Description: The Little Mermaid VHS (1990) #913 BLACK DIAMOND *RARE* BANNED COVER - ALL ORIGINAL - VERY CLEAN CASE/TAPE ! Running Time: 83 Minutes Rated: G --- Ships immediately and securely via Priority Mail Additional photos are available upon request BACKGROUND: The Little Mermaid banned cover for its initial VHS release in 1989 has a notorious legacy and is one of many occasions where supposed adult imagery has found its way into family-friendly entertainment. Along with becoming a must-needed box office hit for Disney, The Little Mermaid was also a hit on home video with the classic VHS cases becoming a collector's item over the years. However, even rarer is the original VHS cover for the family-friendly movie that was quickly banned thanks to some suggestive artwork a minor detail that caused such a stir that future copies were released with a new sleeve. While some think the rumors of this controversial Little Mermaid cover were just an urban legend, it has been confirmed that Disney took steps to ensure the original artwork was no longer available due to a shocking discovery that came too late. The Little Mermaid was released on VHS after its success in theaters with new artwork created for the cover. The artwork depicts Ariel, Eric, Ursula, and King Triton in front of Tritons castle. Tritons castle takes center stage with its gold, sparkling spires and is being used to stop an angry Ursula and Triton from getting to a loved-up Ariel and Eric. The image seems innocent enough at first, but a closer look reveals King Tritons castle seems to contain some inappropriate imagery. The VHS cover received backlash because the spires on King Tritons castle contained phallic imagery. In short, one of the spires on Trident's castle looked like a penis. With the castle being the center of the image, it did not take long for audiences to call Disney out for the phallus and the VHS cover was recalled and replaced. The phallic imagery on a childrens movie cover caused a lot of controversy and many people believed Disney put the image there on purpose. It is highly unlikely that Disney purposely made the controversial banned The Little Mermaid VHS cover. The Little Mermaid was extremely successful in cinemas and would not need any extra help from Disney to get audiences talking about the movie. Plus, it only looks rude once the phallic imagery is circled and pointed out otherwise, it would have blended in just fine with the rest of Tritons castle. Disney has a strong reputation for its family-friendly movies so including the imagery purposefully would be a big risk for them, especially as The Little Mermaid was its first majorly successful movie for a long time.
Price: 800 USD
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island
End Time: 2024-08-08T02:36:56.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Sub-Genre: Fantasy
Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
Special Features: Diamond Edition
Edition: Diamond Edition
Leading Role: RenΓ© Auberjonois
Genre: Animation & Anime
Language: English
Signal Standard: NTSC
Rating: G
Movie/TV Title: The Little Mermaid
Former Rental: No
Director: John Musker, Ron Clements
Release Year: 1989