‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ Proved the Power of Pranks When It Launched as a ‘Brand-New Experiment’ 35 Years Ago

Last month, Vin Di Bona was at a car show when he struck up a conversation with a fellow gearhead. When Di Bona mentioned that he was the producer behind "America's Funniest Home Videos," the 40-something man exclaimed, "My kid and I watch that show all the time!" — and then proceeded to sing the familiar theme.

When " AFV " launched 35 years ago, that man would have been in elementary school. Di Bona, who has watched his series now span multiple generations, never gets tired hearing about its impact.

"We see it in the studio," he says. "I can't tell you how many times someone will say, 'I watched this with my parents.'"

"AFV" launched as a special in 1989 on a bit of a lark: As video cameras had finally reached critical mass in American homes, the idea was that there must be enough hilarious footage out there to create a one-time clip show. "It was a brand-new experiment," says Di Bona, who had been a documentarian before turning a Japanese format into "AFV." Initially, they received about 1,800 tapes. With the idea that if one out of 100 had a usable clip, there was enough for a show.

The reviews weren't great, but the special was a hit. ABC bosses Bob Iger and Ted Harbert immediately asked Di Bona to produce 11 more episodes. He said yes in a panic — but then the tapes started pouring in.

Soon they'd get 38 mailbags a week. "The Hollywood post office had to put on two or three extra people to handle our mail. We had three shifts of screeners watching tapes, 24 hours a day."

Early on, it was Beta, VHS and Hi8 tapes that arrived; now, it's all uploads — between 3,500-5,000 each week. Di Bona still remembers the standouts.

"There are certain things that are just stuck in your mind," he says. "There's a little baby who's taking a bubble bath and bubbles come out of her mouth. There's a bride and groom, and just before he's ready to kiss the bride, he sprays himself with Binaca ... Every once in a while there's something that is so unique that it just sticks with people for a long, long time."

Both Di Bona and current host Alfonso Ribeiro credit the late Bob Saget for setting the show's tone. "I thought Bob Saget was fantastic as the host," Ribeiro says. "All generations can watch this show and enjoy it. I'm just honored that I get to be a part of this."

Early on, Di Bona's team began tagging the videos for their archive and finding ways to monetize the clips. "It's not just, here's a video of a dog or a Dalmatian or a bullfight. It's what happened with the dog, the Dalmatian, the bullfight, the baby who spits up food, the trampoline that breaks," he says. "We've amassed two million clips. We also have a part of the company that sells clips to advertisers, so an advertiser can punch in and get a review of the clip and make a choice."

Also, "AFV" partnered with fans to monetize the videos. "For years, I'd get really pissed off and try and sue folks," Di Bona says of the pirated videos that wind up online. "And then we said, wait a minute. Why don't we make folks our partners, and utilize the clips, make everybody be able to share in the wealth of the library? That changed the whole thing."

"AFV" expanded its side business in three different ad-supported FAST channels, is looking into more spinoffs — including a new take on "America's Funniest People" — and the racier "Videos After Dark" may make a comeback on Hulu. Plus, Di Bona is working on a new game show for ABC.

Even in the social media age, where videos are readily available, Di Bona credits the show's curation for keeping it relevant. "Anybody can watch a bunch of videos strung together, poorly curated, and they're not funny," he says. "Ours will hopefully make you laugh with every clip."