Nickelodeon Studios

Background

Nickelodeon Studios was a television studio in Universal Studios Florida that also served as an attraction in the park, allowing kids to attend tapings of Nickelodeon's game shows. The first program taped there, Super Sloppy Double Dare, was taped in Spring 1989, with the attraction fully opening on June 7, 1990. The attraction, while initially very popular, began to decline in the 2000s as Nick began slowly shifting their live-action output to closed-set sitcoms and moving filming to Nickelodeon on Sunset in Hollywood. The final show taped there, Nickelodeon Splat!, finished taping on August 17, 2004, with the attraction permanently shutting down on April 30, 2005 and was replaced by Blue Man Group, but closed years later.

1st Logo (August-October 1990)

Visuals: Over an overcast sky, the camera zooms down to reveal the Nickelodeon Studios facade. The shot then fades to a shot of the Universal Studios globe fountain, with the globe rotating counter clockwise. The Nickelodeon facade can be seen in the distance.

Trivia: This was filmed very early on in the studio’s life, possibly even before Universal opened as the Slime Geyser is missing (installed between July 1990 and October 1990) and the orange and white queue tents are nowhere to be seen.

Technique: Live action.

Audio: A voiceover (usually a character from one of the shows) saying "This show (or the title of the show) was/is recorded/produced/taped (in front of/before a live studio/live audience) at/in Nickelodeon Studios (in Orlando) at Universal Studios Florida/in Orlando, Florida", which varies. On some shows, the ending theme of the show plays over it.

Audio Variant: On some shows, instead of a character, a generic recording is used, saying "This show was produced in Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida." This is one of the most common versions of the logo.

Availability: Seen on Family Double Dare and Outta Here! as well as one season 3 episode of Make The Grade.

2nd Logo (August 1990)

Visuals: Over an overcast sky, a shot of Nickelodeon Studios from the left is shown before fading to the Universal globe, which is closer to the camera than normal. Three people can be seen walking by in the distance. The logo freeze frames at the end.

Technique: Same as the previous logo.

Audio: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: Seen only on most season 3 episodes of Make The Grade.

3rd Logo (November 1990-1991)

Visuals: A ground-level view of Nickelodeon Studios’s main building, looking from the southeast is seen. In the foreground is the Slime Geyser, erupting with its signature slime. The camera fades to a shot of the Nickelodeon sign on the font of the building, which pulls back to reveal the metallic Universal globe like the previous logos.

Variants:

On few occasions, the shot of the Slime Geyser is cut short. On some occasions, the shot is cut entirely.
On an episode of Welcome Freshmen, there is another short version with just the shot of the Slime Geyser.
Another variant has the view of Nickelodeon Studios shot on an overcast day, like the first two logos. But this time, the clouds are darker which makes it look like it's about to rain.
- There’s also an extended version which has a shot of kids running towards the Nickelodeon Studios building. This shot was also used in a few Universal Studios Florida commercials from 1993-94.

Technique: Same as the first two logos.

Audio: Same as the first two logos.

Availability:

The full logo is seen on Eureeka's Castle, and the first seasons of both Welcome Freshmen and Get The Picture.
The short version without the Slime Geyser shot is seen on the first seasons of both Clarissa Explains It All and Hi Honey, I'm Home!, as well as later Season 1 episodes of Get The Picture.
- The short version was also used on 2011-2015 broadcasts of seasons 2-5 of All That on TeenNick's The 90's Are All That block, plastering over the 1994 version of the 5th logo on season 2 and the 1994 and 1996 Nickelodeon Productions logos on seasons 2 through 5.
The overcast variant is seen on later 1991 episodes of Eureeka's Castle and also on Hi Honey, I'm Home!.

4th Logo (October 1991-August 17, 2004)

Visuals: Similar to the last logo, except it's animated. There is a realistic coloring of a side view of the front of Nickelodeon Studios (that looks like it was done with a different-colored pencil), including the Slime Geyser. Around the building, there is a hot pink line. The sequence then fades to a front view of the building, with the Universal Studios globe visible next to it. The entire picture "wiggles" throughout.

Trivia: This is the only logo that is animated as opposed to using live action footage.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: Same as the first three logos.

Audio Variants:

On later Russian airings of Noah Knows Best, a voiceover says the monologue in Russian.
- On a Russian airing of an episode, there is no announcer, leaving just the end theme.
Sometimes on Gullah Gullah Island, there is no music.
On Roundhouse, a child giggles after the ending monologue. On most episodes, someone says "Shut up!"
On Weinerville, a "Woo!" can be heard near the end.

Availability:

Seen on almost any show recorded from Nickelodeon Studios from 1991 until 2004 such as Nick Arcade, What Would You Do?, GUTS, and Nickelodeon Splat!, among others.
Despite the Universal globe being updated in 1998, this logo remained in use until 2004, also possibly due to the Universal globe being moved to a different area to accommodate Universal Studios Florida's CityWalk expansion.

5th Logo (May 9, 1992-December 27, 1997)

Visuals: On a sunny day, the camera zooms to the studio sign on top center of the building before cutting to the scene with Nickelodeon Studios and the Universal globe.

Variants:

Starting in 1994, the zooming shot is replaced with a new shot taken from the perspective of a park guest approaching the main building on foot before cutting to the Universal globe shot.
One version seen on season 2 of What Would You Do? and the pilot episode of All That has the shot of the kids running towards the building from the overcast variant of the 3rd logo, before it fades to the globe shot.
On a season one episode of All That and Double Dare: Super Sloppiest Moments, there’s a short version with just the shot of the Universal Globe.
An extended version of the zoom-in towards the building which starts further out can be found on an rare Nickelodeon promo. The only known use of it was during the ‘Greetings from Nickelodeon Studios’ block on The Splat.

Technique: Same as the first logo.

Audio: Same as the first four logos.

Availability:

The first variant debuted on season 3 of Welcome Freshmen and later is seen on My Brother & Me, Allegra's Window, Nickelodeon's All Star Challenge and Legends of the Hidden Temple.
The second variant was seen on the first two seasons of both All That and Kenan & Kel.
Starting in 1997, all shows taped at Nickelodeon Studios use the previous logo instead.

Final Note: Due to lack of talent in the area and Nickelodeon’s shift from game-shows to closed-set productions, Nickelodeon Studios closed on April 30, 2005. The last program to use the studio was Nickelodeon SPLAT! in August of 2004.