Braniff Productions

Background
Named after the defunct airline company of the same name, Braniff was the name of the production company that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone used to produce the show. In 1992, Parker and Stone made the short film that would later become South Park, The Spirit of Christmas (aka Jesus vs. Frosty) while they were students at the University of Colorado under the "Avenging Conscience Films" moniker, while the second Spirit of Christmas short, Jesus vs. Santa, was produced under a different moniker, Krankin/Blass, which parodies Rankin-Bass'. The production name was dropped in 2006 and is now simply known as "Parker-Stone Studios".

(December 8, 1992)
Logo: On a purple background, we see the text "Avenging Conscience Films" in an Old English-type font.

Trivia: The company's name is derived from the 1914 film The Avenging Conscience.

FX/SFX: None, all done in paper-cut animation.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the short.

Availability: Ultra rare. Only seen on the first The Spirit of Christmas short film, Jesus vs. Frosty.

Editor's Note: None.

(December 1, 1995)
Logo: On a white background with a Christmas tree and a red ornament, we see the in-credit text: A Krankin-Blass Production

FX/SFX: Same as the Avenging Conscience Films logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Avenging Conscience Films logo.

Availability: Ultra rare. Only seen on the second The Spirit of Christmas short film, Jesus vs. Santa.

Editor's Note: None.

1st Logo (1997)
Nicknames: "Le Petit Package", "Six Men"

Logo: Shot in black and white, we see a group of six men with their pants down and a long black line covering all their private areas (the fourth is naked and holding some balloons, and the sixth is a clown). The men are dancing in a chorus line. The line displays the text "BRANIFF AIRLINES". It then fades out, and "IN CONJUNCTION WITH..." then appears in place of the company name.

Trivia: The men are part of Le Petit Package, a short film creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker developed during the making of the first episode of South Park.

FX/SFX: All live-action, with the camera moving a bit.

Music/Sounds: Just the men singing "Braniff Airliiiines!" off-key.

Availability: Ultra rare. Only seen on the unaired pilot episode of South Park, which can be found on Best Buy editions of the Season 2 DVD boxset.

Editor's Note: The off-key singing can be unsettling and the subject matter can be disturbing to some. Others may find it hilarious.

2nd Logo (August 13, 1997-March 29, 2006)
Nicknames: "Braniff Airlines", "Braniff Airplane", "Believe it!"

Logo: On a sky background, we see a rather fake-looking Boeing airplane zooming in from the left, film footage from a Braniff Airlines commercial (evident by its graininess, even on HD prints). On the plane is the text "BRANIFF" with a white line drawn through it. Then, said logo zooms in from below, gets stretched across to the right as the line is drawn through it, then snaps back to its original position. The text "BELIEVE IT!" appears underneath.

FX/SFX: The airplane and text forming, which is derived from some TV commercials that Braniff Airlines aired back in 1985 to promote its airline service and low fares.

Music/Sounds:
 * 1997-1999: A happy 12-note xylophone/horn ditty based on the song "Shpadoinkle Day", which is heard in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's film Cannibal! The Musical. This is all synthesized.
 * 1999-2006: Starting with season 3, the music is overridden by the South Park theme or the song that the episode ends on.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Strangely, at the end of episode previews of the Cantonese dub of South Park shown on Hong Kong cable TV during the late 90s-early 2000's, the 12-note jingle from pre-season 3 episodes plays.
 * On the episode "Chickenpox", the theme is played in a style similar to The Monkees song "I'm a Believer" (which played over the end credits).
 * On the episode "Chickenlover", chickens clucking can be heard.
 * On the episode "The Return of Chef," the logo is silent.

Availability: Uncommon. Still seen on South Park reruns on Comedy Central, but is plastered on syndicated ones. It is still intact on the South Park DVD and Blu-ray box sets, with the exception of the first season which removes the logos on all the episodes (barring "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut"). The version with the fanfare is much harder to find, as all early season Comedy Central reruns split-screen the credits with commercials, but prints of episodes on the DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, HBO Max, Paramount+ overseas and a Thanksgiving 2017 airing of the episode "Starvin' Marvin" still have it, including the final version of the pilot, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe". The logo's final appearance was on the S10E2 episode, "Smug Alert". Don't expect this to appear on South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police.

Editor's Note: It may surprise you at first, but it's pretty much harmless and a favorite among South Park fans.