Cookie Jar Entertainment

Final logo, 2004-2014.

Cookie Jar Group (formerly known as CINAR, CINAR Films Inc., CINAR Corporation and Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.) was a Canadian media production, animation studio and distribution company originally founded in 1976 by Micheline Charest and Ronald A. Weinberg.

History

The company started out in New York City, New York, United States as a distribution company at June 1976, but later moved operations to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the mid-1980s, where they also became a media production company.

CINAR produced several children's series from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Some of their most notable works include The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Wimzie's House, Caillou, Zoboomafoo, and seasons 1-8 of Arthur.

On March 15, 2004, following a 2000 tax scandal, CINAR was bought by Birch Hill Equity Partners and industry veteran Michael Hirsh. The company rebranded as Cookie Jar Entertainment, Inc. two weeks later on March 29, 2004 and relocated operations to Toronto, Ontario, Canada shortly thereafter.

As Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company continued to make several children's series, including Caillou, Johnny Test, The Doodlebops, Will and Dewitt, Hurray for Huckle!, season 1 of Postcards from Buster, and seasons 9-15 of Arthur.

In September 2011, it was announced that 9 Story Media Group would take over co-producing, animating, and distributing new seasons of Arthur starting with season 16, with Cookie Jar Group continuing to distribute the previous 15 seasons.

In late 2012, Cookie Jar was acquired by fellow Canadian company DHX Media (now known as WildBrain) and changed its name to "DHX Cookie Jar." As a result, the distribution rights to the first 15 seasons of Arthur, as well as its first two specials and the first season of Postcards from Buster, were transferred from Cookie Jar to DHX Media.

On December 25, 2014, DHX Cookie Jar was folded into DHX Media after the final episode of Johnny Test's sixth season aired.

Trivia

• In addition to Arthur and Postcards from Buster, PBS aired some of CINAR's other shows, such as the above-mentioned Wimzie's House, Zoboomafoo and Caillou.

Gallery

CINAR company picnic. (Image sourced from Peter Huggan)

Logos

Late 2001 logo used as CINAR.

1992-2004 CINAR logo (with Arthur byline and without URL) (as seen in Season 1)

1992-2004 logo as CINAR (with Arthur Byline) as seen in Seasons 1-8, Arthur’s Perfect Christmas, and Arthur-It’s Only Rock n Roll

1992-2004 CINAR Logo (with Arthur byline and without URL) As seen in U.S. releases of Season 7-8

2004 prototype logo (with Arthur byline) as seen in Season 9 and 2005-06 DVD releases

2004 prototype logo (without Arthur byline) as seen in early episodes of Season 1 of Postcards from Buster

2004 logo with URL (as seen in international releases of Season 10 and 11 and modern international prints of Seasons 1-9 and later episodes of Season 1 of Postcards from Buster)

2004 logo without URL (as seen in Seasons 10 and 11)

2004 logo without URL (remastered version as seen in Seasons 12-15)

2008 logo (as seen in modern prints of Seasons 1-12 (and 13) and Arthur’s Perfect Christmas)

External links

• CINAR's website on the Wayback Machine (archived in 2001)
• Cookie Jar's website on the Wayback Machine (archived in 2011)
• Cookie Jar Entertainment at Wikipedia