Archive for the ‘ Hippasus Gurgles ’ Category

Click, Click, Click #7: The changing political attitudes of a Rankin-Bass Christmas #1: 1965-1974

Mr. C has decided to grace us with 30 festive frames per second of animated (and puppetized) Christmas cheer.

One of the prime franchises in Christmas specialdom is the animation outfit heralded by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Produced in Japan, these animations have lasted through year after year, airing in broadcast, then licensed to cable networks, and are now on DVD and appearing online.

rankin_bass_logo

This will be a quick-and-dirty naive analysis of the political leanings of many of Rankin-Bass Christmas specials from the 1960s through the 1980s.

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Click, Click, Click #5: Christmas Snow, Christmas Horse

Mr. C has decided to grace us with 30 festive frames per second of animated (and puppetized) Christmas cheer.

"The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
...
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;"

– Clement Clark Moore… or not?

Lays his finger to his nose… smokes a pipe… often seen drinking Coke… rumors of a “magic” dust that helps him fit down chimneys… gets more work done in one night than Bowie ever did in Berlin… and we have to leave food out for him after every stop. What’s this guy Santa on?

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Click, Click, Click #4: A Video Game Christmas

Mr. C has decided to grace us with 30 festive frames per second of animated (and puppetized) Christmas cheer.

Who doesn’t want video games for Christmas?

Who doesn’t want video games in their Christmas specials?

You see, sometimes a princess needs saving. Sometimes it’s poor children. And sometimes it’s Santa Claus.

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Click, Click, Click #3: WTF, EVIL ROBOT SANTA!

Mr. C has decided to grace us with 30 festive frames per second of animated (and puppetized) Christmas cheer.

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

Sometimes children are naughty; sometimes they are nice.

Sometimes Santa is naughty, too. In the far future, Santa has been replaced (secretly defeated??!) by a HIDEOUS ROBOT OF DOOM, RAINING DEATH ON ALL IN ITS PATH!!!

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Click, Click, Click #2: Hensonmas

Mr. C has decided to grace us with 30 festive frames per second of animated (and puppetized) Christmas cheer. Enjoy!

Ah, Jim Henson. Where would our entertainment landscape be without you?

henson_platter
Jim Henson’s head, in Time Piece

You, Sesame Workshop (previously Children’s Television Workshop), and the Creature Shop brought us so much: Sesame Street, Muppets, Fraggles, The Storyteller, and more.

Most young TV Americans are, at a very young age, introduced to the Muppets via Sesame Street. When I was a wee babe, my first Christmas introduced not one, but two Sesame Street Christmas specials: Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and A Special Sesame Street Christmas. “Christmas Eve”? Awesome. “Special”? Not so much.

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