Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World / Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth
DiC's animated feature, Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World, was released in 1987 and based on the Barbie toy line of the same name. The plot is simple: Barbie is in a rock band that is on a world tour, with their final tour date in space to promote world peace. This piece was originally a pilot for a Barbie cartoon series that never took off, despite having catchy music and decent animation. The VHS box art is also solid, and very 80s.
In June 2023, an ungraded, sealed copy of Barbie and the Rockers sold for $45 on eBay. Opened copies tend to sell for under $12, making them a very affordable piece for Barbie collectors.
Barbie and the Sensations is a sequel to Barbie and the Rockers and was also produced by DiC and released in 1987. While traveling back to Earth after their concert in space, Barbie and the Rockers are accidentally sent back to the year 1959 -- when Barbie was first introduced. VHS copies for this special can easily be had for under $10.
Dance! Workout with Barbie
In 1992 my parents decided they wanted to scare me out of my Barbie days by buying me Dance! Workout with Barbie. I don't think they knew what exactly was in the VHS -- all they knew was that I liked Barbie. One fateful night I popped the VHS in, and after 5 minutes of watching it, I threw the VHS in my closet and never touched it again. If you've never seen it, I urge you to check it out on YoutTube. The workout video is live action, with a very creepy claymation Barbie doll who works out with you, and even though she is speaking, her mouth isn't moving.
This VHS is perfect for Barbie collectors, and maybe even horror fans. Luckily for any potential buyers of this cursed VHS, copies sell for under $30. In July 2023 a sealed copy sold for $29, while other opened copies sell for much less.
Barbie Birthday Party at Walt Disney World's Epcot
Two years after Dance! ended, a number of kids' became obsessed with the doll, Barbie Birthday Party at Walt Disney World's Epcot. At the time, Barbie was a meet-and-greet character in Epcot. The partnership was short-lived, but this VHS gives fans a look behind the scenes of Barbie in Epcot. Thankfully for children visiting the park at the time, Barbie was a face character you could hold a conversation with, and not a soulless claymation abomination.
While this is great for Barbie collectors, I would urge Disney Park collectors to get this as well. This shows what Epcot looked like nearly 30 years ago -- and a lot has changed since then! Copies of this VHS routinely sell for under $15, so you won't be spending an arm and a leg on them.
If you're a VHS collector looking to one day make a profit, the only VHS here worth your while is Barbie and the Rockers. If you just love Barbie and campy pop culture, this is a great avenue to explore.
