The logos you remember from your childhood
Oh, to be a ‘90s kid again! Those were the days, where your greatest worry was trying to keep your Tamagotchi alive, choosing which Spice Girl you were most like and which Beanie Babie to add to your collection next.
So much happened in that decade, it can be hard to remember it all. But as a kid, the most important things were probably toys and TV shows, which were the highlight of Saturday mornings. So, let’s take a look back at some legendary logos from that era, to make us all feel like kids again.
Cartoon Network
When it comes to nostalgic cartoons, at the top of your list has to be The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Ren & Stimpy — all with their unique cartoon style and fun storylines. And their home was of course Cartoon Network, launched in 1992 to the backdrop of cartoon explosions.
But with all the fun that came with it, who would have thought of a black and white logo for a ‘90s kids’ network? It doesn’t sound right, but for Cartoon Network, it completely worked. The grid design stood out against the bright and bold colours which most commonly featured in logos at the time, and this certainly made it memorable.
According to a post published on the blog on the logo design and branding platform,Tailor Brands, “it was the unusual choice of founder Hanna-Barbara and designer Corey McPherson, to use only contrast colours and the quirky style of font to portray their playful message.”
Toys ‘R’ Us
Before streaming and binging TV shows was a thing, programmes had commercial breaks — remember those? And the highlight, especially at Christmas, was of course the Toys ‘R’ Us advert, with Geoffrey the giraffe and its catchy theme tune (which we admittedly know all the lyrics to).
The company may have now shut down, but the logo remains an iconic symbol of our childhood. Changing over the 70 years of business, the 1990s logo was particularly fun, in its colour and font. It encapsulates the bright colours and typography of the era, as well as appealing to its young audience.
You’ll recognise the backwards ‘R’ in the middle, surrounded by a blue star, which just goes further in emphasising its playfulness, as if written by a child. As the years went on the multi-coloured approach remained, but the colours varied, and the star then became the middle of the letter ‘R’.
Saved By the Bell
If we’re talking snazzy logos from the ‘90s, then we have to mention Saved by the Bell. The memorable opening sequence not only had a great theme tune, but all of the bright coloured shapes and eccentric patterns you’d expect of the decade, and the logo also fits in perfectly with this.
The colours are completely unrelated, as are the different fonts used. The varying sizes of the words add an element of movement to the static image, with the bold yellow ‘BELL’ representing the sound and image of a school bell ringing.
Nickelodeon
Known for its fun-filled children shows, that involved a lot of green gunge, the logo for Nickelodeon in the 1990s iconised its love for slime. The orange splat was a simple yet effective design, and another kid’s channel that decided to only use two colours.
The rounded typeface is unconventional, playful and youthful, just like the channel itself, whilst the sliminess of the orange background adds some fun and energy! If only we could go back to sitting on an inflatable chair on a Saturday morning, watching our favourite TV shows with a bowl of Nesquik, a plate of Pop Tarts and some Sunny D!
