The VHS: This was the one and only Secret World of Alex Mack VHS that was released. It seems strange that it only got one tape, especially considering there were 34 books produced about the show. It was one of the classic Sony Wonder tapes that released stuff from Nickelodeon through most of the 90s. I love the title, “In the NICK of Time,” too. So cheesy.
The Content: Sadly, these episodes are from season one, so you can get them on the DVD set that came out years back. They are good episodes, though, if you enjoy the show. The first one is “The Videotape” about Alex being a retard, as usual, and using her powers in the Plant while there are surveillance cameras around. She somehow manages to get out of it, as usual. The second episode, “The Road Trip,” is a much more genuinely good episode that focuses on Alex’s relationship with her father. It was the season one finale and manages to combine everything good about the show into one tense ending. I am not the biggest fan of Alex Mack, but I do enjoy the show enough and remember watching it all the time when I was little.
The Extras: This tape comes with an exclusive video extra featuring the main characters. It was a short little one minute bit that they decided to film and include on the tape. I love this about Nickelodeon (back then), they really knew how to please the fans. To my knowledge, this extra has never appeared anywhere else (online or on disc), so I uploaded it below. Also included is a trailer for Aaahh!!! Real Monsters VHS (which I also included).
I have changed the blog from just being about Nickelodeon VHS. It will still focus on VHS, but I will be posting/reviewing all different kinds of Nickelodeon merchandise. This will include my incredibly rare and criminally under-documented Nick Pog collection, a series of book reviews, and some board game/video game reviews.
Currently reading the Clarissa Explains It All book, Boys.
The VHS: This was one of four Double Dare tapes that were released, this and two others were put out by Sony Wonder, and the other one was released back in the late 80s. I still need Messiest Moments and How to Throw a Double Dare Party.
The Content: I fucking loved this tape. While it is just another compilation video (no full episodes were ever released), it’s a hilarious one. Marc Summers hosts the video outside of Nickelodeon Studios and introduces a bunch of great clips, including outtakes, behind the scenes, and craziest moments. All the stuff with Marc Summers is pure gold because of how unfunny it is. I loved the running joke of him just avoiding getting pied and slimmed because he bends down to pick something up. It happened like six times. The clips are priceless, especially when they start showing all the parents and kids falling and actually getting hurt. I was on the ground laughing.
The Extras: This originally came with a Double Dare Travel Game inside, which I need. My copy I found used at a thrift store (it used to be Cody’s according to the huge name written in black sharpie on the front [Where are you Cody and what the fuck did you do with the game?!]). There’s trailers for the Guts tape, the Clarissa - Take My Brother Please tape, and the Rugrats - Chuckie the Brave tape. This is the first time I had ever seen the Guts ad!
The VHS: You may notice this is unlike any other Nickelodeon VHS out there, that’s because it was released by the National Dairy Council for students in school. There is actually no Nickelodeon logo anywhere on the packaging, but there’s a logo at the beginning of the tape. This was released in a white hard clamshell with just a tiny piece of paper slipped in for a cover. This is the only release the show ever got (though last time I checked you could buy a rip of this from the show’s creators on dvd).
The Content: Oh no, there’s no food in Weinerville! That doesn’t last long, the kids need a good breakfast so they can think and be in a good mood. The mayor of the city puts a stop to these evildoers. This was produced specifically for schools and even mentions the students and teachers throughout, but it feels like a classic Weinerville segment that every fan should own.
The Extras: There are no ads or anything, but there is a teacher guide included inside which I painstakingly scanned and uploaded for you guys here. Since I found this used at a thrift store I was excited it still included that.
As we all know, Nick News was one of the worst things to ever happen to us. Every time it was on we would groan in pain or walk around the house aimlessly till it was over. Sometimes, Linda Ellerbee would even be so boring we’d change the channel to Cartoon Network. She would make us stoop that low. Well, fast forward a decade and I still despise the show, but I have nostalgia for it and how much I dreaded it. Imagine my surprise when I found out there was a VHS release of this out there that was impossible to find. Imagine my even bigger surprise when I found out there were two VHS out there of News on Nickelodeon. There’s Nick News Special Edition There’s No Place Like Home: Homeless Kids in America, which has yet to pop up, but there’s also apparently, Nick News Special Edition “Kids of Cons.” Now, do these actually exist? I don’t have photographic proof, but I am leaning towards yes. I also think these might be new specials, like, post-2000 new. Yikes.
Now, even as I type this I am wondering why I would want to put myself through such pain. It makes no sense, really, and never will. But if anyone could shed some light on these tapes I would be forever indebted. I think there’s a chance these were Emmy-exclusive tapes or in limited quantity. Please get in contact with me if you know anything about them.
On an unrelated note, I wonder if anyone ever recorded this show. Talk about a waste of space.
The VHS: This was one of the first three Nickelodeon VHS ever produced (the others being The Worst of You Can’t Do That on Television and How to Throw a Double Dare Party). These are some of the rarest and hard-to-find Nick tapes mainly because of their age. These were all put out by a distributor named Elektra Video. This was before they developed the new cover design (though this one is pretty sick if you ask me) and the orange tape that would become a fan favorite.
The Content: You can read a full review here. In some ways I find it really stupid that these early VHS were compilations instead of actual episodes (they were made-for-video specials), but I kind of like that we got extra episodes that never aired on TV. This particular show is atrocious and unfunny, but because it’s so cheesy and stupid it’s worth a watch. I would love to have gotten some of the actual episodes released, though, especially when Freddy Krueger was a guest star. That particular appearance seems to be lost forever…
The Extras: There’s nothing. Not even any ads or trailers.
The Tape:
They already had the box art before the tape was even filmed??!
![The VHS: This was one of four Double Dare tapes that were released, this and two others were put out by Sony Wonder, and the other one was released back in the late 80s. I still need Messiest Moments and How to Throw a Double Dare Party.The Content: I fucking loved this tape. While it is just another compilation video (no full episodes were ever released), it’s a hilarious one. Marc Summers hosts the video outside of Nickelodeon Studios and introduces a bunch of great clips, including outtakes, behind the scenes, and craziest moments. All the stuff with Marc Summers is pure gold because of how unfunny it is. I loved the running joke of him just avoiding getting pied and slimmed because he bends down to pick something up. It happened like six times. The clips are priceless, especially when they start showing all the parents and kids falling and actually getting hurt. I was on the ground laughing.The Extras: This originally came with a Double Dare Travel Game inside, which I need. My copy I found used at a thrift store (it used to be Cody’s according to the huge name written in black sharpie on the front [Where are you Cody and what the fuck did you do with the game?!]). There’s trailers for the Guts tape, the Clarissa - Take My Brother Please tape, and the Rugrats - Chuckie the Brave tape. This is the first time I had ever seen the Guts ad!The tape:](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m00vn9RZ7h1rpng3mo1_500.jpg)
