes, between 2001 and 2003, the URL www.argosymedia.com would be chyroned in below the logo.

FX/SFX: Terrific animation from the Argosy motion graphics studio!

Music/Sounds: A calm synth tune.

Availability: Common. This logo made its debut in the Argosy 2000 TV movies on UWN and SuperStation MTM, which are from 1999, and it was beautifully restored on the 2007 DVD and Blu-ray releases of the Argosy 2000 films, distributed by MTM Home Entertainment; ironically enough, current reruns of this series aren't so lucky; except for "Aaron's Great Adventure," this logo was plastered with either the MTM Enterprises 1993 logo with the 1999 Corus byline, the MTM Television Distribution 2020 logo, or the 2011 Argosy Media logo on reruns. Robyn's Journey kept the "New Millennium" logo when it was released on video and DVD, so you can see it on there. Most reruns of The Aaron Show have this logo intact. The rare bylineless version can be seen on My Bedroom is Freaking Out for season 1, but replaced by the current MTM Enterprises logo on the 2016 DVD release of the series. This logo was also used to plaster the Svensk Filmindustri logo on current prints of the Swedish dub of Mimsie’s Haunted Mansion.

2003-2004 (90th anniversary)


Logo: Inside a huge red 90 on a white background, with the inside of the 0 in cyan, we see Aaron (in his 80s style) lounging inside the 0. His tail, which is dangling down from the 0, is carrying a flag reading "Years of." The Argosy Media text is seen below in blue, shining, with the Corus byline in pink below.

Variants:
 * On productions with Granada Australia, which normally edits out Argosy Media logos, Young Rich keeps this logo intact, except they inserted a "Produced in association with" line below the Corus byline.
 * On season 3 of My Bedroom is Freaking Out, there are rainbow swirls inside the zero.
 * "Celebrating Over" was seen above the "90" in 2004, in orange New Courier font.
 * On syndication prints of some shows, the background is sky blue.

FX/SFX: Basic Flash animation.

Music/Sounds: Two triumphant notes followed by the cute little ditty.

Availability: Common. On some early 60s episodes of Hexaglic Cheeseburger, this logo plasters the 1st logo.

2004-2006
Logo: On a black background, the Argosy A logo in a dark cyan gloss effect appears flipping one-by-one. "argosy media", in a teal serif font with a blue underline, fades in, followed by a Corus byline.

FX/SFX: Mid-00s CGI.

Music/Sounds: A mellow MIDI jingle.

Availability: Common. Can be seen in Argosy shows and TV movies of the era (such as Two Sisters and a Baby). This also appeared on the television series The One Lane.

2006-2008
Logo: On a sky blue/white gradient background, we see two triangles and a circle merge together to form the Argosy A logo in red. It shines, then "argosy media" swoops down from the top of the screen. An Argosy Communications byline appears below the "argosy media" text.

FX/SFX: Extremely basic animation that looks like it was done in PowerPoint.

Music: A short 3-note fanfare.

Availability: Rare. Can occasionally be seen on MTM Channel and Argosy Archives. Usually preserved when episodes of the shows from this time were rerun on Classix.

2008-2011
Logo: On a white background, we see an orange flag wave with the letter "a" on it. Then we see a similar flag wave with the letter "r" on it. The entire thing keeps going until we zoom out from the last flag to reveal the flags have spelled "argosy". Then the text "media" in red fades in below the flags. A flag with the Big A on it in red is raised up a flagpole, as a byline which says "An Argosy Communications Co." appears.

Technique: Extremely expensive live-action and CGI effects.

Music/Sounds: A triumphant fanfare, followed by a couple of drum beats, then a short trumpet fanfare.

Availability: Common. Can be seen on Argosy-produced shows from the era. Can also be seen on reruns of the Argosy 2000 TV movies (plastering the 8th logo) and Argosy '90s series on ITV in the UK.

2011-2020


Logo: Vaguely based on the then-current MTM Enterprises logo. We see the "A" (in a silver effect) rotating to the center in a rainbow streak. Then, the rainbow streak lines out of the logo. After that, the "A" flashes to a ruby red crystal effect, and the words "ARGOSY MEDIA" in metallic silver flash in on top of the "A", as a silver ribbon appears above with a live-action Russian Blue kitten meowing. An ArgosyMTM Group byline appears below everything else.

Technique: The rotating of the A to the center, the colors lining out of the logo, the flash of the "A".

Variants: (TBA)

Music/Sounds: A instrumental theme that sounds similar to the Rick Astley song "Just Good Friends", complete with a laser-like whoosh sound, and ending with a sound similar to that of the "Pokemon Company" logo.

Availability: Common. It debuted on the Argosy New Media web animation movie Mimsie vs. Sarah. Seen on all Argosy shows from the era, including episodes of the ITV shows P.S. 3538 and Sticks n' Stones and on the MTM shows Chainsaw and Ninjas of the Awesome, which are co-produced with Argosy. Also used on 2013-2020 episodes of The New Aaron Show.

2020-present


Logo: We see the Big A in silver appearing in the center of the screen. It fades in gradually from a light appearing between the circle and \, lighting up the rest of the logo. Lightning strikes the A, turning it ruby red, as the “ARGOSY MEDIA” text from the previous logo in silver zooms out with a silver trail. The ribbon with the Russian Blue kitten irises in like in the previous logo, followed by the ArgosyMTM Group byline fading in below everything else.

Technique: (TBA)

Variants: (TBA)

Music/Sounds: A lightning strike sound when the A appears, then another when the lightning strikes the A. This is followed by a five-note violin tune that echoes, leading into a beautifully scored rendition of “Aaron’s Ditty”.

Availability: Current. Preserved on just about every current Argosy Media release. Debuted on the UWN 2019-20 New Year’s Eve special, and is seen on most TV movies and TV series produced and/or distributed by Argosy Media ever since. Can also be seen on the "About Us" section of the official Argosy Media website, and on current episodes of television series produced and/or distributed by Argosy Media.