The Best of the Simpsons: Volume 1 DVD Information Release date Number of episodes Ratings The Best of the Simpsons: Volume 1 is a VHS tape that was released on September 16th, 1997 in North America, and contains a collection of two Simpsons episodes and one Tracey Ullman short. This is the first tape to be released in Wave 1 of The Best of the Simpsons VHS series, the first tape in The Best of the Simpsons: Wave 1 boxset, and the first tape to be released in this VHS series as a whole.