The VHS Thread

[Drtooth]

Pound Puppies, the 80's version, were made by Tonka the animated series was made by Hanna-Barbera...There are only 26 episodes, it's not like it would kill them to make one set like they did for Rainbow Brite *sigh*

If Clastair or whatever it was called had the rights to that show, Shout would do it, no problem. But it IS a Hanna Barbera project (painfully obvious by the Secret Agent Pup episode... they had a Mount Rushmore with Hanna Barbera dogs for the faces... Scooby, Astro and Muttley to be sure) and it would have to go through WB.

Now, as I said, the 5 part miniseries HB produced of the Go-Bots (still don't understand the demand for it) will be released on MOD, so it's very likely they'd consider the Pound Puppies series for a similar release.

 

[minor muppetz]

I came across this commercial for the 1989 video release of The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuwOBxE0vYA

What's interesting is that the commercial advertises it being available on VHS and Beta, but only lists one price for the video. I would have thought one format would be cheaper than the other.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, my VHS player's dead. And it almost took my Korean Grocer copy of a Dr. Slump movie down with it. Oh... it could still PLAy videos... getting them in and out was the problem (hence the it almost took it down part).

Now I'm stuck with a WHOLE bunch of Korean grocer bootleg VHS of Doraemon, Kochiekame, Shin-Chan, and all this other fun stuff I'm never going to be able to watch again.

 

[minor muppetz]

I was recently watching an episode of Everybody Hates Chris, in which Chris and Greg skip school to see Ghostbusters. When they realise that the next/last showing of the movie in theaters is during school hours, before they consider skipping Chris says if they miss out they'll have to wait to see it on video in four years... But in 1984 was it really normal for movies to come out on video a year after the theatrical releases?

Seems I misworded something, asking if it was normal for movies to come on video after one year instead of asking if it was normal to come on video four years after release.

Though knowing that the first three Muppet movies and Follow That Bird were released on video a year after being released on theaters, and with VHS being so expensive at the time, I'd find it ironic that the kids/family movies would come to video sooner than movies for older audiences (though I consider Ghostbusters a family film). Or would that be the equivilient of old video games being so pricey when people associate video games as being for kids?

I'd like to know the history of home video prices. Haven't been able to find any websites detailing the pricing history. I know early VHS tapes cost close to 100 dollars, though I grew up with VHS costing around 9.99 to 24 dollars (videos of TV show episodes, specials, short films and such tended to be cheaper than video releases of movies).

Something else I've noticed is that around the start of the DVD era, VHS tapes seemed to start having some special bonus features as well, though in many cases you'd have to wait until after the program. The Muppets from Space VHS included the Shining Star music video, Austin Powers included deleted scenes, and The Nutty Professor II included a featurette, all after the main programs ended. And a number of classic Disney animated feature VHS releases in the late-1990s included special featurettes on the making of the films.

 

[charlietheowl]

This isn't really hard knowledge on the pricing of home videos, but I saw a video from The Price Is Right from 1984/1985ish on YouTube a couple months ago, and they had a VHS copy of Alice In Wonderland priced at $70.oo. Expensive.

 

[bazooka_beak]

I have a VCR but I rarely use it. My dad still has most of our old VHS, but he is several states away right now. If any "new" VHS come into the house it is because they are not available on DVD or an otherwise digital form, like Star Fairies or Rainbow Brite, LOL

I have a tape of Land Before Time from 1990 or 1991. It has an ad for Pizza Hut at the beginning but that's it!

 

[Drtooth]

This isn't really hard knowledge on the pricing of home videos, but I saw a video from The Price Is Right from 1984/1985ish on YouTube a couple months ago, and they had a VHS copy of Alice In Wonderland priced at $70.oo. Expensive.

If anyone remembers the Family Guy joke about Lois spending all the money her father gave her on a VHS copy of E.T.... that wasn't uncommon back then. It wasn't until the mid to late 80's when VHS went from a laughably large hundred or so to the more modest 20-30 dollar range. I swear I have a picture of a flyer in some book that advertises something for a ridiculous (by today's, or even late 80's standards) amount. But then again, the VHS wasn't that widespread at that point, and the video rental business was just starting to take off. They clearly charged rental companies a certain amount for VHS. At least then.

Still, I do think DVD did spoil us for one thing... 10 bucks for 2 lousy episodes... sometimes one episode of a cartoon? Now, full seasons go for as low as 10 bucks... maybe less. Mill Creek (though I detest their lame paper envelopes) have stuff even cheaper, at 5 bucks a season. I'm SOOOO glad I got most of my VHS cheap. Anyone else remember the Buena Vista/Disney clearance of the late 90's? I wish I got the Fraggle Rock VHS back then.

 

[MelissaY1]

If anyone remembers the Family Guy joke about Lois spending all the money her father gave her on a VHS copy of E.T.... that wasn't uncommon back then. It wasn't until the mid to late 80's when VHS went from a laughably large hundred or so to the more modest 20-30 dollar range. I swear I have a picture of a flyer in some book that advertises something for a ridiculous (by today's, or even late 80's standards) amount. But then again, the VHS wasn't that widespread at that point, and the video rental business was just starting to take off. They clearly charged rental companies a certain amount for VHS. At least then.

Still, I do think DVD did spoil us for one thing... 10 bucks for 2 lousy episodes... sometimes one episode of a cartoon? Now, full seasons go for as low as 10 bucks... maybe less. Mill Creek (though I detest their lame paper envelopes) have stuff even cheaper, at 5 bucks a season. I'm SOOOO glad I got most of my VHS cheap. Anyone else remember the Buena Vista/Disney clearance of the late 90's? I wish I got the Fraggle Rock VHS back then.

I'm living proof of that kind of sales market for VHS tapes back then. I own several tapes I paid close to $100 bucks for even later that: back in the early-mid 90s from my local video stores. ...

 

[Drtooth]

There was this Video Rental place that was there for decades that had to close down last year. They were selling their entire VHS collection... and unfortunately, they had collectors in mind. Some of the video tapes, used mind you, went well over fifty bucks or so. And they had some rare stuff too... they had the anime version of Little Lulu (American Dub, naturally). I wouldn't have paid that much for a subtitled version of the original Japanese version that didn't have the Bullets ruining the music,

Of course, those were old old VHS tapes, and I doubt they even would have worked at any rate... but they ONLY intended to sell those to collectors.

 

[CensoredAlso]

There was this Video Rental place that was there for decades that had to close down last year. They were selling their entire VHS collection... and unfortunately, they had collectors in mind. Some of the video tapes, used mind you, went well over fifty bucks or so.

Wow, when one of our video rentals closed they were just giving them away, lol.