Avon

Avon Products, Inc., also simply known as Avon and originally known as California Perfume Company until the early 1930s, was an American-British multinational makeup and perfume supplier founded in 1886 and based in New York.

History

At times, the company had a licensing agreement with Disney to supply makeup products based on various Disney characters. During the mid and late 1980s, it had a deal with GoodTimes Home Video to co-distribute various releases on VHS, among them the 1985 ABC animated television special, "The Velveteen Rabbit," direct-to-video Muppets programs, and miscellaneous Hanna-Barbera cartoons. In 1988, the company formed Avon Video Enterprises, doing business as Avon Home Video, secured deals with various home video labels/distributors and a duplication contract with Technicolor Videocassette, Inc. (later known as Technicolor Video Services, Technicolor Video/CD/DVD Services and Technicolor Home Entertainment Services, Inc.).

Some copies of post-1988 video releases from various labels/distributors, sold through Avon, carry the regular video label/distributor's logo on the face label, particularly a couple of Random House Home Video releases sold through Avon, although most post-1988 Avon releases carry no logo on the face label whatsoever. The regular video label/distributor's logo is also retained on the packaging, but the regular label/distributor's stock number is replaced with Avon's own stock number, beginning with "F.S.C." and ending with a suffix number, similar to the bracket number on the back of post-1982 Disney video releases. While most tapes sold through Avon retain the regular label/distributor's UPC codes, some tapes have the UPC code whited out, such as some Universal Studios Home Video tapes sold through Avon. Many of the company's post-1988 video releases were duplicated in SP mode, though some are in either LP or EP/SLP mode, lack previews and otherwise reuse the print masters provided by the regular video label/distributor. By the early 1990s, Avon Video Enterprises was renamed Avon Home Entertainment.

Avon never had their video releases packaged in clamshells, nor did they sell titles rated any higher than PG-13.

In late 2005, Avon exited the video business.

List of Customers

MGM/UA Home Video (1991-1997)
- Fries Home Video (1989-1992)
- M.C.E.G. Virgin Home Entertainment (1989-1990)
  - Forum Home Video (1988-1989)
  - M.C.E.G. Home Video (1989-1990)
  - Virgin Vision (1988-1989)
- Orion Home Video (1990-1997)
- Cannon Video (1988-1994)
  - Hemdale Home Video (1991-1995)
GoodTimes Home Video (1985-2005)
- Kids Klassics (1985-1996)
Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2001-2003)
- Prism Entertainment (1988-1996)
- Trimark Home Video (1988-2001)
- Avalanche Home Entertainment (1998-2001)
- Studio Home Entertainment (2000-2001)
- Sterling Home Entertainment (1998-2001)
- Artisan Entertainment (1991-2000)
  - Family Home Entertainment (1991-2000)
  - Vestron Video (1991-1993)
  - Hallmark Home Entertainment (1997-1998)
    - Cabin Fever Entertainment (1989-1998)
- Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995-1998)
  - Video Treasures (1990-1998)
    - Media Home Entertainment (1990-1993)
    - Burbank Video (1991-1995)
      - American Video (1988-1991)
    - Strand Home Video (1990-1994)
  - Starmaker Entertainment (1990-1998)
    - R&G Video (1990-1998)
Warner Home Video (1994-2004)
- New Line Home Entertainment (1991-2004)
  - Nelson Entertainment (1988-1991)
- Turner Home Entertainment (1992-1997)
  - Hanna-Barbera Home Video (1989-1992)
- HBO Home Video (1988-2004)
- WarnerVision Entertainment (1990-1997)
- Lorimar Home Video (1989)
Warner Reprise Video (1988-2004)
Universal Studios Home Video (1991-2004)
- PolyGram Video/USA Home Entertainment (1991-1999)
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (1992-2004)
- FUNimation Entertainment (1996-2004)
- Sony Video Software (1988-1991)
Sony Music Entertainment (1997-2004)
- Sony Wonder (1997-2004)
  - Random House Home Video (1989-2004)
BMG Video (1988-2004)
Golden Books Family Entertainment (1991-2000)
ClassicMedia (2000-2003)
Wood Knapp Video (1989-1992)
Alpha Video Distributors (1994-1996)
Paramount Home Entertainment (1988-2004)
- Republic Pictures Home Video (1991-1999)
  - Worldvision Home Video (1986-1995)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1989-2004)
Celebrity Home Entertainment (1989-1998)
Saban Home Entertainment (1993-1996)
York Entertainment (1992-2004)
Dualstar Video (1993-1998)
Academy Entertainment (1988-1994)
PM Entertainment Group (1990-2001)
Spartan Home Entertainment (2000-2003)
Full Moon Releasing (1995-2002)
First Look Home Entertainment (2000-2004)
Capital Cities/ABC Video Publishing (1993-1996)
- ABC Video
- Summa Video
- ESPN Home Video (1988-1996)
Rhino Home Video (1991-2004)
Public Media/Janus Films (1988-2004)
Image Entertainment (1998-2004)
Kultur (1988-2004)
Kino on Video (1989-2004)
WinStar Home Entertainment (1997-2001)
- Fox Lorber Home Video (1990-2001)
BWE Video (1996-2000)
New Yorker Video (1989-2004)
National Geographic Video (1988-2004)
AnimEigo (1991-2004)
Water Bearer Films (1988-2004)
Media Blasters (1997-2004)
Central Park Media (1991-2004)
WWE Home Video (1997-2004)
- Coliseum Video (1988-1997)
Major League Baseball Home Video (1991-1996)
A&E Home Video (1993-2002)
Goldhil Video (1995-2001)
New Concorde (1991-2004)
A-PIX Entertainment (1993-2002)
Showtime Entertainment (1995-2004)
ADV Films (1993-2004)
Monterey Home Video (1991-2004)
VCI Home Video (1988-2004)
PBS Home Video (1989-2004)
Public Arts (1989-1994)
Acorn Video (1993-2004)
World Wide Pictures Home Video (1988-2004)
World Artists Home Video (1992-1996)
MPI Home Video (1988-2004)
The Vista Group (1988-1994)
PPI Entertainment (1988-2004)
New Video (1992-2004)
J2 Communications (1988-1991)
Screen Media Films (2002-2004)
Trinity Home Entertainment (2002)
Big Idea Productions (1993-2004)
Word Entertainment (1991-1999)
- Everland Entertainment (1992-1999)
BCI Eclipse (1991-2004)
- Simitar Entertainment (1989-2000)
View-Master Video (1988-1995)
Feld Entertainment (2003-2004)
Bridgestone Multimedia Group (1988-2004)
WGBH Boston Video (1993-2004)
HiT Entertainment (2001-2004)
- Lyrick Studios (1989-2001)
DEJ Productions (1998-2004)
Trans World Entertainment (1988-1989)
KingWorld Direct (1992-1998)
Cloud Ten Pictures (2000-2004)
SouthGate Entertainment (1989-1991)
SGE Home Video (1989-1991)
Imperial Entertainment (1988-1996)
Xenon Entertainment Group (1989-2004)
Fisher-Price (1988-1993)
KVC Home Video (1989-1993)
Barr Entertainment (1993-1995)
Unicorn Video (1989-1990)
Learning Corporation of America (1989-1990)
Magnum Entertainment (1988-1992)
Complete Entertainment (1988-1991)
AIP Home Video (1989-1996)
Best Film & Video Corporation (1988-2001)
Axon Video (1989-1992)
Edde Entertainment (1989-1998)
Connoisseur Video Collection (1988-1994)
Warren Miller Entertainment (1988-1994)
New Star Video (1988-1990)
Platinum Productions (1988-1991)
Panorama International (1988-1996)
Price/Stern/Sloan (1990)
Studio Entertainment (1988-1991)
Raedon Home Video (1988-1990)
Arena Home Video (1990-1997)
Al Taylor Company (1990)
Wonderworld Cartoons (1990)
Direct Video (1989-1990)
First Run Features Home Video (1989-1998)
Summit Media (1988-1992)
Milestone Film & Video (1992-1995)
Pioneer Entertainment (1993-2003)
Geneon Entertainment USA (2003-2004)
Feature Films for Families (1991-2004)
Sinister Cinema (1989-2002)
Wavelength Video (1992-1994)
Something Weird Video (1991-2004)
Leo Films Home Video (1991-1995)
JTC, Inc. (1991-1994)
Video Outlaw (1992-1994)
Shanachie (1992-1999)
Facets Video (1991-1994)
Easyriders Home Video (1992-1994)
Triboro Entertainment Group (1991-1997)
Miramar Productions (1993)
White Star Entertainment (1991-1998)
YES! Entertainment (1990-1996)
Coral Video (1992-1995)
Award Films International (1991-1996)
Tesla Memorial Society (1992-1995)
Stardance Entertainment (1994-1996)
Arrow Video (1993-1997)
LMH Productions (1994-1995)
Pyewackett Productions (1993-1995)
Superior Promotions (1994)
Parade Video (1989-2005)
MTI Home Video (1989-2005)
Boulevard Films (1994-2001)
The Penland Company (1992-1997)
Atlas Entertainment Corporation (1989-1992)
Palm Pictures (1999-2005)
Kidmark, Inc. (1988-1992)
Voyager Entertainment (1992-2000)
NBR Enterprises (1990-2004)
Command Home Video (1988)
Trylon Video (1989-1990)
MVP Home Entertainment (1995-1999)
Koch Vision (1999-2004)
Eaton Entertainment (1997-2002)
West Hills Studios (1989-1993)
T.T.V. Video (1988-1992)
LawrenceVision 3D (1992-1993)

Trivia

Some copies of some tapes, mostly those from Warner Home Video, such as Scooby-Doo (2002), Tom & Jerry: The Movie and Two Weeks Notice that were sold through Avon reuse video masters that preserve previews. This was also the case with the 1991 release of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from Family Home Entertainment and The Magic School Bus Inside the Haunted House from WarnerVision Entertainment.
Earlier Avon tapes, such as the 36th volume of Star Blazers and The Clan of the Care Bears, were known to end with a black screen test pattern with a 400hz tone, as was common with many pre-1989 Technicolor-duplicated tapes.

Locations

New York City, New York