Golden Book Video
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's entertainment, Home video |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Western Publishing |
| Fate | Ceased home video distribution in 1995; assets acquired by Golden Books Family Entertainment in 1996 |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Children's animated and live-action videos based on Western Publishing franchises |
| Parent | Western Publishing (until 1996) |
Golden Book Video represented a collection of children's animated and live-action videos promoted by Western Publishing beginning with the 1985 holiday season. These videos showcased characters and narratives derived from Western's print franchises, such as Little Golden Books, and were initially distributed on VHS tapes priced below $10.
The production employed limited animation techniques to animate original artwork, a process Western described as "bringing storybooks to life."
In July 1991, Western Publishing took over Heron Communications' Hi-Tops Video division along with 60 forthcoming titles, which included Madeline specials, The Real Story of..., A Bunch of Munsch, and additional Baby Songs releases. By 1993, Western had obtained home video distribution rights for the first season of the Madeline television series and commissioned new direct-to-video productions.
Due to persistent financial difficulties and a long-term debt totaling $250 million, Western ceased its home video distribution operations in 1995. The following year, shareholders consented to selling the company to Golden Press Holdings LLC, an entity established by Warburg Pincus and former Simon & Schuster executive Richard E. Snyder, which operated under the name Golden Books Family Entertainment. This acquisition included programming assets from Broadway Video, encompassing rights originally held by General Electric, Alan Enterprises, Wrather Corporation, and Total Television.
In December 1997, Golden Books formed a partnership with Sony Wonder to distribute content on video and DVD beginning in 1998. That same year, ownership of pre-1974 Rankin/Bass Productions holiday specials and Frosty Returns transferred back to Golden Books and Sony Wonder.
On August 16, 2001, Classic Media and Random House jointly acquired the assets of Golden Books Family Entertainment. Classic Media took control of the entertainment properties and the home entertainment distribution agreement with Sony Wonder, allowing Sony to release titles managed by Classic Media.
Primary series
- 3 Favorite Golden Stories (1985)
- 3 Best-Loved Golden Stories (1985)
- 3 Richard Scarry Animal Nursery Tales (1985)
- 3 Golden Amye Rosenberg Stories (1985)
- 3 Mercer Mayer Stories (1985)
- 3 Golden Jungle Animal Tales (1985)
- 3 Hugga Bunch Stories (1985)
- 3 Masters of the Universe Stories (1985)
- 3 She-Ra: Princess of Power Stories (1985)
- 3 Sesame Street Stories (1985)
- 4 Masters of the Universe Stories (1985)
- 5 Sesame Street Stories (1985)
- 3 Fairy Tale Classics (1986)
- 3 Golden Bible Stories (1986)
- 3 Tales From the Care Bears (1986)
- 3 Golden Richard Scarry Tales (1986)
- Learn About Living Stories (1986)
- Pound Puppies Adventures (1986)
- Merry Mother Goose (1986)
- 3 Hans Christian Andersen Stories (1986)
- Pound Puppies Stories (1986)
- 3 My Pet Monster Tales (1986)
- 3 Favorite Fairy Tales (1986)
- Pound Puppies Tales (1987)
Golden Book Music Video'
- Sing, Giggle, and Grin (1986)
- See, Sing, and Play (1986)
- A Child's First Nursery Songs (1986)
- Sing, Stretch, & Shape Up (1987)
- Songs from Mother Goose (1987)
Golden Step-Ahead Video'
- Get Ready to Read (1986)
- Get Ready for School (1986)
- Know the Alphabet (1986)
- Get Ready for Math (1986)
- The Rainy Day Numbers Show (1987)
- Journey Through the Jungle of Words (1987)