Dinosaurs - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD, 4-Disc Box Set)
Product Details
Overview -
Dinosaurs - Complete First & Second Seasons
Features
Pre-Hysterical times: The making of Dinosaurs; Creating Dinosaurs: The sketches that started it all; Dino-eggs
Editorial Reviews
One hopes that Dinosaurs -- a sadly short-lived and criminally underrated series -- will find a more evolved and appreciative audience on DVD than it did on ABC in the early 1990s. Like The Simpsons, which preceded it by two years, Dinosaurs puts a subversive spin, to quote one ancient character, on "safe little situation comedies with time-tested repetitive stories." The Sinclairs may be dinosaurs (brilliantly brought to life through costumes, puppets, and state-of-the-art audio-animatronics by Jim Henson's Creature Shop), but they hew to sitcom archetype. Earl (bombastically voiced by Stuart Pankin) is the clueless dad with truly prehistoric attitudes. Fran (Jessica Walter) is the long-suffering wife with an independent streak. Son Robbie (Jason Willinger) is an awkward teen questioning dino culture and traditions. Daughter Charlene (Sally Struthers) is a materialistic pre-teen. The show's breakout character was the Baby (Kevin "Elmo" Clash), who makes one of the great entrances in television history. "Who's the mama, where's the mama?" he cheerfully inquires upon being hatched. "I'm the baby. Brand new. Just out. Gotta love me." Unlike The Flintstones,, which featured rudimentary versions of basic appliances, the thoroughly modern Sinclairs enjoy all the accoutrements of contemporary life, including television. They also grapple with family and social issues that have tested TV families as far back as the Nelsons, Andersons, and Cleavers. But if "everyone learned a valuable lesson about life" by episode's end, it wasn't quite the lesson audiences expected. In the anti-drug episode, "A New Leaf," Robbie Sinclair breaks out of "character" to urge viewers not to do drugs so they could "help put a stop to preachy sitcoms." Dinosaurs ironically called itself "an adult themed megahit," but there is much kid appeal in the costumes and the Baby, who insists on calling Earl "not the mama" and gleefully screams, "Again," whenever he suffers some physical calamity, like bouncing off the walls following a sugar rush (in "Golden Child"). At its best, the writing on Dinosaurs rivals The Simpsons with its playful throwaway gags (the puppet anchor on the Dinosaur News Network is aptly named Howard Handupme) and astute social commentary ("Family Challenge," "What Sexual Harris Meant"). It's a shame that Dinosaurs became extinct, but with this DVD, we now have evidence that a comedy colossus once walked the earth. Donald Liebenson, Barnes & Noble
Specifications
Reviews (13)
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5.0 / 5.0
Oh my goodness, I was so excited when I found this DVD. I loved this show as a kid and we happened to be at a friends house and my children got to watch it and they were CRAZY about it. I cannot tell you how many times they have gone around the house saying "NOT THE MOMMA" and then cracking up hysterically.
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5.0 / 5.0
I bought this right away when I saw it. I watched it all in just a few days. I love this show!!
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5.0 / 5.0
This is a lot of fun to watch with the family and laugh at the things we laughed at when it was on tv. This is just great entertainment for the family good clean fun.
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5.0 / 5.0
I watched this show when I was young and thought it was so funny. Love it when the baby hits the daddy and says "Not the mommy". Bonus Features include: The making of Dinosaurs, Sketches of creating Dinosaurs, and hidden dino-eggs with bonus clips. When I saw this in the store I just had to have it.
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5.0 / 5.0
Jim Henson classic! Remember this tv show from my childhood, and still find it very funny. Fun for Henson fans!
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5.0 / 5.0
My oldest grandson, who is now 19 watched these shows when he was just a little guy. We used to laugh llike crazy back then. So I decided to get them for the younger grandkids now. They are 9 and 11. They have set and watched them 2 or 3 times and now the oldest is requesting them and my daughters and I have set and re-watched them and we still get the giggles and laughes with them. I think they are classics.
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5.0 / 5.0
Man I remember this show on TGIF on abc. Loved it then and I love it now!
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5.0 / 5.0
I remember spending my childhood sitting in front of the tube watching the same video cassette episodes of the Sinclairs, B.P. Richfield, and Roy Hess (Hence fuel companies for names). I only had maybe a total of four episodes as a child but they never got old. My day was made once I had finally found all episodes on DVD. I ordered them asap and enjoyed what I had missed out. These episodes make me laugh and I appreciate the dedication and elbow grease put into these costumes. I've always thought they look cooler than today's CG. I showed a few episodes to my younger sister and now she will ask me frequently if I want to watch Dinosaurs. This show really is funny because they took adult situations, then boiled them down into a mixture of something prehistoric and family oriented. These DVDs also include some neat extras and behind the scenes. I would recommend this along with the other complete set of Dinosaurs.
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4.0 / 5.0
I have a 2 year old. She, like many her age, love to do things on their own. Especially watch the DVD's. Unfortunately she is murder on them, so as a general rule any movies or DVD's that she likes I'll make a copy of for her to watch and destroy. When it's destroyed enough I make a new copy from the good originals I keep safely away. Unfortunately, this DVD is not copyable. So if you are like me you'll want to show some extra care with this item if you have young ones. Otherwise you may be buying this again. As for the show itself. My girl loves the baby dino.
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5.0 / 5.0
I am 18 now and i used to watch this like 10 years ago... i havn't seen the show in about 9 or 10 years...and i still remembered everybody's name in the show! and some of the episodes i can see so clear... it was so great...go out and buy this...its a crazy good show..and i been waiting for so long for this to go on dvd or tape or tv to watch it again and now it finally did!! enjoy!! u'll love it!! "im da baby gotta love me!"
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3.0 / 5.0
I don't think the first season was the best one. Although there are some very funny moments, overall, I was a little disappointed. I had remembered this show as being funnier than this set was.
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5.0 / 5.0
I watched this show and now have my 3 yr. old nice singing the song the baby sang in 1 show! "I'm the baby, gotta love me, big purple eyes and very cuddly.."
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4.0 / 5.0
I bought this DVD because Dinosaurs was a 1980s TV show my husband, myself and our then young children liked to watch every week. There is a Mom dinosaur who is a stay at home Mom. A Dad who has a very physical job. A teenage daughter and a teenage son, a baby and a grandma. The different episodes in each season deal with very real family issues. For example, respect of aging grandparents, a stay at home Mom worrying she is not being fulfilled and/or appreciated for all she does. Dad deals with going to work all day and earning all the money, but can't buy the TV he wants because he has to feed a growing family.The situations are serious, but there is a lot of humor. For children, the humor is mostly due to the character of the baby dinosaur who has the cute/ugly thing going for him. But there is also adult humor, often of the sarcastic variety, that children may not understand.