It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown (RARE 1998 prototype VHS version)

Here's the rare 1st edition VHS of It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown! Why is this version so rare, you may ask? Because it only saw a production of 100 copies! Note that the 1994 theme song has the clips from "Are You My Neighbor?". Despite the theme song, when the episode was released on January 28, 1998, it was made available for mail-order delivery (just like with the original 1993 Where's God When I'm Scared? VHS). With the original animation intact, the episode was slightly modified before being shipped to Christian market releases around July 21, 1998. Then the episode went ENTIRELY re-edited with the animation and sound effects in 2000 shortly before the TV special presentation of Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen. There's several video and audio differences from the final release, and there's even a bizzare more screaming sounds playing while Charlie Brown is holding the kite (BE WARNED OF THE CHARLIE BROWN SCREAM SOUNDS -- Mute the volume if it happens).

Due to Larry being too serious in this episode, they decided to omit the theme song from the final VHS print on July 21, 1998, resulting in the theme song to never make it into any regular episodes. Also, due to parental complaints about Charlie Brown scream noises in this episode scaring their kids, Big Idea decided to remove most of the screaming sound effects in the final print. It seems that the 2nd copy from July 1998 is the most commonly known version for the original animation, and nobody even knows that THIS version here is SO rare that it was lost forever until I found it at a Goodwil. Enjoy. ;)

Differences

 * Front cover art has a different background of Tom's face is depressed instead of the boomerang background.
 * Shading of the characters and positioning of the title text was done in a different session.
 * Clips from Are You My Neighbor? added to the 1994 theme song.
 * Lucy's voice isn't pitch shifted most of the time.
 * Mimi's singing voice is not heard during the garden scene.
 * Mimi's line "Did you know that they came all the way from China?" (the one that was poorly cropped) is a different recording.
 * During "O Mio Babbino Caro", Mimi's singing voice is low pitched.
 * There are more screaming sounds playing while Charlie Brown is holding the kite (BE WARNED OF CHARLIE BROWN SCREAM SOUNDS -- Mute the volume if it happens).
 * The credits label the copyright date as 1997, but the episode wasn't completed until July 21, 1998. Though this is likely when it entered production on November 18, 1997.