Golden Book Video facts for kids

Golden Book Video was a cool series of animated and live-action videos for kids and families. It was created by a company called Western Publishing and first came out during the holidays in 1985. These videos brought to life characters and stories from Western's popular books, like the famous Little Golden Books. They were originally sold on VHS tapes for less than $10, making them easy for families to buy.

What Was Golden Book Video?

Golden Book Video used a special way to make their videos called "limited animation." This meant they added movement to the original pictures from the books, making it seem like the storybooks were coming to life! Different companies helped make these videos, so they sometimes looked a bit different.

Most videos had a full group of voice actors who brought the characters to life. They also used background music from special music libraries. Sometimes, they even created brand new songs just for the videos. These songs often had words on the screen so you could sing along! The video versions sometimes included new parts that weren't in the original books. Some of these videos even had a special sound quality called Dolby Stereo, which made the sound clearer and richer.

Different Types of Videos

Starting in 1986, Golden Book Video also released "Golden Book Music Videos." These videos usually had limited animation with new drawings and a full story. They combined classic children's songs with new ones.

Golden Book Video also created the "Golden Step-Ahead Video" series. These were educational videos designed to help kids learn. They covered topics like how to read and understand letters (phonics), basic math, and what it's like to go to school for the first time.

GoldenVision and Video Classics

In 1987, Golden Book Video started to try new things. They began releasing general entertainment, like cartoon episodes and TV specials, under a new name called "GoldenVision." They also made some new live-action videos. However, by 1990, the "GoldenVision" name was no longer used. All new videos, including cartoons, went back to being released under the regular Golden Book Video brand.

Around 1989, many of the older "storybook adaptation" videos were re-released. These were put out under the "Golden Book Video Classics" name. Their video boxes often had the same famous golden spine that you would see on the side of a Little Golden Book. From 1991, Golden Book Video also started releasing older cartoons from CBS that were made by Bosustow Entertainment under this classic banner.

What Happened Next?

Between 1992 and 1996, Golden Book Video became part of its main company, Golden Books Family Entertainment. After that, another company called Sony Wonder started distributing the VHS and DVD tapes of Western Publishing's stories.

Later, in 2001, two companies named Random House and Classic Media (which is now called DreamWorks Classics) bought Golden Books Family Entertainment.

Popular VHS Releases

Here are some of the popular videos that Golden Book Video released:

• The Poky Little Puppy and the Patchwork Blanket
• Scuffy the Tugboat
• The Gingerbread Man
• Peter Rabbit
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
• The Ugly Duckling and Other Treasured Tales