History Main / VanityPlate

** A shot quickly revealing the Manhattan skyline at evening, then dissolving to the Miramax logo. Redesigned in 2009.

* '''Schneider's Bakery''' is the production studio of producer ''Creator/DanSchneider''. On the logo for his studio, a white oven against a green background opens up to reveal a lot of smoke and the text "Schneider's Bakery" in a retro-style orange font comes out.

** After Don Simpson's death from drug-related heart failure, the company was renamed to '''Jerry Bruckheimer Films''', we speed down a deserted road in a remote part of Oregon with thunderstorm clouds brewing above. As the camera encounters a leafless tree on the side of the road, lightning strikes it, forming leaves on it, as the footage freezes and zooms out in a box, revealing the company name.

* '''Belisarius Productions''': Creator/DonaldPBellisario's plate. Starts with a stone with sand on it, which blows off to reveal "BELISARIVS". The screen flashes several times, leaving us with "BELISARIUS PRODUCTIONS". Has been used in its original form for over 25 years without a UsefulNotes/HighDefinition upgrade, with the only real changes being that Creator/{{CBS}} tends to speed it up and drown out its original soundtrack with [[CreditsPushback generic jingles and promotional announcements]], and the image stretched out to fit the 16:9 screen.

** There are many different variants of the THX logo, but the most famous one that many people remember seeing at the start of several Disney, Sony and MGM movies on VHS is one where a blue rectangle fades on screen, then text about how the movie is digitally mastered appears, followed by the THX logo [[FadeIn fading in]] as well and shining. In theaters, the rectangle sequence is longer and "The Audience is Listening" is shown instead. On UsefulNotes/LaserDisc, a plaque under THX that reads [=LaserDisc=] and has an indent between Laser and Disc is attached.

** The logo originally showed a goofy animated donkey situated in the "O" of the title and yelling “hee haw!” But a later version plays a few notes from "La Cucaracha" as the donkey jumps down into the hole of the “O” and yells “Yokozuna!” In a later season of ''The Man Show'', Jimmy and Adam introduced an idea concocted by one of their friends: sitting on the face of a sleeping buddy, giving him the rudest of awakenings. The friend who did that screamed “Yokozuna!” as he made the face-plant, thus coining the name.

** The final version had the letters [=ITC=], rendered in gold, slide into place on a back background one at a time from behind a revised stacked-diamond logo that spun in place until the C stopped. The music was simplified, reduced to a short synthesized piece ending with a "CLANG!".
* '''Jackhole Productions:''' Founded by Jimmy Kimmel, Creator/AdamCarolla and Daniel Kellison. Producers of ''Series/TheManShow'', ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'', ''Series/TheAndyMilonakisShow'' and ''Series/CrankYankers'', among others.
** The logo originally showed a goofy animated donkey situated in the "O" of the title and yelling "hee haw!" but later version played a few notes from "La Cucaracha" as the donkey jumped down into the crook of the "J" and yelled "Yokozuna!" In a later season of ''The Man Show'', Jimmy and Adam introduced an idea concocted by one of their friends: sitting on the face of a sleeping buddy, giving him the rudest of awakenings. The friend who did that screamed "Yokozuna!" as he made the face-plant, thus coining the name.
** In closing for ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'', the donkey was branded on the butt, causing it to jump into the O before falling with the letter around his neck, then it brays.

*** In 1986, the "Neon Mickey" logo was replaced with the Sorcerer Mickey logo. This logo[[note]]Animated by animatronic and StopMotion artist Hal Miles of ''Film/Terminator2JudgementDay'', ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' and ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie''[[/note]] opens with an image of Sorcerer Mickey like on the cases and labels of non-Classics titles appearing and a low tuba synth playing. The camera moves toward his left hand, which has a small spark getting ready to erupt, and eventually, it does, and begins spelling out Walt Disney in the red corporate font as Mickey disappears offscreen to the left. As the signature nears completion, the words "Home Video" in a different font from before (but still the color red) zooms out from the camera and settles under the signature, which then glows and flashes (some tapes also have the word "presents" appear under the logo); a very small jingle that has a hint of the "Walt Disney And You" theme plays across this logo. This is the same color logo from the covers of the Neon Mickey tapes and the Disney logo in the Classics diamond.

*** In 1986, the "Neon Mickey" logo was replaced with the Sorcerer Mickey logo. This logo opens with an image of Sorcerer Mickey like on the cases and labels of non-Classics titles appearing and a low tuba synth playing. The camera moves toward his left hand, which has a small spark getting ready to erupt, and eventually, it does, and begins spelling out Walt Disney in the red corporate font as Mickey disappears offscreen to the left. As the signature nears completion, the words "Home Video" in a different font from before (but still the color red) zooms out from the camera and settles under the signature, which then glows and flashes (some tapes also have the word "presents" appear under the logo); a very small jingle that has a hint of the "Walt Disney And You" theme plays across this logo. This is the same color logo from the covers of the Neon Mickey tapes and the Disney logo in the Classics diamond.

* Creator/{{Sega}} had a different version in ''nearly every'' UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis game. Of particular note are the Sega vanity plates from the main UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games. Originally, ''Sonic 1'' was to have a sound test screen featuring an anthropomorphic band and detailed animations; when this was scrapped, the developers decided to fill up the remaining space in the ROM by digitizing the two-note "Se-ga!" jingle from the contemporary Japanese commercials and adding it to the vanity plate. They managed to get the sound to a reasonable quality and threw it in there, and every other main-series Genesis Sonic game had the same jingle in it. It was also present in an earlier version of ''Sonic 3D Blast/Flickies' Island'', but was replaced by the US commercials' "SEGA!" scream in the final product.\\

** In the mid-2000s (around the start of the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames seventh console generation]]) EA started using [[LogoJoke unique variants of the main logo based on the theme of every game]] under the main label (later including its EA Sports and EA Originals titles in this as well). The company revived use of its longform name, Electronic Arts, for many of its modern releases starting in 2020, after 17 years of almost exclusively referring to itself by its initials.

** On the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, Wolf Team switched to showing a much simpler trademark logo. The old musical theme was abandoned, though at first the "Wolf Team" text still scrolled up as before. Starting in 1991, both the logo and "Wolf Team" text were angularly stylized in red and black over a white background. On the UsefulNotes/SegaCD, this gradually evolved into a more elaborate sequence, with a voice (rumored to be Creator/GeorgeTakei's) saying, "Game Creative Staff: Wolf Team."

* '''Creator/{{Paramount}} Pictures''': A mountain surrounded by stars (usually 24, in reference to the number of big movie actors they had signed in UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood), also known as "Majestic Mountain" or "Paramountain". During the Gulf & Western era, the mountain [[FadeOut faded]] into a simplified dark-blue-and-white icon on a light blue background; this version of the logo was retired in 1987, replaced with an updated version of the "Majestic Mountain" which continued to be used following Viacom's acquisition of Paramount. The modern version usually features animated stars as they fly into the scene and take their place in formation around the mountain.

In {{anime}} series, the Vanity Plate appears before the beginning of the program, not after the end. There are frequently several of them, each from a different production company that collaborated in making the series. It is rare for the actual animation studio to display a Vanity Plate -- unlike in North America, the animation studios are separate companies from the production companies that put series together. Instead, the studio will have its logo discreetly included in the ending credits. (Notable exceptions: Creator/StudioGhibli, whose Vanity Plate features one of their best-known characters, [[Anime/MyNeighborTotoro Totoro]], and Creator/ToeiAnimation, which usually involve their mascof Pero.)

** 1979 saw the introduction of the famous "Swirling Star" logo designed by Saul Bass, basically SpectacularSpinning: The Vanity Plate. A white star spins into view leaving a rainbow trail behind, then stops in the middle with its trail forming a neat circle; futuristic synthesized music accompanies the action. It was redesigned in 1986 with CGI with a metallic star and a shinier, looser trail which produced a less symmetric end result. It was last used generally in 1992, but it accidentally appeared on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' in 1997 and was revived for ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' in 1998, then replaced by the Cartoon Network pencil test when H-B closed for good and production moved to CN's Burbank studios. A variant of the "Swirling Star" design without the rainbow coloration was also used as a logo for Taft International Pictures from 1981-87.

* ''Ocean Software'', for most of its history, did nothing fancy with its corporate logo. However, an animated vanity plate used in their UsefulNotes/PlayStation releases showed the Ocean logo underwater with a dolphin swimming across in front of it, turning in the middle to mug for the camera.

* '''Creator/{{Paramount}} Pictures''': A mountain surrounded by stars (usually 24, in reference to the number of big movie actors they had signed in UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood), also known as "Majestic Mountain" or "Paramountain". During the Gulf & Western era, the mountain [[FadeOut faded]] into a simplified dark-blue-and-white icon on a light blue background; this version of the logo was retired in 1987, replaced with an updated version of the "Majestic Mountain" which continued to be used following Viacom's acquisition of Paramount. The modern version usually features animated stars as they fly into the scene, complete with MidflightWaterTouching, and take their place in formation around the mountain.

** When he died, ''Series/{{Castle}}'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W64Ulmc0cqs paid him tribute]].

* '''Creator/VIZMedia''' has two: One, used throughout the '80's and '90's when it was just a distributor for other companies' shows and anime (see any opening for a ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' VHS), that had a gold, CGI brick swirling against a a starry backdrop with ominous music playing in the background until the brick stopped spinning and broke apart with an almighty crash as the individual plates that made the brick flew across the screen and formed the gold "V". Its modern logo is the words "Viz" colliding with a red block, which causes the red block to spin around, while traditional Japanese woodwinds play in the background until the logo freezes and the word "Media" fades right underneath "VIZ".

* '''John Charles Walters Company''': Founded by former MTM writers, this company's only product of note was the sitcom ''Series/{{Taxi}}''. "Walters" didn't actually exist,[[note]]The "Charles Walters" name was a LineOfSightName, with "John" tacked on because a Charles Walters existed in real life[[/note]] but the plate shows the back of a man (portrayed by series producer Eb. Weinberger) leaving his office for the night. His off-screen female secretary cheerfully says "Goodnight, Mr. Walters!" and he just grunts in reply.

* '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRhPeN_FE7U Georgian Bay Ltd.]]''' was the vanity card behind ''{{Series/Webster}}'' on ABC and in syndication from 1983-89, in association with Creator/{{Paramount}} Television; it was also the vanity card of the married co-stars of that show, Alex Karras and Susan Clark. Specifically, the logo consisted of a circular image of a Canadian forest on a white background (Susan Clark is Canadian, from Ontario), with a white moon at the top left of it, two white trees to the right, and a hill of snow at the bottom; the Georgian Bay Ltd. name slid out from the right of that, with "In Association With" appearing at the bottom, which then gave way to the Blue Mtn. logo of Paramount Television. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnquDsPG5M In the fourth season]], the IAW line was removed from this, and moved to a co-vanity card, Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment Enterprises, Inc.; this would be used for that fourth season with the Blue Mtn. of Paramount Television, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgIVKM4UsdM and with the then-new CGI Mtn. in syndication from 1987-89]].

* '''DNA Productions''': Animators of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheAntBully''.

A short sequence played at the very end of a program's ClosingCredits to identify its production and/or distribution company. Commonly known as a "closing/production logo" and also variously called a "vanity card," "tag", "sign-off", "end board", or "end tag", this brief sequence displays the production and distribution company's trademark/logo. It can also occur at the beginning, which is usually done for films to the opening beats of the theme music or to its own theme. Ever-rising production costs have increased the number of collaborative efforts between studios in recent years, which has had the unfortunate side-effect of multiplying the number of vanity plates that open a film.

** It was updated through the years, with his Emmy and other awards added to his office among other things. In earlier versions he was [[SmokingIsCool smoking a pipe]]. You can see all but a couple of the versions [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEPf9BIf_hM&NR in this compilation]] video on Youtube.

* '''Central:''' Started off as in 1982 as a sphere which split open with a ray of light to resolve as a white ball with the left part shadowed in a crescent shape. Replaced with a different [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV1ooMptQWc "sphere"]] in 1983 with the crescent part of the sphere in the colours of the rainbow, sometimes referred to as "Moon". The well-loved amongst fans [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODtBOTkaEDs "Cake"]], an abstract version of "Sphere" with segments cut into the sphere, first appeared in promos and idents in the region in 1985, before replacing the sphere as an short-lived animated endcap, in proper vanity plate fashion in 1988.

** 1979 saw the introduction of the famous "Swirling Star" logo designed by Saul Bass, basically SpectacularSpinning: The Vanity Plate. A white star spins into view leaving a rainbow trail behind, then stops in the middle with its trail forming a neat circle; futuristic synthesized music accompanies the action. It was redesigned in 1986 with CGI with a metallic star and a shinier, looser trail which produced a less symmetric end result. It was last used generally in 1992, but it accidentally appeared on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' in 1997 and was revived for ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' in 1998, then replaced by the Cartoon Network pencil test when H-B closed for good and production moved to CN's Burbank studios. The "Swirling Star" design was also used as a logo for Taft Entertainment Pictures from 1981-87.

** At least once as a spoof on themselves they had the chimp say the "Hi! I'm Paul!" backwards.[[note]]Interestingly, this isn't the original clip reverse. Playing it "forwards" reveals that the voice clip was cobbled together using pieces of two separate takes.[[/note]]

** At least once as a spoof on themselves they had the chimp say the "Hi! I'm Paul!" backwards.