Tell-Tale Productions

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Tell-Tale Productions is a British children's television production company founded in 1994 by Will Brenton and Iain Lachlan. In 2004, the company was acquired by Entertainment Rights where it was later absorbed into Classic Media which in turn was acquired by DreamWorks Animation in 2012. In 2006, Will Brenton and Iain Lauchlan re-formed Tell-Tale as Wish Films. Today, Tell-Tale's back catalogue library is owned by Classic Media (Universal Pictures) except for Tweenies, which is owned by BBC Studios instead.

1st Logo (January 5, 1996-1999)

Visuals: On a spotty white background (which is actually the same background for the Fun Song Factory credits), a cartoony black-and-white dog, with tiny eyes and a large snout, is seen poking out of a brown dog collar with gold spikes attached to it, while the leash is seen below in similar colours, forming a parody of the MGM logo. Below it, there is "Tell-Tale" in a jumbled cartoony font, and above and below it, "A" and "PRODUCTION" are seen in their respective locations. "PRODUCTION" is also bordered by lines.

Variant: On the GMTV series, the logo is smaller, surrounded by a blue gradient border. Sometimes, it swings in from the right side of the screen.

Technique: A still drawing.

Audio: The ending theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on Fun Song Factory, both its 1996 direct-to-video and 1998 GMTV incarnations.

2nd Logo (September 6, 1999-December 23, 2006)


Visuals: On a white background, a wide black ovoid seen, containing the text "Tell~tale" inside, with "~tale" seen in a curly font. Above, there is "A" with "Production" below the ovoid, both in Arial. At the bottom usually, a copyright date can be seen. To the right, a line squiggles the outline of a nose and mouth before curling up into a spiral-like eye, and a curve with lashes to represent a closed eye appears to the left., forming an abstract face.

Byline: Starting in 2004, a byline reading "A Division of Entertainment Rights Plc" can be seen, either in one line or stacked on top of itself.

Variants:

  • On most shows, the bottom text is altered to read "Production for", as well as featuring the company name/logo of their distributor.
  • On the Tweenies compilation VHS/DVD "Song Time!", the logo is much closer up than normal. The "A" and "production for" are also in a different font.
  • Starting in 2005, the text just says "Productions" at the bottom only.
  • On the 2004 revival of Fun Song Factory, the logo is still.
  • On Boo!, an animation of the titular character waving appears below the logo. Its actually the same animation used at the end of the credits, so it gives the illusion its appearing out of thin air.
  • On BB3B, Billy Bob, one of the main characters in the show, is shown smiling before briefly turning into a Sporg, a green tentacled alien, and screams at the camera before turning back to normal.

Technique: 2D computer animation. The Boo variant also uses cel-shaded CGI.

Audio: Usually the ending theme of the show or none.

Availability: It debuted on Tweenies, and is also seen on WOW! That's What I Call Nursery Rhymes and WOW! That's What I Call Christmas, Boo!, the 2004 Fun Song Factory revival, and BB3B, respectively.

Tell-Tale Productions
Wish Films
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.