She-Ra Immortalized
After the eventual fame that came with the release of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Filmation took the credit for creating the spinoff series about He-Man’s twin sister and her metamorphosis to She-Ra. Among her numerous adventures, the series mainly focused on the squabble between the Great Rebellion and the Evil Horde. With the antagonist Skeletor projecting his rule on the people of Etheria, She-Ra had lots of work to do. Over more than a decade later, the show was adapted by Netflix into She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
One notable legacy the show left is the production of action figures. A set, at present, can cost as much as $4000 if it was maintained in a presentable condition.
Boba Fett’s Not So Bad
From intergalactic flights to intense space battles, it’s impossible not to be aware of the events that occurred in the Star Wars franchise. The film was released in 1977 and remained in theaters for over a year. The movie theaters were packed with excited people eager to see the conflict between galaxies. To a large degree, the franchise had revolutionized cinema. With the proliferation of drama and slapstick comedy, Star Wars has defied the tyranny of time and has remained a classic worth revisiting over the years.
Boba Fett, one of the film’s characters, is a well-known bounty hunter. Despite not being as well-known as the main character, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett has received a few action figures in his honor.
As Good as the Real Thing
When Kenner created the Easy-Bake Oven in 1963, it used working incandescent light bulbs to produce heat, whereas modern ones use electricity as a source of heat. The product was so popular that over half a million were sold in a year. A decade later, the company claims to have sold over 16 million of these ingenious toys. Children can easily make their own cakes with multiple sachets of cake mix and minute round pans. Todd Cooper, a toy historian, established National Easy-Bake Oven Day on November 24, 2017, to honor the iconic toy oven.
While modern versions of these products are less expensive and more efficient, vintage versions can fetch more than $4000. To some degree, many will be surprised about how expensive these toys are today.
How Snow White Earned Thousands
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s first feature-length animated film, was released in 1937. It was also the first Disney film to be shot in technicolor. The plot revolves around an evil queen who plots the murder of her stepdaughter, Snow White, out of immense jealousy. The protagonist, on the other hand, escaped and was helped by seven dwarfs in their forest home. Despite being released decades ago, the film is still ranked tenth on the list of the highest-grossing films of all time. It’s worth noting that the film, to some degree, almost didn’t happen because the animators questioned Walt Disney’s idea.
When Disney’s first batch of VHS tapes was released, the majority of them were given the Black Diamond designation. Some of these tapes, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, have sold for more than $8000 on the internet.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame ($1,500 upwards)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, released in 1996, is an animated musical drama film that was a huge commercial success, raking in $325 million in worldwide sales. In 2002, it released the sequel The Hunchback of Notre Dame II that went straight to video. The VHS copies of the original movie now sell for a small fortune, which can go upwards of $1,500. It’s a good enough amount for a little business investment nowadays.
It was Walt Disney Pictures’ 34th animated feature film, which was based on the eponymous novel by Victor Hugo in 1831. The plot revolves around the character of Quasimodo, a hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and his quest to gain acceptance in society. Sales and rentals of the VHS release eventually racked up to $200 million by the summer of 1998. Initially, it was planned for a DVD release as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection in 2000.
Bambi ($550 upwards)
Holding on to classic VHS movies can sometimes bring financial rewards to some degree. Another classic Disney flick that can rake in some money is the animated feature film Bambi, especially the Black Diamond Edition, which is one of the most sought-after by collectors and can fetch upwards of $550 these days. In the film, Bambi is a white-tailed deer living in the forest who will one day take over the reign of the woodlands as the Great Prince of the Forest to guard and protect the creatures against the dangers of hunters.
The film received three nominations for the Academy Awards, and the American Film Institute ranked Bambi third in its ten best classic American films of its genre. In 2011, it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, recognized as historically, culturally, and aesthetically significant. In recent years, the photorealistic computer-animated remake of Bambi went into development.
Dumbo ($700 upwards)
Originally released in 1941, Dumbo is an animated fantasy film by Walt Disney Productions and its fourth animated feature film. Its story centers on Jumbo Jr., an elephant that was cruelly nicknamed Dumbo or dumb, ridiculed for having big ears. However, he’s able to fly using those ears as wings. Aside from his mother, his true friend throughout the film is a mouse named Timothy. Their relationship is a parody of elephants’ stereotypical aversion to mice.
The film was later chosen by the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for preservation. In 2019, a live-action version of Dumbo was released by director Tim Burton, which was a wise investment planning for movie production, but it didn’t appeal that much to fans of the original film. Perhaps this explains the high demand for the VHS copies of the Black Edition of Dumbo that can sell upwards of $700.
The Little Mermaid (up to $37,500)
If you happen to own an unopened Black Diamond Edition VHS of The Little Mermaid, you’re in for a big surprise. Collectors are vying to get their hands on these rare tapes, and they can pay upwards of $37,000. Based on the Danish eponymous fairy tale, The Little Mermaid is Disney’s 28th animated feature film, released in 1989. It tells the story of a mermaid named Ariel, who dreams of becoming a human and eventually falling in love with a human prince named Eric. This led to her making a magic deal with the sea witch Ursula.
The Little Mermaid gained critical acclaim and praise for its music, animation, and characters. The film was also a commercial success, earning $84 million at the domestic box office during its initial release. The production never needed a small business loan for it to lead to a media franchise. A direct-to-video sequel was released in 2000, which focused on Ariel’s daughter, Melody.
Sleeping Beauty ($15,000 upwards)
The animated musical fantasy Sleeping Beauty, produced by Walt Disney, was based on the eponymous fairy tale of Charles Perrault in 1697. It was Disney’s 16th animated feature film, which was originally released in 1959. It was the first animated film to be produced using a special type of deluxe film called Super Technirama 70 in widescreen. It was chosen for preservation for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic significance by the Library of Congress of the United States National Film Registry.
It’s a story of a princess named Aurora, cursed to sleep for a hundred years by the evil witch Maleficent, only to be awakened with true love’s kiss. Eventually, a handsome prince broke the spell and woke up Princess Aurora. On the other hand, the limited edition version of Sleeping Beauty from 1997 can go as high as $15,000. If you happen to sell one of these, a good financial advisor will surely be helpful.
The Lion King (up to $20,000)
You’ll also be in luck if you happen to have in your possession a Black Diamond Edition VHS of the animated musical drama film The Lion King, which can fetch you up to $20,000. It was Disney’s 32nd animated feature film, with a storyline that revolves around a young lion named Simba, who is to succeed the throne of his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands.
Following its release in 1994, the film was praised by critics to a significant degree for its music, animation, themes, and story. The Lion King set out to become the highest-grossing film of 1994, raking in $763 million worldwide. It’s still considered the best-selling film on home video, as well as the highest-grossing of all time in the traditionally animated film genre. It was chosen for preservation by the Library of Congress of the United States National Film Registry. The Lion King earned a Golden Globe Award and two Academy Awards.