Family Home Entertainment

AUDIO/VIDEO

All ThunderCats home videos in the United States were produced by Family Home Entertainment (F.H.E.) and distributed by MCA Distributing Corporation between 1985 and 1989. Except for Volume 1, which featured the famous pre-production key art, all the F.H.E. volumes featured original cover art and package design attributed to “The Art Department”.

The first five volumes, released starting in 1985 and 1986, were designed and packaged in oversized boxes and featured silver and green labels on the cassettes themselves, with either navy blue clamshell cases or, more commonly, black plastic trays to house the cassettes. They were also released in standard sized sleeves, with the artwork either bordered along the bottom in black, or shrunken and surrounded by a silver border on all sides. The latter volumes, released between 1987 and 1989, were designed exclusively in the standard size, most with white and purple labels on the cassettes rather than silver.

Images of labels and internal packaging coming soon.

Many F.H.E. releases featured multiple episodes, though the opening theme and end credits play only once per video, with title cards as the only interstitial elements. Most releases also feature either pre- or post-roll advertising for other F.H.E. home videos, the details of which are listed below.

Finally, a special shoutout: all small box home videos pictured below were acquired from the collection of Jesse Howard, who bought them “with lawn mowing money” directly from home video distributors starting around 1989.

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VOL. 1: EXODUS

From beyond any known galaxy, bringing with them the laws and ideals of their doomed planet, come the ThunderCats. These brave and courageous cat-like humanoids carry with them the powerful Sword of Omens, which contains the mysterious Eye of Thundera, the source of power for all the ThunderCats. But there’s also a treacherous band of hideous mutants from the planet Plundar [sic] who want the sword. Crash landing on Earth, the ThunderCats battle these evil creatures who are aided by the supernatural powers of the deadly and mysterious Mum-Ra [sic]. You’ll experience many incredible adventures in this epic science fiction saga.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 2: PUMM-RA

From the dark reaches of his ancient and mysterious tomb, the ever deadly and treacherous Mumm-Ra transforms himself into a deceptive ThunderCat-clone in order to convince the ThunderCats that he is one of them. Secretly working with the insidious mutants from planet Plundar [sic], “Pumm-Ra” fools almost everyone in his evil plan to capture and destroy the Cats’ Lair. However, little Snarf suspects foul play and desperately tries to alert Lion-o [sic] to the dangers of this phony puma. A very exciting and action-packed episode, the ThunderCats learn that appearances can be deceiving in this epic science fiction saga.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 3: SPITTING IMAGE

ThunderCat Panthro is spreading destruction across Third Earth. Good ol’ Panthro?!? Well, it’s not really him…but a deadly clone Mumm-Ra has created. But where’s the real McCoy? Trapped in the Bottomless Chasm, Panthro soon has to face “himself” in a battle to the death!

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 4: TROUBLE WITH TIME

The ThunderCats are urgently searching the planet for Thundrillium, their source of power. Suddenly Tygra discovers a mother lode of the substance…however, it’s in the treacherous Cave of Time. Will the ThunderCats get what they’re after…or will time be their enemy in this race against time?

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 5: THE GHOST WARRIOR

The evil ghost of the gigantic saber-toothed Grune, once a ThunderCat, now a banished enemy, is back!! He brings the deadly secret that will weaken Lion-O, Cheetara and even Panther…who can fight him? Is there anyone who can stand up to the frightening power of a ThunderCat gone bad?

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 6: LORD OF THE SNOWS

An icy mountain, guarded by Snowman and his giant cat Snowmeow, holds a treasure the ThunderCats vitally need. But the sinister Mutants enlist Vultureman and his flying machine to thwart their plans. Can Lion-O convince Snowman to help them? Don’t worry. Snowmeow and Snarf have a plan that’s the cat’s meow! Then, more adventure unfolds in “Tower of Traps.”

Notes:

Rarity:

This volume is exceedingly hard to find, and accounts of it being available in video stores in the 80s and 90s are few. Jesse Howard, who purchased the pictured cassette in the 1980s from a home video distributor, reports issues with the manufacture of the cassette itself.

“It was plagued with manufacturing problems,” says Howard, “problems that made the cassette about a centimeter too wide to fit into VCRs. The first one I bought back in 1989 had to be crammed in so hard that I stopped trying for fear of it getting stuck. Luckily, the video distribution center I purchased it from had another, and that was also too wide, but better. Still, I wanted another one, which they had, and this time it was normal. In hindsight I wish I would have kept the defective ones instead of exchanging them.”

On the topic of the volume’s rarity, Howard corroborates a perception shared by any fan who scoured U.S. video stores for ThunderCats volumes in the 80s-90s heyday of video rentals. “Nearly every video rental store at the time had Volumes 1 through 5, and many volumes from 7 and up. But no one had Volume 6. This of course could be due to the manufacturing problems, but isn’t entirely known.” I would add that I personally never encountered Volumes 5 or 12 in video stores back in those days, but they certainly pop up nowadays. Volume 6 really doesn’t.

Pre-roll advertising: None

Post-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 7: RETURN TO THUNDERA

Lion-O travels back in time in RETURN TO THUNDERA. Arriving before the destruction of his home planet, he must find the secret plans to a war robot which threatens the ThunderCats’ survival in the present. Then, Mumm-Ra captures Lion-O in THE ASTRAL PRISON. If he can’t get out, the ThunderCats are doomed!

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 8: THE FIREBALLS OF PLUN-DARR

Launched from the Mutants’ sinister castle, the treacherous FIREBALLS OF PLUN-DARR threaten the Warrior Maidens. Tygra and the ThunderCats desperately intervene to help their forest friends! Then Vultureman invents a SUPER POWER POTION that makes him invincible…and he combines forces with Mumm-Ra! Can anything overcome this diabolical team?

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 9: THE WOLFRAT

A mechanical monster, THE WOLFRAT, secretly penetrates the ThundeCats’ Lair and releases a gas that reduces them to nine inches high. Now, the Mutants attack, but little Snarf has a big plan to save the day! Next, the ThunderCats go on an incredibly odyssey to retrieve THE TIME CAPSULE from ThunDERa.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 10: SPACESHIP BENEATH THE SANDS

The all-powerful, all-sinister force of Mumm-Ra helps the Mutants discover their lost SPACESHIP BENEATH THE SANDS. This means the ThunderCats are in for a super-fight, now that the Mutants have regained their super-weapons! Next, the ThunderKittens are both TRAPPED inside a suspension capsule and kidnapped by that villainous S-S-Slithe! Then, a mind-controlling helmet is returned from the seventh dimension and stolen by Mumm-Ra for his devious schemes. Now only Cheetara can save the ThunderCats in DIMENSION DOOM. Finally, the Curse of Balthaz is unleashed in ALL THAT GLITTERS. To lift the curse, Lion-O must take the Sword of Omens into an enchanted volcano.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising:

Post-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 11: SAFARI JOE

They’re the electrifying felines boy and girls alike can’t resist! The ThunderCats are noble creatures who bring the laws and ideals of their doomed planet to their dazzling animated spectacles. In SAFARI JOE, these big cats become big game when they fall prey to an intergalactic hunter. But this bully soon proves to be a “fraidy cat,” when he’s spooked into a cowardly surrender. Then, the mutants experience political madness in JACKALMAN’S REBELLION.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising:

Post-roll advertising: None

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VOL. 12: TOWER OF TRAPS

Join the noble ThunderCats on a quest to unravel of their greatest mysteries yet. When an evil robber baron wreaks havoc across the land, the ThunderCats take action. But in order to catch the thief, these felines must make their way to the top of the bad guy’s booby-trapped tower. It’s nonstop excitement at every tricky turn, all leading to the discovery of the baron’s incredible and shocking secret. Also includes three more exciting episodes.

Notes:

Pre-roll advertising:

Post-roll advertising: None

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I spent my childhood obsessed with tracking down ThunderCats home video releases, at a time when reruns in syndication had dried up. The thrill of discovering a new volume, or better yet a new episode, of poring over the detailed artwork and reading the back cover summary for the first time, is unforgettable.

When taken as a whole, the body of episodes that F.H.E. chose to release represents an excellent cross section of Season One. The Anointment Trials and “Feliner” two-parter are unfortunately absent, along with standouts like “The Mountain” and “Sword in a Hole”; but overall, if these volumes from your local video store were the only taste of ThunderCats you ever had as a kid, I’d say you experienced some of the best.

Written by Zack (thezaxfactor)

1 ^ Unlike for books, I can’t find any online records for VHS ISBNs. If anyone can shed any light on how these were issued, and whether there’s any centralized database of them, please let me know !

2 ^ I’ve determined Year of First Release for all volumes primarily by the artwork copyright, corroborated by dates printed on cassette labels or the cassettes themselves, as well as by the years of surrounding releases.

3 ^ Here we have two cassettes released within the span of a few days. Pretty cool!

4 ^ And two cassettes released with the span of two weeks.

5 ^ And another two cassettes released within a few weeks of each other. The 11/30 cassette is from my childhood collection; the 12/16 cassette is from Jesse Howard’s. Both were purchased in 1989.

Year of release: 1989
Running time: 93 minutes

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