Gecko Studios

Background
Gecko Studios is a production company that was formed by Elliot Strange in 1984 and based in Houston, Texas. The company mainly produced content in relation to the "Halloween Gang" graphic novel series, but have also produced horror films, Christmas specials and acquisitions of Eastern properties that've otherwise gone unsold in their domestic markets. Gecko shut down in 2003 following a long lack of work, though they would briefly resurface in 2012. In 2019, Gecko was relaunched as a visual-effects studio and is currently based in Plano, Texas. Strange is currently part of Specific Pictures.

1st Logo (1985-1988)
Logo: Against a city at night, an emblem with a gecko embryo drops down to the right of them, catching them off guard. "GECKO STUDIOS " is below in white.

Variant: On the pilot telefilm, an in-credit version was used which read "A PRODUCTION OF GECKO STUDIOS AND BLESSARD ANIMATION PRODUCTIONS."

FX/SFX: Traditional animation.

Music/Sounds: Sounds corresponding to the actions.

Availability: Extinct. This was only seen on most episodes of The Halloween Gang. Strange had been around for the first season and helmed the show's syndication package, but left during the production of the second season due to creative differences. In spite of that, this logo does appear on some season two episodes, them being hold-overs from the previous season and two holiday episodes Strange had written before he left.

2nd Logo (1989-2001)
Logo: On a white background, we see a boy and a girl. The boy is sitting and leaning on a table with a smug expression, while the girl is standing, visibly angered and cracking her knuckles. "GECKO STUDIOS" is above in a small black Courier New font. The image cuts out as she readies to punch the boy.

Trivia: The boy and girl are named Jody and Judy Mahoney. They were meant to appear in The Halloween Gang but wound up never being used. They would star in The Halloween Kids in 2000 and are still used in independent works by Strange to this day.

FX/SFX: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A man laughing is heard throughout. The laugh was provided by actor I.M. Hobson, who had appeared in many of Gecko's films. Otherwise it used the closing theme of the show or nothing.

Availability: Extinct on TV. This was seen on the short-lived The Halloween Kids. This was also seen on some Christmas specials, Spirited Christmas, My Dinner with Santa Claus and Pantsing Santa Claus. The specials have never been released on home video, with the latter being especially obscure due to having the least amount of airings. The Halloween Kids was last seen in 2003 and hadn't been released anywhere since.

3rd Logo (1994-2004, 2012)
Logo: We fade in to a snowy environment. It zooms back and we wind up behind Jody and Judy, sitting on a bench and facing away from the viewer. The image becomes letterboxed and "Gecko Studios" fades in below.

FX/SFX: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A somber synth theme. Other times it had the opening theme of the movie or nothing at all.

Availability: This was seen on the films Termites, Contra, Stone Face, Harborer, both Urban Legends films, the Streamline Pictures dub of Esteem and an unreleased live-action Samurai Jack film (the latter had only been shown at private screenings for fear of legal action by the owners of the property.) The logo was brought back for Stand By.

4th Logo (2016-)
Logo: We slowly fade in to a shut female human eye with a red tint. The eye opens (a gecko embryo quickly flashes in before disappearing on the pupil and iris) and it becomes letterboxed as the text "Gecko Studios" flies in above in yellow. The eye squints as the pupil becomes lighter and we get the idea that the woman is changing. The image decomposes and becomes white, something that happens to the text as well.

Trivia:


 * The logo was created in the midst of a company rebrand. The eye reflects the company's new focus as a visual effects studio as many of the effects happen with it.
 * The eye in the logo belongs to YouTuber Renee Romano.

FX/SFX: Live-action.

Music/Sounds: Bones cracking and a woman groaning, along with a man whispering in Polish (when translated, he's saying "Knock you down to size."), ending with a creepy synth theme.

Availability: Seen at the start of an effects reel the company produced. Also appears on their website and social media.