The Foundation

Background

The Foundation was an independent British children's television production company founded in 1994, based in London. In 2006, they were acquired by RDF Media, which itself was later acquired by Zodiak Media. Some time after, the company was merged into Zodiak Kids, along with Marathon Media and Tele Images Kids. The Zodiak Kids name is still used today, being the only division to retain the Zodiak name after they were acquired by Banijay.

1st Logo (Brilliant Creatures variant, June 4, 2001-2004)

Season 4 variant
Seasons 5-6 variant

Logo: We see two sides of a brick wall (the same one used in the show itself) closing over the footage of the show. On the screen we see a tablet of rock shaped into a rectangle. On the tablet is the words "THE" and "FOUNDATION" written in Times New Roman font. On the top is the text "A production from" in italics.

Later Variant: On the final 2 seasons of the show, we see the logo falling from the top of the screen. We see the same tablet from before, but this time "A production from" is seen above the tablet.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears on the last three seasons of Brilliant Creatures (the ones that feature Stephen Mulhern as co-presenter), which last aired on CITV in 2012.

2nd Logo (Finger Tips variant, September 3, 2001-2004)

Season 1 variant
Season 2-4 variant
Season 2-4 variant (International prints)

Logo: On the same background as the Finger Tips logo, we see the same tablet as before, but the company's name is in a different font, and is made to look more "realistic". On the top is the words "A PRODUCTION FROM" in a font similar to that of the logo for the show.

Early Variant: On Series 1 of Finger Tips, the colours of the background were different, as was the show's graphics altogether.

Variant: On international prints of the series, "Distributed by Entertainment Rights" is added to the bottom, alongside a copyright date.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears on the first four series of Finger Tips.

3rd Logo (27 September-20 December 2002)

Logo: Just the words "THE FOUNDATION" in white on a black background.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Seen on early episodes of The Basil Brush Show.

4th Logo (Tricky TV variant, 5 September 2005-2 June 2006)

Logo: On the same background as the Tricky TV logo, we see the words "The FOUNDATION" styled after the logo itself.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears on the first two seasons of Tricky TV.

5th Logo (Finders Keepers variant, 6 January-14 April 2006)

Logo: On the same background as the Finders Keepers logo, we see the words "The FOUNDATION" styled after the logo itself.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: It was seen on the short-lived revival of Finders Keepers, which last aired on CITV in 2010.

Legacy: Until May 2022, when episodes were uploaded to YouTube, the show, and this logo, were close to being lost media.

6th Logo (2007-2016)

Logo: On a white background, we see the word "the" in purple. Below this is "foundation" in white on a purple rectangle. The RDF Media Group byline is seen below.

Variants:

The byline was later changed to "part of zodiak media group" starting with Mister Maker Comes to Town in 2010, and was later changed again to "a zodiak media company" starting in 2012 with Let's Play.
There's an in-credit variant.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears on the final series of The Basil Brush Show, Basil and Barney's Swap Shop and it's shortened version Basil's Game Show, Big Barn Farm, Dani's House and it's sequel Dani's Castle, Series 5 of Finger Tips, Escape from Scorpion Island (beginning with Series 2), Waybuloo, Mister Maker (Beginning with Series 2), and it's spin-offs Mister Maker Comes to Town and Mister Maker Around the World, the third series of Tricky TV, Let's Play, Series 1 of Secret Life of Boys, among other shows.