The Best and Worst Logos of Toddler TV

August 2nd, 2006

I’ve always been fascinated with toddler TV, specifically the animated shows. You’ll find techniques in this genre that you’ll rarely find in any other demographic, such as puppetry and stop action. When I have the opportunity to watch these shows with children, I take advantage of it. My attention is split among the storyline, the animation techniques and the kids’ reactions.

And let me tell you, I’m Mr. Popular Adult when these shows are on. Oh, yes. I’m frequently told to “Shut up. You’re ruining it for the kids.” Is that really fair? Must I suffer this cruelty because I simply point out things that are so intriguing to an animation fan and professional designer but quickly destroys a child’s illusion that these characters are real? Yeah, probably so.

The Question
As I watched the “Toddler TV” episodes and how I and the audience reacted, it made me wonder - do their logos receive the same reactions as their shows? I can tell you with confidence that there are some shows I love and some I absolutely hate, both on a professional and personal level. Do their logos bring up the same feelings? Are they helping or hurting the success of the programming and the larger brand? Why?

The Audience
Before we get to the logos, let’s define my self-imposed label of “Toddler TV”. These are television shows that are targeted towards 2 to 6 year-old children. They’re usually found on PBS Kids, Nick Jr., and Playhouse Disney as well as every DVD collection of every parent of children in this age group. There are obviously some older and younger kids that also watch, but we’re going to stick with this target demographic for the sake of this discussion.

The Criteria
I’ll be rating these logos based on the following areas:

1. Design - This area takes a look at the more technical aspects of the logo, such as the font choices, color palette, white space, etc.
2. Emotion - Here, I’ll examine what feeling the logo emotes and if it’s in line with the show’s character and personality (as much as I can as an adult)
3. Representation – Does the logo accurately reflect the show? Can you gather the setting, storyline, etc. from just looking at the logo?
4. Overall – Which logos stand out and which ones give up?

So without further ado - the logos.

[ View Larger Images ]

You’ll notice that I didn’t include the long-established logos in this discussion, such as Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Clifford. Purely from a design perspective, they were created in a different era with different design trends and societal influences.

I’ve also excluded any logos that include the show’s characters (Arthur, Dora, Wiggles) because the emotional response and level of animation integration could be based on the characters and not the logo itself. And since many of these shows use both logos interchangeably, it didn’t impact my analysis to choose the non-character versions. The only difference is Arthur, which doesn’t have a non-character version.

To see a larger version, click on the selected logos below.

Design

BEST – Bear in the Big Blue House
This is a very clean and well-balanced logo. All of the lines, including the wonderful font choice, seem to follow the same slight curve, almost like they’re following the horizon. These curves coupled with the lack of hard lines and corners makes it calm and welcoming. There’s also a great balance between the brown and blue as well as the colors and surrounding white space. And although bear’s face is the majority of the logo, it rests comfortably within the surrounding space and doesn’t overpower the design.

WORST – Dragon Tales
This logo looks unfinished not very well thought out. The color palette of green, green and greener blends the logo into a grassy blur. The blue outlines don’t help because they’re too close to the dark green to bring out the tail or anything else. The font choice and placement crush the words within the tail to an almost unreadable status. Dragon “Tales” – Oh, it’s a play on words. I get it. Thanks for over-explaining it.

HONORABLE MENTION - Bob the Builder
This one was a toss up between Bob and Little Einsteins. But solely from a design perspective, I have to give it to Bob. Unlike most of the logos, this is a very heavy and compact design that works for the show it’s representing. The hard lines and heavy bevel of the background bordered with rivets works well with the font and spacing choices of the show’s name. The yellow letters are beveled just enough to fit nicely in the steel-like structure, but not too much that it competes with it. And while the tight kerning might hurt another logo, it aids in the portrayal of a solidly-built structure. Very well done.

Emotion

BEST – Barney & Friends
With a simple illustration and flowing fonts, this logo does a great job of making you feel like singing and marching down the street without a care in the world. It utilizes all the available white space to give that open air feeling while appealing to all ages of their target audience.

WORST – The Backyardigans
Besides the two “Nick Jr.” flowers, there’s really nothing to give the viewer any sort of feeling. What emotion you get from the color yellow is minimized by the squashing of the uppercase letters as well as the equal thickness of the yellow and its similar green border. A negative emotion is probably not what was intended when designing this logo, but that’s about the only emotion I get.

HONORABLE MENTION – It’s a Big, Big World
Although the design has something to be desired, this logo allows you to feel the emotions also found in the TV show. The logo height combined with the extending kerning and individually-angled letters adds some spontaneity and playfulness. The well-chosen contrast between the lower-case and upper-case words also adds to this feeling.

Representation

BEST – Dora the Explorer
This logo does a great job of representing its TV show and the larger brand. The font colors are bright, unique and energetic. And with the leaves in the background, an adventurous feeling is created for the viewer. The two “Nick Jr.” butterflies add the final touch with the element of nature. The entire package works flawlessly together to give a solidly represent the show.

WORST – Higglytown Heroes
This logo shows absolutely nothing about the TV show it represents, not even subtly. The color and font choices are unrelated and since the characters are egg-shaped, it’s beyond me why the logo is not the same shape. Especially in the children’s entertainment industry, some representation should be present, even subtly. This logo just doesn’t work.

HONORABLE MENTION – Blue’s Clues
This is an excellent example of how to use a logo as a main story element. In the show, the blue footprint indicates a clue location. Children interact with the show by actively looking for these blue footprints throughout the story and using those clues to decipher the puzzle.

Overall

BEST – Dora the Explorer
Although the design isn’t as polished as some of the other logos, it’s definitely a solid choice as the overall winner. The treatment of color, font, layout and white space is pleasing to the eye and gives the viewer an energetic and adventurous feeling. The logo also does a great job of representing the TV show and the overall brand. It effectively does this with its design and the use of the blue arrow as a key plot element in the show itself. Others may have come close, but this logo stands above the rest.

WORST – Higglytown Heroes
There isn’t much that’s inspiring about this logo. The colors don’t compliment each other and the shape isn’t symmetrical or pleasing to the eye. It seems like everything is competing for the same space. Besides being poorly designed and executed, this logo elicits no emotional response and no indication of what show it represents. Although there are definitely other logos that I’m happy to put here, this logo offered nothing positive in any of the categories of this review.

HONORABLE MENTION - Bear in the Big Blue House
As I previously mentioned, I’m very impressed with the clean and well-balanced design of this logo. It also gives the viewer a very calming and welcoming feeling and effectively represents the show. Not necessarily in literal terms, like the rivets in the Bob the Builder logo, but more in the personality of Bear through the illustration.

Well, that’s my 2 cents. Now, as promised, it’s your turn.

Please take a moment to let me know which logo you think is the best and worst overall and within each category. Feel free to add a logo that I didn’t include in this article. I’ll do my best to post the results for our own selfish enjoyment.

Or, if you want to play it old school, just leave a comment ranting about the Wiggles and the end of the world. You know how I love a good rant.

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