Despite being gobbled up by Microsoft back in 2002, Rare remains one of the most important and loved developers in the Nintendo scene to this day. For years, the studio created classic after classic - games like Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie instantly spring to mind - and the company logo was commonly found gracing our screens as we loaded up our favourite titles.
Amazingly, though, we never realised just what the logo actually was. We assumed, as we're sure many of you reading this would have done, that the logo is simply a letter 'R', but it turns out that it's actually a "golden toilet roll" created by ex-Rare artist Kevin Bayliss.
You can see the old "toilet paper" logo and the newer 'R' logo below.
The video below shows the cinematic intro for Conker: Live & Reloaded which released on Xbox in 2005. If you watch from around the 40 second mark, you'll notice that the Rare logo actually fades into a toilet roll on screen. We can already sense comments flying in saying "well duh, this was obvious", but we're sure there are plenty of people out there who never made the connection.
If there was ever an interesting bit of gaming trivia worth showing off to your friends, we'd say this is probably it.
[source twitter.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 58
It's clearly just the letter R.
At least, the logo is a perfect match with the quality of their games since they're Microsoft's possession...
Pah ha ha! I hope this is real, love it.
But it does mean its been put on the holder the wrong way round!!!
Never made the connection because a toilet roll is supposed tobe hung the other way.
It's clearly just a letter R that's similar to toilet roll, not a design based on a toilet roll.
How did I know most of the comments would be people correctly stating that the logo has the TP the wrong way around.
Maybe the "R" is based on a toilet roll, great news btw
I just want perfect dark zero.
That's just the important news I like.
Suitable for Conker.
Has to be real. Rare used to be the s**t.
i never realize it, untill this was discover. it always to me just looks like a cool "r" to see
It is hung wrong. Everyone knows you are supposed to leave the roll laying on the bathroom sink and not hung.
only for the people toilet minded. We can all make believe things from seeing stuff... doesn't mean it is. The eye of the beholder will see what he wants. nuff said
Is there any way that we can go back in time to 90s Rare and bring them forward to now? There’s a distinct lack of humour and childish fun in most modern AAA games. I miss those days. Just started DK64, not sure how I missed out back in the day, it’s still very playable despite the dodgy camera and the humour is rife! Can’t wait to get the kids asleep and sink another couple of hours into it.
Psychologists have been stumped for years, unable to work out why a certain demographic of 90s kids hang their toilet rolls the wrong way.
They now have their answer.
Wow! This was very random
It was always a bog standard logo anyway
Rare, proud makers of :
Perfect Poop
RC Pro Poop
Poop Corps
Pooper Instinct
Viva Poopata
Conker's Bad Poop Day
Star Poop Adventures
...
This always made me snicker.
I chuckled about it even before the gag in Conker.
Surely he is kidding about it. Probably the kind of in joke they told themselves in the studio back then when somebody noticed it
Of course, I can't unsee it now
"the golden toilet roll" says the creator of the logo...
"No way that's a toilet roll, it's just an R" says the internet random
I love how the internet gives everyone a voice 😂
Makes sense; Microsoft's been wipin' their arse on Rare's legacy since its acquisition.
Wow... I miss all of that connection lol. Very fitting of the golden years of Rare.
@SmithJurd I was about to post this! Ha. Some folk are unbelievable - it’s even featured in in game jokes....
Random on net “it’s not true”
Surprised someone hasn’t piped up with “slow news day” to help us Nintendo Life comment bingo enthusiasts
And the Resident Evil 6 logo is a giraffe forcing someone to give it a "job" while encased in a spider web. Can't unsee that either.
Slow news day indeed!
Oh, like Screen Gems?
@Sgt-Jack-V Except they have the toilet paper hung correctly!
I never noticed it before...but given the fact that it's Rare, it makes total sense. That's kind of funny in part simply because it's Rare.
@SmithJurd LOL I noticed that too. It's sad. None of these people actually read the article, or even just the highlighted quote. Internet comment boards should have a reading comprehension test each time you hit "submit." Funny thing is the first two comments about it were being sarcastic....and then everyone copied it, except they were serious....
@Painkiller_Mike it took me a minute because I wondered why it had two necks, then it all made sense...
@NEStalgia just a couple of questions on the content of the article before allowing you to post would work... Plus it's gets rid of my biggest frustration, the "don't care" comment crew... My only solace is they cared enough to take the time to post a comment!
@RogerFederer forgot Donkey Poop 64
Banjo-Kazooie are raring to go!
This is the essential content people flock to.
Now all I see is a golden toilet roll hahahaha
@ryancraddock You're right, I can't unsee this now! XD This is pretty great!
@AlternateButtons And my comment of the day prize goes to....
Sometimes you just gotta roll with it...even if said roll is hung incorrectly. 😛
@Stocksy I’ve never played “Nintendo Life comment bingo” but I think I’ll start today
@Sgt-Jack-V Well, now I can't unsee it there either.
@Bunkerneath
Oh for god's sake, man. Why did you have to point it out?!
This is never going to stop annoying me now.
@Stocksy @SmithJurd @NEStalgia It's one of those days again:
one on which I wish that I had enough money to send each and every one of these clueless numbskulls on a one way trip to Mars...
Sometimes, I compare them to zombies: for each one you silence, another ten pop up to come haunt you even harder. And of course, most of them mindlessly rush to the comments section straight away, after having already made their conclusion, based upon an article title, to post their misplaced brain farts.
"must... make... comment... uuuuhhhhhrrrrr.... "
The behavior certainly fits the bill, so maybe that's what we should actually call them from now on: comment section zombies...
@ThanosReXXX
@RevampedSpider
Rare doesn't exist anymore. The Stamper brothers created something special. When Nintendo sold their stock market shares to Microsoft it was already half-dead.
Today, Rare is only a logo and that's all.
@NEStalgia Indeed...
Except we need to exchange "mole" for "clueless soul"...
@MH4 You need to look out for some of these...
“Slow news day”
“It’ll brick your console” (on any third party accessory story
“I only play 60fps games”
Anything discrediting a story as fake when evidence and facts back it up.
“Not another port”
“I only have ever owned Nintendo”
“Wish it was physical”
“I’m digital only”
“Review doesn’t sound like a 7”
“Already own it on the Wii U/ps3”
“Not paying that it’s cheaper on ps/xb”
@Stocksy maybe this will help
@MH4 you just made my day. It’s been a rubbish day and genuinely that’s made me laugh. Classic
@AlternateButtons I could see Playtonic making a tongue-and-cheek reference to this, and adding a golden 'P'/outward-facing roll XD.
@Stocksy Glad I could be of service. 😊 Hope you have a great rest of your day
@Stocksy You forgot "Not as long as any part of it requires Amiibo/NSO" and "Needs more ports."
It sounds like you're blowing his comment out of proportion. He did not say "the Rare logo is actually a toilet roll." He said "I drew the toilet roll," which could mean that he thinks the old logo looks like one or because it has been referenced to look like one in certain games. Note that he said the new logo is "simply an R," despite the fact that it is the exact same design as the old one except without a blue background and a golden outline.
Anyway, hope you're enjoying my click. Seems like you're in desperate need of them.
Yeah, as others have said, I think you've taken his comment way too literally. Sounds like it probably was just an in house joke.
@MH4 Like it, need to print one of these out for each day and see which day has the most.
well duh, this was obvious
Well, it is Rare for the toilet paper roll to be on backwards. 😅
Everyone saying it’s hung backwards has clearly never owned a cat.
Or was that just mine that derived endless fun from using a “correctly”-hung tp roll as a magical self-unravelling scratching post?
@chardir that's the joke
Lol, I never knew. Rare was amazing.
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