What started off as a nostalgic childhood memory turns into a personal research project, resulting in a Wikipedia article, analysis and the ...
What started off as a nostalgic childhood memory turns into a personal research project, resulting in a Wikipedia article, analysis and the recreation of KPS Video Express’s logo (available for download here). An introduction to a series which will be published here about KPS Video Express.
KPS Video Express was an institution in Hong Kong. Founded in 1981, it grew quickly both in size and the products offered. As far as I could remember, it offered everything from video tapes, to laserdiscs and software, later progressing to audio books on cassette, VCDs and finally DVDs.
A part of my childhood revolved around the KPS stores, looking around the video tapes for something to watch and at one point, always renting the same cartoons over and over again. I remember the excitement when I was old enough to get my very own member card: it was a standard, laminated card except with a stamp of a clown to show that it was a children’s card. I would tightly grip the 10 dollar note, which was the rental fee for children, and tip toe to just manage to slide the card and tape over the counter.
My interest in KPS was rekindled when I suddenly wondered what exactly happened to it. It collapsed around Hong Kong’s handover back to China in 1997, but over 10 years later I realized that I didn’t really know the details.
Using Factiva and other research tools, I spent my free time reading old articles from the South China Morning Post dating back to the late 1980s, and traced the progression and history of KPS until its collapse. So that KPS would not be forgotten and that some sort of history would be kept online, I created and authored the Wikipedia article on the topic.
I have my own analysis and opinions on the cause of collapse which goes beyond what Wikipedia allows, and will be writing and publishing it here when it’s complete. In the meantime, enjoy some old Hong Kong nostalgia.
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