Sesame Street View Master Interactive Vision VHS RESTORED

About

View-Master Interactive Vision was an interactive VHS console game system, introduced in 1988 by View-Master Ideal Group, Inc. The tagline was that the console was "the Two-Way Television System that makes you a part of the show!" The titles included four Sesame Street games, and two games featuring the Muppet Show characters, as well as a Disney game, Disney's Cartoon Arcade, by Cinemaware.

This has been tested and is playable on a television using the original console, if you use the DVD-formatted version (VIDEO_TS) burned to disc. The alternate audio buzzes on original hardware, unfortunately.

The system comes with a simple game controller which included a joystick and five colorful buttons. As the video plays, the characters address the player directly, and ask the player to make a choice by pressing one of the buttons. Simple videogames with graphics similar to the ColecoVision video game system are played during the course of the videotape. The Disney game is built around the "arcade-style" gameplay, including fighting ghosts and shoveling coal into a fireplace. The games were designed for audiences ages 3-8 years.

The video has two different soundtracks recorded, and the player's choices toggle back and forth between the soundtracks, giving the impression that the player has changed the course of the story.

For example, at the end of Muppet Madness, Kermit and Gonzo ask you to choose to hear the closing song from their point of view. In Kermit's version, the Muppets sing a closing number called "Everything Was Wonderful!" In Gonzo's version, the closing number is "Everything Was Terrible!" Similarly, a Muppets TV show within the program is either a science fiction series or a soap opera, depending on the soundtrack, and Fozzie Bear's comedy act is successful or unsuccessful.

Although there is only one video track, the optional parts of the soundtrack are designed to fit the movement of the Muppets' mouths, to create the illusion that the video was recorded with only one soundtrack.

This is the only interactive media to feature Jim Henson extensively before his death (although only the two Muppet tapes contain new footage with Henson), along with the Muppet performers. The Muppet tapes are entirely new footage, while the Sesame Street tapes are a mix of new footage and some existing segments.

In the game Muppets Studios Presents: You're the Director, Kermit the Frog leads the player through the process of making a Muppet movie. You can choose to either be the "good" director or the "bad" director. During the game you're asked to collect money bags as they show up onscreen. If you haven't collected enough, the closing song's lyrics say "We've just made some movies. We're gonna go broke!" (Alternately: "We're gonna go far!")

Disney's Cartoon Arcade contains a collection of arcade-like mini games, including a Frogger inspired game where Mickey Mouse must cross a busy highway in order to get to Minnie Mouse. The mini-games display 1bpp computer graphics similar to the ColecoVision's capabilities. All the animation is reused from existing Disney shorts, and is hosted by Ludwig Von Drake.

When the VHS tapes are played without the View-master console, information is visible on the sides of the screen. Something similar to an audio waveform appears at the left side of the screen, while bursts of barcode-like information occasionally appear at the right.

The company is most well-known for its View-Master toys, which are designed around viewing stereoscopic photograph slides. In a message that was printed on all of the View-Master Interactive Vision boxes, View-Master Ideal Group Inc. president Arnold Thaler explained the philosophy behind the product. He viewed the system as a "two-way learning and entertainment television system," as the characters on screen would often address the user directly, and their interactions would change depending on the user's choices. He was particularly fond of the console's ability to remember the choices that had been made, allowing for a recap or final score to be provided to the user.

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Archive

Internet Archive, in The VHS Vault

Licence or status

The Internet Archive states none for this item.

Credit

View-Master Ideal Group

Language

English

Who can watch

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