Paramount Pyramids

[oddblock]

Is it just me or is the logo for Paramount Pictures 3 cunningly disguised pyramids? The angles look very suspect, too perfect...

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2008-12/paramount-majestic-mountain-logo.jpg

What do you think?

[thedefender]

Yea it is a pyramid. Not to mention the 22 pentagram.;)

[dreamweaver]

There's some interesting info about the logo in the wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures#Logo

The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the company's logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. The logo appeared at the start of many cartoons. Legend has it that the mountain is based on a doodle made by W. W. Hodkinson during a meeting with Adolph Zukor. It is said to be based on the memories of his childhood in Utah. Some claim that Utah's Ben Lomond is the mountain Hodkinson doodled, and that Peru's Artesonraju[31] is the mountain in the live-action logo.

The logo began as a somewhat indistinct charcoal rendering of the mountain ringed with superimposed stars. The logo originally had twenty-four stars, as a tribute to the then current system of contracts for actors, since Paramount had twenty-four stars signed at the time. In 1952, the logo was redesigned as a matte painting created by Jan Domela. The current mountain style debuted in 1954. In 1974 the logo was simplified, adopting the design of the then-current television version, and the number of stars was changed to twenty-two; this version of the logo is still in use as Paramount's current print logo. The visual logo was replaced in 1987, Paramount's 75th Anniversary, by a version created by Apogee, Inc. with a computer generated lake and stars. For Paramount's 90th anniversary in 2002, a new, completely computer-generated logo was created.[32][33]

Not long before the United Paramount Network (UPN) was merged with The WB to form The CW Network, there were plans to re-brand UPN as The Paramount Network, featuring a stylized mountain/stars logo to identify the newly-named network with the studio, but the plans were scrapped. In contrast, UPN's initial logo from its January 1995 launch featured its initials in geometric shapes. The "U" (for "United") was in a circle, the "P" ("Paramount") in a triangle, and the "N" ("Network") in a square, with the "P" triangle being a nod to the Paramount mountain.

Here's the mountain in Peru that the article mentions:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Ancash.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Artesonraju.JPG

[oddblock]

There's some interesting info about the logo in the wiki article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures#Logo

The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the company's logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. The logo appeared at the start of many cartoons. Legend has it that the mountain is based on a doodle made by W. W. Hodkinson during a meeting with Adolph Zukor. It is said to be based on the memories of his childhood in Utah. Some claim that Utah's Ben Lomond is the mountain Hodkinson doodled, and that Peru's Artesonraju[31] is the mountain in the live-action logo.

The logo began as a somewhat indistinct charcoal rendering of the mountain ringed with superimposed stars. The logo originally had twenty-four stars, as a tribute to the then current system of contracts for actors, since Paramount had twenty-four stars signed at the time. In 1952, the logo was redesigned as a matte painting created by Jan Domela. The current mountain style debuted in 1954. In 1974 the logo was simplified, adopting the design of the then-current television version, and the number of stars was changed to twenty-two; this version of the logo is still in use as Paramount's current print logo. The visual logo was replaced in 1987, Paramount's 75th Anniversary, by a version created by Apogee, Inc. with a computer generated lake and stars. For Paramount's 90th anniversary in 2002, a new, completely computer-generated logo was created.[32][33]

Not long before the United Paramount Network (UPN) was merged with The WB to form The CW Network, there were plans to re-brand UPN as The Paramount Network, featuring a stylized mountain/stars logo to identify the newly-named network with the studio, but the plans were scrapped. In contrast, UPN's initial logo from its January 1995 launch featured its initials in geometric shapes. The "U" (for "United") was in a circle, the "P" ("Paramount") in a triangle, and the "N" ("Network") in a square, with the "P" triangle being a nod to the Paramount mountain.

Here's the mountain in Peru that the article mentions:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Ancash.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Artesonraju.JPG

Sweet info Dreamweaver, thanks!

[thedefender]

http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images/2008-12/paramount-logo-history.jpg

[chrysoprase]

Last night I was looking at some YouTube pages that had collections of "Scary" TV and film logos.

Paramount was included in most of these videos. Several people referred to one Paramount TV logo as the "closet killer".

And I was really kind of fascinated at all of the comments about these videos. Apparently, many children that grew up on these logos were frightened by them. I remember alot of these - I wasn't scared - but I think that it is interesting that many children perceived something wrong and ominous about them.

And now, looking at them, I do see how they would be ominous. Most of these are from the 1970's.... I guess you could say that after being informed of symbolism in media - I can see the creepiness:


Paramount "closet killer":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLo_7e5GIzM&feature=related

Top 5 Scariest Logos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxN-BnAMzs0&feature=related

One from Russia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh2V7UV1cRE&feature=related

10 Scariest TV Logos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C4cZx0bD0Q&feature=related

Scary Logos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icg_PCe0NuE&feature=related

Scariest TV Logos from our Childhood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAFR7_HNQZA&feature=related