ThunderCats Logo PNG
The ThunderCats logo is closely associated with the series and its characters. It reflects the power, energy, and determination typical of this animated universe. The recognizable graphic sign symbolizes the warrior spirit and strength of the cat warriors in their constant fight against evil.
ThunderCats began in early 1984, when artist and character creator Tobin “Ted” Wolf presented his idea of cat-like alien heroes to Stan Weston of Leisure Concepts Inc. Weston brought the concept to Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment. Writer Leonard Starr then developed the series bible, shaping the show’s world, villains, mythology, and moral framework.
Production followed a common 1980s animation model. Voices and music were recorded in the United States. At the same time, animation was handled in Japan by Pacific Animation Corporation, led by Masaki Iizuka. The first season contained 65 episodes, enough for 13 weeks of weekday syndication. Telepictures estimated the first season’s production cost at $15 million, a large budget for children’s television at the time.
The pilot “Exodus” entered syndication on January 23, 1985, and regular episodes followed in September. LJN Toys launched action figures alongside the series, while Marvel’s Star Comics published a 24-issue adaptation from 1985 to 1988. Marvel UK produced a separate 129-issue run. ThunderCats competed in the same toy-driven market as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Transformers.
ThunderCats, Ho! aired in 1986 between the first and second seasons. The series ended on September 25, 1989, after 130 episodes. Rights later passed to Warner Bros. after the Lorimar-Telepictures deal. Later revivals included DC/Wildstorm comics from 2003, a 2011 Warner Bros. Animation reboot with Studio 4°C, ThunderCats Roar in 2020, and film projects announced by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2021 and 2026.
Meaning and History
In the 1980s, when ThunderCats was very popular, its souvenir merchandise and figures of the main characters were sold everywhere. Children played a video game with cartoon characters and collected stickers in the Panini album. Now, the famous logo with the silhouette of a cat’s head in a red circle evokes only nostalgia. But fans of the franchise continue to ask: why does it depict a real animal with a stretched-out muzzle while all ThunderCats look like people?
There is no reliable information on this score, although similar images are found in the series itself. For example, some Cats’ Lair was decorated with the head of a growling panther. These are giant sphinx-like structures that serve as operational bases for the main characters. Another reference to the ThunderCats logo appears in the red magical stone, the Eye of Thundera, inserted into the hilt of the Sword of Omens. Usually, it looks like an eye with a thin pupil, but sometimes an animal’s black head appears on it, just like on the brand emblem. By the way, in 2019, the Malaysian car manufacturer Proton introduced a similar visual symbol, which sparked a flurry of jokes on social networks.
What is ThunderCats?
ThunderCats is a franchise based on the eponymous series about anthropomorphic cats who traveled from space to the planet Third Earth. It aired from 1985 to 1989, was remade in an anime style in 2011, and a new humorous version of the cartoon series, akin to Gravity Falls and Adventure Time, emerged in 2020. ThunderCats characters have appeared in video games and comic books and have been sold as part of an extensive line of toys.
1985 – 1990
The logo of the original animated series, popular in the 1980s, features a stylized uppercase inscription “THUNDERCATS”. All letters are hand-drawn and adorned with sharp notches, emphasizing the characters’ energy, strength, and determination. On the left, there is a red circle – a reference to the magical stone Eye of Thundera. Inside, it is a silhouette of a panther’s head or another cat-like predator. This element, like the series name, is visually divided into two parts: a blue top and a golden bottom. Both colors have a gradient, but the boundaries between them are distinct.
2011 – 2012
After the 2011 reboot of ThunderCats, the logo was updated. Designers modernized it by making the letters completely golden and outlining them with more noticeable black contours. The animal’s head took on the same color, and the circle received a golden frame. Due to the use of different shades, shadows, and bright glares, these elements became visually voluminous. The red gem also appears three-dimensional, creating a strong contrast between the bright top and the dark bottom.
2020
In 2020, when a new version of the animated series was released, the mad humor of Gravity Falls and Adventure Time was in vogue. Everyone tried to imitate their jokes, and ThunderCats was no exception. This was reflected in its logo, which lost its former aggression. Now, the distinctly sharp corners and notches are present only in the two “T” and “C,” while the other letters look standard, even though they are hand-drawn. Underneath the light blue inscription “THUNDERCATS” is the red word “ROAR.” It consists of “lying” glyphs with rounded corners. The red circle was removed, and the panther’s head was repainted in marsala color and moved up. At the same time, it acquired atypical features, such as an overly open mouth and a glowing pink eye.
Font and Colors
In the early ThunderCats logos, a unique font with sharp, angular lines was used. It was created from scratch using lettering to underscore the series’s mystical and martial character. In 2020, the inscription’s style changed, although some letters retained figurative elements. In this case, designers also developed an individual set of glyphs but made it softer.
If earlier the emblems predominated in different shades of gold and red, then in 2020 the main colors became red, light blue, and marsala. It is diluted with small amounts of yellow, white, black, and orange, giving the logo a cartoonish quality.