Movies

People Are Tweeting The VHS Tapes They Wore Out As Kids And The Responses Will Make You So Nostalgic

It seems like forever ago, but before internet streaming and before DVDs we used to watch movies on VHS tapes. Actual, physical tapes that would get watched in the VCR, and would have to be rewound at the end of each viewing. VHS tapes, while big and clunky, were nowhere near as durable as DVDs, and some tapes we watched until we literally wore them out. It was like the Dark Ages. I don’t know how we ever survived. 

Some of you are probably too young to even remember VHS tapes! But recently, comedian Jesse McLaren tweeted, “Reply with the VHS you wore out as a kid,” and oh boy, did that bring the memories flooding back. 

McLaren posted the tape he’d watched the most, which was Peter Pan starring Mary Martin from 1960 (the movie, not the tape), writing that it “pretty much sums up my twenties in Brooklyn.”

His answer was a super popular one, because so many people replied that they also watched their copies to death. 

Hook, which starred Robin Williams (RIP) and which was also a Peter Pan story, was another popular one. 

And the replies started pouring in. People posted all sorts of movies they were obsessed with as children. 

Since most people didn’t have the actual VHS tapes anymore, a lot of people sent gifs of their favorite flicks. 

People also brought up the bootleg tapes, the ones you made yourself using a blank VHS tape and waiting until the movie you wanted was being shown on cable. 

Some people even watched the movies so often they wore out more than one copy. That’s dedication. 

Nowadays, people don’t have to worry about VHS tapes wearing thin from being played so often. But there’s something a little sad about that, too. 

h/t: Twitter: @McJesse

Dean Altman

Dean Altman is a writer living in NYC.