Question
Jane Fonda at the 2014 American Film Institute's Life Achievement Awards honoring Jane Fonda

How many home workout VHS tapes did Jane Fonda sell?

Last updated: April 19, 2026

Neon spandex, leg warmers, and a chipper reminder to "feel the burn" still define the look of 1980s fitness, and Jane Fonda was the face of the whole thing. Her 1981 workout book became a New York Times bestseller before the videocassette arrived and dethroned "Star Trek II" in home video sales. How many copies did the "Jane Fonda's Workout" series sell during its original run?

Correct Answer: 17 million

(Source)

One in ten American households owned a VCR when the first tape shipped in 1982, and by 1985 that number had tripled to 30 percent, thanks largely to people running out to buy her videos. I hope the VCR manufacturers wrote her a check. Fonda discovered aerobics while recovering from a broken ankle, and that detour turned into 17 million tapes sold across the series. Millions of Americans felt the burn, and Fonda felt the deposits clearing.

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