It Is National VCR Day: Do You Still Own One?
Do you remember when your home first got a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder)? It was a great way to be able to finally watch movies at home and be able to pause the film to grab a snack or use the restroom. While the first VCR was invented back in 1953, it wasn’t until 1956 that it was marketed for use. The year 1970 made the VCR available to the average consumer. The very first VCRs cost around $1000 all the way up to $4000! VHS tapes cost around $100, so it wasn’t cheap to own one, even into the ’70s.
As decades went on, VCRs and VHS tapes were all the rage and became much more affordable. Most homes had them complete with a collection of films. I certainly remember collecting all of my favorite Disney movies and watching them on repeat. Who can forget renting them from places like Blockbuster and having to remember to rewind the tapes before returning them? What a pain! People even began recording and playing home movies on their VCRs. You could also record television and play it back later on your VCR, which was a huge deal at a time when you missed an episode of your favorite show, you might never get to see it. Things were certainly much different back then.
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Of course, by the late ’90s and 2000s DVD players began to overtake VCRs. These days, we have streaming services and the need for an additional piece of equipment is generally useless. However, it can be incredibly nostalgic and fun to dust off that old VCR and watch a few old tapes, especially if they are home movies from your childhood. It is a great way to celebrate National VCR Day, which falls each year on June 7th. Have you ever wondered what is the best-selling VHS tape of all time? It is actually Disney’s The Lion King. It sold about 35 million copies.
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Some people still like to collect VHS tapes, hoping one day that they will be worth money. Other people turn them into unique art projects, like making them into adorable purses featuring your favorite old movie. Finally, let’s check out some old commercials promoting the VCR. Let us know how many of these you remember!
1977 Sony Betamax VCR
1978 Panasonic VHS VCR commercial
1987 Panasonic VCR commercial
Collecting Disney
August 2021
Celebrate the magical world of Disney collectibles
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