Childsource

Credits

Descriptions by
StarlightFantasy

Captures by
AvaKujikawa

Video captures courtesy of
Yung Ice

Background

Childsource, Inc. was a New York-based producer and distributor of personalized educational VHS tapes that would feature the child the tape was made for in a starring role. Incorporated on September 3rd 1997, the company would later be dissolved in June 6th, 2007.

Logo (Late 1990s-2000s)

Visuals: On a white background, there is a child-like illustration of a strip of a blue sky with birds flying and an orange sun, and below it and resting on a green scribble representing grass is the company name "CHILDSOURCE^SM", whose "I" is replaced by a drawing of a stick figure with a yellow head. Below the company name and to the right of the stick figure is the slogan, in dark blue and in a childlike, handwritten font, "INSPIRE YOUR CHILD". After a brief moment, a photograph of the child who the video was made for and the text, in red, "Educational Videos Made Especially For Your Child" materialize in a pixel effect over the stick figure's head and below the logo respectively. The red text then disappears in the same effect before more text in the same stylization and providing the phone number to order a VHS from the company appears in the same area. Throughout the entire logo, a small copyright notice can be seen towards the bottom-right of the screen.

Variants:

• The child head that covers the stick figure's head is personalized, meaning that a different head will appear on every different copy.
• There are at least two known ending variants that retain the logo and do not feature the child's face:
  • The first variant, seen on The Jake Show, has only the red text "Educational Videos Made Especially For Your Child" fade in beneath the logo. This text then fades away in a pixel effect to reveal the stacked red text "For Other Video and Book Titles Please Call 1-800-796-7515 (Dept. 400)".
  • The second variant, seen on The Lewis Show, repeats the main logo's animation sans the child's head appearing.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: A few seconds of silence followed by a single ambient synth note, a few light and quiet piano notes, and a reverse cymbal sound.

Availability: Seen only on VHS tapes that were produced by the company, at least two of which have been preserved on YouTube in the form of The Jake Show and The Lewis Show.