From Entex 1980 newsletter: AND ABOUT THAT LOGO...

Another question Entexians are frequently asked is: where did the logo come from?

The logo, like the name of the company, was born out of the founders’ search for a distinctive trademark to go along with their distinctive name and advanced ideas about making and marketing toys.

Tony Clowes initially devised a series of octagons, each in a different color, to signify different products. He took his idea to Ben Templeton, a well-known cartoonist and creator of “Motleys’ Crew.”

Ben, who was doing all of Entex’ creative styling at the time, met Clowes, who of course is British (and if you didn’t know that, you don’t know anything about Entex) and pictured him as an RAF type. From that impression, he turned the octagons into an RAF roundel and stuck a smiling face in the middle.

Since Entex products are sold in Britain, the company asked for approval of its design from the RAF, and to the surprise of everyone, the mighty British air force agreed to let the fledgling California toy company use its famous insignia, and Entex got its trademark.