Tempo Video

Credits

Editions by
Michael Kenchington and Trevor807

Video captures courtesy of
dylan fagan

History

Tempo Video was originally formed as the children's home video division of MSD Video in 1986, later transferring over to WM Collins Video in 1989, and then being purchased by Anne and Ian Miles' Abbey Home Entertainment in 1990. The "Tempo" brand was expanded within the use of Abbey's products, including a pre-school label - Tempo Pre-School, and music labels such as Tempo Music.

The name was officially retired in 2000 after Just Entertainment's purchase of Abbey, but still appeared on some occasional releases until around 2003. After Just's bankruptcy and the formation of Abbey Home Media, they began solely using the "Tempo" banner for their older children's releases.

Logo (1986-2003)

Visuals:

• 1986-1990: On a white background, a blue striped line grows and a V of the same font with extended tops is wiped in, forming "TV". The letters "empo" and "ideo" wipe into the screen in a Helvetica font after the T and V respectively. "Children's Stories" in the ITC Souvenir font then fades into view.
• 1990-2003: On a white background is the Abbey Home Entertainment logo spinning towards the viewer. After the AHE logo flies to the upper left of the screen, the same animation from the previous logo, both albeit light blue and sans the "Children's Stories" text below, occurs.

Variants:

• On the VHS and DVD releases of The New Adventures of Mona the Vampire and the VHS release of Mona the Vampire: The Book of the Slimey, respectively, the logo is still.
• Another variant seen on Preschool Funtime where the music starts after the AHE logo spins in.
• On the 1996 UK VHS release of Play Time from PolyGram Video, after the letters "empo" and "ideo" wipe into the screen in a Helvetica font after the T and V respectively, the 1990 version of the logo fades into the 1991 Tempo Pre-School logo.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio:

• 1986-1990: The logo begins with a string-like synth drone. A descending piano sting plays when the words wipe in, and a high pitched sawtooth sting plays when "Children's Stories" fades into view. The drone continues until the logo begins to fade out.
• 1990-2000: The ending of "Cops on a Bike" by Paul Keogh, with the rest of the logo being silent.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, it's silent for the 1986 version.
• Starting in 1994, chimes sound when the Tempo Video logo wipes in.
• On the DVD release of Read Along with Postman Pat, the music from the first Just Entertainment logo plays simultaneously with the music from this one.

Availability: Appears on several Tempo Video VHS releases and even a few DVD releases.

• The 1986 version appears on Tempo Video releases under MSD Video and Wm. Collins/Collins Video such as The Adventures of Spot, My Little Pony and Huxley Pig, among others.
  • The 1986 version also appears on the 1987 UK VHS releases of Happy Ending Stories: Vol. 1, Action Force: Captives of Cobra/Eau De Cobra and Inhumanoids: The Evil That Lies Within, the 1988 UK VHS releases of Action Force International Heroes: The Movie, Starcom: 3 Episodes, Children's Cartoon Favourites, My Little Pony: The Glass Princess/A Little Piece of Magic, Sparky's Magic Piano, Glo Friends: Two Of A Kind, M.A.S.K. The Movie, The New Adventures Of Care Bears: The Gift of Caring, Transformers: Head Masters, Transformers: Dark Awakening/Grimlock's New Brain, The New Adventures of SuperTed, and Jem: Two Great Rock 'N' Roll Adventures, the 1989 UK VHS releases of Babar: Babar's First Step, Mad Scientist, Introducing Diplodo, Maple Town: Welcome to Maple Town, The Action Adventure Collection 2, Action Force: The Most Dangerous Thing in the World, M.A.S.K.: The Movie 2, Potato Head Kids: A Sack Full of Fun, The New Adventures Of Care Bears: Over The Rainbow, The New Archies: Happy Days Are Here Again, Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World, Transformers: The Big Broadcast Of 2006/Fight Or Flee, Cops 2 and The Herbs: Four Stories From The TV Series, and the 1990 UK VHS release of Video Treats for Toddlers, respectively.
• The 1990 version appears on Abbey Home Entertainment Tempo Video releases, such as Anytime Tales, Bump, Fun Song Factory, The Adventures of Spot, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Biker Mice from Mars, Rupert, Paddington Bear, Huxley Pig, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and James Bond Jr., among many others.
  • The 1990 version also appears on the 1990 UK VHS releases of Sylvanian Families: The Bumper Video, Babar: The Movie, Babar: Babar Returns, School Zone: Small Letters & Numbers, Transformers: Cosmic Rust/Masquerade, Roald Dahl: The Enormous Crocodile and Santa's Pocket Watch, the 1991 UK VHS releases of Sylvanian Families: There's No Place Like Home, Transformers: The Nightmare Planet, Bedtime Stories: Care Bears & Babar, Pre-School Favourites, Britannica's Tales: Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast, Rod 'n' Emu: Pure Magnetism, Fairy Tale Classics: Little Mermaid/Little Red Riding Hood, Maxie's World, G.I. Joe: The Action Force: Joe's Night Out, Anytime Tales: I Want a Cat and Other Stories and Heathcliff And Cats And Company: Xmas Memories, and the 1991 UK VHS re-release of Babar and Father Christmas, the 1992 UK VHS releases of Fun at the Seaside and One Two Buckle My Shoe and Other Favourite Rhymes, the 1993 UK VHS releases of The Biggest Ever Saturday Morning Heroes and The Biggest Ever Christmas Video, the 1994 UK VHS releases of The Biggest Ever Video Nursery Rhymes and Stories, the 1995 UK VHS releases of A Day Full of Animals & Songs and The Adventures Of Pocahontas: Indian Princess, the 1996 UK VHS releases of Action Man: Vol. 1: Explosive Situation, Action Man: Vol. 2: X-Treme Action, Action Man: Vol. 3: R.A.I.D. and Action Man: Vol. 4: We Come In Peace, the 1997 UK VHS release of An Audience With Sooty, the 1998 UK VHS releases of More Adventures at the Faraway Tree and The Adventures Of The Wishing Chair, and the 2000 UK VHS releases of Silent Night: The Story Of The First Christmas and Rupert and the Song Snatcher and Other Stories, respectively.
  • The 1990 version also appears at the start of the 1996 UK VHS release of Play Time from PolyGram Video.
  • The 1990 version also appears at the start and end of the 1997 UK VHS release of The Magic Of The Faraway Tree.
  • The 1990 version of this logo also strangely does not appear on the 1991 UK VHS release of The New Adventures of Fantastic Max: Movie Star Max for unknown reasons.
• The 1990 variant also makes several surprise appearances during the Just Entertainment and Abbey Home Media eras:
  • It appears on the Just Entertainment DVD print of Read Along with Postman Pat.
  • It also appears at the end of the 2003 UK DVD release of Mr. Men: The Great Alphabet Hunt, due to the DVD using a transfer from a late-1990s era VHS print.
  • It also appears as a still logo on the Mona the Vampire VHS releases of "The New Adventures of Mona the Vampire" and "The Book of the Slimey" instead of the Tempo logo, and although the DVD print of the former retains it, the latter doesn't.
  • It also makes a surprise appearance on the Butt-Ugly Martians VHS "Emperor Damage".
  • It also appears on the DVD release of Four Enchanting Stories by Roald Dahl from Universal Pictures Video, tacked to the beginning of all four shorts on it, as they were all transfers from their VHS counterparts.