Logo descriptions by Jason Jones, James Fabiano, Logophile, Shadeed A. Kelly, and bmasters9
Logo captures by Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, Mr. Logo Lord, V of Doom, EnormousRat, megamanj2004, BluTheParrot, Logophile, randomtvandmoviejunk, Mr.Logo, and bmasters9
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly and PerryLuv2001
Video captures courtesy of JohnnyL80, Disco2009, pressmin, dadsoldtapes, veneziani2027, FlaCats14, DanDMan16, claudiard1981, youngleader610 (Mr.Logo), and WREYTube
1st Logo (1947-1993)
Logo: Just an on screen in-credit text saying, "[NAME OF SERIES] is an NBC Television Network Presentation" that's superimposed on the credits.
Variants:
- Some shows would have the card "An NBC (Television Network) Presentation", "(Produced) in association with the NBC (Television) Network", or "In Association with NBC - TV".
- Starting in 1967, the text is referred to as "An NBC Production".
- Some shows would have the text "Produced by NBC Entertainment" or "Produced by NBC Productions" would appear in the 1980s and early 1990s.
- Sometimes, another company is credited alongside NBC. The in-credit logo on Little House on the Prairie had the text "In Association With ED FRIENDLY," while episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman had the text "in Association with CARSON PRODUCTIONS". But for Late Night with David Letterman's final season (1992-93) with NBC, the "CARSON PRODUCTIONS" credit was eliminated following Johnny Carson's retirement from The Tonight Show in May 1992 and replaced with a credit for "WORLDWIDE PANTS INCORPORATED". (They did share credits from 1990-92.)
- Sometimes during the 60s and 70s, it would also feature the in-credit NBC "Snake" logo.
- On the ultra short-lived 1979 series Supertrain, the card reads "an n.b.c. production," and below was a union bug and NBC copyright.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Just the end theme of any show playing or silent. On some shows, mainly in the 1950s, you would hear an announcer spiel: "In association with the NBC Television Network".
Availability: Common. It's currently seen on several episodes of Bonanza on TV Land and Me-TV such as the season 2 episode "Day of Reckoning," Little House on the Prairie on Hallmark Channel, and Daniel Boone on World Harvest Television and RTV. The NBC/Carson Productions in-credit logo appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo (1960-1963)
Nicknames: "The Snake", "NBC Snake"
Logo: Superimposed on the screen as a few camera lenses rotate clockwise in the background, the NBC snake logo forms and the minuscule text "TELEVISION NETWORK" appears inside the "C" of the snake.
Variant: On at least one syndie episode of You Bet Your Life had the word "FILMS" instead of "TELEVISION NETWORK".
FX/SFX: The camera lenses rotating clockwise, the snake forming, the "TELEVISION NETWORK" text appearing.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A horn jingle plays as an announcer says, "Produced (in color) in association with the NBC Television Network".
Availability: Extremely rare. The films variant has been recently found on a DVD of You Bet Your Life and the normal variant has been spotted on a few episodes of Bonanza, and the first season of I Dream of Jeannie. This also surprisingly turned up at the end of GSN's 2003 airing of the original 1963 pilot episode of Let's Make a Deal, and the first season of The Flip Wilson Show.
Scare Factor: Medium. The ominous horn jingle may scare some people.
3rd Logo (1960-1966)
Nicknames: "The Snake II", "NBC Snake II", "The Cameraman"
Logo: On a black background, we see pink, red, and magenta light spots. We see a white line drawing down and zooming back from the top to form the letters "N" and "B". We later see the letter "C" forming from the bottom after the letter "B" finishes forming. As the NBC snake logo animates, we see a cameraman moving from left to right.
FX/SFX: The forming of the name, the man moving the camera.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A jazzy horn rendition of the infamous NBC theme or a dramatic horn fanfare from the 2nd logo with the announcer voice-over, depending on the variant:
- The announcer says, "This has been a production (or presentation) of the NBC Television Network.", or "This has been a color production (or presentation) of the NBC Television Network." for the earlier shows (or programs) in color.
- The same announcer says just like in the 2nd logo, "Produced in association with the NBC Television Network.", or "Produced in color in association with the NBC Television Network." for the earlier shows (or programs) in color.
Availability: Rare. It's currently seen on most season 3 episodes of The Virginian on INSP. This also appeared on Me-TV's print of a season 2 episode of Bonanza, titled "Day of Reckoning", followed by the CBS Television Distribution logo.
Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:
- Low for the jazzy theme variant.
- Low to medium for the fanfare theme variant.
4th Logo (1966-1975)
Nicknames: "The Snake III", "NBC Snake III"
Logo: On a black background, we see the NBC snake forming itself from the bottom starting with the letter "C". As the snake forms the letters "B" and "N", the background changes colors from black, to teal, to dark yellow, to red. Below the logo says "PRODUCED WITH THE NBC-TV NETWORK", "PRODUCED BY THE NBC-TV NETWORK", or "PRESENTED BY THE NBC-TV NETWORK", and would later disappear as the background turns red and the logo finishes.
Variant: This logo would appear on a light purple like background as a still shot.
FX/SFX: The snake forming, the background changing.
Music/Sounds: The NBC chimes theme from the 1950s, only sped up a little.
Availability: Ultra rare. It was last seen on current prints of the I Dream of Jeannie episode "Uncles a Go-Go" preceded by the Screen Gems "S from Hell" and followed by the Sony Pictures Television logo last aired on WGN America and last seen on several 1964 episodes of The Virginian on Encore Westerns. It was also recently spotted after The Monkees episode "Son of a Gypsy" on Antenna TV (with the Colex Enterprises logo before AND after it). As for the still variant, it's extinct and was last seen on Eye Guess.
Scare Factor: Low to medium. Some may be freaked out by the NBC chimes theme and the way the snake is forming. None for the still shot.
5th Logo (1976-1979)
Nicknames: "N of Doom"
Logo: We have a white background, which zooms out, revealing an abstract "N" on a black background. The text "Dolphin Productions/New York" in white fades in on the bottom of the screen. The left section of the "N" fills with red, and the right section fills with blue, becoming the NBC logo of the time. The text on the bottom of the screen fades to "NBC".
FX/SFX: Nothing more than zoom effects and fading. This was done at Dolphin Productions in New York, which (kinda) explains the "Dolphin Productions/New York" at the bottom of the screen at one part.
Cheesy Factor: Simple animation.
Music/Sounds: A loud jazzy fanfare with congas.
Availability: Seen as a network ID starting on January 1, 1976. NBC replaced it with the "Proud N" starting in 1979, but NBC News and NBC Sports retained this logo until 1981.
Scare Factor: Low to medium. The fanfare may cause some scares, otherwise harmless.
6th Logo (1982-1986)
Nicknames: "Cheesy Peacock", "Peacock Blur", "The Proud Peacock", "NBC Peacock"
Logo: On a black background the 1979-1986 NBC Peacock turns into place. It is a blur of color as it does so, but clears up as it stops. Under the peacock are the words:
NBC
PRODUCTIONS
Variants:
- This logo also appeared on a blue background.
- A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The peacock turning/focusing.
Music/Sounds: A light version of the NBC 3-note chimes beginning in 1985. In other cases, it uses the show's ending theme or none.
Availability: Rare. It's seen on some co-produced shows, such as Punky Brewster, It's Punky Brewster, and the short-lived cartoon Kissyfur, among others. Since the NBC logo appears in reruns of other shows, it would stand to reason that this one would be kept as well. The version with the blue background appeared on the first two seasons of Punky Brewster and the 1985 NBC TV special Let's All Be There, and on the short-lived 1985 NBC comedy Sara, starring Geena Davis; there, it came after the UBU Productions card, and between the two was an IAW card in stacked formation and in lowercase Broadway font in white on a black screen.
Scare Factor: None for the silent version and with the end-title theme from any show. Low with the light 3-note NBC chimes.
7th Logo (1985?-1986)
Nicknames: "The Proud N-Peacock", "The NBC Peacock II"
Logo: On a pine green, light gray and black gradient background is the 1979-1986 NBC "Proud N" logo with the "N" in black borders. On top is "in association with" and below that, in front of the "Proud N" logo, "NBC Entertainment". All of the words are a shiny gold color.
Variant: A later version has "Productions" in place of "Entertainment". It's also darker and a little bit narrow in appearance.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Just the show's closing theme.
Availability: Rare as they come without being extinct. This was the first real, non-in-credit NBC Productions logo ever used on Saturday Night Live, starting with episodes from the infamous 1985-86 season on four episodes on Hulu and Netflix, but they have been taken off the respective sites. The "NBC Entertainment" version is seen on the "Chevy Chase/Shelia E." episode while the "John Lithgow/Mr. Mister" episode has the "NBC Productions" variant. It should be retained on episodes if they're re-ran on TV again. Most reruns however, will have the 8th logo.
Scare Factor: None.
8th Logo (May 12, 1986-1996)
Nicknames: "'90s Peacock", "The 1986 Peacock", "The Remake of the Peacock", "The Restored Peacock", "Come Home", "NBC Peacock III"
Logo: Against a black background, a red CGI mound appears. As it rises, more rainbow colors are revealed. Then from the top of the screen, the head/neck of the NBC peacock swings in and the mound spreads to become its feathers. This peacock is the current version, and it backs away with a color trail around it. Below, the words:
NBC
P R O D U C T I O N S
in it's typeface, NBC Futura (which is NBC's proprietary font), fly in, also with a CGI-like appearance. When they move back into their places, they take on a more "solid", 2D color.
Trivia: This logo was based off of the NBC on-air ident and NBC Sports ident, both from 1986.
Variants:
- Saturday Night Live reruns of the era have this logo, but it appears videotaped and somewhat slower than the filmed counterpart usually seen.
- A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows.
- On Tapeheads, the name is written in one line, but the peacock remains above NBC.
- Some shows have a slight-shortened version which begins as the Peacock eases back. Seen on some shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hang Time.
- On The Nerd, an unsold TV pilot that was produced in 1989, but did not air until 1996, the logo was still.
- On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from sometime in late 1994, the logo is a still on NBC's then-new generic split-screen closing credits on the right hand side with a copyright notice.
FX/SFX: The peacock forming, words zooming out, the CGI colors turning solid.
Music/Sounds: Just the ending theme of the show. But there was an orchestral version of the NBC theme for the logo on made-for-TV movies and early episodes of JAG. The NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration uses the NBC Chime theme from the 1950s.
Availability: Common. It's still can be seen at the end of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on TBS and ABC Family, and originally seen on the first four seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street on Centric. Last seen on reruns of SNL on E! and the end of Malibu Fox (not the 1993 film). This also appeared on the 1st 2 seasons of the NBC/UPN sitcom In the House as well as the short-lived 1989-1991 soap Generations when BET last reran that show in the '90s. This also appeared on the short-lived 1992-93 NBC sitcom Out All Night as well. It was also seen on the 1987 NBC Saturday Morning Preview Specials as well. Can also be found on the Season 1 DVD release of JAG from CBS DVD. This was found on the majority of 1980-1996 SNL episodes on Netflix and Hulu, but were taken off the respective sites. This logo has also been added, following the Broadway Video logo, on select 1975-85 reruns of Saturday Night Live when broadcast on NBC.
Scare Factor: Low.
9th Logo (1996-2004)
Nicknames: "Color Beams", "NBC Peacock IV"
Logo: Against a black background with three sets of light beams, we see a extreme close-up of a three-dimensional peacock design (much like above), which appears facing downward, which rises up, and goes backward to the center of the light beams, as the text "NBC STUDIOS" in the same font as above, blur in from above the screen and land right under the peacock. Three sets of red and blue beams radiate behind the bird.
Variants:
- For syndicated programs, the text would sometimes read "NBC ENTERPRISES".
- The more common "short" version cuts when the peacock goes backward and the company name blur in, and goes under the peacock.
- Some episodes of Spike TV's Most Amazing Videos and reruns of Passions have a copyright stamp attached.
- The "short" version just shows the still peacock, and the light beams move somewhat. This can be as short as a second long.
- On Sleepwalkers (the 1997 TV Series), the words "in association with" are seen under the logo.
- On the very short-lived animated sitcom God, the Devil and Bob, there is a still version of this logo.
FX/SFX: The rising peacock, the blurring letters lowering.
Music/Sounds: Two arrangements of the NBC 3-note chimes, both featuring bells:
- 1996-1999: This version is faster paced than the next one.
- 1999-2004: This one sounds much more orchestral and majestic (this version predates this logo; it appeared as early as 1995 elsewhere).
- Sometimes, the ending theme of the show was played.
Availability: Common. It's seen on shows of the era such as The Pretender on all DVD releases, Profiler on all DVD releases, Homicide: Life on the Street on Centric, the first two seasons of Will & Grace on WE tv and DVD, seasons 4-7 DVD releases of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, 1996-1999 episodes of Saturday Night Live (1999- episodes would start using the SNL Studios logo in place of this), and Malibu Fox when they are reran. Also appeared on subsequent post-season S2 episodes of the sitcom In the House whenever that show gets reran. The "ENTERPRISES" variant can be seen on City Guys on BET, Malibu CA, and One World. Also seen on Ed from 2001-2004, and the final season of California Dreams.
Scare Factor: None.
10th Logo (1996-2001)
Nicknames: "Peacock in the Sky", "The Plane", "Cloudy Peacock", "NBC Peacock V"
Logo: On a sky background, an orange biplane flies over. The camera then cuts to the seat of the plane as it flies. Then, the camera cuts to the wheels. The camera then cuts to the seat again. We then cut to the wheels and then the front of the plane. The plane then reveals a cloud version of the 6 feathered NBC Peacock with the head looking at the right and then turns into color. When the logo forms, there's no corporate text at all, but the URL "W W W.N B C.C O M" may appear surrounded by a black oval.
FX/SFX: The flying of the plane, the plane forming the peacock and the peacock turning into color.
Music/Sounds: A dramatic theme with the sounds of the biplane's engine followed by a bell version of the 3 note NBC theme.
Availability: Extinct. This was only seen on pre-2001 episodes of Access Hollywood in syndication. It also doubled as a network ID c. 1996.
Scare Factor: Medium, because of the biplane.
11th Logo (1996-2001)
Nicknames: "The Flipping Peacock", "NBC Peacock VI"
Logo: We see the 6-feathered NBC peacock over a revolving set of many colored feathers in the background. The logo appears to be flipping, as if it were a book or something. It then makes a stop at the near end. There's no corporate text at all in this logo, but the URL "W W W.N B C.C O M" may appear below surrounded by a black shadow.
FX/SFX: The flipping of the peacock.
Music/Sounds: The second theme from the previous logo.
Availability: Same as before.
Scare Factor: Low.
12th Logo (2000-2004)
Nicknames: "Shining Colors", "The Shimmering Peacock", "NBC Peacock VII"
Logo: We see the standard NBC Peacock logo emerging from the bottom of the screen. The logo border is in chrome and the feathers are crystal-like and tinted for each of its colors. As the logo rises upward and out, a pair of searchlights bounce light onto the feathers, making a reflection of the vibrant colors outward. The words "NBC STUDIOS", which are also crystallized, appear below the logo.
Variants:
- The syndication logo was ID'ed as "NBC ENTERPRISES" with "DISTRIBUTED BY" above the peacock.
- There is also a HDTV Widescreen version.
FX/SFX: The NBC Peacock emerging, the shimmering, the "sparkle" from the crystals.
Music/Sounds: There are three music variants:
- First theme is the 1999 theme from the 8th logo.
- Second theme is a slightly re-done theme from the 9th logo but adding a new effect.
- Third theme is a sped-up rearrangement of the previous theme using different notes.
Availability: Uncommon. It appeared on several shows during the time period. Currently appears on seasons 3-8 of Will & Grace on WE tv and on DVD, and on Crossing Jordan when it is reran on A&E.
Scare Factor: None.