Lynn Johnston is the cartoonist who created the highly popular, long-running comic strip
For Better or For Worse, a sometimes-autobiographical look at family life that began its newspaper run in 1979, and ran so long that in 2008 Johnston ended the run, then started over again from the beginning (mixing new strips and re-showings of old strips to tell the story). Like many popular newspaper comics, Johnston's work made the jump to books. But
For Better or For Worse also made a leap that far fewer comic strips are able to: over to the small screen, with television adaptions.
The first of these animated adaptions was a 1985 special titled "
For Better or for Worse - The Bestest Present". It showed on Canada's CTV, and in the USA on HBO. Then, in 1992, a different studio (Lacewood Productions) produced the first of 6 more
For Better or First Worse single-run specials. These also ran on CTV in Canada, but in the USA they debuted on The Disney Channel. The success of these later led to Canada's TeleToon network airing two seasons of a regular
For Better or For Worse series, with 16 total episodes produced (by a third animation studio).
In 2004, both seasons of the regular series was
released on DVD in Canada by Koch (who has, by the way, since discontinued the title). The first special hasn't made a DVD appearance yet, as far as we know. But now one of our readers, Ray Schaff (thank you!) has tipped us off that the 6 specials production by Lacewood are now available on DVD under the title "
For Better or For Worse - 6 Animated Specials"!
This release doesn't appear to be available in stores, however. You can purchase it online via the Lynn Johnston Productions Inc. website
at FBorFW.com, where the news was posted just yesterday about this! At the time of this writing it sells for US$18.49 or CA$19.99 (plus any appropriate shipping, handling, taxes or other fees that they may have to charge; please see their site for details). Here is the list of included specials (each running approx. 23 minutes long), and a small look at the cover art of the package:
The Last Camping Trip (1992)
A Christmas Angel (1992)
The Good for Nothing (1993)
A Valentine From the Heart (1993)
The Babe Magnet (1994)
A Storm in April (1995)
UPDATE: Our thanks to reader Laurie Piccirillo, who knew that the original special from 1985, "For Better or for Worse - The Bestest Present", IS available on DVd from Lynn Johnston's website, and apparently has been for a while. With her help we found the sales listing there, where you can buy it for US$13.97 or CA$14.99 (plus whatever other applicable fees must be charged). Click that link for details and cover art!
