Grundy Organization/Television
Compiled by Andrew Batstone
1st Logo
(1960-1979)
Nickname: "RG"
Logo: We see the words:
RG
GRUNDY
ORGANISATION
production
superimposed over a show’s closing scene after the credits.
A stylized, cursive “RG” insignia (the initials of the
company’s founder Reg Grundy) sits on the top left of the
text, which is in a sans-serif font.
Logo Variation: A minor modification from late 1978, the logo is slightly smaller and the spelling of “organisation” is modified with a “z” in place of the “s”.
FX: None, it's a still logo.
Cheesy Factor: None.
Music: The end of the show's theme.
Availability: Seen after the credits of Grundy shows of the era, and on very early episodes of “Prisoner”.
Scare Factor: Low.
2nd Logo
(1979-1998)
Nicknames: "The Diamond", "Rolling Diamond" (from 1983)
Logo: An animated wireframe diamond – consisting of a hexagonal shape with lines criss-crossing its width and height – rolls towards the viewer from the screen’s centre, growing bigger as this occurs. As it finally settles in place, the words “GRUNDY” (in the diamond’s centre) and “TELEVISION” (below the diamond) simultaneously unfold onto the screen while the word “PRODUCTION” (in a different, thinner font) rises from the bottom of the screen.
Logo Variations:
1979-1980: The word “Grundy Organization” (spanning the screen’s width) overlaps a static, 2D diamond. The text is solid except for the letters “R” and “G” - representing the initials of Reg Grundy – in the diamond’s centre. The word “production” sits on the bottom right of “organization”. This is the last logo to use initials of any kind.
1980-1983: Same static diamond as before, only “Grundy Organization Production” is rearranged below, like this,
GRUNDY
ORGANIZATION
Production
1983: The diamond is redesigned for a more
“3D” look. The word “Grundy” lies right in
the middle of the diamond, and the words “Television”
(in the same font as “Grundy”) and
“Production” (in a thin, sans serif font) are below.
Circa 1982, Grundy decided to animate the diamond (as described above) using stop-frame animation ala Wallace and Gromit. It debuted on the soap opera “Sons & Daughters” and eventually spread to other shows produced by Grundy. In the late ‘80s, it was redone in CGI for a smoother appearance.
SFX: None (1979-1983), the diamond spinning towards the viewer (1983-1998). The entire animated sequence is superimposed over the ending scene, making this a unique logo.
Cheesy Factor: Rough animation (1983-late '80s).
Music: The end of the show’s theme.
Availability: Still seen on old episodes of “Neighbours”, “Prisoner” and “Sons & Daughters” whenever they are re-run.
Scare Factor: A large wireframe diamond suddenly appearing out of nowhere and rolling into view could easily startle those who have never seen it before, but it is fondly recalled and familiar to a generation of Australian TV fans who grew up with “Neighbours”, “Prisoner”, “Sale of the Century” and countless others. Which is more than I can say for the next logo…
3rd Logo
(1998-)
Nicknames: "Gold G", "G of Grievousness”
Logo: On a black background, a large, elliptical gold ring with a bronze aura forms in the centre of the screen while a white dot flies clockwise from the back and circumnavigates it. As this happens, the top right portion of the ring disappears and a gold trail is formed below, making up a stylized “G” shape. As the aura fades out, a boomerang-style trail is cut through the left side. A small point of light shines briefly on the top right end of the “G” upon completion. Throughout this formation, the word “GRUNDY” (in white) fades in below, with “A FREMANTLE MEDIA COMPANY” (in the same font, but smaller) a split second later.
SFX: CGI.
Cheesy Factor: None.
Music: Once again, end of the show's theme.
Availability: Seen on current “Neighbours” episodes and all other recent Grundy shows.
Scare Factor: None whatsoever. Nice CGI, but it’s not exactly what I call “cutting edge”.