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

Visuals: There are 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. There is the same tablet from before, but this time "A production from" is seen above the tablet.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: 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)

Visuals: 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: In season 1 of Finger Tips, the background's colors 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: A still graphic image.

Audio: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears in Seasons 1-4 of Finger Tips.

3rd Logo (September 27, 2002-December 15, 2006)

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

Technique: A still graphic image.

Audio: The ending theme.

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

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

Visuals: On the same background as the Tricky TV logo, there are the words "The FOUNDATION" styled after the logo itself.

Technique: A still graphic image.

Audio: The ending theme.

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

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

Visuals: On the same background as the Finders Keepers logo, there are the words "THE FOUNDATION" styled after the logo itself.

Technique: A still graphic image.

Audio: 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)

Visuals: On a white background, there is the purple word "the" with "foundation" below, in white on a purple rectangle. A byline can be seen underneath.

Bylines:

2007-2010: "part of the rdf media group"
2010-2012: "part of zodiak media group"
2012-2016: "a zodiak media company"

Variant: The logo could be also in-credit.

Technique: A still graphic image.

Audio: The ending theme.

Availability: Appears on the final season of The Basil Brush Show, Basil and Barney's Swap Shop and its shortened version Basil's Game Show, Big Barn Farm, Dani's House and its sequel, Dani's Castle (later renamed as Rich, Jimmy & Kait's Castle, after Dani Harmer's exit for the show), season 5 of Finger Tips, Escape from Scorpion Island (starting with season 2), Waybuloo, Mister Maker (starting with season 2), and its spin-offs, Mister Maker Comes to Town and Mister Maker Around the World, the third season of Tricky TV, Let's Play, season 1 of Secret Life of Boys, among other shows.

The Foundation

Zodiak Kids

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