Rede Tupi

Background

Rede Tupi was the first TV network in South America, that launched on September 18, 1950, and ended transmissions on July 18, 1980. It has been called to be the predecessor of Rede Manchete.

1st Logo (September 18, 1950-1960?)

Nicknames: "The Test Screen Faces", "Mascots"

Logo: We see a test screen, with an Indian head on top of it. We then see a character with a hat with TV antennae atop it. The face rotates and winks. There is a circling transition to a female face with the same antenna hat as the previously mentioned character but is interrupted by the channel's logo appearing.

Trivia: The first character seen was actually the mascot of the channel. The second character was the mascot for TV Cultura.

FX/SFX: The faces on the test cards. Cartoon-esque animation.

Music/Sounds: An overly dramatic fanfare.

Availability: Extinct. Only used as a station ID.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1960?-1966?)

Logo: Either the following on a white background:

The head of the mascot of Rede Tupi.
A "4" with the words "tv tupi ● canal 4"

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The mascot version had the same music from before. The 4 versions had a cheerful tune, followed by a bombastic orchestral piece.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (1966?-1972)

Logo: We see a circle with the number 4 inside it, which then forms a TV antenna, which forms to a boy who dances as his clothes change. When we see him with a top hat and a suit, there is a light beside him as he throws his hat away. The boy then sits down and plays the piano as the word "VARIG" appears on screen at the timing of the boy playing chords on the piano.

FX/SFX: Cartoon animation.

Music/Sounds: TBA

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (March 31, 1972-May 2, 1977, August 1, 1977-May 21, 1979)

Logo: On a black background various spherical spinning patterns zoom out, as white squiggly lines zoom in as the text "REDE TUPI DE TELEVISAO" scrolls in. The spherical patterns zoom out to take place of the balls of the logo. These later turn into the corresponding ball's colors (green, red and blue), and the background turns white with the logo completely formed.

Variant: Sometimes, the transition to the white background is omitted, leaving the logo animation of the spheres playing as a loop.

FX/SFX: The spherical patterns spinning zooming out, the logo zooming in, the text scrolling in. The whole animation screams 70's, and it makes little sense.

Music/Sounds: A fanfare with flutes and glockenspiels followed by an announcer that says "Este programa da Rede Tupi de televisão foi aprovado e liberado pelo serviço de censura federal para ser exibido neste horário" (This Rede Tupi television program has been approved and released by the Federal Television Service to be displayed at this time).

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (1972-1973?)

Logo: On a black background, we see two white lines with the three colored balls from before in between. The lines then twist into the squiggly forms of the logo, to form the result.

Variants:

There was a white version of the logo.
A version of the variant above but with a blue background exists.

FX/SFX: Limited animation. None for the white and blue variants.

Music/Sounds: A weird theme.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: The combination of the dark limited animation and weird music may not be well for some.

6th Logo (1977)

Logo: The same channel logo from before appear on a black screen, but eventually is covered by several green parallel lines, these lines shrink to appear at the same size as the logo, and separates (but inside the logo ovals the lines are retained). The lines reappear in the same position and separate again, as the lines that appear inside the ovals get bigger, and are colored in the same color as the balls that appeared before in the ovals (green, red, and blue). The ovals collide and form an explosion, will reveal a hexagon with some green lines in it. The hexagon moves away and returns, and several lines appear from every side of the hexagon (forming a pinwheel-like shape) and some lines are shoot from. Finally, the words "REDE TUPI" appear zooming below.

Trivia: Originally, the channel, along with their change of programming, was also going to change the logo as seen in it. However, due to problems at the attempt of the rebrand, the new logo was abandoned, and instead, the older logo seen before would still be used.

FX/SFX: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A hip-pop fanfare.

Availability: Extinct. Only lasted some months before being replaced by the old channel logo.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo (1977-1979)

Logo: We see a yellow light on a red background that switches to a lit-up sign that says "REDE" in a wide bold font. The camera switches to "TUPI" in the same font as before, with another light. Finally, we see a sign that says "REDE TUPI" with lights around it. This cycle continues.

FX/SFX: The camera switching.

Music/Sounds: A five-note motif from Close Encounters of the Third Kind which is also heard in the 1983 Rede Manchete logo. It replays in a louder, lower pitch when the animation cycles.

Availability: See above.

Editor's Note: The very jarring cut to the logo with the weird music and fast animation might scare a handful of viewers.

8th Logo (1978-1979?)

Logo: Light beams start appearing in a space background, one is colored blue, another is colored red, and another colored green. These beams start moving and eventually shrinking, making it look like searchlights. Then these start placing in the middle of the screen, forming the same colored balls from before, and finally, the lines and the text "REDE TUPI DE TELEVISAO" flashes below.

FX/SFX: The searchlights, the text appearing.

Music/Sounds: A bouncy synth theme.

Availability: See above.

Editor's Note: None.

9th Logo (1978?)

Logo: A red line appears swirling through the screen, then another colored green appears moving in the same form but closer to the left, then another colored blue appears with the same movement but even closer to the left and smaller. The text "REDE TUPI" and the same squiggly lines appear over the lines. Finally, the lines start appearing quickly forming the circles one by one.

FX/SFX: The lines. Cheap animation.

Music/Sounds: TBA.

Availability: See above.

Editor's Note: None.

10th Logo (1979-1980)

Early version
Final version
Smaller version

Logo: We see three rounded quadrilaterals in the form of an abstract "T". One shape has a blue outline, one has a red outline and the other has a green outline. This "T" zooms out with a trail. The green shape zooms in from the right after a transition. There is another transition, which has the red and blue shapes zooming up from the bottom. The logo is now complete and faces the viewer with a generic flash.

Variant: The earliest version of the logo had the logo spinning out with a trail, and then flashing.

FX/SFX: The trailing. Somehow choppy Scanimation with many splices and hairs in the film.

Music/Sounds:

The early version used gloomy vibraphone arpeggios.
The first months of the full logo's lifetime used part of the first 20 seconds from George Benson's "Breezin", consisting of a repeating flute flourish.
Later, it used a dramatic synth theme with a drumbeat, with the first synth note being more longer. This became the main theme.
It also used a somber synth theme.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

11th Logo (1980)

In black-and-white
In color

Logo: We move through three outlined arrows, which are folded in the middle until we reach the Rede Tupi logo from the time, then we move away and an explosion appears, leaving some particles.

FX/SFX: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The last 5 seconds to The Capital of Power by Triumvirat.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

12th Logo (1980)

Logo: We see a white circle with a yellow dot inside, which appears blurring, then we skip to the parts of the same logo from before (but colored yellow, blue, and white) rotating to rearrange his original look, on a starry background. The logo shines.

FX/SFX: The circle, the logo itself.

Music/Sounds: A synth theme.

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: None.

13th Logo (July 18, 1980)

Logo: Just the Rede Tupi logo from before, but outlined. The logo is colored in light blue, yellow, and green (which are the colors of Brazil's flag). We see a message over the logo (which is not a part of the actual logo, but this is the only time in which anyone has seen any instance of it on the television station):

ATE BREVE
TELESPECTADORESAMIGOS

DA REDE TUPI

(See you soon, viewers. Friends at Rede Tupi). The text fades out, and the outline of the Rede Tupi logo stays on-screen before abruptly cutting to static.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The theme song to Victory of Seas, which is a dramatic orchestral piece.

Availability: Extinct. Was only seen on the day the network shut down.

Editor's Note: A heartwarming farewell and a nice way to end the company. However, the dark atmosphere and the static can be creepy to some.