Requested by @TheSplatComedian2016 Nicknames: "Wigga-Wigga", "\/|/\CO/\/\", "Zig-Zags of Steel', "Silver Zig-Zags" Logo: On a shaded blue background, a silver "V" flies from the bottom left and then backwards. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the name (it shines as it does this), with the "A" and "M" still taking the form of zig-zags, forming the word, "VIACOM". The completed logo shines. Trivia: Many people think the announcer is mispronouncing the word Viacom. It is indeed long "i", like in "prize", although the original pronunciation of the name pre-1986 was indeed with a short "i", like in "pizza", hence the pronunciation "vee-a-com". Oddly, the post-1986 pronunciation was used by the announcer on the Magnetic Video logo several years before it became the official pronunciation. Variants: There is a very rare filmed variant seen on TV movies from the era. Several shows would have the name already formed during the later years, with the only animation being the shining of the letters. There is a text variation on this logo for Viacom Productions. It has the "VIACOM" text already formed, but a line slides in from the right and forms into "PRODUCTIONS" in Futura Extra Bold font, after which the "C" and the "O" in "\/|/\CO/\/\" shine. This shorter variation was seen on network TV productions from 1998-1999. There was another variant of this in which the text doesn't shine at all, used on Diagnosis: Murder. On reruns of the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch pilot on ABC Family (now Freeform), The Hub (now Discovery Family) and Antenna TV, this logo is still (a la the 1985 "V of Happiness" logo) and the end theme of the show is played followed by the 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo. A black & white version of this exists on some prints of older B&W shows (though most feature the color version). On the 1997 TV movie, The Right Connections, the words "in association with" are seen over the logo's background, then fades out when the animation starts. On WPIX's print of the Honeymooners episode "The Sleepwalker", the logo freezes before it is fully formed. The audio is distorted in this variant. It's likely an error in production. On the 1996 TV movie Brothers of the Frontier and a Me-TV airing of Matlock S7 episode "The Class", the short version of the logo is played in slow motion. FX/SFX: The CGI coiled line turning into "\/|/\CO/\/\". Cheesy Factor: The other letters in the logo seem to "drop out" from the zig-zags rather than the zig-zags just morphing into them, which becomes apparent once the animation is slowed down. Also, the excessive shining makes this look somewhat gaudy. Music/Sounds: Again, there have been several musical variations accompanied with a voice-over by Don LaFontaine saying "Viacom" near the end: Usually, a synthesized rock score is used, complete with drums, a synthesizer and even a guitar. Telephone-like "wigga-wigga" sounds are heard as the line zig-zags. For the newly-formed Viacom International, the same logo is accompanied by different music. A synthesized whoosh is heard first, leading into a jingle played on a flute being heard as the line uncurls. As the logo finishes, a faint choir is heard in the background. Synthesized "shining" sounds can be heard throughout the entire logo. The LaFontaine voice-over is still heard. There is a version where the LaFontaine voice-over cuts in earlier. Some versions have no LaFontaine voice-over. The Viacom Productions logo is one of these, except the variant used on Diagnosis: Murder. An extremely short version with no LaFontaine voice-over was seen for a brief time in 1996. This version would also have the Paramount Domestic Television logo play almost immediately afterwards. There was a warped version during later years. There is a low toned variant for the short version that appears after an episode of The Twilight Zone. A high pitched variant exists. It's usually seen on PAL prints of Viacom-distributed shows and movies with this logo. Music/Sounds Variants: In some cases, it used the closing theme of the show, generic network music on CBS, NBC, and ABC, or it was silent. There is a variant with the "V of Doom" theme playing instead on several early-1990s syndie prints of classic TV movies from the era, plastering the 1976 filmed logo. There is another variant with the "V of Doom" music now playing faintly instead on some episodes of The Twilight Zone on Syfy, Perry Mason, and The Honeymooners both on Me-TV and last aired on WGN America. Sometimes, the short version plays with the normal music, but the "V of Doom" music can be heard again faintly in the background. This is sometimes called the "Ghost of the V of Doom". There is a variant with the "V of Steel" theme playing instead on one episode of Gunsmoke as well as a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode "The What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery" on AXN Crime.
One episode of Rawhide on Me-TV has the warp-speed version of the logo with the warp-speed "V of Steel" music playing over it. A variant with the sped-up "V of Steel" music was reportedly sighted on a British rerun of the Matlock episode "The Brothers". Another variant with the warp-speed VoS music playing under the regular version was spotted on a Hungarian-dubbed rerun of the Father Dowling Mysteries season 1 episode "The Mafia Priest Mystery: Part 2" on AXN Crime. This is unofficially called the "Ghost of the V of Steel". The Viacom Productions variant has used the music from the final logo below on certain occasions. This has been sighted on an international print of the eighth episode of S7 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, "Bada-Ping!", an Antenna TV airing of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch S7 episode "Sabrina Unplugged", and has also been reported to appear on some episodes of the final season of Diagnosis: Murder. A variant with the "Pinball" music was reported to have been seen on a public domain cartoon (possibly a Terrytoon) which aired on a religious TV channel. This has yet to be confirmed. A variant of the original "Wigga Wigga" logo without the announcer in it also exists. Availability: Fairly common. Many of the shows that had this logo have been updated with either the Paramount Domestic Television, the CBS Paramount Domestic or Network Television logos ("Eye in the Sky" or "Wallpaper") or CBS Television Distribution logos by now, especially on DVD releases, but it is still seen on some shows. Regular Variant: It was spotted on the film I'm All Right Jack on TCM, two episodes of Cannon on the season 3 DVD, and one episode of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams on DVD. It has been spotted on reruns of color episodes of Gunsmoke on Me-TV and TV Land, albeit in split screen form on the latter channel, and was also spotted on The Alvin Show when re-ran on Nickelodeon. Like the 2nd and 7th logos, this can probably be seen on a few episodes of Have Gun-Will Travel on H&I, but most now have the CBS Television Distribution logo, due to H&I using new prints of that show. It was also seen when that show aired on Encore Westerns in the early 2010s. It was also seen on some episodes of Perry Mason, Hogan's Heroes and The Beverly Hillbillies on Me-TV and occasionally Decades before they both were issued updated prints by CBS (though it can be still be found in the majority of color episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies and select episodes of Gomer Pyle: U.S.M.C.; for the latter show, the vast majority of episodes have the 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo, both are also aired sometimes on Decades as well), as well as in the past, episodes of I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour on Nick at Nite and TV Land. It could also been seen on the Perry Mason TV movies from 1991-95, and some prints of older ones, but DVDs plaster it with the CTD logo. The high pitched variant was recently spotted on a British television broadcast of California Gold Rush. This can also be found on Family Affair, My Three Sons, VHS releases of Payoff (1991), a recent European TV broadcast of the 1973 TV film A Dream for Christmas, the 2009 Warner Archive DVD-R of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973), the Republic Pictures VHS of Rent-a-Kid, the Prism Entertainment VHS of Memories of Murder, VHS copies of The Right Connections, The Operation (AKA: Bodily Harm) (2007 Lifetime prints had the 7th logo), They Watch, the Starmaker Video VHS releases of Last Train from Gun Hill, Donner Pass: The Road to Survival, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race, and Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love, a Brazilian VHS of the Sunn Classics adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher, the Kino Lorber DVD of Really Weird Tales (after the 5th logo), and international prints of Rawhide, along with some recent prints on H&I. It is unknown if it's intact on the Starmaker Video VHS release of East of Eden (1981). Warp Speed Variant: Currently found on Matlock on WGN America, Me-TV, Decades, FETV, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (it plasters over the the 7th logo on many episodes from seasons 1 to 4, along with earlier season 5 episodes, and the 5th logo on later syndicated prints of the pilot episode for that show; DVDs used the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1 while 2-9 have CTD). Some episodes from Seasons 6 and 7, and possibly 8, use the regular variant instead. Also seen on the first 3 seasons and early season 4 episodes of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch on Antenna TV (DVDs have the CBS/Paramount "Eye In The Sky" logo for season 1, while seasons 2-3 have the "Wallpaper" logo and 4-7 have CTD. Hulu prints use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo for season 1). Also seen on the first five seasons of Diagnosis: Murder on DVD, Encore Suspense, Me-TV, Decades, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (however, DVDs of Season 2 and reportedly, Season 3 use the CBS/Paramount "Wallpaper" logo instead). It was also preserved at the en
