Hi-Tops Video

Background

Hi-Tops Video was a children's video label founded by Heron Communications in 1985. In July 1991, Heron sold Hi-Tops Video to Western Publishing, owner of Golden Books, and was subsequently absorbed into Golden Book Video.

(1985-1992)

Logo: On a gray background, we see a red vertical rectangle (representing a stylized shoe). Animated "shoelaces" appear at the bottom and begin to slowly make their way up the shoe, culminating in a nice big bow when the shoe is completely tied. The shoe zooms out while turning pastel and the words "HI-TOPS VIDEO" in the American Typewriter Bold font fade in below the rectangle. Then byline "A Division of Heron Communications, Inc." (also in the American Typewriter font) fades in.

Variants:

On Canadian Hi-Tops Video releases from Astral Video, this logo is followed by a black screen with the words HI-TOPS VIDEO Presents. Then, the Astral Video logo comes out.
On French-Canadian releases, after the logo zooms out and the text appears, a cheesily-chyroned byline that says "Une filiale de Heron Communications, Inc." appears. This version also lacks the registered trademark "®" symbol by the word "VIDEO".

Technique: The tying of the shoe.

Music/Sounds: It begins with a synth drum, followed by a bouncy 80's synthesizer beat. On some releases, the music would fade out early.

Availability: Originally appeared on My Pet Monster, The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin, Encyclopedia Brown, Cricket, Babar and Father Christmas, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Rub a Dub Dub, Madballs, the Baby Songs trilogy, later Heron releases of Peanuts specials such as She's A Good Skate Charlie Brown, and lots of other children's videos, some co-released by Saban Video and Video Treasures. Outside of the USA and Canada, it can be found on PAL tapes from the UK (after the VPD logo) and Australia (after the Family Home Entertainment logo).