Newest Videos For Kids Explore Life From The Farm To The Waterfront

The one video market that never seems to wane is bargain-priced kid-vid.

Disney’s $27 reissue of “Cinderella,” a 1950 movie that had already been released once on tape in 1988, sold more than 7 million copies last month.

It’s a bandwagon that many tape distributors would like to join, and the market never gets busier than during the holidays. Among the Disney wannabes this season are several tapes featuring talking animals, barnyard sing-alongs and Christmas toys.

“How a Tugboat Works” (Think Media, $15) is a half-hour cassette starring “IQ Parrot, the beak that speaks.” As a 150-ton New York tug helps the 67,000-ton Queen Elizabeth 2 to dock, and vintage footage of the harbor recalls the 1920s, the chatty bird establishes the relative importance of size on the water: “Don’t let size fool you. A tug does a really big job.”

IQ Parrot also turns up on the company’s prize-winning “How a Car Is Built,” which was released earlier this year. Information: 1-800-655-1998.

Greg James’ Washington produced, nationally distributed “Farmyard Family Christmas” (Simitar, $10) imposes dark glasses and speaking mouths on manipulated footage of horses, sheep, piglets, cows and rabbits, who sing “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “Deck the Halls” with slightly altered lyrics. The result is surprisingly close to a more modest version of “Babe”; the invitation to “sing with real barnyard animals” may be especially difficult for the younger ones to resist.

James, who works out of Kirkland, Wash., also co-produced the “I Wanna Be” series with Seattle Emmy winner Steve Pool. Priced at just $6 apiece and $10 for two-tape sets, the half-hour cassettes have sold more than 100,000 copies since March. The list of occupations covered now includes firefighters, jet pilots, ship captains, truck drivers and heavy-equipment operators. Information about James’ tapes: 206-814-9551.

Catchy music is also the main selling point of “I Dig Dirt” (Dreams Come True Productions, $15). As earth-moving machines dig deep into hillsides - sometimes speeded up for comic effect - children with protective helmets watch and sing Jeff Tyzik’s lyrics to the tune of “Frere Jacques.” Information: 1-800-443-4242.

Harder to take is “A Lionel Christmas” (TM Books/Video, $20), which is essentially an hourlong commercial for Lionel trains. Recalling the 1940s, “when Lionel trains topped every Christmas list,” it quickly overdoses on nostalgia, undoubtedly leaving younger viewers wondering what all the drooling could be about.

This is one kid-vid that’s really for adults with long memories.

The small ones may be happier with the same company’s best seller, “I Love Toy Trains,” or its celebration of other holiday traditions, “I Love Christmas,” which includes an E.B. White story and several kinds of Christmas legends. Information: 1-800-892-2822.

A better bet for an interactive holiday is “Strength & Shape” (Earth Smart Inc., $15), a 40-minute workout tape for pre-teenagers that makes the promise, “No more couch-potato kids.” Stu Kaminsky leads the non-aerobics exercises, which emphasize muscle development and stretching. The tape was created by Pat Lawrence, who did it partly in response to her son’s weight problems and loss of self-esteem. Information: 800-392-3724.

In the same vein is “Hip Hop For Kids” (Jumping Fish Productions, $15), a half-hour tape that emphasizes appropriate shoes and warm-ups before veteran dancer Roger G encourages kids to follow his trickier moves. Information: 1-800-724-6986.

Also new this season are “It’s Just Good Manners” (Mind Your Manners Inc., $20), a humorous how-to tape aimed at children 4-10; “Nutcracker on Ice” (CBS Fox Video, $15), a figure-skating ballet featuring Olympic medal winners Oksana Baiul and Viktor Petrenko; and “Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Tracy’s Handy Hideout” (Kid Quest, $15), the latest installment in a prize-winning series aimed at preschoolers.

Parents’ Choice favorites

Parents’ Choice recently announced its picks of the best videos of 1995. Selected by parents, children, teachers, librarians and psychologists, the list includes the recent big-screen remakes of “Little Women” (Columbia TriStar, $20), “Lassie” (Paramount, $15) and “A Little Princess” (Warner Home Video, $25), plus Disney’s best-selling “The Lion King” ($27).

But there are also plenty of made-for-video entries: “Which Way Weather” (Bo Peep Productions, $20), “GeoKids” (National Geographic, $13), “Sweet Dreams, Spot” (Walt Disney Home Video, $13), “Cinderella: A Dance Fantasy” (View Video, $20), “The Legend of the Christmas Flower” (Kinder Vision, $15), “Musical Max and Other Musical Stories” (Children’s Circle, $15), “A Girl’s World” (Laurie Hepburn Productions, $20), “My First Party Video” (Sony Wonder, $13), “Hullaballoo: Time!” (DK Vision, $$10) and “Crunch! Smash! Trash! Monster Machines That Recycle” (In-Site Productions, $17).