Something I just realized about Christmas specials

[Convincing John]

One cartoon I always remember seeing as a kid was called "Peace On Earth" from 1939. Anyone else seen it? Pretty powerful imagery. Yeah, some animation from that era is...eh, but that cartoon, considering the time it was made and the context and the descriptions of men and their behavior...the owl reading aloud to the young squirrel...yeah. It'll always be a favorite in my book.

Also, anyone from the Chicagoland area would remember "Hardrock, Coco and Joe", "Suzy Snowflake" and "Frosty the Snowman" (animated by the same folks who did Gerald McBoing Boing). The stop motion is primitive from the first two interstitials mentioned, but there's a lot of Midwestern folks who grew up with and love those bits.

Speaking of Flintstones from an earlier post, one of my favorite Christmas Flintstones moments is not from any special, but from that classic Fruity Pebbles commercial. "Happy holidays pal." "Aw, Fred." That's right up there with Charlie Brown, Garfield and Emmet Otter.

 

[robodog]

I fondly remember Hardrock, Coco and Joe and I've lived in Mississippi all my life. I've never been anywhere near Chicago. They used to air it during The Bozo Show all the time on WGN ( I think it was WGN ).

 

[Convincing John]

You got WGN in Mississippi? That's cool! And yeah, the shorts were always played on the Bozo Show on WGN (the Chicago version of the Bozo Show anyway). You can see them on WGN again this year on Christmas Eve. Look for a two hour special called "Bozo, Gar and Ray." (Or if you want, Youtube's got 'em).

 

[Drtooth]

One cartoon I always remember seeing as a kid was called "Peace On Earth" from 1939. Anyone else seen it? Pretty powerful imagery. Yeah, some animation from that era is...eh, but that cartoon, considering the time it was made and the context and the descriptions of men and their behavior...the owl reading aloud to the young squirrel...yeah. It'll always be a favorite in my book.

It's a great cartoon, but that's sad morbid. I like funny morbid. I bought a set of M.U.S.C.L.E. like Zombie figures at Target. They have Christmas zombies. Even a Zombie Santa. Some of my favorite specials have been pretty morbid. Like the Zim Christmas episode, Futurama with their murderous Knights Templar Santa, and of course Billy and Mandy, where Gilbert Gottfried Santa gets turned into a vampire. I really need to get my hands on a copy of Santa Conquers the Martians.

Speaking of Flintstones from an earlier post, one of my favorite Christmas Flintstones moments is not from any special, but from that classic Fruity Pebbles commercial. "Happy holidays pal." "Aw, Fred." That's right up there with Charlie Brown, Garfield and Emmet Otter.

Know what I always loved about Fruity Pebbles commercials (until they recently ruined them)? In the cartoon series, Fred is always mooching off of Barney. "Put a coin in the slot, Barn. I'm ready." "How come I'm the one that always has to put the coin in? You bashful or somethin'?" But when it comes to Fred's cereal, Fred is so particular, and refuses to share any with Barney unless Barney tricks him. Weird character reversal from the TV series, huh? I just can't resist that Christmas one where Barney goes "Ho Ho Ho, I'm Hu Hu Hungry."

Apparently, there's another one.

Kinda funny cuz Pebbles is the one that makes Fred change his heart. Of course, he's crazy about his daughter, so of course he'd listen to her.

A Christmas special that I've always loved is Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire. Homer doesn't get a Christmas bonus, and Marge spends all of the money they'd saved for Christmas on getting Bart's tattoo removed. Despite not being able to afford everything they wanted, the family still has a good Christmas. And the only Santa-related thing in the plot is when Homer gets a job as a department store Santa.

That one's very special to me because I can remember watching the Tracy Ulman Simpsons shorts and absolutely suffering through the live action bits for the 30 seconds of Simpson animation (I was a kid at the time, remember) and hitting the roof when I found out they'd get their own TV show. I still love the show, and Bart and Homer are personal favorite cartoon characters... but there's something so nostalgically special about the earlier episodes. Especially this one.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I just can't resist that Christmas one where Barney goes "Ho Ho Ho, I'm Hu Hu Hungry."

To this day I get such a comfortable, familiar feeling watching that commercial.

 

[Motown Mike]

Well, again, irreligious people get their panties tied in a wad over any thing religious... heck, there's been controversy over in Santa Monica over a public navitiy scene being displayed that a group of atheists demand be taken down because it "infringes" on their rights (yet, they don't seem to think that they're actions infringe on the others rights for freedom of expression).

It's not always "irreligious people", though. There's actually an ongoing controversy in a town near where I live over a public Nativity scene...and the kicker is that the complaint was brought by a local church. (It's one of those Fundamentalist Baptist sects that considers Christmas an unbiblical, pagan holiday to begin with, and they want no part in what they see is the sullying of Christ's name by attaching it to such an illegitimate event.) I wonder what Bill "War on Christmas" O'Reilly would have to say to these people.

 

[Convincing John]

To this day I get such a comfortable, familiar feeling watching that commercial.

I know, me too..."Ho ho ho, I'm huh-huh-hungry!" That commercial will always be one of my favorites. And yeah, it is weird that Fred is usually mooching off of Barney, but when it comes to his Fruity Pebbles, that's another story.

One sound I also associate with Christmas is one sadly never heard on TV anymore. You used to hear it other times of the year, too, but mostly around Christmas time when all the great specials came on. I speak, of course of this:

Aw, yeah!

 

[CensoredAlso]

One sound I also associate with Christmas is one sadly never heard on TV anymore. You used to hear it other times of the year, too, but mostly around Christmas time when all the great specials came on. I speak, of course of this:

Oh I know what you mean, this is a station bumper I always associated with airings of March of the Wooden Soldiers around Thanksgiving and Christmas (wow those graphics looks bad now, lol):

 

[robodog]

You got WGN in Mississippi? That's cool! And yeah, the shorts were always played on the Bozo Show on WGN (the Chicago version of the Bozo Show anyway). You can see them on WGN again this year on Christmas Eve. Look for a two hour special called "Bozo, Gar and Ray." (Or if you want, Youtube's got 'em).

Yeah we did. I used to watch Transformers and GI Joe on that channel along with The Bozo Show. Great chnnel!

That one's very special to me because I can remember watching the Tracy Ulman Simpsons shorts and absolutely suffering through the live action bits for the 30 seconds of Simpson animation (I was a kid at the time, remember) and hitting the roof when I found out they'd get their own TV show. I still love the show, and Bart and Homer are personal favorite cartoon characters... but there's something so nostalgically special about the earlier episodes. Especially this one.

I was pretty much the same way. Suffered through the Tracy Ullman show for the Simpsons shorts and was excited when they finally got their own show. The funny thing is the first time I saw one of the Simpsons shorts I thought it was too wierd looking, but the characters grew on me and they became just as big a part of that period of my childhood as the TMNT. I even had and wore a pair of Simpsons slipper socks I bought when I was twelve up until last year when the one of the dogs got ahold of them and ruined them.

 

[D'Snowth]

Ed Asner always plays Santa.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Ed Asner voice Santa on Johnny Bravo?

"Merry Christmas you pinhead, ROUND TWO is next year!"