Bullfrog Productions was a British video game developer founded in 1987 by Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar, based in Guildford, England. The company was known for titles such as Populous, Theme Park, Syndicate, and Dungeon Keeper. Electronic Arts acquired the studio in January 1995, and Bullfrog was merged into EA UK in 2001, ceasing to exist as a separate entity.[1]
Design and History
The Bullfrog logo used throughout most of the company’s lifetime was designed by Evie McLaughlin.[1] The mark featured a stylized frog silhouette inside a square border, with the company name displayed alongside.[2] The United States trademark registration for the Bullfrog Productions Ltd. mark, filed in 1995, describes the design as including “frogs, toads” and “squares as carriers or squares as single or multiple line borders.”[2]
This logo was in use from 1991 to 2001.[3] The last titles to bear the Bullfrog logo were published in 2001, the same year the studio was incorporated and merged into EA upon the formation of EA UK.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The company name itself derived from an ornament of a bullfrog located in the office of Molyneux and Edgar’s earlier enterprise, Taurus Impact Systems. When asked why the name “Bullfrog” was chosen, Molyneux stated that they wanted “an idiotic name” without having to find one, and there happened to be a sculpture of a colourful frog on a pedestal labelled “Bull Frog by Leonardo” on the table.[1]
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