Videos
Despite having 65 episodes, 5 one hour specials and 6 .5 hour specials associated with Shining Time Station, only about a dozen home video titles were ever released for retail.
The first Shining Time Station home videos were released by A*VISION ENTERTAINMENT on October 27, 1992 (covers seen below). The two VHS videos included The 1990 Holiday Special 'Tis a Gift (cat.# 50347-3), and SINGSONGS (cat. # 50348-3), a compilation of 16 music videos featured in the series' picture machine, magic bubble and anything tunnel sequences.
'Tis a Gift
A*VISION ENTERTAINMENT (1992)
Cat.# 50347-3
SINGSONGS
A*VISION ENTERTAINMENT (1992)
Cat.# 50348-3
KID VISION released the following titles on April 21, 1993 which retailed for $14.98 US. Episodes included were Season 3's Stacy Cleans Up (50389-3) and Schemer Alone (50390-3). This was also a first time a direct-to-video special was produced featuring the Juke Box Puppet Band with A Day in the Life (50391-3).
Interestingly, in 1992 Quality Family Entertainment made use of 4:45 minutes of the Drive-In sequence first seen in Season 2's Stop the Press, where it was left uncredited. The source was properly credited on the home videos as originating from the 1984 animated short (18:15 min) Easy Living, by Chip Lord and Mickey McGowan, where the footage was used under licence as opening and closing segments.
The tapes released in 1993 and 1994 also included a Schemer Presents skit as bonus material featured after the episode was over.
Vol. 1: Stacy Cleans Up
KID VISION (1993)
Cat. # 50389-3
Vol. 2: Schemer Alone
KID VISION (1993)
Cat. # 50390-3
A Day in the Life
KID VISION (1993)
Cat. # 50391-3
The early VHS releases of Volume 1 and 2 also included cardstock cutouts of the characters. An rare surviving example of the cutout included with Stacy Cleans Up (Stacy and her ticket desk) is pictured below (with thanks to Sam Hodgson).
Stacy & desk cutout included with Stacy Cleans Up VHS (courtesy Sam Hodgson)
Kid Vision and Quality Family Entertainment re-released the 1990 'Tis a Gift Holiday Special (bottom-left) on October 6, 1993 (cat. # 50347-3). The only Season 2 episode title Sweet and Sour was released by YES and Britt Allcroft Productions later in 1993 for the TV Teddy Videotape series (bottom-right).
'Tis a Gift
Quality Family Entertainment (1993)
Cat.# 50347-3
Sweet and Sour
TV Teddy/YES! Ent. (1993)
Cat.# 999377
In 1994, Kid Vision released 7 of the Season 3 episodes under "The Original Classic" volumes, including: Vol.1 Stacy Cleans Up (re-issue), Vol.2 Schemer Alone, Vol.3 Bully for Mr. Conductor, Vol.4 Becky Makes a Wish, Vol.6 Billy's Party, Bully, Vol.7 Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin, and Vol.8 Schemer's Special Club. Vol.5 was skipped for some reason, and its unreleased title is still unknown.
CLASSIC VOLUME 1
Stacy Cleans Up
KID VISION (1994)
Cat. # 50389-3
CLASSIC VOLUME 4
Becky Makes a Wish
KID VISION (1994)
Cat. # 50434-3
CLASSIC VOLUME 7
Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin
KID VISION (1994)
Cat.# 50514-3
CLASSIC VOLUME 2
Schemer Alone
KID VISION (1994)
Cat.# 50390-3
CLASSIC VOLUME 3
Bully for Mr. Conductor
KID VISION (1994)
Cat.# 50432-3
?
CLASSIC VOLUME 5
???
KID VISION (1994)
Never Released
CLASSIC VOLUME 6
Billy's Party
KID VISION (1994)
Cat.# 50510-3
CLASSIC VOLUME 8
Schemer's Special Club
KID VISION (1994)
Cat.# 50512-3
1994 also saw the KIDS VISION release of 2 direct-to-video specials: Schemer Presents: The World According to Me! (Volume 1), and The Juke Box Puppet Band: Lullaby (Volume 2).
Schemer Presents:
The World According to Me! (Vol. 1)
Quality Family Entertainment (1994)
Cat.# ?
The Juke Box Puppet Band:
Lullaby (Vol. 2)
Quality Family Entertainment (1994)
Cat.# ?
What appears to be the final Shining Time Station video was the re-release of 'Tis a Gift on October 7, 1997 by Starz and Britt Allcroft Productions. Interestingly, this version of the title was featured as a "Christmas Special" instead of the previously promoted "Holiday Special".
'Tis a Gift
STARZ / Britt Allcroft Productions (1994)
Cat.# ?
There were originally to be 4 Jukebox Band VHS Releases
While doing some research for this site, we came across a newspaper article in the May 18, 1993 issue of the Cedartown Standard. The article covered the Juke Box Puppet Band and made mention that there were to be 4 solo direct-to-video releases featuring the Band. We know of only two that were released, so we asked Flexitoon's Craig Marin if he could provide any insight. Below is Craig's reply (with our thanks!) from July 28, 2013:
Hi James,
There were indeed 4 home videos of the Juke Box Puppets shot with their own plots and characters. It was devised so that the songs would do double duty in the series itself. It was a magical 3 week production period where we first added all the marionette doubles to the cast, as well as JJ Silvers, the band's manager.
The titles were:
• DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE JUKE BOX BAND
• LULLABY
• CAN'T REMEMBER THE THIRD ONE
and my favorite because it was the wackiest...
• TRIBUTE TO JJ SILVERS
It was disappointing that they all weren't released -- I guess Rick (Sigglekow, producer) knows why. However, I did get copies of all finished edits back then, and a few years ago we cut together highlights from all four into a JUKE BOX BAND'S GREATEST HITS compilation. Strangely -- or synchronsitically -- we *just* posted them the day before I received your email! So here they are for you and SODORIANS everywhere -- some familiar material mixed together with never before seen footage of the JUKE BOX PUPPET BAND. From FlexitOOn to you.
Enjoy!
Craig Marin