Little Mermaid 1990 VHS release, TWO versions?

[Logoliker2004]

All right, this has been confusing me. It seems to me that while there is oen cover artwork for the 1990 Disney "The Little Mermaid" video (the version that was banned due to its dil...er, you get it), there seem to be TWO versions of the cassette label!

The first version has a white sticker label (but it isn't the Beta-sized type of the 80s, it fits right into the space on the VHS tape) with it reading "Walt Disney Pictures presents THE LITTLE MERMAID", with the Little Mermaid logo in a yellow font, and under it is the Black Diamond logo (the version that appeared on the 1984-1989 Disney videotape labels), and under it is the Running Time/NTSC/FBI Legal things and such.

A second version features white text printed onto the black label space on the cassette, and the Classics diamond is white with black text.

But I believe the video material is the same on both versions, starting with the "Fantasia Mickey" Classics logo and featuring no previews/trailers and having the full movie play.

I wonder why there were two versions, while it had nothing to do with the cover art??

[Jake Lipson]

It DID have to do with the cover art -- the 1990 VHS was the one with the objectionable image on the cover, so it got pulled and "fixed." But I don't know why the tape label would have been changed, unless it was to distinguish the fixed cover versions with their own style VHS.

[rb_canadian181]

I knew there was a difference because i rented the copy with the label but when i got my own copy, it had the white painted label. i dont think they changed the cover art though. did anyone ever find the fixed version of the classic cover?? was it even made?

[Logoliker2004]

I have this version, but it's an ex-rental and it has one of those stupid video-store labels over where the label space goes, and it is hard to remove so I can't tell. But a friend of mine DOES have the same video, and it DOES have the thing that Robin Williams described in many bad words on "Death to Smoochy" on the cover, but it has the white text on the black tape!

[rb_canadian181]

...it DOES have the thing that Robin Williams described in many bad words on "Death to Smoochy" on the cover, but it has the white text on the black tape!

i have the same. the original un-edited cover plus the white text tape. theres pictures on my gallery(link is in my signature)

[Little Mermaid]

I have the second one that has The Classics diamond logo on it. I'll have to look at my tape to see which kind it is so I may have to re-edit my post.

[musicradio77]

I have the original VHS Black Diamond edition from 1990. It has no clamshell, just the plain box with just the cover. I have that movie since I bought it a long time ago at a specialty store where they were selling VHS tapes that were already copied. I watched the whole movie and the sound was gargled on the entire tape due to poor dubbing from VHS copies. One things for sure, get the DVD. I hope the DVD should be better in 9 months when it comes out.