Quite Possibly the best VHS tape in the world- Tribute

Sometimes you run across something online that you just have to talk about.

I was watching my favorite internet show when one of the hosts started talking about what was the best VHS tape ever made and they submitted that Mr. T’s “Be Somebody” is the best VHS tape to have ever been made. So, of course, when someone is going to make a claim like that I need to check it out. I found the whole thing on YouTube watched it, and now I’m ready to report my experience.

What is it?

Someone commented on the video that I watched that this tape is like the “street tough version of Sesame Street” and that is a pretty accurate description. It’s a tape full of motivational and educational messages built specifically for kids and so locked in the 80s’ that it could never leave. There are segments throughout that touch on different emotions and challenges that kids (and let’s be real, adults too) such as “Shyness” “Frustration”, “Roots”, “Friendship” and “working Out” just to name a few.

What’s inside?

Mr. T would encourage kids to express themselves, live life to
the fullest and, above all, to be somebody and not somebody's fool!

For each emotion/ lesson that is brought up is a solution given in the perfect Mr. T style. This is where the video gets the majority of its entertainment value. For example: in the “Shyness” segment, a young girl has to give a speech on camera for a commercial about overcoming shyness. A cameraman, a director, and Mr. T. stand off stage as the girl mumbles past her lines twice. The director becomes exasperated and shouts “Ah, Just forget it!” The girl takes a cue from Mr. T. and shouts “NO! DON’T FORGET IT! I WAS ASKED TO DO THIS COMMERCIAL ABOUT SHYNESS, AND I’M GONNA FINISH IT!”

The director immediately retreats, says sorry, and the girl continues her commercial. The takeaway is supposed to be that everyone has a voice and deserves to be heard, but the takeaway that I got was “if you aren’t being respected, bully the next guy until you are”. Thankfully this is counteracted in the “Peer Pressure” segment.

Each segment is different but a common theme is to control your anger and use it to your advantage while also not conforming to what society says you need to do. There are a couple segments, particularly “Roots” and “Styling” that talk very specifically about being yourself and give the movie its title.

How good is it?

It's like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood if Mr. Rogers had the persona
of someone who could rip your teeth out with his bare hands.

What started me on watching 60 minutes of Mr. T. talking to kids was the claim that it was the best VHS tape of all time. I have to say after going through it that it may be correct to stake such a claim.

I imagine in the 80s’ when this tape was first released that it was a favorite of children all over America. Combining the positivity of Sesame Street with Mr. T. and cultural highpoints like breakdancing and rapping probably made it the coolest movie ever. Today, when most of these ideas have disappeared, this video has become a sort of time capsule of the mentality of a bygone era.

The lessons taught in the movie are generally good things to know, even if the whole thing is kinda dated. Some lessons about staying physically active, being creative, knowing where you are from and how to recover from embarrassing incidents are all healthy ideas to hold onto and remember.

I say this movie could very well contend for being the best VHS tape ever, and I say everyone should give it a watch. You will laugh (at the blue eye shadow), cry (probably also at the blue eye shadow), come away inspired, and maybe learn something about the 80s’.

What is your favorite VHS tape? Did you wear blue eyeshadow in the 80s’? Let’s talk about it in the comments. Thanks for liking and sharing and as always: remember to be somebody, or be somebody’s fool!