Tatsunoko Production

Background

Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio and rights company founded in October 1962 by manga author and animator Tatsuo Yoshida alongside his brothers Kenji Yoshida and Ippei Kuri. Following his death in 1977, Kenji took over the studio and later in 1987 by Kuri. In 2005, toy company Takara purchased a 88% stake in Tatsunoko, making the studio a subsidiary of Takara until it merged with Tomy a year later. In 2010, Production I.G acquired 11.2 of the company's shares. In 2013, Horipro purchased 13.5% of the company's shares and renamed its Japanese name to TatsunokoPro (タツノコプロ). The following year, Nippon Television purchased 54.3% of Tatsunoko's shares from Tomy, making the studio a subsidiary of NTV. In 2019, Tatsunoko introduced the Bakken Record label meant for several productions.

The studio is best known for a number of works including Speed Racer, The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee/Honeybee Hutch, Time Bokan, The Littl' Bits, Mokku of the Oak Tree/Pinocchio: The Series, The Genie Family/Bob in a Bottle, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Samurai Pizza Cats among many others.

"Tatsunoko" has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu no ko" ("Child of Tatsu", Tatsu being the nickname for founder Tatsuo Yoshida) and "Tatsuno" ("seahorse"), the seahorse that became its logo.

Animated Logos

Contents

1st Logo (1990-1996)	2nd Logo (1996-2006)	3rd Logo (2006-2017)	4th Logo (December 11, 2008-February 4, 2010)	5th Logo (July 31, 2010)	6th Logo (May 31-October 19, 2012)	7th Logo (February 24, 2018)

In-Credit Logos

Contents

1st Logo (October 2, 1968-September 25, 1973)	2nd Logo (January 2, 1973-)

Animated Logos

1st Logo (1990-1996)

Visuals: Against a circle hole, there is a blue background with a seahorse hopping to the left. The hole slides on the right to reveal a line of seahorses doing the same action, while the circle moves gradually on the left. The first animal turns left and changes its color to white before the eye in the Tatsunoko symbol forms looking at the left and right before zooming out, revealing the symbol itself as it places itself on the right before fading to black.

Technique: Traditional cel animation.

Audio: Some hopping sounds, cartoon-like ding sounds and a warp-like note.

Availability: Seen on Japanese video releases of Tatsunoko's works during the early 1990s, such as Tekkaman: The Space Knight as well as later TV airings of the studio's works on broadcast television and cable such as Speed Racer.

2nd Logo (1996-2006)

Visuals: On an underwater beach background, there is the Tatsunoko symbol in golden as it floats down. The seahorse later shines and swims while later dropping into the sand surface as it bounces. After that, the seahorse disappears before bubbles appear from the bottom of the screen and the 1973 Tatsunoko logo, consisting of the seahorse and the text "タツノコプロ" in a cubic font appears as it dashes from the right. The background then changes into black as the logo remains in its sea background before fading to black.

Variant: On volume one of New Hurricane Polymar, the animation is shortened.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A light electronic-synth theme with shining sounds for the seahorse and a six-note light ding jingle.

Availability: Seen on Japanese video releases of Tasunoko's works from that time such as New Hurricane Polymar and Generator Gawl.

3rd Logo (2006-2017)

Visuals: On a starry sky, the camera zooms out to reveal the moon. The planet brights and reveals the seahorse symbol as it dances and skates around a lagoon with stars and light streaks before disappearing. After that, the sparks form the Tatsunoko Production logo before the background fades to navy blue.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A gentle electronic jingle with some xylophones notes.

Availability: Seen on newer Japanese video releases of Tatsunoko's works, such as Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Speed Racer, Time Bokan among others.

4th Logo (December 11, 2008-February 4, 2010)

Visuals: On a black background, there is the 1973 Tatsunoko Production logo with the seahorse symbol on the right and the wordmark on the left in white as it fades in for a few seconds before fading out.

Variant: On international versions of Ultimate All-Stars the English logo, consisting of the words "TASUNOKO PRODUCTION" in bold and the words "Since 1962" in italics with the seahorse symbol on the left is used in place of the Japanese one.

Technique: A still digital graphic.

Audio: Silent.

Availability: Seen on Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes and its followup, Ultimate All-Stars.

5th Logo (July 31, 2010)

Visuals: On a light dark cyan background, there is a silhouette of the nose of Odate Pig/Odate Buta from the Time Bokan franchise. The nose later turns into the seahorse symbol which later winks and looks at the camera before transitioning into a magenta background with the symbol zoomed in. Four black stacked cubes later appear: with the word "タツノコ" being placed into the four cubes in white, red, purple and yellow respectively. Two small cubes appear as they come out of the letter "コ" being "プ" in green and "ロ" in blue respectively. After that, the background fades to black while Tatsunoko's website (tatsunoko.co.jp) in white appears in the middle.

Technique: A mix of CGI and digital traditional animation.

Audio: The opening theme of the film.

Availability: Seen on Hutch the Honeybee: Melody of Courage.

6th Logo (May 31-October 19, 2012)

Visuals: On a black background there is the eye from the seahorse symbol as it rotates to the left. The symbol later zooms out as it later spits to reveal a "5" while the seahorse's body is stored on its back. After that the Tatsunoko "50th" symbols moves to the left like an engine, while the "5" projects images from many of the studio's works. The projector later zooms to reveal the rest of the mosaic before the symbol zooms out on a white background. The seahorse head later shoots confetti before turning gold, thus forming the symbol with the 1972 Tatsunoko wordmark being placed on the bottom left.

Technique: Digital traditional animation.

Audio: A bombastic note with motor sounds and xylophone tunes, ending with a big-bang like sound with confetti sounds.

Availability: First seen on a trailer for Devander and eventually appeared on the short itself. It was also seen on Japanese Blu-ray releases of the studio's works from that time such as Speed Racer.

7th Logo (February 24, 2018)

Visuals: On a black background, the seahorse symbol is shown aligned to the right with a texture of scattered RYB colored clays. On the left is the number "55th" in Times New Roman above, and "Tatsunoko Production" in a cursive-style font stacked on top of each underneath the latter.

Technique: A still digital graphic.

Audio: Silent.

Availability: Seen only on Infini-T Force the Movie: Farewell Gatchaman My Friend.

In-Credit Logos

1st Logo (October 2, 1968-September 25, 1973)

Visuals: Superimposed on the show's opening and/or ending theme is the text "タツノコプロ" (with the first word, "タツノコ" being larger and the last one being smaller) in a cubic and italics font with the seahorse on the left and Tatsuo Yoshida's name (吉田竜夫) above the wordmark, usually in white.

Variant: On the opening sequences to The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee/Honeybee Hutch and Mokku of the Oak Tree/Pinocchio: The Series respectively, the seahorse spits out the wordmark, albeit by forming from the right or on the latter, from downwards.

Technique: A superimposed hand-painted graphic.

Audio: The opening or closing theme of the show.

Availability: Can be seen on Tatsunoko's works from that period, such as Judo Boy, The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee among others. This was last seen on Dementan Croaker, The Boy Frog, despite the opening theme song using the second logo.

2nd Logo (January 2, 1973-)

Visuals: Superimposed on the show's opening and/or ending sequence is the 1973 Tatsunoko Production symbol, which consists of the word "タツノコプロ" in a cubic font with rounded edges on the outside of the letters and the seahorse symbol on the left, usually in white or retaining its usual black color.

Variants:

From 1973 to mid-1974, the transitional variant was used: the words "タツノコ" are bigger while Tatsuo Yoshida's name (吉田竜夫) appears at the top. This was seen on Dementan Croaker, The Boy Frog and early episodes of Casshan.
On Dementan Croaker: The Boy Frog/The Adventures on Rainbow Pond, Casshan, Time Bokan, The Song of Tentomushi and The New Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, the seahorse symbol appears hopping for a bit from the right as it spits a droplet that turns into the Tatsunoko Production wordmark before moving to the left, but the symbol doesn't turn to that direction on some episodes of Dementan Croaker.
On the American adaptation of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman titled Battle of the Planets, it features the English translation of the company above, with the symbol below.
- On some episodes, the symbol is shown only, aligned to the middle and adjusted slightly big.
At the end of the opening sequences to Muteking: The Dashing Warrior, Yattodettaman and Dash Kappei, the seahorse spits both the Tatsunoko Production wordmark and the 1957 Fuji TV wordmark (albeit both appearing from the right) before the symbol moves to the left, but on the latter, the seahorse is colored in green.
On Once Upon a Time... Man, the symbol and its wordmark are enclosed in a badge with the words "TATSUNOKO PRODUCTION" on the right.
On most shows, such as Superbook and Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato, the seahorse is removed.
On Akubi Girl and Mach Girl, the seahorse slides from the left and spits out the wordmark before moving to the right.
International prints of the studio's titles, such as Yatterman (2008) use the 1970s-2013 English logo, consisting of the seahorse symbol with the words "TATSUNOKO PRODUCTION" in bold and "Since 1962" in italics at the bottom.
In 2012, the studio celebrated its 50th anniversary with a commemorative logo, which consisted of the number 50 in gold, with the "0" being shaped in the seahorse's head and the wordmark located on the bottom. This was seen on 2012 episodes of Sket Dance, Gatchaman Crowds, and Gatchaman Crowds: Embrace.
Beginning in 2014, the seahorse and wordmark were modernized. This was first seen in Gatchaman Crowds Insight.
In 2023, the studio commemorated its 60th anniversary with a commemorative logo, which featured the seahorse, with a red number 60 in the middle. This was only seen on The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Northern War and on To Every You I've Loved Before respectively, with the latter having the logo without the wordmark and with the studio's English name being placed at the bottom.

Technique: A superimposed hand-painted and later, digital graphic.

Audio: The opening or closing theme of the show.

Availability: Can be seen on Tatsunoko's works beginning with Dementan Croaker, The Boy Frog/The Adventures on Rainbow Pond, however said show used the previous logo on the closing credits. The North American DVD release of Samurai Pizza Cats has this cut in the intro and ending, but is intact in the original Japanese prints as well as bonus content on the North American DVD release.

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