Draft:Nickelodeon/1980s

The Young People's Satellite Network (December 14, 1978-April 1, 1979)

Videos

Visuals: The camera zooms in at a table with a nickelodeon device (also known as a Mutoscope) at the top. Then, there is a boy crouching and putting his eyes into the device. The camera fades to the first Nickelodeon logo, which shows a man looking at a nickelodeon machine on top of the "N".

Trivia: The man featured in this early Nickelodeon logo was lifted from this 1895 publicity still, showing him using Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope device.

Technique: Live action designed by Bemis Balkind and Joseph Iozzi Inc.

Audio: The clicks of the nickelodeon, and the announcer, Phil Tonken, saying "Introducing... Nickelodeon. Children's programming that's fit for children. 14 hours of programming a day, 7 days a week that will make them wonder, laugh, ponder, and think."

Later Audio Variant: A piano tune, which sounds like something played over a silent film, now plays, and the announcer says "We took everything that was wrong with children's television and got rid of it. We kept everything that was good about it and made it better. The result is Nickelodeon, the Young People's Satellite Network."

Availability: It was only used for a year very early in the channel's existence as Nickelodeon. Due to its rarity, it has been difficult to find on home video recordings (due to the network premiering in the birth of the VHS format). At this time, the channel was a commercial-free service, so this ID was likely used as break-bumpers between programs (like the next bumper), and/or as an actual promo on other TV stations.

Legacy: This ID is a really interesting example of early Nickelodeon. Some have felt that the dark atmosphere and the clicking make for a rather unsettling product, though the later variant lessens this due to the background music.^{[possible misuse]}

Nickelodeon Mime (April 1, 1979-1981)

Videos

Visuals: There is a mime (played by Jonathan Schwartz, a.k.a. "Vinny Verelli") performing an act. The text "Nickelodeon" in the font used in the show "Pinwheel" appears one way or another.

Variants: As this ID appears between the programming, it shows the mime doing different acts, at various lengths depending on how long it took for Nickelodeon to start the next program. Some found variants include:

The mime taking off his hat and making a funny face with the text fading in. Then the picture shrinks onto a magazine being read by the mime, who pulls it down and winks at us once his head is visible. Then, he resumes reading it.
The mime doing tricks with his eyes, with the text fading in on his hat.
The mime's hat with his hand hiding under the hat. His fingers hold the hat up to wave, and after the text fades in, the hat is set down.
Another variant involves the mime finding a broom, putting his hat onto it, and dancing with it. The text fades in when he starts dancing.

Trivia: According to an interview with Verelli, these idents may have been shot during October 1978^[1]

Technique: Live action.

Audio: An instrumental rendition of Teresa Brewer's 1950 hit song "Music, Music, Music!" (also known by its opening lyric, "Put Another Nickel in the Nickelodeon").

Audio Variants:

Sometimes, a jazz-like version of the music was used.
From the 1980 promo reel, it contains the hat ident that has the narrator that says "Nickelodeon. Innovative, non-commercial, cable television programming for young people. Kids are finally getting the kind of television they deserve."

Availability: These were used as break-bumpers between programs (as Nickelodeon was still a commercial-free service during this period).

Legacy: Like the previous ID, it's another interesting example of early Nickelodeon, especially how the ID was used before commercials were introduced.

Silver Ball in the Air (Nickel) (1981-1983)

Videos

Visuals: There is a silver coin on a live action pavement as a bike passes by. Then a human hand picks up the silver coin and flicks it up, where it turns into the usual silver ball on a sky background. The silver ball opens up to reveal a fish bowl, which then opens up to reveal a mirrored ball with a fiddler juggling, and this continues to form an Earth globe, footage of a highway, footage of clouds in the sky, a snow globe and then the Silver Ball again, which flashes as usual with the neon lines inside and the word "NiCKELODEON" zooming in and spinning.

Technique: Mainly live-action footage.

Audio: An alternated version of the channel's main theme at the time. The lyrics are also alternated, going "Look around, we can find; a world of magic! Look around, we can make; the world your friend! Silver baaaalllll in the air, See it glllllooooow everywhere! Nickelo-Nickelo-Nickelo-Here we go! Nickelooodeon!"

Silver Ball in the Air (Neon) (1981-1985?)

Videos

Visuals: A silver ball is seen moving towards the viewer on a black background (with maroon on the bottom). It flashes and turns black with flashing neon effects inside it. Another silver ball appears next to it on the left, which then shows a sparkly neon area where the two balls are moving to the back, and another one appears on the left of the first ball. Then it cuts to the top with the sparkly neon intact and another ball appears on the bottom. Then it goes back to the camera angle it started off with the balls moving, and two more balls appear on the left and right, and all the balls then form a line as they speed through a sparkly neon city. It then goes to a black background and all six balls form into one big ball which turns out to be the silver ball with neon lines inside it, and the word "NiCKELODEON" zooms in from the center while spinning.

Variants:

After the main animation plays out, the logo can remain still for up to 30 seconds.
Sometimes, at the beginning of the logo's still period, it flips over to the National Education Association logo and back.

Technique: A combination of hand-drawn animation and Scanimate effects (mostly the latter).

Audio: A funky tune with a male singer and female backup singers, and this was the main theme to the channel itself. The lyrics are widely in debate, but go something like this: "Come along (Come along) we can find, a world of magic (Come along, come along) come along, we can make, the world your friend! Silver baaaalllll in the air, See it glllllooooow everywhere! Nickelo-Nickelo-Nickelo-Here we go! Nickelooodeon!" An instrumental variant of the "nickel" ID music follows, ending with a reprise of the music's finish.

Audio Variant: In the NEA variant, a male voiceover says "This channel is recommended by the National Education Association" following the main animation.

Availability: It was mainly used as a sign-off ident. It continued to be used even after the rebranding to the orange logo, all the way until around 1985.

Circles (1981-1983)

Visuals: The word "NiCKELODEON" turns into colorful balls that form several circles. Then they disappear and many silver balls form a circle as the Nickelodeon logo appears.

Technique: Animation.

Audio: A version of the '80s Nickelodeon theme without vocals.

Availability: It made a surprise reappearance on the Nick Rewind block in the 2000s (no relation to the TeenNick block).

Roller Skates (1981-1983)

Videos

Visuals: In a black room, a blonde-haired girl wearing a pink T-shirt and blue pants spins around on roller skates. A close-up of her feet is shown. Several more close-ups of people's feet wearing roller skates are shown, and then more kids: a boy with the yellow shirt, a boy with the red shirt, and a dark-haired girl wearing a blue T-shirt and pink pants roller skate with her. The silver ball from the IDs follows them. They skate around it. It follows them again, and the blonde-haired girl kicks it, before they skate around it again. The boy with the yellow shirt does a twist, another close up of the ball is shown, and the blonde girl spins around. The ball spins with some effects, followed by shots of the kids' feet, and then they skate by the ball. After that, the ball flies up to the camera, and does its usual animation with the "NiCKELODEON" text spinning in.

Technique: Live action.

Audio: An instrumental version of the Nickelodeon theme of the time.

Pinball (1981-1983)

Visuals: The screen zooms in on a pinball machine in a black room. The ball flies onto it, and starts rolling around the game, going through obstacles, with featured zoom-ins on the clown paintings’ faces. After it’s done going through the game, it zooms in and does its usual animation, with the “NiCKELODEON” text spinning in.

Technique: Live-action.

Audio: An electronic version of the Nickelodeon theme of the time.

History (1981-1983)

Unknown

Space Travel (1981-January 12, 1983)

Unknown

Twist 'n' Tie (1982-September 1984)

Videos

Visuals: On an orange-yellow background, the "NiCKELODEON" text squashes, squeezes, and twists, then ties itself into a knot as the Nickelodeon logo appears.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Honking sounds and a whimsical orchestral rendition of the "Silver Ball" jingle.

Kaleidoscope (1982-December 1984)

Unknown

Present (1982-September 1984)

Unknown

Arcade (August 11, 1983-September 1984)

Videos

Visuals: A kid puts a quarter into an arcade machine. The silver ball appears in the game, which resembles Space Invaders, stunning the kid. The silver ball avoids the enemies and very soon, turns them all into silver balls, and the Nickelodeon logo appears.

Technique: Chroma-key effects and live-action.

Audio: A catchy synth-pop tune, with Pac-Man-esque sound effects.

Paint Cans (1983-September 1984)

Visuals: Just the Nickelodeon logo swooping down in front of cups of paint.

Technique: Chryon effects and live-action.

Audio: Just a chorus singing "Nick nick! Nickelodeon!"

Painting (November 1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Rube Goldberg (November 1983-September 1984)

Videos

Visuals: There is a small silver ball emerging from a tube then going down a slide. It then bounces off a trampoline, then goes down various tubes and tunnels. It then goes up in a balloon and falls. It comes up in a water spurt and, before zooming up and becoming cartoon, the word "Nick" zooms out over it and then "Nickelodeon" zooms in.

Technique: Live action by C.D. Taylor.

Audio: A bouncy-type Moog synthesizer tune.

Bubblegum (1983-September 1984)

Unknown

Pizza Plate (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Old Times (1983-September 1984)

Unknown

Clips (1983-September 1984)

Unknown

Breakaways (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Electronic (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Crayons (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Pencils (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Jeans (1983-September 1984)

Unknown

Sports (1983-September 1984)

Videos

Unknown

Flying TV Creature (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a purple-skinned kid with glasses channel-surfing on a '60s-style television. A rhinoceros-like creature with wings stops near the kid and winks at the viewer. The creature jumps into the television and the Nickelodeon logo appears on the screen, and the person rides the creature and they fly in a loop before turning to a front view, while the creature keeps flapping his wings.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: A somewhat boring theme when the person channel surfs, complete with television static and sounds from the programming (e.g. a man saying "Hello", a telephone dialing sound and a laugh track). When the creature appears, the music becomes a bit more dramatic, and when it jumps into the television. it turns into a more dramatic tune which is accompanied by flapping wings.

Legacy: The first bumper to use Nickelodeon's iconic "splat" branding, used all the way up to 2009.

Fireworks (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with silhouettes of three children looking into the night sky as a firecracker (which looks like a comet streak) passes by them. Then the firecracker bounces off of an astronaut, then a satellite that's sent spinning away, and finally, the moon, who briefly looks at it angrily before smiling, before it shoots up into the sky, and then explodes into several orange fireworks. "NICKELODEON" in its familiar font flashes in letter-by-letter.

Variant: A more common version starts with the firecracker shooting into the sky.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A dramatic space-like theme playing throughout the bumper, accompanied by the firecracker flying, the children gasping in awe when the firecracker takes off, two beeps, a voice saying "Nickelodeon!", the astronaut gasping when he's hit by the firecracker, the satellite flying, the moon grunting, and the sound of exploding fireworks.

Availability: This was used at the end of syndicated broadcasts of Double Dare.

Ripping (October 1984-April 1993)

Visuals: There is the cutout kids and a hand tears paper and reveals animals' bodies, but the kids' heads are replaced by a dog and a bird.

Technique: Animation and live action.

Audio: A mixture of sound effects: The kids are laughing, cartoon noises, animals, walking and a clock.

Dinosaur (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a prehistoric background, there is an egg that hatches into a giant T-rex. The T-rex moans as the landscape starts flooding, and an orange submarine appears under the T-rex, which growls in surprise.

Technique: A mixture of stop motion and CGI by Charlex in New York.

Audio: The T.-rex's sounds.

Availability: It was seen on The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick for their "Party Like It's The 90s" weekend in December 2011.

Pattycake (October 1984-February 1990)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with silhouettes of two girls with orange outlines playing pattycake on the moon (we also see Earth in the background). The silhouettes then change colors. The silhouettes press their palms on the screen, making four orange handprints appear. When they clap hands again, they disappear, and "NICKELODEON" appears on the four orange hands.

Technique: Computer animation by Charlex.

Audio: An electro beat that ends with a laser sound effect when the silhouettes disappear, as well as synthesized clapping.

Grilled Cheese (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a white background, a grilled cheese sandwich with orange cheese on a light blue plate slides in from the left. Suddenly it melts and the cheese oozes and leaks out of the bread. The screen pans down to reveal the Nickelodeon text on the melted cheese.

Technique: Claymation by Olive Jar Animation.

Audio: The sandwich being served, a group of kids saying "mmm" when the sandwich appears and then "ewww" when it begins to melt along with disgusted noises (although some of the kids are heard grinning and still saying "mmm") and the sandwich melting.

Availability: It was last seen on The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick for their "Party Like It's The '90s" weekend in December 2011.

Drain Plug (October 1984-April 1993)

Octopus
Ship
Flip

Videos

Visuals: There is a man (similar to Jinkins' drawings) walking until he stops when he sees a drain plug. He puts his hands in and one of the following happens:

Octopus: He pulls out a padlock, but the water rises from the drain plug covering him, and an orange octopus swims in and extends its tentacles, revealing the Nickelodeon logo on them.
Ship: He pulls out a ship, which he lets go of and panics. The camera then zooms out to reveal the Nickelodeon logo on the ship, which is now orange.
Flip: He's pulled into the drain plug, and the drain turns upside down, making the man fall on the ground. As he crashes into the ground, he turns orange and the Nickelodeon logo appears on him.

Technique: 2D animation by Noyes & Laybourne.

Audio: Tuba music with the man groaning.

Octopus: Water sounds and the man saying "Oh my!".
Ship: Pulling sounds, and the Series 1000 ship horn sound effect.
Flip: Falling and crashing sounds.

Nick Brew (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a black background, there is an orange cup. The logo zooms out to reveal that it is on the tongue of a face with green hair, big cheeks, and a long nose, and the camera rotates as the face's nose extends towards the cup and starts sucking the water inside, becoming transparent. When the nose is completely transparent, the face's eyes spin and it also becomes transparent, revealing three orange fish with the Nickelodeon logo on them swimming inside.

Technique: CGI by Edward Bakst and Intelligent Light Productions.

Audio: A brass theme (an edit of "Trombone Crazy" by Duncan Lamont, from the Bruton Music library) along with some cartoon sound effects, grunts from the face while it drinks, and the sounds of bubbles popping when we see the fish.

Barks (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a purple dog with shaggy fur and a cyan nose barking. It then cuts to a yellow dog barking, followed by an orange dog with the Nickelodeon logo on it, a pink and magenta dog made out of squares, rectangles and trapeziums, a green dog with light blue ears and a red nose, a brown dog whose fur stands up when it barks, a dog head made out of silver cylinders and cones, two Nickelodeon dogs, the head of a teal dog with a red nose, a fat pink dog, and a howling pack of six Nickelodeon dogs.

Technique: 2D animation by Noyes & Laybourne.

Audio: The dogs barking and howling.

Availability: It was once the sign-off bumper for the foreign versions of Nickelodeon.

Transformations (October 1984-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a clay orange bomb, which explodes into the following things in order: a fish, a triangle, a car, a cloud, a cube, a rocket, and finally, a boy with a Nickelodeon T-shirt.

Technique: Claymation by Broadcast Arts.

Audio: The sound of a bomb fizzing, followed by a bunch of cartoon sound effects, and a happy orchestral theme when the boy appears.

Audio Variant: Another version has a marching band theme without sound effects.

Availability: Last seen during the short-lived, Nick Rewind block in 2006.

Robots (October 1984-1989)

Videos

Visuals: Over a green background is the silhouette of a robot that suddenly turns on, changes its color to green, and stretches its arms out as the background changes to pink with an atom structure behind the robot. The screen then cuts to another robot, this time made of squares and other polygons, on a green striped background, who is quickly surrounded by blue and yellow outlines and more colored shapes. Then we see another robot, who is colored in pink, blue and yellow, moving around on a green background with colorful brush strokes. Next on a purple background, a light green robot is drawn as more red and yellow shapes surround it and it briefly turns to blue. Then on a teal background with blue lines and other shapes, a red and yellow robot is assembled. Then on a yellow-green background with zig-zag patterns, a red robot that protrudes out of a box-shaped unit slides inside and as a smile appears on the outside. Finally, the screen cuts to a bigger blue and green robot on a yellowish background with several smaller robots walking behind it. The robot opens its chest panel to show the Nickelodeon wordmark on an orange background.

Variant: Another version exists with different colors.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: Electronic music accompanied by various robotic sound effects.

Main Course (Spring 1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a waiter opening up a dish. An Inuit person with glasses sitting on a chair with a fishing rod under an orange umbrella singing "Fishing by the wacky, wacky bayou!" is revealed when the dish opens up. The dish closes and it opens up again, revealing a hippo with an orange cloth on his back eating grass. It closes and opens one more time to show a Viking with weapons in his hands, who sing-screams opera-style with a Nickelodeon banner. The dish is finally crushed with a an orange weight.

Technique: Stop-motion animation by Olive Jar Animation.

Audio: The dish opening, the Inuit singing, the hippo laughing with drum music in the background, the Viking yelling and a loud crashing sound.

Availability: The scene with the Viking screaming can be seen on a promo for NickRewind on TeenNick, and also as its sign-off when it was NickRewind and on many '90s Nickelodeon VHS tapes as part of the opening bumper.

Lincoln (Spring 1985-1989)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, singing. Then the scene changes to a barbershop and three more presidents come in and sing as a blimp flies in the background. One of these events occurs next:

It's Time: A comb scratches the screen and a pair of scissors cuts it, revealing Abraham with a mohawk, wearing a Nickelodeon barber cape.
Your TV Network: Lincoln's cape is dragged away, revealing a Nickelodeon shirt. The presidents' wigs fly off their heads.

Technique: Computer animation by Charlex in New York.

Audio: The presidents singing either of these songs:

It's Time: "A 1, 2, 3! Bo bo, It's time, it's time for the network of mine, Nickel-o-deon! Bo bo!"
Your TV Network: "Yoo, Nick-elodeon, your TV network. Doo doo doo, Nick-elodeon, the place for ki-ids! Nick-elo-deon!"

Flying Logos (Spring 1985-early 1990s)

Unknown

Big Beast Quintet (1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is an alligator, bird, rhino with wings for ears (possibly the Flying TV Creature from the aformentioned ID of the same name), rabbit, and another animal that looks like a Triceratops walking down a street wearing Nickelodeon shirts all mixed up. Then they gather inside a TV with a face on it and change their order to spell "NICKELODEON" correctly as the orange shirts merge together, and they keep walking down the street.

Variant: In a 1994 commercial for Nickelodeon, the animals are walking on a globe in space. At the end of the commercial, they are replaced with live-action children.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: The animals singing "Hon de laud hup hivvel up Nick, Hon de laud hup hivvel up Nick Nick, Hon de rikki tikki lo y livin' #1 Nickelodeon!".

Availability: It made a cameo in a promo for The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick, alongside many other IDs. The music can also be found on the 1998 and 2001 CDs entitled The Best of Nicktoons and The Newest Nicktoons.

Mouse Patrol (1985-1989)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with mice with parachutes falling over a field. They land on an orange mountain. They begin axing it and eating parts of it. They are full and the screen zooms out to reveal that the mountain was a block of cheese with "NICKELODEON" on it.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: The mice chattering, alongside some adventurous music.

Availability: It made a cameo in a bumper for The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick.

Knock Knock (Spring 1985-1990)

Videos

Visuals: In a beige room filled with objects, several multi-colored scraps go through an orange door. The camera moves so the door is on the top of the screen when it closes. The door opens to reveal the "NICKELODEON" letters in different colors on it, then they turn white with a flash. A butterfly flies out the door.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: Unknown.

Dog Bone (1985-1989)

Videos

Visuals: A dog with a watch is listening to an orange phonograph. The dog checks his watch and says "Woof! Time for Nickelodeon." An orange bone is dropped near the dog, who bites it and smiles at the screen. "NICKELODEON" appears on the bone by flashing.

Technique: 2D animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: Old-fashioned trumpet music. After the dog speaks, there's the sounds of the bone dropping, him biting it and laughing.

Worms (1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On an orange background is the "NICKELODEON" text in its famous font. One worm passes by, followed by another. Then, several small blue worms appear, followed by green, yellow and pink worms. All the worms move until they form a multicolored "Boom" shape with the text inside. The text transforms into several white worms, which move in a circle and yell high-pitched gibberish. They collapse and form lines on the background (now without the white text).

Technique: Claymation by Noyes & Laybourne.

Audio: A 41-note vocal tune accompanied by high-pitched gibberish, ending with a "pop" sound.

Audio: Another variant exists with a clavitone version of the same theme.

Availability: It was last seen on The 90s Are All That (now NickRewind) on TeenNick for their "Party Like It's The 90s" weekend in December 2011.

Bicycles (August 1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a black background, a pink girl rides her bike, then a blue boy rides his and spins around saying “Whee!”. A red woman is pulled by her green dogs on a yellow bike, a toddler girl rides her tricycle, a man rides his unicycle, and a father helps his son on his tricycle. A blue delivery man falls over on his bike, then a purple person rides their bike, before finally all the bikes ride by, and an orange bike follows them and fades out, except for one wheel with the Nickelodeon logo on it.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The sounds of bicycles and people chattering.

Availability: It was shown on NickRewind's Twitter account during Throwback Thursday.

Babylon (1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a clapperboard with the Nickelodeon logo on it. Then, there is a crazy movie set with lots of Nickelodeon logos. A car is driving into a orange tunnel, and a cardboard shark appears. The set freezes and the lights dim.

Technique: Cut-out animation by Colossal Pictures.

Audio: A man saying "Nickelodeon, take 50!", followed by a snippet of "Gala Premiere" by Laurie Johnson (played in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "As Seen on TV" and "Truth or Square"). The man then says "We got it, cut!".

Audio Variant: An alternated version has a man saying "Action! That's it, smile, baby! Come on, kick higher, girls! Okay, where's the robot? Robot, you're out of frame, robot! Alright, cue the shark! Yes, yes, cut!".

Availability: Last seen on TeenNick during The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on December 26 and 27, 2011. It was recently shown on Throwback Thursday on NickRewind.

Sleeping Boy (November 1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a boy falling asleep on an easy chair and dropping a magazine. An orange cloud with "NICKELODEON" comes out from it. The boy walks through his house and to his room with orange Nick clouds appearing in different places. The boy gets in bed as a dream balloon with the Nickelodeon logo appears.

Technique: Dark watercolor animation.

Audio: A soft, dreamy, string-based tune plays throughout. Whenever the clouds appear, a kid quietly whispers "Nickelodeon".

Availability: This was mostly used as a sign-off. This was used on the Australian version as late as the early 2000s^[2].

Calling Cades (December 21, 1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: Same as the "Orange You Glad" bumper, but the lyrics of the "Big Beast Quintet" bumper appear on the notebook instead.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: Same as the "Big Beast Quintet" bumper.

Availability: It's on NickRewind, though.

Nick Writing (1985-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: A hand writes the green word "NICK" on a notebook, followed by a Nickelodeon scribble forming. More hands write more variations of the word afterwards, before the Nickelodeon scribble appears again.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: The Jive Five singing the Nickelodeon jingle twice. This jingle was later reused for the 2nd Nickelodeon Movies logo in Good Burger and the Rugrats "8 Heads" version of the 1st Nickelodeon Games logo.

Legacy: One of (if not) the most iconic Nickelodeon bumpers of all time. Seeing as a version the jingle is still being used to this day.

Munch Munch (Fall 1985-April 1993)

Bites
Lizard
Origami
Teeth
Cube

Videos

Visuals: On an orange background with the Nickelodeon logo, one of the following happens:

Bites: The background is chomped away partly by a pair of invisible teeth.
Lizard: A lizard chomps the background eight times. After he's done, he looks at the logo and runs off.
Origami: Two hands make an origami duck, black and white object, a fish, mouth, a blue object, a dinosaur which lays an egg, and two pinwheels. At the end, all the objects come together, and the hands scrunch them up all over the place.
Crunch: Same as "Bites", but after each hole appears, a quacking duck, a spring, a water splash, a car horn, a cork, and a chicken clucking appear one by one, and finally, action lines appear around the "NICKELODEON" text with the voiceover. A plunger hits the background, sending the text sliding down.
Teeth: Two pairs of teeth slide around and munch away at the background.
Cube: A cube rotates in a room with a Nickelodeon logo while they repeatedly change their position. The cube shows images of a duck, cymbal, water, an alien, an arrow, and a chicken. The "NICKELODEON" text on the logo, which now stays put, lights up when the name is spoken as objects move around. The cube shrinks and disappears.

Technique: Stop-motion animation for the "Lizard", "Origami" and "Teeth" IDs, 2D animation for the "Bites" and "Crunch" IDs, and a mixture of both for the "Cube" ID; the "Lizard", "Teeth" and "Bites" IDs were animated by Filigree Films, the "Crunch" and "Cube" IDs were animated by Colossal Pictures, and the "Origami" ID was animated by Buzzco Associates.

Audio: A duck quacking, a boing, a splash, an old car horn, a pop, a chicken clucking, and a voice saying "Nick...elodeon!" (who sounds somewhat similar to Dan Castellaneta), followed by an arrow popping and a cartoonish laugh.

Availability: The "Origami" variant was last seen on The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick for their "Party Like It's The '90s" weekend in December 2011. Recently appeared during the NickRewind block.

Top of the Hour (October 1985-March 1987)

Videos

Visuals: In a living room, there is a television imprinted by the Nickelodeon ID with various shapes emerging from it, before a parody of Salvador Dali's "Persistence of Memory" appears with several orange clocks melting after spinning their hands, then some flying calendars with Nickelodeon on the top of each calendar on a house background changing seasons from what seems to be summer to winter, then to a 20th Century Fox-styled structure with 1985, 1986 or 1987 (depending on the year) on the top and the Nickelodeon logo on the base. Then, the camera pans down a road until it approaches a orange arrow sign, whereupon it turns left. The screen cuts to a road with men racing in hot dog-shaped karts, each with a orange bun, then to a futuristic city with a orange rocketship passing by. Then, different children (three whites, a black boy, a Latino boy and an Asian girl) with all types of clothes and accessories, as well as an orange heart beating once, a robot with human ears, an early Nickelodeon haystack logo , and a gorilla wearing a tuxedo whose bow tie spins once. Then, an ice cream cone appears with a orange ice cream scoop falling directly on it, then to a cat and a dog on bumper cars, but accidentally collide into each other to form "NICKELODEON" on the bottom of the bumper cars, then to a smaller fish that is eaten by several bigger fish consecutively with the largest one having the Nickelodeon logo on it, then we cut to a front seat ride on a roller coaster as it goes into a clown head with its eyes rolling. Finally, the screen cuts to the same orange television with the same objects emitted. There is also a couple in space-like attire as well as a robotic dog (not "Goddard") watching it, then the Nickelodeon logo jumps out of the television and fills the entire screen before shrinking to an explosion-like shape on a blue background.

Variant: Starting in 1986, an alternate ending is also used where the Nickelodeon logo at the end is a splat. Another one exists where the logo is a cloud.

Technique: A mix of 2D animation (by Kim Deitch) and photomontage by Jerry Lieberman Productions.

Audio: First, there is a part of the Nickelodeon theme, then we hear scats through the entire bumper until we hear the rest of the same tune used at the beginning. Normally a voice-over (Joe Piasek) is heard throughout the bumper.

Availability: Its music can be heard on the 2001 CD The Newest Nicktoons.

Cowboy (January 24, 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a cowboy wearing an orange hat with the Nickelodeon logo riding a horse through the desert. The screen cuts to the cowboy crossing a gorge with a Nickelodeon log, with his horse on the other side. We then see the cowboy and the horse drinking from a waterhole with a Nickelodeon cactus in the background. Then we see the cowboy riding his horse past a blank mountain, which turns orange as the Nickelodeon wordmark appears on it and the rest of the background fades to black.

Trivia: Joey Ahlbum still has an animation cel from this ID, as can be seen here.

Technique: 2D animation by Joey Ahlbum, who did several other Nickelodeon bumpers from this period.

Audio: Bombastic orchestral music, with the cowboy shouting "Yahoo!" when he first appears riding the horse, and both of them saying "Whoo!" when he crosses the gorge.

Availability: Was last seen on NickRewind.

Skating (May 7, 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with singing letters holding top hats and roller skating down a room with a roller skate with the Nickelodeon logo, a "Fly Nickelodeon" logo (an orange airplane with the word "Fly" above it), an "Eat Nickelodeon" logo (a Nickelodeon hot dog and a purple marquee with the word "EAT" inside), and another orange roller skate on the wall. We then see the letters sticking onto an orange wall one-by-one, forming the Nickelodeon logo while the letters' top hats are left on the floor. We then see an isolated view of the Nickelodeon logo on the wall, revealing it to be on a roller-skating alley with two orange roller skates on both sides of the wall and a purple roller skate sign with a flashing outline above the orange wall.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship in Vancouver, Canada.

Audio: The wheels of the roller skates turning and the letters singing "Say hey, say hi, say ho! Yeah, yeah, Nickelodeon!" while a sound effect sounding like stamping something on a piece of paper is heard every time a letter sticks to the wall.

Fish Stage (April 26, 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a stage with a space background, a big green fish plays the piano with three female green fish singing. A orange star in the background is being held by two ropes, moving to the right. The logo zooms out throughout the whole thing. The background becomes a orange sun as everyone, including an audience of blue fish, smiles.

Technique: 2D animation by David Lubell.

Audio: A piano tune, with the big green fish scatting, and the female green fish singing “Nickelodeon! Waiting for you. Everyday, Nickelodeon!” .

Fruits (1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a curtain background with a towel on the ground, there is a fruit bowl with the Nickelodeon logo on it. Suddenly, a pineapple, banana, and an orange pop up and sing the jingle from the "Orange You Glad" ID. They dance towards the left and turn around, still moving to the left, as the curtain opens up to reveal a gradient background with orange palm trees. The fruits end up trying to keep their balance at the end, but fall off. We then see the ground, where an orange splat grows, revealing the now-splatted fruits smiling and wiggling, as well as the Nickelodeon wordmark.

Variant: A variant exists where it is on a flipbook, but is uncolored except for the orange props with the Nickelodeon logo on them. This was possibly filmed when the ID was still unfinished.

Technique: 2D animation by Joey Ahlbum.

Audio: Same as the "Orange You Glad" ID, followed by a splat sound effect.

Availability: Can be heard on the 2001 album The Newest Nicktoons.

Singing Aliens (August 27, 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: Three aliens in a UFO sing a short jingle. Then the UFO lands at a drive-in theater with a Saturn-shaped Nickelodeon logo on the screen.

Technique: 2D animation by David Lubell.

Audio: The aliens (voiced by two women and a man) singing the following jingle: "It doesn't matter where you are. With Nickelodeon, there you are. Better off by far, Nickelodeon!"

Availability: It was last seen on The "90s Are All That (then NickRewind) on TeenNick for their "Party Like It's The '90s" weekend in December 2011. However, the music in this bumper can be heard on the 2001 CD The Newest Nicktoons. The music can also be heard in a bumper for NickRewind on TeenNick, along with other IDs.

Anteater (August 25, 1986-early 1990s)

Videos

Visuals: There is a yellow anteater (more closely resembling an aardvark) with a bib holding a fork and a spoon inside the house. He sniffs a plate of spaghetti on his table, and licks its face in delight, before quickly slurping up the spaghetti. We then see a close-up of the plate, which now has orange sauce with "NICKELODEON" in its corporate font, as the anteater licks the sides.

Technique: Stop-motion animation by Olive Jar Animation.

Audio: The anteater grunting, slurping when he eats the spaghetti, and burping at the end.

Availability: Last seen on TeenNick during The '90s Are All That (then NickRewind) for the week of December 27-31, 2011, alongside several other classic Nickelodeon IDs. This can be seen occasionally on NickRewind on TeenNick.

Mini Golf (1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is a golf club hit an orange golf ball with "NICKELODEON" on it. The ball goes through a course full of orange obstacles with the Nickelodeon logo on them such as an inverted loop, a windmill, a winding road, stomping feet, and finally a clown cut-out with holes on the mouth and hands, with the ball rolling in the mouth hole.

Technique: Stop motion animation possibly done at Olive Jar Animation.

Audio: A man saying "Shhhh...", followed by carnival-esque music, slide whistle noises, and kids cheering when the ball makes it into the hole.

Availability: Last seen during the short-lived, Nick Rewind block. It was recently shown on NickRewind on March 24, 2016.

Dog & Parrot (September 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a yellow background with a blue floor, a dog and a parrot on a perch are seen. The dog barks, and the parrot says “Nickelodeon!” with an orange speech bubble. They do the same thing again. However, the third time, the parrot barks, and now the dog says “Nickelodeon!” as his ears stand up.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship.

Audio: Just the animals talking.

Opera Bird (1986-1992?)

Videos

Visuals: On a gold background, there is an anthropomorphic dog (named Louis) blowing a horn saying "NICK", a blue cat (Tri-cat) saying "EL", a female bird (Opera Bird) singing "OOOO" in an operatic voice, Tri-cat saying "DEE", and a tall person (Gong Boy) hitting a gong with a mallet. Then the words join together with "ON", forming the Nickelodeon logo.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship.

Audio: Tuba music in the background, Louis blowing the trumpet saying "Nick", Tri-cat saying "el" in a feminine voice, Opera Bird sings "OOOO", Tri-cat saying "Dee" in a masculine voice, a gong sound, and everyone (excluding Gong Boy) saying "Nickelodeon".

Orange You Glad (November 1986-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a white background, the words ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU GOT YOUR NICKELODEON appear on a journal, one by one. The words appear two more times, and then an orange ribbon appears with the logo.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The Jive Five singing what appears on the journal.

Availability: Returned for Nickelodeon's 20th birthday, and the albums The Best of Nicktoons, and The Newest Nicktoons. However, it is recently shown on NickRewind.

The Jive Five (1986-1992)

Videos

Visuals: The logo starts with The Jive Five are singing in a colored paint background alongside camera strips. The shapes of a Nickelodeon logo appear.

Technique: Live action with graphics.

Audio: The Jive Five are singing about the TV network that aimed for kids, but later used for "Nicktoons on VHS" commercial and became more similar to this ID.

Window Blinds (1986?-December 1990)

Videos

Visuals: There is a green room with a clock to reveal the window blinds. First, The orange clothes merge together. Then, the orange cruise sails across the sea. Finally, The cow eats the farm's grass, walking and revealing the orange patch to see the Nickelodeon logo.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Classical-tinged, alongside a mixture of sound effects: Cartoon noises, mooing and a loud Asiatic strike.

Top of the Hour '87 (April 25, 1987-December 31, 1988)

Videos

Visuals: There is the characters singing the Nickelodeon jingle and the gramophone adds music. Then we see a blue monkey (with sunglasses), who reveals the Nickelodeon logo on his torso and uses the control room. The teddy pulls the lever and the cars are driving to the monkey's cap and adding water-filled television lollipops. The monkey's sipping on a drink and the characters are still singing the jingle. Again, the monkey reveals the Nickelodeon logo on his torso.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship.

Doo-Wop-A-Saurus (1987-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There are three dinosaurs (possibly sauropods) with blue sneakers walking on a prehistoric landscape. They find a T-rex watching television next to an orange tree and a pterodactyl with a Walkman, next to an orange cloud. The dinosaur in the middle then puts on orange sunglasses with the word "NICKELODEON" on them.

Trivia: The dinosaur putting on the sunglasses also makes a brief cameo in a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2023 advertisement.

Technique: 2D animation by Joey Ahlbum. It was done through Fred/Alan and produced by Tom Pomposello.

Audio: Just the dinosaurs singing "I'm here with my friends, Nickelodeon. The song never ends, Nickelodeon!".

Availability: The logo was included on the albums The Best of Nicktoons, and The Newest Nicktoons. Last shown on TeenNick during The 90's Are All That (then NickRewind) for the week of December 27-31, 2011, alongside several other classic Nick IDs. It is also in a bumper on NickRewind, along with several other IDs.

Legacy: The dinosaur putting on the sunglasses is an iconic symbol of the Nickelodeon of the 1980s and 1990s.

Easy Groove (1987-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: Three men in yellow suits (with green bows) and pink hats sing in front of a billboard that workers are pasting several Nickelodeon logos onto.

Technique: 2D animation by Jerry Lieberman Productions, designed by Kim Deitch and directed by Tony Eastman.

Audio: The three men singing.

Availability: This bumper appeared in the Nickelodeon Montage bumper, one of the most well-known Nickelodeon bumpers of the '90s.

Space Beans (1987?-1991)

Videos

Visuals: On a space background with the moon in it, five bean-shaped aliens with propeller caps sing a short doo-wop song. As they sing "Nickelodeoooon!", one of them puts on an orange shirt saying "NICKELODEON" in its corporate font, Balloon.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship.

Audio: The beans singing a short doo-wop song.

Singing Worms (1987?-February 1990)

Videos

Visuals: On a yellow/orange gradient background, there are four worms emerge from inside a Granny Smith apple. The apple gradually peels in the center, revealing the Nickelodeon logo. The worms all sing and dance as a fifth one comes out, making another strip of the apple's peel fall out, and they finally approach the screen to finish their song.

Technique: 2D animation by International Rocketship.

Audio: The worms singing a doo-wop tune, ad-libbing "Nick" into the song, ending with "Nickelodeon!".

Availability: Later seen as a break bumper on NickRewind on TeenNick. The jingle in the ID was also used on a recent 2017 Nickelodeon bumper.

Flipbook (1987?-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: A flipbook is arranged. When it opens, it shows an animation of a person (bearing a resemblance to the man in the "Cowboy" ID) whose hat flies off and becomes an airplane, which becomes a plant, which becomes the guy’s hat again as he smiles.

Technique: Flipbook animation by Joey Ahlbum.

Audio: A silent movie-esque piano tune.

Flipbook Surprise (1987?-early 1990s)

Visuals: The "Flipbook" ID is shown at a faster speed. The Nickelodeon hat is suddenly blown onto a desk with drawing utensils as its size expands.

Technique: Same as "Flipbook".

Audio: Same music as "Flipbook", but the sound effects play earlier. The slide whistle plays again when the hat is blown.

Bulldog Crew (1987-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: In a jungle, a lion, a pink rhino, a blue crocodile, and a snake bark in succession. The screen then cuts to the animals standing together and singing a doo-wop tune as the camera zooms out and the orange leaves on two trees merge to form the Nickelodeon logo.

Technique: 2D animation by Joey Ahlbum.

Audio: The animals barking, followed by them singing a doo-wop tune, ending with “Nickelodeoooooooon!”.

Cereal (May 1987-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: In a gray background, a cereal box and a blue bowl are seen. Suddenly, the box is lifted by a glass with a small person on it, which then moves away as the person sings and dances. The glass then goes over and holds up the box of cereal, pouring its contents into the bowl, before going under the counter as the box transforms into a Nickelodeon cereal box while the cereal bowl collapses and spills.

Technique: A combination of traditional and stop motion animation, produced by Paul Fierlinger in the style of his "Teeny Little Super Guy" shorts for Sesame Street.

Audio: A jazz tune with the person singing in a high-pitched voice.

Menagerie (1987-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: On a black background, there is a silhouette of a green elephant walking. Then, the screen cuts to a white background with the silhouette of a purple elephant's legs, with a pink cheetah running inside as the elephant legs fill up the screen. The cheetah silhouette moves down as a black silhouette of a flock of birds appears, and finally, a orange rhino walks in front of them and the background turns to black and "NICKELODEON" appears on it.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: Drum music accompanied by an elephant's trumpeting, a lion roar, birds tweeting and what sounds like a rhinoceros' snorting.

Skaters (November 1987-early 1990s)

Videos

Unknown

BMX (1987?-unknown retirement year)

Visuals: Unknown

Technique: Primarily live-action footage, produced by Jon Kane.

Audio: A short hip-hop/rock beat (which sounds similar to Run-D.M.C.'s version of "Walk This Way").

Dino Bop (1988-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: There is the same three dinosaurs from "Doo-Wop-A-Saurus", wearing green and orange ties and orange sneakers, walk out of a cave with a Nickelodeon sign. The dinosaurs look at a T-rex dressed up in white tuxedo with a pompadour and an orange dinosaur in a blue T-shirt with a bone pattern skateboarding, as an orange cloud appears. Then, the dinosaurs keep walking and a lavender dinosaur passes by them in an orange convertible. The aforementioned dinosaurs, a purple stegosaurus with a bowtie and a turtle appear around the three dinosaurs as a volcano behind them erupts, revealing the Nickelodeon logo.

Technique: 2D animation by Joey Ahlbum, who also made the "Doo-Wop-A-Saurus" bumper.

Audio: The three sauropods singing a doo-wop song that sounds like "Orange you glad you got your Nickelodeon".

Availability: It is also on NickRewind.

What You Want (1988)

Videos

Visuals: There is a pair of hands holding a clapboard and clapping it, saying "Quiet please". Then a cat that looks like Cat from CatDog runs into a blue room and crashes into a camera as we hear a guy saying "NEXT!" He then turns to the left of the room, where there's a desk with a hand wearing a striped shirt on it, writing on a sheet of paper. He asks, "Name?" The cat says "Mack!" The guy says, "What've you got?" Mack replies, "Whatever you want! Need a new host for Double Dare?" He pulls his nose and changes his face into that of Marc Summers'. The guy says "no". Mack extends the nose and puts his hand down the nostril. He says "Ha ha! I can be an obstacle, too!" He changes back to his normal self as the guy says "We've already got that." Mack says "You got this?" He pulls down a film projector and we go into a black and white scene of a boy petting Mack, who's still in color and a dog. Mack sings "Lassie!" and scratches the boy, scaring him. Mack pulls up the projector, back in the room, and the guy says "That's disgusting!" "Oh, you want disgusting?" Mack asks. "I'll show you disgusting!" He inflates himself and explodes, leaving the camera covered with orange goo. The hand wipes away to reveal his face, a Koopa-like character wearing glasses, and says "I like it!" He licks the goo as the scene cuts to show the Nickelodeon splat logo on the wall, and a voiceover says "Nickelodeon: working hard to find what you want."

Technique: Clay animation by Sculptoons.

Audio: The dialogue and sound effects.

Frog (November 1988-April 1993)

Videos

Visuals: It varies:

A green frog, who dresses up like a Looney Tunes character, is shown standing on a green object in water, where he jumps off of it, and starts singing, as the object surfaces from the water to reveal it's an alligator's eyes. The frog points his cane at each eye, upon which it opens, revealing orange corneas and slit pupils as "NICKELODEON" briefly appears under the upper eyelids. At the end, the alligator's head surfaces completely, and he tries to eat the frog, but his cane keeps his jaws propped open as the frog smiles.
The frog walks up some stairs, singing, using his cane to bring out orange puffs of smoke reading "Nickelodeon". At the end, it turns out to be a dragon, who breathes fire on him, but uses an umbrella to stop him.

Technique: 2D animation by David Lubell.

Audio: The frog scatting and singing "Nickelodeon" twice in both versions.

The Only Network for Kids (1988)

Videos

Visuals: Against a white background, a guy who resembles a middle-age version of Bill Nye the Science Guy is shown, as a kid off-screen says "Hey! What're you doing here? You must really like Dennis the Menace, huh?" At this point, the screen cuts to see the guy in greyscale in a Dennis the Menace costume. The guy shakes his head. "How about Lassie?" the kid asks, and we see the guy (now in color) wearing a fake dog nose and ears. "You like Lassie?" The guy shakes his head again. "Well, you must be a real fan of Mr. Wizard," the kid says, and the guy is against a black background, wearing safety goggles, with a plasma lamp in front of him. He touches it and receives a static electric shock which messes up his hair. He shakes his head once again. Then we see him against the white background again, wearing Double Dare contestant getup. "Uh, how about Double Dare?" the kid asks. The guy lifts up a baseball mitt only to get an egg thrown at him, and shakes his head. "Looney Tunes?" the kid asks as a black hand with a yellow glove holds an ACME-branded bomb next to him, which explodes and leaves him charred. He shakes his head, and the kid asks "You Can't Do That on Television?" as the guy shrugs with his hands raised and gets slimed. "Well you're in the wrong place, Pops," the kid says, "because this is Nickelodeon." A Nickelodeon arrow pushes the guy out of the way. "The only network for kids," the kid says as the words appear below the arrow.

Technique: Live-action produced by Jon Kame.

Audio: The dialogue and cartoonish sound effects.

Gopher (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

T-Shirts (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Watch (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Cowboy Cliff (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Scribbles (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Clay (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Bubblegum (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Pennant (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Hiding Tree (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Janitor (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Dreams (February 1988-August 17, 1996)

Unknown

Balloon (February 1988-August 17, 1996)

Unknown

Sand (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Dragon (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Clothesline (February 1988-August 17, 1996)

Unknown

Spin Art (February 1988-August 1996)

Unknown

Movie Star (February 20, 1988-October 1992)

Videos

Visuals: The letters in the Nickelodeon logo atop a dressing room door drop down one by one and sneak around the room until they are spotted with a flashlight in front of a blue wall. They then return to the sign.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The voices of the letters whispering.

[1] ttp://classic-nickelodeon-fan-blog.blogspot.com/2019/04/interview-with-nickelodeons-male-mine.html

[2] ttps://archive.org/details/nickelodeon-promo-sleepy-child

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