Iconic television network MTV celebrated its 40th anniversary Sunday by unveiling a new “Moon Man” image to refresh the image that flashed on screens innumerable times during the network’s run, the Associated Press reports.
The image–an astronaut standing in front of a flag that had the MTV logo superimposed on it–is now dubbed the “Moon Person,” according to the network, which debuted the new icon at a special event at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“This is our third generation that we’re reinventing for. Gen Z is by far one of the most interesting, incredibly creative and optimistic generations,” he said. “And so we thought, ‘Let’s go back to the origins and do it with NASA, but really do it about the next frontier, which represents generation Z and really represents a beautiful moon person that Kehinde built and where we’re going to be heading next.’”
Blasting on air with the video “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles, the network has largely abandoned its roots, which featured blocks of music videos interrupted by commercial, entertainment news and chatter by a group of hosts named “VJ’s”. The network became must-see for teenagers in the 1980s who wanted to see what the newest music–and fashion trends–where hitting the airwaves.
MTV was also an early advocate for reality shows, with its “Real World” program largely credited with starting the current wave of reality television.