Just for Laughs

Credits

Editions by
Enriquez, Zachary Webb and TheRealMarcel2000

Background

Just for Laughs (also known as Juste pour rire in French) is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1983, it is the largest international comedy festival in the world. It also serves as a television division.

1st Logo (1983?-1993)

Visuals: On a white background, a stubby green monster with blue horns (the Just for Laughs mascot named Victor) smiles at first, only to start crying because the show is over. As we zoom out, he yells "Maman, c'est finiiii!". Victor cries for the remainder of the logo and then we fade out.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Audio: Victor's dialogue, which was re-recorded in the 1987 variant.

Variant: On JFL programming from 1987 to 1993, Victor is redrawn and is now sitting on a tall rock that rises from the bottom. The camera also pans to the right and the red text "FiN" zooms in.

Availability: Seen on many older shows and specials from the company that aired in Quebec from the mid-'80s to the early '90s.

Legacy: This logo is very nostalgic for fans of Just for Laughs.

2nd Logo (December 26, 2000-2021)

• 
  Regular variant (2000-2009)
• 
  Regular variant (2009-2013)
• 
  Regular variant (2013-2021)
• 
  Television variant (2007-2010)
• 
  Television variant (2010-2011)
• 
  Television variant (2011-2021)

Visuals: We start with a timelapse from the view of a stage of a crowd leaving an amphitheater where a live show is being held. Once the theater is almost empty, Victor (in his 1990s design) runs from the left side of the screen onto the center, noticing everyone leaving. He quietly gasps, turns a bit, and says "Mommy, it-it-it's over!" sadly as the curtains close on him and the Just for Laughs logo comes in on a spotlight and stops in the middle of the screen. A byline reading "© [YEAR] Juste pour rire Les Gags Inc." (or "© [YEAR] Juste pour rire TV Inc.") is seen below the Just for Laughs logo in a font depending on the byline.

Trivia: The amphitheater in the logo was actually first filmed at the Saint-Denis Theatre, the Montreal-based theatre where the festival was used to film at until 2010.

Technique: A mix of live-action footage and 2D animation.

Audio: A ten-note honky-tonk piano tune (which are the first notes of the Just for Laughs signature theme by Serge Fiori) with sounds of people talking. It stops when Victor gasps, followed by his dialogue, and another honky-tonk piano tune as the curtains drop.

Variants:

• A short version exists, which starts when Victor gasps.
• Depending on the program or language it is in, the words at the end are in French, Juste pour rire.
• Sometimes, the URL "justforlaughs.com" can appear below.
• Sometimes the credits for the program play over the first few seconds of the logo when the crowd is vacated.
• Later in 2007, the logo started with a lime green background with Victor popping up as both English and France versions of the Just for Laughs logo pop up next to him. Also seen are the URL "hahaha.com" and the words "FESTIVAL - LIVE - TELEVISION - MUSEUM" being revealed below. The word "TELEVISION" becomes red. The normal logo would play right after.
  • A French variant exists.
  • In 2010, the URL is absent and the background has the movement of the shape lines.
  • Since 2011, when the Just for Laughs Museum was closed in the same year, the logo was enhanced with the words now reading "FESTIVAL - LIVE SHOWS - TELEVISION".
• In 2009, the logo was enhanced to include Victor’s shadow, as well as more realistic-looking curtains and spotlight.
• In 2013, the logo was enhanced yet again, with it now taking place at Place des Arts (despite the French version of the Just for Laughs logo is added on the bottom of the stage's floor) in Montreal. Victor is also saturated a bit. The logo ends with different-looking curtains and a zoom out before the spotlight shines with the updated Just for Laughs logo.

Technique: A mix of live-action footage and 2D animation.

Audio: A ten-note honky-tonk piano tune (which are the first notes of the Just for Laughs signature theme by Serge Fiori) with sounds of people talking. It stops when Victor gasps, followed by his dialogue, and another honky-tonk piano tune as the curtains drop.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, the closing theme plays over.
• A French version exists, wherein the "Maman, c'est finiiii!" dialogue is reused from the last logo.
• The post-2007 variant had a pop sound, followed by the clicks and a ding sound when the word "TELEVISION" becomes red.

Availability: Seen on many shows from the company, like Just for Laughs: Gags and some stand-up comedy shows.

Legacy: This logo is very nostalgic for fans of Just for Laughs: Gags, as well as Just for Laughs fans in general.

2nd Logo (2010's-2021)

• 

Visuals: In a grayscale city, some green and red streaks fly through a set of skyscrapers. They meet and move into a neon billboard that lights up, containing the Just for Laughs logo in a green box with the horns of Victor from before. A byline reading "© [YEAR] JUSTE POUR RIRE TV INC." may appear below.

Variants:

• A version appears at the start of programs where "Presents" in a white script font appears under the logo.
• A short version exists.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Some whooshes and the sounds of streetcars as the streaks fly, and the buzzing sound of a neon sign lighting with a gong as a crowd laughs.

Audio Variant: Sometimes, the closing theme plays over.

Availability: Seen on programs like Just for Laughs: All Access.

3rd Logo (October 18, 2021-)

• 

Visuals: Over a black background, the logo starts with the pictures of Victor flipping (a la the 2002 Marvel logo) inside the box, then it forms into the text "JUST FOR LAUGHS" (set in the new corporate font, called Riposte HAHAHA, which is a modified version of Riposte) in the white rectangle. The logo glitches and fades out. A byline reading "© [YEAR] JUSTE POUR RIRE TV INC." may appear below.

Trivia: This logo was designed by Cossette.

Variant: Just like the first logo, there is a French version with the words, "JUSTE POUR RIRE".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The sound of pages flipping, followed by the first five notes of the famous Just for Laughs theme tune.

Availability: Seen on Howie Mandel & Friends: Don't Sneeze on Me, Just for Laughs 2022: The Gala Specials: Jo Koy and some stand-up comedy shows.