"Eagle Bold" derives from the letters "NRA," hand-lettered in a style akin to the Novel Gothic typeface, in the original design of the Blue Eagle logo of the National Recovery Administration.

When the design was accepted it was found that the other letters in Novel Gothic were "too eccentric" for use on government posters[citation needed], and so a new, simpler face was designed by Morris Fuller Benton, the co-designer of Novel Gothic, for use on NRA materials.

In 1990, "Eagle Book" was added to the family for starting text.

This font family has gained fame throughout the 1930s when "Eagle Bold" became a huge hit.

This font family is also used by Cartoon Network as its typeface since its founding on October 1, 1992 along with Gotham Bold on most uses such as on merchandising, and as a production and network logo.[relevant?]