PBS Kids/Summary

NOTE: This is a work in progress.

Background

PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is a programming block and serves as the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States, established as part of PBS' "Ready To Learn" Initiative. The block was launched as PTV on September 10, 1993 to repackage PBS' existing children's programming. The PTV brand was retired on September 5, 1999 and has been officially known as PBS Kids since September 6, 1999. The PBS Kids Channel was launched at the same time as the PBS Kids block and ran for six years and was largely funded by satellite TV provider DirecTV. The channel was shut down on September 26, 2005 and was replaced by PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids), which was developed in partnership with Comcast Corporation (who later bought full control of the network via NBCUniversal). PBS relaunched the PBS Kids Channel on January 16, 2017.

1st Logo (August 30, 1993-November 15, 1999)

Nicknames: "P-Pals", "E/I", "PBS Cartoon P-Pals", "PBS P-Pals", "This is! P-B-SSSSSS! Woo-hoo-hooooo!", "Cartoon PBS P-Head"

Logo: On a white background, some crudely drawn P-heads are seen (the first of which is named Pernell P-Pal), with Pernell wearing a red cap and an earring, singing "This is! P-B-SSSSSS!" while dancing. Near the end, Pernell ad-libs "Woo-hoo-hooooo!" a la Michael Jackson as his cap flies off. Then, the text "PBS" in its corporate font appears in black as the cap drops back on his head, and a red P-shaped dog (whose name is P-Pet) runs across the screen, barks, then walks away.

Trivia: The logo was designed and animated by Gene Mackles, who also created the P-Pals characters for the PBS Kids programming from the era. Pernell is also purple in this logo, whereas in other PTV promos, he's brown.

Variants:

• There is a variation where P-Pet gives the P-Pals a blue balloon with the text "e/i" (pronounced, ee-eye, and short for "Educational and Informative") on it in the Comic Sans font, which was added in 1997, a year after the 6th PBS ident debuted.
• Sometimes, the logo fades out after P-Pet barks.
• There is a variation where the camera quickly goes through a doorway on a black background and the three color-changing P-Pals are seen against the white background, with confetti falling from the top, and all three P-Pals yell "Surprise!" and cheer with loud party horns heard in the background. This was a very short-lived version and was usually played in-between shows as a promo.
• There is a long version of the "Surprise!" variant which first takes place on a black background. Then the door opens and one of the P-Pals peeks in. Then it peeks out and the door closes. Then P-Pet (from the standard version), walks through the screen and into the door. Then another P-Pal peeks in from the above and peeks out. Then the door opens and we proceed into the animation above.
• There is another variant of the long version where some kids say "The P-Pals are coming!" 8 times, then they say "Who are the P-Pals?" right before the door opens, then after the door opens and the P-Pals yell surprise they shout "The P-Pals are coming!" one last time, and then one of the kids says "Watch for them!"

FX/SFX: The P-Pals dancing, the cap flying off, and "PBS" fading in.

Music/Sounds: A techno-pop tune with Sega Genesis-esque drums and a bass. The "Surprise!" variation just has loud party horns and cheering, but the long version has giggling and a door creaking.

Availability: Scarce overall, rare on TV as a result of heavy plastering.

• It has a slim chance of appearing on PBS Kids shows from 1993-99 if your local PBS station is airing them, but is usually replaced with newer logos. So your best bets are PBS Home Video releases from the late Nineties, including Theodore Tugboat and Warner Home Video releases of Teletubbies tapes from 1999 before the logo was retired.
• The Paramount re-release of "Here Come the Teletubbies" and "Dance with the Teletubbies" on VHS (from 2002 and 2004, respectively) preserve this, while the DVD of the former has the 3rd logo instead.
• This can also be found on VHS releases of Zoom as well, including "Party with Zoom" and "The Making of Zoom".
• The original version of this logo is also preserved on some PolyGram Video releases of Wishbone episodes, including "Salty Dog" and "Terrified Terrier", though it's missing on "The Prince and the Pooch", "The Slobbery Hound", and "Twisted Tail".
• When Sprout aired Barney and Friends episodes from the era, they cut to a commercial break right before the logo started.
• The "Surprise!" variants are extinct, with the short variant in particular being very short-lived; however, it was used on IPTV well into 1999, and it can be found on the Huggabug Club "Cuddly Christmas" tape.
• The logo made its first appearance on the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood week "Mister Rogers Talks About Then and Now", and the E/I variant first appeared on The Magic School Bus "Meets Molly Cule" episode.
• The 1993 variant appeared on Twitch.tv's prints of various Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes from the era (spawning the "T H I S I S" meme in the chat) as well as Episode #1643 from 1991 and the 1997 E/I variant appeared on Twitch.tv prints of many episodes that were created between 1997 and 1999.
• The last known appearance of this logo on television was in 2005 on ETPTV, after an episode of Square One TV Math Talk. This logo was used on WIPR-TV well into 2002. The last known new program to use this logo was the In the Mix episode "Cliques: Behind the Labels", broadcast on November 15, 1999.
• On Adventures from the Book of Virtues, the original version appeared on the three-part primetime premiere (it was plastered by the 1996 PBS logo on the individual rebroadcasts the next year, which additionally have an added funding credit for public television viewers that wasn't on the primetime premiere versions), and the later version appeared on all episodes of the second season; among those episodes featured in the premiere, it's been confirmed to appear on a Reader's Digest-branded videocassette of "Courage", where the opening PBS logo is replaced by an opening graphic for Reader's Digest.
• The standard 1993 variant is also surprisingly retained on Amazon Video's print of Sesame Street Stays Up Late and also appeared on the VHS of Barney's First Adventures after the PolyGram Television logo for some reason.
• Most master tapes of The Magic School Bus also have this logo, with the exceptions of "Gets Lost in Space", "Hops Home", and "In the Arctic". This is missing from the Warner Home Video releases, which go straight from the closing funding credits to the book promo at the end of each episode.
• On Shining Time Station, it plasters the 3rd and 4th PBS logos on "Things That Go Ga-Hooga in the Night" and "Is This the End?".

Editor's Note: Many viewers who grew up with this logo have fond memories of it. Others may have been scared or annoyed by the loud music and flashing effects. And those who thought PBS's children's programming changed for the worse in the '90s may find this logo to be symbolic of that, with its loud and cartoonish nature, along with its plastering of older logos. The Surprise ident has caught many '90s kids off-guard with its quick zoom and rapid flashing, which may be the reason it was short-lived.

2nd Logo
(September 27, 1993-October 7, 1994)

Nickname: "PTV"

Logo: Over footage of kids in red and blue uniforms swinging jumpropes around, the P-head zooms in, facing left as it did until 1984. Then a stylized T, looking like three red dots across with three red dots below, zooms in in a similar fashion, followed by a green square with a cutout V.

FX/SFX: The live-action footage, and the computer-generated animation.

Music/Sounds/Voiceovers: A catchy drum beat, with an announcer calling out each letter as they appear.

Availability: Extinct. Seen on some shows aimed at older children during the era, such as Reading Rainbow and Square One TV.

Editor's Note: This is a fitting logo for older-skewing PBS Kids programming at the time, and will bring back fond memories for those who watched the afternoon PTV block during the year this logo lasted.

3rd Logo
(September 6, 1999-October 7, 2013, 2015)

Nicknames: "Dot and Dash", "PBS Kids Girl", "PBS Kids Boy", "Doink! PBS Kids!", "PBS Kids Logo"

Logo:

• Dash: On a lime green background is a close-up of an eye. The eye blinks. After that, the camera zooms out to reveal that it is a boy (officially named Dash in 2006), who is wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt, blue pants, and white shoes. Then, he points his finger in the head and scratches his head trying to think about something. A great big smile on his face appears and says “Doink!” when he gets an idea, and then the background becomes a green circle with his face on it, and a white thought bubble appears with the letters "PBS" growing until it reaches the bubble ending on a pink striped background (similar to a color of Dot's shirt). The URL address for PBS Kids appears at the bottom left corner of the screen.

• Dot: On the same lime green background as the Dash variant, there is a pathway at the bottom of the screen, and a girl (officially named Dot in 2007) runs up to the screen, who is wearing a long sleeved scarlet-and-white (later pink) striped shirt, black pants and white shoes. Once she reaches the center of the screen, a great big smile on her face appears. A circle zooms out like the Dash variant, on a white background with pink, yellow and blue lines moving around, revealing the PBS Kids circle logo. The URL for PBS Kids, also from the Dash variant, appears at the bottom left corner of the screen.

Trivia: This logo was designed by Richard McGuire (an artist that creates PBS Kids-style characters for the magazine The New Yorker, although he has created PBS Kids-style characters long before this logo was introduced).

Variants:

• On September 6, 1999, four new idents for PBS Kids (including these 2 idents) were introduced. For the first few weeks, they were used in tandem with the first logo. Eventually, they replaced the first logo. However, some PBS stations used the previous logo until 2002 and on older programming.
• There is a variation of this logo used for international prints of PBS Kids shows. In this variant, the background is black, the entire logo is removed except for the word "PBS" and the words "PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appear above the words "PBS". This variant appears instead of the funding credits and the end of international prints of most PBS Kids shows. The start of the international prints of PBS Kids shows cut out the funding credits entirely, meaning that go straight into the respective show's intro.
• On home video releases of PBS Kids shows, the word "kidsvideo" appears below the logo. The logo cuts to black, but sometimes the logo fades out. On Teletubbies and Boohbah DVDs, the logo freezes after it's finished. Dot cuts to the Paramount DVD warning (at the end of Boohbah DVDs only), while Dash cuts to the main menu (after the warning, at the beginning of Boohbah and Teletubbies DVDs).

FX/SFX: The bubble appearing, the kid appearing, the thought cloud forming. 2D animation created by Lee Hunt Associates.

Music/Sounds: A catchy, quiet, a-cappella choir tune sung by a specific gender of kids, depending on each variant; the Dot variation has a chorus of young girls, and the Dash version is sung by boys. At the end of both (and other variants) idents, they all end up eventually singing "Doink! PBS Kids!". None or the closing theme of the respective show for the International "Produced In Association With" variant.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• The DVD trailer variant of the Dot's variant uses a synthesized dance-pop theme with a male voiceover asking, "Did you know that your favorite PBS Kids programs are now available on DVD?".
• For the "kidsvideo" version of the Dash variant, the music from the Dot variant is used for some reason, most likely due to an audio error.
  • Another variant has the Dot variant using the music from the Dash variant, most likely due to another audio error.
• Another version of Dash's "kidsvideo" variant used the right music (meaning that it used the music from Dash's variant). This was discontinued in 2007.
• On a Maya & Miguel DVD, the international variant uses the PBS Kids Go! music.
• None, or the closing theme of the respective show for the international variant.
• On the unused Dot variant, the clicking noises and one of the audio channels of the "PBS Kids!" chant are absent.

Availability:

• While seen on older prints of PBS Kids shows, it is becoming hard to find on TV, as many of the shows that used it were either "repackaged" (plastered) by prints containing the 2013 and 2022 logos, or were taken off of PBS stations completely, though given its very long run of 15 years, it shouldn't be too hard to find on your old VHS tapes and/or your home video releases.
• Also, this logo plastered the 1993 logo on some prints of PBS Kids programs, though other prints, however, used the 1993 logo until 2002.
• The "kidsvideo" variant can be seen on Caillou, Theodore Tugboat, Zoboomafoo and Teletubbies DVDs and tapes from Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Entertainment, but the Dot variant was dropped starting with the PBS Kids 3 pack DVD set in October 2006.
• The standard/regular variants are a little harder to find on DVD, but the Dot variant can be found on DVD releases of Between the Lions and Dragon Tales, while the Dash variant can be found on a couple of DVDs of Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat, particularly "Great Purr-Formances", and strangely, some Super Why!, Dinosaur Train, Martha Speaks, and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood DVDs of the era, and the first Peg + Cat DVD called Chickens on the Loose instead of the PBS Kids Video logo.
• This could've been last seen on the DVD of Daniel Tiger’s Happy Holidays.
• A few episodes of the teen program In the Mix also ended with this logo.
• This doesn't appear on international prints of PBS Kids programs, as it is replaced alongside the funding credits by the International variant. Said variant can be found on Clifford the Big Red Dog tapes and Maya & Miguel DVDs from Artisan Home Entertainment/Lionsgate.
• This, along with both the 4th and 7th logos, also doesn't appear at the beginning of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks DVDs from Paramount Home Entertainment, as they only had the Paramount DVD and Entara logos; however, on a promotional VHS of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, released by Paramount Home Entertainment titled "Piggley Gets Into Trouble", the Fishbowl variant of the 7th logo is used.
• Appears on numerous 1979-2001 episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on Twitch.tv, often plastering older logos. On the 2017 PBS rebroadcast of the latter, the Dash variant was preserved on Episodes #1465 (followed by a period promo from 1979 for an educational booklet made as a tie-in to the week's episodes), #1475, #1644 (marking the logo's first national appearance in years), #1653, #1655, #1695, #1709, and #1716, and the Dot variant was preserved on Episodes #1652, #1721, #1755, and #1756. In September of 2018, PBS began re-using older prints of these episodes, so both variants were still intact on their respective episodes until the show was repackaged in October 2021 removing both logos and replacing them with 2013 logos.
• Though the logo was first seen on Dragon Tales (which premiered on September 6, 1999), promos for the show ran as early as the first week of September 1999 (when the P-Pals branding and logo were still in use), as seen here.
• The Dash variant was preserved on reruns of The Berenstain Bears on SDPB, though many PBS stations have removed the show.
• Though the logo stopped being used regularly in 2008, it continued to be used as a secondary ID on reruns of older PBS Kids shows until 2013, when it was replaced with the 2013 logos on the many rebroadcasts of those shows, and on 2000-2014 home video releases of PBS Kids shows, when it was replaced by the 2013 logos on post-2014 releases.

Editor's Note: A very well-known logo and one that is fondly remembered by many for its art style and quirky, experimental music. It can be seen as annoying by some for how long it lasted and plastered older logos, though. It is also a common subject of "logo edits" on YouTube.

4th Logo (September 4, 2000-October 7, 2013)

Nicknames: "Transform", "Dot and Dash II", "PBS Kids Girl II", "PBS Kids Boy II", "Doink! PBS Kids! II", "PBS Kids Logo II", "Tiger, Octopus, and Astronaut", "Caveman, Scuba Diver, and Robot"

Logo:

• Dash / Boy: On a green background with spinning circles is Dash at first a caveman with an emotionless face, then he squashes himself to become a scuba diver, after which the background changes to blue and the circles float away. Finally, he squashes himself again to become a robot. He grabs a white oval with the letters "PBS" in it. He then squashes himself for the last time, turning into the circular PBS Kids logo with his face on it. Blue bubbles are shaking on a pastel spring bud background.
• Dot / Girl: On the same green background is Dot at first a tiger with her hair covering her ears unlike in the Boy variant. When she squashes herself to become a purple octopus (the skin for her face is pink), she puffs her cheeks and then smiles. Finally, she squashes herself again to become an astronaut (the skin is aquamarine). After that, she squashes herself for the last time, turning into the circular PBS Kids logo with her face on it on a blue background with stars.
• Also, like the previous logo at the lower-left corner of the screen, the URL address for PBS Kids will appear like before. In both variants, either Dash or Dot is on the top-right corner of the screen.

Trivia: Coloring pages based on these system cues exist.

Variants:

• On international prints of PBS Kids shows (mainly from the Bookworm Bunch programming block, but produced by Nelvana), as well as the series George Shrinks, Seven Little Monsters, The Berenstain Bears (2003 series) and Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, there is a variation in which the logo is a still picture of the Astronaut part of this logo. However, the logo is slightly off-center and Dash in his robot form is replaced with the words "Produced In Association With" and the PBS "Circle P-Head" logo below. A French variant of this logo also exists, where the "Produced In Association With" text is translated into "Produit en Association avec".
  • Two variants of the French variant also exist:
    • one where the font is curvy and has a white outline (similar to the font used from the Caillou credits),
    • and one where the font and color are the same as the English variant.
• A cropped 16:9 version of the Dot variant exists. It was only seen on DragonflyTV. The URL address is absent.

FX/SFX: Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds:

A quirky, avant-garde synth-pop theme different from the one before, also composed by Baron & Baron. It starts off with some kids softly scatting the music from the 1999 logo, which is one octave higher, at first accompanied by a synthesizer, then a weird bubbling-up-like rocket ship sound effect (which can be heard echoing in the Dash variant), and then the kids singing the company name in a higher tone than the previous logo.

• The Dot variant has cat-like sounds and a group of kids saying "Boing!" in the background. The synths are also twelve octaves higher and the bubbling sound is slightly delayed when Dot becomes an octopus. When Dot becomes an astronaut, a THX-like sound is heard. Faint "thud" sounds are heard over the company chant.
• The Dash variant has the kids chanting in the same key, but twelve octaves lower and a tongue rolling sound when Dash becomes a scuba diver. When Dash grabs the "PBS" bubble, a whoosh and a robotic gasp are heard. A deep synth-bass line is then heard under the company chant.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• None, or the respective show's closing theme for the international variant.
• Spanish-dubbed programming had redubbed scatting, with "PBS Kids" being pronounced "pe-be-ese kids". The regular audio would also cut off when this happened.

Availability:

• Colouring Pages: They have disappeared from the PBS Kids website since the mid-2000s.
• Animated Variant: It was first spotted on a Lee Hunt Associates reel featuring other PBS Kids bumpers made and introduced in 1999. Seen on 1999-2008 prints of PBS Kids programming from the era, though most of the shows that used it were either plastered with newer logos or removed from PBS stations entirely. International prints of PBS Kids programs have also cut this logo and funding credits and replaced them with the International variant. It also appears (for some reason) on certain Sony Wonder DVDs of Arthur following the funding credits. On Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the Dot variant appeared on Twitch.tv's print of 'Episode #1526', and the Dash variant was retained on PBS airings of 'Episode #1482', including the 2018 remastered version up until October 2021, when the logo was plastered. The Dot variant was also used on Reading Rainbow DVDs dedicated to particular episodes originally broadcast in 2004. Again, whatever remaining appearances of this logo were likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.
• International Variant: Seen at the end of PBS Kids series at the time. It was preserved on Qubo airings of Marvin the Tap-Dancing Horse, and Columbia TriStar/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD and VHS prints of 2003's The Berenstain Bears. Also appears on Timothy Goes to School on Tubi, Treehouse Direct and until 2017, when the channel lost the broadcast rights to the show, Tiny Pop airings in the UK.

Legacy: Same as the previous logo.

6th Logo (September 3, 2001-April 1, 2015)

Logo: There is the PBS Kids logo (which has the white word "KIDS" below) above in-credit. The text, "THIS PROGRAM [WAS] PARTIALLY FUNDED BY" also is seen above the logo.

FX/SFX: A still digital graphic.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat and before the NBCUniversal logo on international prints of Curious George.

7th Logo (2000-2001; September 2, 2002-October 7, 2013)

Snow Globe

Fishbowl

URL version (Snow Globe)

URL version (Fishbowl)

Cropped Widescreen (Snow)

Cropped Widescreen (Fish)

Remastered (Snow Globe)

Remastered (Fish)

Nicknames: "Dot and Dash III", "PBS Kids Girl III", "PBS Kids Boy III", "Doink! PBS Kids! III", "PBS Kids Logo III", "Snow Globe", "Snow", "Winter", "Fishbowl", "Fish Bowl", "Fish", "Bubbles"

Logo:

• Snow Globe: A view of a blue pond on a snowy field with green trees on a light sky blue background is seen. Dash is also seen wearing a scarf, a jacket, a pair of gloves and ice-skating boots, which starts to go ice-skating, and while in front of the screen, the snowflakes are seen coming down. Suddenly, he feels the ground shaking and stops, again with more falling snowflakes. Then, the camera pans out to reveal that he is in a snow globe (with the bottom part of it colored in yellow; the window is also seen in the reflection of it if the viewer looks very closely), which is most likely held by Dot, who is seen shaking the snow globe just to make it snow. Dot then giggles. Snow covers the screen to transition to the circular PBS Kids logo (without the word "KIDS") on a light sky blue background with snowflakes. The PBS Kids logo is with Dot’s face afterwards on it.
• Fishbowl: On a lime green background, Dash looks at the goldfish in the fishbowl on the desk (the window is seen on the reflection of the fishbowl like the above ident, if the viewer looks very closely). Then, the camera cuts to a close-up view of the fishbowl when Dash comes behind it a goldfish is in. A goldfish then gets surprised. Then, bubbles cover the screen to transition to an oceanic underwater view of Dash, who is imagining that he is a goldfish (the skin is colored orange) that's swimming in peace under the water. After a second, he gets swallowed by Dot as a green fish. Before Dot can look at the screen, bubbles cover the screen to transition to the circular PBS Kids logo (without the word "KIDS") on a light blue background with bubbles. The PBS Kids logo is with Dot’s face afterwards on it.
• Also, the URL address for PBS Kids will appear at the bottom left corner of the screen, similar from before. The PBS Kids logo is with Dot's face on it is also used for both variants.

Variants:

• On some rare occasions, the URL address for PBS Kids does not appear.
• On CBBC UK prints of Martha Speaks, a very rare still variant of the "Fishbowl" variant exists, except with a different background instead.
• Starting in 2003 until 2008, a true, 16:9 widescreen remastered variant of the logo exists, where the word "KIDS" is added below the circular PBS Kids logo, just like the company logo did back in 2001.
  • There is a true, 16:9 re-animated variant of the Snow Globe bumper, where the color of the background is in lavender, the pond has a slightly different shape, the trees inside the snow globe have been tinted in blue-purple, the animation is different and less smooth, the snowflakes are brighter and bigger, the background when Dot holds the snow globe is to have no snowflakes, the same girl is looking at the snow globe (where it is in dark blue-violet) close to the viewer, Dot's eyes' pupils were shrunken, she has fingers, and the word "KIDS" is added below the circular PBS Kids logo. This variant is only seen on original TV airings of a few episodes of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks.
  • There is a true, 16:9 remastered variant of the Fishbowl bumper, which also has the word "KIDS" below the circular PBS Kids logo, just like the above variant; however, there are no other changes. This variant is only seen at the end of original TV airings of some 2004 episodes of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (as well as the 2006 promotional VHS of "Piggley Gets into Trouble"), early 2008 episodes of Sid the Science Kid (as well as some streaming video prints of the season 1 episode "Enough with the Seashells") and Lomax the Hound of Music.
• A 16:9 cropped widescreen version of these idents exist.
  • On a widescreen print of Nanalan', the Snow Globe variant makes a one-frame appearance at the end of the Fishbowl variant. This is most likely an editing mistake.

FX/SFX: 2D computer graphic animation created by Primal Screen in Atlanta, Georgia, who are also known for animating the Boomerang IDs from the same time period.

Music/Sounds:

• Snow Globe: A whimsical 10-note vibraphone tune (the last four notes are the PBS Kids jingle, possibly spoofing C. E. Levy's "Skater's Waltz" but in F major), accompanied by jingle bells.
• Fishbowl: A boy scats the 1999 jingle in a higher tone circle-lipped as if to imitate a fish when Dash in his orange-skin goldfish form appears, with sounds of underwater bubbles heard in the background.

Both idents end with the "Doink!" sound and the girls sing the company name. The "PBS Kids!" chant sounds less like singing and more like a simple yell, which ends with a girl laughing. If one listens closely, one can also hear the "PBS Kids!" chant from the Dot variant of the 1999 logo.

Music and sound design also created by Primal Screen.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• For the Fishbowl variant, the music from the Snow Globe variant was used for some reason, most likely due to an audio error. It only occurs on a PBS Kids airing of one episode of WordWorld. This also occurs at the end of a widescreen print of an episode of Nanalan'.
• On rare international prints, such as Minimax Europe airings, as well as a Greek and Finnish airings of early Martha Speaks episodes, the FishBowl variant plays in high pitch/PAL speedup.
• For the 16:9 remastered variant of the Fishbowl variant, the logo's audio is alternated with a few differences; a few parts of the bubbling sounds that were heard in the background sound a bit different, the "Doink!" sound is a little quieter and more kids that are singing the company name are added in.

Availability:

• Appeared on 2002-2013 prints of PBS Kids programming at the time. However, many of the shows it appeared on have either been replaced with newer or previous logos or do not air on PBS anymore.
• This logo was first seen on a Primal Screen reel featuring other PBS Kids bumpers, most of which were produced and premiered between 2000 and 2001; its first introduction on TV was presumably on Cyberchase.
• Like before, the 2nd ident appears on a few Arthur DVDs by Sony Wonder (such as Arthur's Tooth). This also appears on both DVD and VHS releases of Arthur: It's Only Rock-'N'-Roll. The 1st ident on the other hand can be found on It's a Big Big World DVDs by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, such as The Big Big Sleep, albeit it is cropped to widescreen.
• It also appeared on a few episodes of Clifford's Puppy Days and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
• Several NCircle Entertainment DVD releases of WordWorld feature the FishBowl ID, but these logos do not appear on DVD releases of other PBS Kids shows from the era.
• A cropped widescreen version of both the Snow Globe and FishBowl IDs were likely seen on early Martha Speaks episodes, DragonflyTV, It's a Big Big World and Super WHY!. It has rarely appeared on some clips from DragonflyTV on the Twin Cities PBS' YouTube channel, which only used a fish bumper.
• The standard version of the fish bumper was seen on the final season of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks.
• The Fishbowl ID also appears on Betsy's Kindergarten Adventures, which is the only rarely-show to use this ID.
• The Fishbowl ID also appears on a widescreen print of an episode of Nanalan', which is also the only rarely-show to use this ID, after the Kids' CBC logo.
• A remastered version of the Fishbowl ID is also rare, seen on HD feeds of PBS stations if they were available. It also makes an appearance on Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, early 2008 prints of a few Sid the Science Kid season 1 episodes and the DVD of Lomax the Hound of Music: The Best of Lomax. This is also exclusively shown on some streaming prints of the Sid the Science Kid season 1 episode "Enough with the Seashells".
• A re-animated variant of the Snow Globe ID appeared on Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, which has not been rerun on PBS Kids since August 2008.
  • This logo doesn't appear on early prints of a few earliest episodes of Sid the Science Kid, though the remastered Fishbowl ID is used instead.
• This logo also doesn't appear on Mister Rogers Neighborhood, which uses either newer or previous idents instead.
• Check your local PBS station or your old tapes to find this. Again, whatever remaining appearances of this logo were likely ended when the channel rebranded its logo in July 2022.

Editor's Note: Also a well-known and memorable logo from PBS.

8th logo (2004)

Nicknames: "Sports", "Dot and Dash IV", "PBS Kids Girl IV", "PBS Kids Boy IV", "Doink! PBS Kids! IV"

Logo: We first see a soccer ball being kicked to our left by Dash, wearing a blue and black uniform. Then the soccer ball turns into a tennis ball, which Dot, wearing a white and pink tennis uniform, hits it with a tennis racket. The ball turns into a baseball, which Dash, now in a blue uniform and helmet, hits it with a bat. The ball then flies past a scoreboard with the circular PBS Kids logo on it and out of the stadium.

FX/SFX: The animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 2nd logo's Dot variant. At the end, we hear a crowd cheering.

Availability: Extinct. This was shown during the Big Big Friend Day special which aired on PBS Kids in 2005.

Editor's Note: TBA.

9th logo (2005)

Nicknames: "Wrapping Paper", "Dot and Dash V", "PBS Kids Girl V", PBS Kids Boy V", "Doink! PBS Kids! V"

Logo: We see Dot and Dash walking through what appears to be a factory. Then, we see a roll of polka-dotted wrapping paper, which the two roll up by its end. With it, the circular PBS Kids logo flies in.

FX/SFX: Same as before.

Music/Sounds: Same as before with no other sound effects.

Availability: Same as before. Like the previous logo, this was shown during the Big Big Friend Day special.

Editor's Note: TBA.

10th Logo (November 25, 2005)

Nicknames: "Sand Castles", "Dot and Dash VI", "PBS Kids Girl VI", "PBS Kids Boy VI", "Doink! PBS Kids VI"

Logo: On a bright sunny background in a beach-like setting, we see Dash in a bathing suit and sandals. To the right of him is a sandcastle that he built. He tries to show it off to Dot but then he is surprised as the camera zooms out to reveal Dot's sand structure, which is a sphinx with her head on it. She dusts off her hands as Dash looks in awe at her structure. Then we fade to the circular PBS Kids logo.

FX/SFX: Same as the last 2 logos.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Same as the last 2 logos.

Editor's Note: TBA

11th Logo (2000s, January 16, 2006; 2015)

Nicknames: "The Switcher", "The Button", "The Doink! Button" "Dot and Dash VII", "PBS Kids Girl VII", "PBS Kids Boy VII", "Doink! PBS Kids VII"

Logo: We start out by seeing two halves of the screen separated by a black line with what appears to be a button in its center. Dash is on the left side of the screen, while Dot is on the right. Dot is shown as a shadow. She then presses the button, turning Dash into a shadow of a chicken, then Dash presses the button, turning Dot into an umbrella. Then the two keep pressing the button, transforming Dash into a flower, a bear, and an arrow, as well as transforming Dot into a hammer and a rabbit. Then the two keep pressing the button rapidly back and forth until they both turn into shadows of things (Dash is a ball while Dot is a fly). When this happens, the screen is no longer separated, the shadows are on a yellow background, and the circular PBS Kids logo is at the top of the screen and is smaller than usual. We then fade out.

FX/SFX: Same as the last 3 logos.

Music/Sounds: As the button is pressed, we hear "Doink!" noises. When the button is pressed rapidly, the "Doink!" noise is also rapidly heard until we hear a laser-like noise which brings us to Dot and Dash both turning into shadows of things. We then hear the 4 notes of the PBS Kids jingle being played by a bubbly synth, followed by the "PBS Kids!" part of the jingle, which is scatted by synchronized "Doink!" noises.

Availability: Extinct. This is a rare ID which was shown on Martin Luther King Day of 2006 (January 16, 2006). Recently appeared during a 2015 PBS Kids broadcast on the WFWA station. This was also used as a local ID on certain PBS stations starting in 2000.

Editor's Note: TBA.

12th Logo (September 4, 2006-April 1, 2015)

Nicknames: "Logo of Boredom", "Logo that like an in-credit logo"

Logo: On a black background is the words "THIS PROGRAM WAS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY", with the PBS Kids logo (with "KIDS" below the logo) below it.

FX/SFX: None.

Music Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Seen before the NBCUniversal logo on international prints of Curious George.

Editor's Note: TBA.

13th Logo (September 1, 2008-October 7, 2013)

Nicknames: "Dot and Dash IV", "PBS Kids Girl IV", "PBS Kids Boy IV", "Doink! PBS Kids! IV"

Logo: The logo shows Dot and Dash doing a certain activity, before the PBS Kids circular logo is shown.

Variants: Here are some of the variations of the activities included:

• Telescopes: Dash uses a telescope to see a green planet in the night sky. Then, Dot's eye appears and blinks and she giggles. The camera then moves upward, revealing the PBS Kids logo with Dash's face on it.
• Fireflies: Dash is seen showing the viewers a jar of fireflies. Dash then opens it and sets the fireflies free, on which the camera then moves upward to reveal the PBS Kids logo with Dash's face on it.
• Rock Climbing: Dot then tries to climb across the mountain. Dash's hand then holds her hand as she tries to jump on the mountain. The scene cuts to it, revealing that it's just a pile of rocks. Dash then puts a white flag on it with the PBS Kids logo with his face on it afterwards, as the screen cuts onto it.
• Picnics: TBA
• Gardens: TBA
• Magnets: Dash plays with a magnet, but Dot's lunchbox suddenly gets caught in magnetism. The camera then reveals the PBS Kids logo with Dash's face on it.
• Fireworks: Dot and Dash see the fireworks. The camera then cuts to the PBS Kids logo with Dash's face on it.
• Aquarium: Dash and Dot are swimming at the aquarium, but they are actually pretending to swim behind it. The camera then moves forward to reveal the PBS Kids logo with Dash's face on it, blowing bubbles.
• Ants: Dot holds an ant on her finger and lets it go, with a colony of ants holding the circular part of the logo and the word "KIDS". The URL is marked on the track.
• Daffodil: Dash and Dot are seen blowing daffodils. Dash blows his daffodil at first. Dot then blows her daffodil, but suddenly starts to sneeze and blow all the seeds off of it, which then transition to the Dot logo.
• Window Light: Dot plays with a toy car in the room, but suddenly sees a sunshine from the window, on which she finds some dust and catches it. The screen then zooms onto the pane, on which the Dot logo is seen with a better look at the dust.
• Magic Balloon: Dash rubs a balloon on the carpet and holds it up in the air, which her hair gets sticked into the balloon. The camera then zooms onto the red balloon, revealing the Dash logo.
• Sandbox: Dash uses a treasure map on a field to find some treasure, on which he points to the treasure as Dot walks over the sandbox. Dot then jumps into the sandbox and finds the hidden treasure. The camera then cuts to a close-up of the X mark, who is made up of several red lines representing the letter "X". Dot then dusts off the sand and moves away several parts of the X mark, as it reveals itself to be the PBS Kids logo with Dot's face on it.
• Camera: Dot takes a lot of pictures, with a viewfinder of the camera. After taking a selfie, the white screen fades into the PBS Kids logo with Dot's face on it on the LCD screen.
• Harvest Time: Dash is harvesting carrots on his farm, and finds one that is extremely hard to pull. It turns out that a rabbit latched its mouth onto it, and the Dot logo is revealed on a nearby sign as the rabbit runs away.
• Valentine's Day variant: There are also two rare Valentine's Day variants used in 2009. Dash's version has him blowing up a pink balloon and Dot's version has her receiving Valentine's cards in the mailbox. Both versions end with the PBS Kids circle logo on a hot magenta/cerise-textured BG while hearts are cascading in the BG.

Trivia: This logo was designed and animated at Primal Screen, who also did the previous logo.

FX/SFX: A mix of 2-D and cut-out animation.

Music/Sounds: The 2nd ident's jingle once again, but without the kids chanting at the end and the "doink" sound, which is made using instruments instead. Often a single kid (either Dash for the Dash variant, or Dot for the Dot variant) simply says "PBS Kids." The musical instruments these variants are played with vary depending on the activity, exactly like the 9th PBS Ident. The VD variants however have totally different music, ending with a group of kids yelling "Happy Valentine's Day!", then a single kid says "From PBS Kids."

• Sandbox (or Sand Box) has a bassoon, vibraphone, synth-organ and a tuba.
• Daffodil (or Dandelions) has a vibraphone and tuba.
• Fireflies has a synth-bassoon.
• Camera has a slit drum and marimba.
• Fireworks has a hang, timpani, snare drum and bass violin.
• Carrots (also called Harvest Time) has a synth-organ.
• Sheep has a banjo.
• Balloon has a mandobass and percussion.
• Dash's Valentine's Day variant has a jazzy bass violin pizzicato tune with drums beating. Dot's VD variant has a South American-style folk dance tune with conga drums, piano and acoustic guitar.

Availability: Was common in the past, but due to plastering with newer logos, nowadays it's rare.

• This was used on 2008-2013 prints PBS Kids programming. This logo first aired on Sid the Science Kid. Don't expect this to appear on early prints of said show, as the Fishbowl ID with "KIDS" below the PBS Kids logo is used instead.
• Again, any remaining appearances of this logo most likely ended when PBS Kids rebranded their on-screen logo in July 2022.

Editor's Note: TBA.

14th Logo (October 7, 2013- )

Nicknames: "Dot, Dee, and Del", "Dot", "Del", "Dee", ""PBS Kids Boy V", "Doink! PBS Kids! V"

Logo: In the same purpose as the 6th logo, the logo shows Dot, Dee, and Del doing a certain activity, before the PBS Kids circular logo is shown. Also, Dash's PBS Kids logo is seen on every variation, meaning that the Dot version ended its usage.

Variants: Here are some of the variations of the activities included:

• Zipline
• Beehive
• Forest Run
• Magnet
• Moonwalk
• Ping Pong
• Power of 10
• Cave
• Band Parade
• Trampoline
• Yo-yo
• Lemonade
• France
• Bubbles
• Rockstar
• Piano
• Frisbee
• And more!

Later Variant: Since July 19, 2022, the PBS Kids logo was updated. This time, Dash is removed, the circle is blue, "PBS" is green, and "KIDS" is white.

Trivia: This logo was designed and animated at Primal Screen, who also did the previous two logos.

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation that is quite similar to the 2nd logo.

Music/Sounds: The music from the 2nd logo is used again, but without the kids chanting or the kid saying "PBS Kids" at the end. Like the previous logo, the musical instruments these variants are played with vary depending on the activity, exactly like the 9th PBS Ident. Also, the 2nd logo's theme can be heard in different pitches.

Availability: Current and extremely common.

• Seen on all PBS Kids programming since October 7, 2013. It first aired on Peg + Cat.
• This logo also plasters over previous logos on current prints of pre-2013 PBS Kids programming

Editor's Note: TBA.

15th Logo (November 21, 2018-)

Nicknames: "The PBS Kids Bubble IX", "The Yoyo", "The Paintballs"

Logo: We see the current PBS Kids logo either still or getting formed by objects.

Variants: Each vary by show:

• Let's Go Luna/Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum: A colorful yoyo is seen spinning on a light blue background. Suddenly, the yoyo's string disappears and the yoyo morphs into the PBS Kids circular logo with Dash in it.
  • TVO Kids and National Geographic Kids airings don't have this logo appearing at all.
• Clifford the Big Red Dog (reboot; not the book series and 2000-03 original television show of the same name of the latter): Several paintballs fly and combine together to form the PBS Kids logo, then Dash looks up at the PBS Kids text.
• Elinor Wonders Why: It's an updated version of the 3rd logo: just a still PBS Kids logo superimposed on the credits. Prints on DVD don't have the logo.

FX/SFX: 2D flat animation.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the TV series.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• On Clifford the Big Red Dog, it uses a ukulele theme with a 12-note whistling tune, the first four notes sound similarly like the Disney Channel logo.
• On PBS Kids airings of said series, it is silent.

Availability: Currently used on PBS Kids programming that has used it in original production. Some shows that are PBS Kids original productions, like Hero Elementary, which uses the Twin Cities PBS logo followed by Portfolio Entertainment, and the live-action puppet series Donkey Hodie, may not use it. The logo was also used as a station ident. Don't expect this to be on newer episodes of PBS Kids programs that recently aired on PBS Kids before either the series premiere date of Let's Go Luna or on Sesame Street.

Editor's Note: None.