Mystery Science Theater 3000 (thing)

Beginning in 2000 Rhino Home Video began releasing VHS copies of classic MST3K episodes for sale. Unlike fan dubs ("Keep Circulating The Tapes") these tapes were copied from the original master copies of the episodes from Best Brains. As such they were in pristine quality. In 2001 episodes began appearing in DVD format. Around Labor Day 2001 Rhino and Satellite News held a survey to ask which episodes fans wanted to see released in the not-too-distant-future, and the company seems to have used this data to create their release schedule. 2002 saw the release of volume one of "The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection", a 4-pack of DVDs that are unavailable separately. Tapes retail for around $15 and DVDs for nearly $20 each. Once the series left cable television on January 31, 2004, these tapes and DVDs became the only official way to get a MST3K fix.

Available VHS Tapes

• The Crawling Hand (episode 106)
• The Sidehackers (episode 202)
• Catalina Caper (episode 204)
• The Hellcats (episode 209)
• Cave Dwellers (episode 301)
• Pod People (episode 303)
• The Amazing Colossal Man (episode 309)¹
• The Unearthly (episode 320)
• Manos, The Hands of Fate (episode 424)
• Eegah! (episode 506)
• I Accuse My Parents (episode 507)
• Gunslinger (episode 511)
• Mitchell (episode 512)
• The Brain That Wouldn't Die (episode 513)
• The Wild World of Batwoman (episode 515)
• The Beginning of the End (episode 517)
• The Atomic Brain (episode 518)
• The Creeping Terror (episode 606)
• Bloodlust (episode 607)
• The Skydivers (episode 609)
• Red Zone Cuba (episode 619)
• Angels' Revenge (episode 622)
• Shorts Vol. 1
• Shorts Vol. 2
• Shorts Vol. 3

Available DVDs

• The Crawling Hand (episode 106)
• The Hellcats (episode 209)
• Manos, The Hands of Fate (episode 424)
• Eegah! (episode 506)
• I Accuse My Parents (episode 507)
• Mitchell (episode 512)
• The Brain That Wouldn't Die (episode 513)
• The Wild World of Batwoman (episode 515)
• The Beginning of the End (episode 517)
• Red Zone Cuba (episode 619)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 1
  • Catalina Caper (episode 204)
  • The Creeping Terror (episode 606)
  • Bloodlust (episode 607)
  • The Skydivers (episode 609)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 2
  • Cave Dwellers (episode 301)
  • Pod People (episode 303)
  • Angels' Revenge (episode 622)
  • Shorts Vol. 1
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 3
  • The Sidehackers (episode 202)
  • The Unearthly (episode 320)
  • The Atomic Brain (episode 518)
  • Shorts Vol. 2
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 4 (includes new material hosted by Mike Nelson)
  • Space Mutiny (episode 820)
  • Hamlet (episode 1009)
  • The Girl In Gold Boots (episode 1002)
  • Overdrawn At The Memory Bank (episode 822)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 5 (includes new commentary and interviews from Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy)
  • Time Chasers (episode 821)
  • The Touch Of Satan (episode 908)
  • Merlin's Shop Of Mystical Wonders (episode 1003)
  • The Legend Of Boggy Creek II: And The Legend Continues (episode 1006)
• MST3K: The Essentials
  • Manos: The Hands of Fate (episode 424)
  • Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (episode 321)
  • Shorts vol. 3² (mail order only)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 6
  • Gunslinger (episode 511)
  • Teenagers From Outer Space (episode 404)
  • Attack of the Giant Leeches (episode 406)
  • Mr. B's Lost Shorts
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 7
  • The Killer Shrews (episode 407)
  • Hercules Unchained (episode 408)
  • Hercules Against The Moon Men (episode 410)
  • Prince Of Space (episoder 816)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 8
  • Monster A Go-Go (episode 421)
  • The Dead Talk Back (episode 603)
  • Hobgoblins (episode 907)
  • Phantom Planet (episode 902)
• The MST3K Collection, Vol. 9
  • Women Of The Prehistoric Planet (episode 104)
  • Wild Rebels (episode 207)
  • The Sinister Urge (episode 613)
  • The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Becane Mixed-Up Zombies (episode 812)

Best Brains has also taken to producing and selling copies of episodes, bloopers, documentaries, and shorts from the series, most notably selected episodes from Seasons 9 and 10 of the show. These tapes are only available from Best Brains for a limited time. Some of the following have been discontinued for several years, in fact.

Available Best Brains Tapes

• The Touch of Satan (Episode 908)
• The Girl in the Gold Boots (Episode 1002)
• Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues (Episode 1006)
• Hamlet (Episode 1009)
• Mr. B's Lost Shorts
• Assignment Venezuela and Other Shorts
• MST Poopie! Vol. 1
• MST Poopie! Vol. 2
• MST Scrapbook
• The Last Dance: RAW!
• Tom Servo's Favorite Host Segments Vol. 1-5
• Play MSTie For Me Vol. 1-3

And to top it all off there are home video VHS and DVD editions of 1996's Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie available from Universal Home Video. The VHS edition is fairly common, whereas the DVD is a rare find as it was discontinued in 2000. The DVD commonly sells for over $75 when it appears on eBay.

¹ This tape has been discontinued due to a copyright misunderstanding. If you should find a copy for sale at a reasonable price, I advise you snatch it up because you may never see it again.

² Shorts Vol. 3 is/was only available with this set when purchased directly from the distributor.

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References:
http://www.mst3kinfo.com