The Curiosity Company

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

Background

The Curiosity Company was founded on April 21, 1997 by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, known for producing the animated series Futurama and the Christmas special Olive the Other Reindeer. The company didn't use a logo until 1999. In 2018, it changed its name to The Ululu Company.

Logo (March 28, 1999-September 4, 2013, July 24, 2023-)


Visuals: Against a black background is the silver flickering words "THE CURIOSITY COMPANY" (set in Copperplate Gothic) arranged in three lines on a brown square. Above it is a reddish distorted image (some variation of footage of water rippling) which differs depending on the episode. The "O" in "CURIOSITY" has a dot in it (a la the HBO logo).

Distorted Images: There are various distorted images that appear within the logo. These include:

  • Wavy lines.
  • Waves washing ashore.
  • A "C" shape made from a distorted surfboard reflection. There are two versions of this distorted image; the first version has the "C" shape be fully red, while the second has the shape in red with a white copy on it.
  • An alternate version of the above distorted image in which the surfboard "C" shape appears to move down, with copies connecting them.

Trivia: The water rippling footage (and the accompanying audio) is taken from a short film named A Study in Wet, made by Homer Groening, Matt Groening's father.

Variants:

  • On the first three episodes, all the direct-to-video movies, and every episode of Futurama starting with "Rebirth", the words "in association with" are shown below the logo.
  • Starting with the episode "The Impossible Stream", the water footage appears to be remastered and also has a more bluish tint.
  • There's also a still and credit-compressed version of airings of Futurama on Comedy Central.

Technique: Live-action footage from A Study in Wet.

Audio: A heavily distorted rippling sound or a heavily distorted sound of waves washing ashore, depending on the episode. These sounds are also from A Study in Wet.

Audio Variants:

  • On the Futurama episode "A Taste of Freedom", Bender (voiced by John DiMaggio) is heard saying "Freedom!" after the final rippling sound.
  • On the Futurama episode "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on T.V.", Hypnotoad's signature noise is heard instead.
  • On digital prints of the first two episodes of season 1 of Futurama, the logo is silent.
  • Fox airings of season 5 of Futurama (starting in 2002) used a generic theme.

Availability:

  • Appears on Futurama and Olive the Other Reindeer, both of which appear on VHS and DVD releases.
  • This logo also doesn't appear on The Simpsons.
  • Despite the company renaming, this logo was revived for the former when it came back in 2023.

Legacy: A well-known logo among fans of Futurama.

The Curiosity Company
The Ululu Company ►
Retrieved from "https://www.avid.wiki/The_Curiosity_Company?oldid=943991"
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.
More information