Leo the Lion Will Star in New MGM Licensing Program
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Leo the Lion, MGM/UA Communications’ familiar roaring feline encircled in a wreath of film and laurels, will soon be adding clothing and toys to its list of credits, the company said Wednesday.
Norman Horowitz, president and chief executive of MGM/UA’s telecommunications unit, said the company will license the use of the logo to any product “in the context of reasonable and respectable.” The company is not certain that the logo has never been commercially used outside MGM/UA, but Wednesday described its decision as the first time others will be licensed to use the logo.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. June 5, 1987 FOR THE RECORD
Los Angeles Times Friday June 5, 1987 Home Edition Business Part 4 Page 2 Column 3 Financial Desk 2 inches; 41 words Type of Material: Correction
MGM/UA Communications Co. plans to license use of its traditional Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “Leo the lion” logo, above, on products such as clothing and toys. A stylized drawing of a lion that accompanied a story on the licensing plans in Thursday’s editions was phased out as an MGM logo after 1980.
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Leo was devised as a symbol for Samuel Goldwyn’s movie company in 1917, and was changed in 1924 to resemble the current logo.
To further raise the image of Leo, MGM plans to reinstate the old replica of the lion that used to sit on top of a building at the old Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in Culver City, before it was bought last year by Lorimar-Telepictures.
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