Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

The "America’s Funniest Home Videos" television show became part of America’s history today, as creator and executive producer Vin Di Bona donated objects from the 20-year-old show to the National Museum of American History.

First aired in 1989, the show is celebrating its twentieth consecutive season on American television. The show, also known as AFV, has broadcast more than 400 episodes and can be seen in more than 70 countries. There are more than 15 international versions seen around the World.

“The show aired on Thanksgiving weekend in 1989 and there were blizzards on the East Coast, terrible weather in the Midwest and rainstorms on the west coast and everybody was home watching this show,” Di Bona said. “So thank you weatherman, thank you mother-nature.”

The AFV exhibit will join other T.V. artifacts, joining Seinfeld’s puffy shirt, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit the Frog and Archie and Edith’s living-room chairs from “All in the Family”.

“I called my mom and said, ‘I think there’s a good chance we might be donating to the Smithsonian.’ She said to me, ‘You know that star on the walk of fame was very nice, but this is big,’” Di Bona said.

The AFV objects to be displayed include: the camcorder used to shoot the 1989 pilot episode, the winning video from the pilot, Vin Di Bona’s personal script-book, one of the original audience voting instruments, a presentation reel used to sell the pilot to the ABC network, Vin Di Bona’s framed ticket to the first taping, an annotated script from the pilot and an original press kit for the show.

Host Tom Bergeron attributed AFV’s success to “No egos in the staff… This is a collaborative effort of very talented people who work like a finely-oiled comedy machine.”

“We try and adhere to the first rule of comedy, which is, it should be funny, and that’s what we do for a living, and that’s what makes it work for us,” Di Bona said.

The exhibit will be on display for the public in 18 and will be exhibited in the entertainment section of the museum.