Christmas: Are they shoving it down our throats too early?

[D'Snowth]

Hoo boy, I just found this:

It's like a combination of funny, stupid, and just plain uncomfortable (like I feel sorry for those guys at McDonald's having to put up with Fake Marv).

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm also reminded of something else, that I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before, but it seems to me that Dr. Seuss has been victimized by Christmas as well, and it's probably the Grinch's fault.

I think because HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS is so successful, and possibly the most popular and well-known of Dr. Seuss' work, that somehow, that means Christmas is the only time of year that other Dr. Seuss specials can be seen as well, even if they have nothing to do with Christmas... y'know, it's almost like how "Linus and Lucy" is considered a Christmas song when it really isn't.

 

[Drtooth]

That goes back to my rant about Christmas specials, and a part I left out. Does anyone remember when they used to have TV specials just randomly through out the year, and they didn't even need a holiday to connect them to? It's one thing that they only have Christmas specials, and not even that many of them... but the networks just don't like odd primetime cartoon specials in the timeslot of their reruns. That's why the only Halloween special is Charlie Brown, and the only Thanksgiving special (though, to be fair, it's not like there was that many of them) is also Charlie Brown.

There are only 3 Dr. Seuss books... well, characters over the books that are popular. The Grinch, as you said for the reasons you said (they still make merchandise for the movie, supposedly... ABC Family gives it a run every year), Cat in the Hat (kinda helps that he has that cartoon series on PBS), and the Lorax only due to the movie and really localized in its own fanbase. The Green Eggs and Ham guys were only popular as a YTP meme.

But to get to my earlier point, they used to have these odd specials based on more obscure Dr. Seuss books, some were even original specials. Other than a DVD release, these things haven't been seen for quite some time.

 

[robodog]

Yeah I remember. I know they used to have various Looney Tunes specials at some points. I remember being five and being angry because there was supposed to be a Bugs Bunny special one night but it was interrupted by the President's speech.

 

[D'Snowth]

Boy, Frank Oz is going to be ****** if he ever finds out about this:

On the Seasonal Music Choice channel, a blurb of trivia appeared on the screen that read, "Frank Oz played the voice of Miss Piggy, Animal, and Fozzie in The Muppet Christmas Carol."

Some people just really can't discern the different between puppeteering and voice work, can they?

 

[Twisted Tails]

Boy, Frank Oz is going to be ****** if he ever finds out about this:

On the Seasonal Music Choice channel, a blurb of trivia appeared on the screen that read, "Frank Oz played the voice of Miss Piggy, Animal, and Fozzie in The Muppet Christmas Carol."

Some people just really can't discern the different between puppeteering and voice work, can they?

Ugh! I hate that! Frank did not just voiced, he puppeterred for crying out loud... puppeteered (that means performed and did the voice of Miss Piggy, Animal, and Fozzie.

Some trivia! Hmph!

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah I remember. I know they used to have various Looney Tunes specials at some points. I remember being five and being angry because there was supposed to be a Bugs Bunny special one night but it was interrupted by the President's speech.

Yeah, Looney Tunes, Garfield, Dr. Seuss... they do show some of the Peanuts specials and they've released a large number of them on DVD before they just gave up (where's my copy of that dumb live action hybrid special where Spike gets taken care of by a hot blonde that I wasn't too crazy about as a kid?)... but there used to be prime time specials all the time. Even episodes of cartoons sometimes, like the Planet of the Turtleoids and the very first episode of Tiny Toons. Now they barely show the Christmas ones.

Though I am thankful they aren't airing that not at all a Christmas special Frosty Returns. I don't hate it... there's a LOT of great talent in that one... Brian Doyle Murray, Andrea Martin, John Goodman, Johnathan Winters... but it's too dated (the MTV line gets more cringe inducing every year), and I hate winter... I REALLY hate winter. The adults are completely right in this darn special, and they're treated like the villains because they don't understand the whimsy of not having to shovel 20 pounds per foot of icy, wet, dirty gray snow that the plow shoves onto your sidewalk. Okay, I ranted there. But seriously... It ain't a Christmas special. There's no mention of Christmas, just like the real Frosty song.

That said, I am grateful I have most of my favorite Christmas episodes on DVD now. From Earthworm Jim to Darkwing Duck to the Dinosaurs Refrigerator Day special.

 

[beatnikchick300]

Though I am thankful they aren't airing that not at all a Christmas special Frosty Returns. I don't hate it... there's a LOT of great talent in that one... Brian Doyle Murray, Andrea Martin, John Goodman, Johnathan Winters... but it's too dated (the MTV line gets more cringe inducing every year), and I hate winter... I REALLY hate winter. The adults are completely right in this darn special, and they're treated like the villains because they don't understand the whimsy of not having to shovel 20 pounds per foot of icy, wet, dirty gray snow that the plow shoves onto your sidewalk. Okay, I ranted there. But seriously... It ain't a Christmas special. There's no mention of Christmas, just like the real Frosty song.

I really hate the "Designated Villain" trope, especially when it comes to Christmas specials, because they'll be doing something totally logical that's just considered "villainous" because it's not what the heroes want, and because people are supposed to be "nice" at Christmastime (I've noticed that in a lot of more famous Christmas media, like the Grinch or A Christmas Carol, there is an actual villain, but he [or she, more rarely] comes around in the end, which is a lot better than having a Designated Villain). The trope in general irritates me (as most Informed Attribute tropes do), but it's especially grating when used in Christmas specials.

My mom has most of the Rankin-Bass and other Christmas specials on tape (since she's a Catholic school teacher, she can actually show Christmas specials to her students), so we don't even bother DVRing them; we just pop them in the VCR should we want to see them.

 

[Drtooth]

I really hate the "Designated Villain" trope, especially when it comes to Christmas specials, because they'll be doing something totally logical that's just considered "villainous" because it's not what the heroes want, and because people are supposed to be "nice" at Christmastime (I've noticed that in a lot of more famous Christmas media, like the Grinch or A Christmas Carol, there is an actual villain, but he [or she, more rarely] comes around in the end, which is a lot better than having a Designated Villain). The trope in general irritates me (as most Informed Attribute tropes do), but it's especially grating when used in Christmas specials.

The Frosty Returns special is a horrible example, or rather a good example of them abusing that trope. It's not even about "The Magic of Christmas," so much as you're a horrible, godless heathen if you don't love snowstorms and winter. The story is basically someone invents an arisol spray can that melts snow really fast. They mention environmental issues in passing for like 1 second which would at least have given the "villain" an actual morally inferior motive. But the whole thing plays out as: If you don't like the magic of arctic temperatures, backbreaking manual clean ups, and being crammed in your house for days on end, you're a terrible, cynical, selfish evil person.

In reality, a device that could melt snow that rapidly would be a godsend to the elderly, keep our roads safe and well treated, and above all making a dangerous time of the year a little easier to manage. But because it melts poor Frosty, it's the evilest device ever. Heck, it's the complainer is always wrong, and everyone but Frosty and that girl are the complainers.

 

[The Count]

With regards to Frosty, I'm asking to see if I've got it right.
There's the original that is apparently owned by CBS because they're the only ones who air it. The second Frosty special I know of is the one where Crystal, his snow-wife was made. #3 would have to be that one with John Goodman voicing Frosty that I only saw a snipet of and barely even remember. #4 is another version where Frosty is voiced by John Candy I think. #5 has to be the one where comedian Larry Miller voices the strict school principal, that special is narrated by the main kid who's now an adult remembering his childhood adventure. Finally, there's Rudolph and Frosty, the special that basically puts Rankin-Bass's characters together in one grand superstory.

The good thing is that ABC Family dedicates one of the weekends of December to all the Rankin Bass specials, 2-D or stop-motion animated, except I noticed Christmas in Killarny was missing last year.

Speaking of other specials... The one Seuss special that hasn't aired in ages is Pontoffel Pock. One of the specials I like is Olive the Other Reindeer which airs on CN. But I have to ask, does anyone remember a special where Rudolph was an Aussie-voiced character trying to make it on the sleigh team and deal with his crush on Vixen at the same time?

Also, I watch ABC Family's 25 Days promotion mostly for the Pixar premieres, they debut the movie that was in theaters two years ago. So that means Drtooth's least fave will be getting the prime hype this time around.