Minstrel Entertainments

Background and context

Minstrel Entertainments was a pre-cert video label. Their logo references the minstrel show, which used to be popular in the past, but is now widely considered to be offensive. In the United Kingdom, the BBC aired the The Black and White Minstrel Show from 1958 to 1978, but the show continued to tour around the UK until 1989.

Logo (1983-1984)

Visuals: On a blue background, sixteen images of two minstrels holding a frame drum appear one by one. Another one then swivels into view from the top edge, revealing the letters "M" and "E" on the drums. A white italic caption "Minstrel Entertainments", with a ligature above the first letter "s", zooms from the centre to the top, while another caption, "A MEMBER OF THE P. LINARD GROUP OF COMPANIES" zooms to the bottom.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: None.

Availability:

It was seen on the UK tapes of Superdome and She's In The Army Now!, both of which were distributed by CBS/Fox Video.
It also appears on the 1983 UK pre-cert VHS release of Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space.

Legacy: As mentioned above, the minstrel show is now widely considered to be offensive.