This is literally the vhs machine in our living room, currently hooked up to our tv. Apparently, we’re trend-setters.
Recently, I have noticed the various social media algorithms (algorithmi?) feeding me clips of people showing off their VHS collections. Maybe it’s a genuine trend, or maybe it’s just my feed, but either way, it’s interesting to see. 20+ years ago, vinyl records started their comeback. Today, it seems VHS tapes are being treated with the same mythical reverence. A new generation is learning what “adjust your tracking” means. 😂 📼
Part of this is obvious nostalgia. Nobody is releasing new films on VHS, so the format is entirely tied to the past. People hunt thrift stores, set up shelves of tapes, and even recreate ‘70s or ‘80s-style rec rooms with chunky TVs and stereo systems, complete with vintage Atari consoles. It feels like stepping into a simpler time—even if, objectively, life wasn’t actually simpler then.
Another factor is ownership. A VHS tape (or betamax or laserdisc or dvd or blu-ray) doesn’t require handing over data to a tech company. There’s no subscription, no sign-in screen, no ads interrupting playback. So long as there’s power, a VCR, and a functioning television, you’re good to go. That $0.99 tape from the flea market is yours, and nobody can remove it from your library because of licensing. The picture and sound quality may stink, but the autonomy is real, so make yourself a bowl of air-popped popcorn, slide that cassette into the rectangular slot, and push play.
This raises a broader point about physical media in general. Streaming libraries come and go, platforms shut down, and content disappears. A physical tape, record, or book is not subject to those pressures. It exists as long as you take care of it. Plus, you don’t need internet service, you don’t need to login to multiple services… no password required, no data shared. We felt so cool “cutting the cord” a decade ago, but I’m pretty sure we’re paying more per month now for internet and multiple streaming services than we ever did for cable. And now half our services are showing ads anyway! 😡😤
I follow Matt McCarthy’s video garage channel where he sits in his garage man cave and reviews old videotapes purchased at thrift stores or yard sales around the country. People even mail him boxes of old videotapes now. He’s got thousands of tapes in his garage. I’ve been thinking… what if there were a small, constantly changing collection—books, records, CDs, magazines, DVDs, VHS tapes—focused entirely on children’s media? A place where parents could find items they grew up with, and children could discover them as new. Something curated, human, and independent—not another Amazon search bar. In a nutshell, a mom and pop website/channel selling used vhs tapes, dvd’s, cd’s, books, etc. focused on children’s media.
It’s not a practical idea, I admit. It would have to be casual, a labor of love. Low expectations. And there has to be some appeal beyond the movies themselves. Matt McCarthy doesn’t always review top quality productions. Often the films he reviews fall into the “so-bad-they’re-good” category. Storage, sourcing, and shipping would all be a pain in the butt. There’s the the time of watching the video, the time of creating the review, editing and posting the video… for the purpose of selling used vhs tapes one at a time? [Sidenote: Despite those outrageous eBay listings of “Black Diamond” Disney vhs tapes for $56,000 or whatever… nobody actually buys those. Next to that listing, you’ll find a bulk order box of the same titles for $19 plus shipping. Don’t be fooled. Old Disney tapes on eBay are not valuable.] Even if a review led to the sale of that tape, I’m still looking at a couple bucks’ profit for hours of work. It might be hip, but it’s not going to cover my kids’ college tuition. The reviews themselves would have to serve some greater purpose beyond just selling one used vhs tape.
In short, not a business plan for the ages, but the idea has its appeal: a space where the past isn’t simply archived, but actively shared. Memories kept alive. A reminder that physical objects carry meaning in ways a streaming library cannot replicate. The handling of the object. Opening the case, pulling out the tape. Checking to make sure it’s rewound, sliding it into the machine, gazing at the cover art, reading the back cover for the credits.
For now, I’ll leave the idea as a thought experiment. But don’t be surprised if one day I’m dubbing Mister Kipley videos onto VHS tapes. Cutting edge, yo.