FATHER'S DAY

Jem and the Holograms

Season 2 (1987)

I consider myself a child of the 80s as well as the early 90s, but the Jem and the Holograms cartoon was never much on my radar growing up.  My only true association with the show was the fact that my sister owned a Jem doll and once (Defense: I was very young!) I smacked her in the face with it and gave her a bloody nose.  The “Jem doll incident” is part of our family lore but aside from that I never had much of a Jem connection.  Now Jem is having something a renaissance, with a upcoming live-action movie that I will definitely not be seeing, an amazing new comic book adaptation that I can’t recommend enough, and a new audience via Netflix streaming.

I’ve started watching the show and instantly became a fan.  It encompasses all of the neon glamour and excess of the 80s that I love and is camp of the highest order.  What I didn’t realize is how bonkers some of the storylines are—the show goes far beyond rock stars and holograms and features a weird blend of action adventure and real-world issues, including but not limited to: the lost city of Shangri-La, desert islands, illiteracy, runaway trains, drug addiction, zombies, Yugoslavia, and time travel.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Jem also has a Father’s Day-themed episode.  Father’s Day episodes, unlike Mother’s Day episodes, are few and far between, usually because most shows have already ended their seasons by June.  It’s doubly surprisingly that Jem, of all shows, has a Father’s Day episode because it’s a cartoon about female rock stars aimed at a young audience.  Since I’ve been enjoying my recent exploration of the Jemverse I happily settled in to watch Season 2’s “Father’s Day.”

One thing I’ve grown to appreciate about the show is that episodes often focus on the many supporting characters, such as members of rival band the Misfits or friends of Jem and the Holograms.  In “Father’s Day” the focus is on Clash, the Misfit’s number one fan and hanger-on, and Video, the Hologram’s videographer (in the world of Jem you will mostly likely be named after your primary occupation/characteristic, such as videographer Video or dancer Danse.  I guess my Jem named would be Editorix?  Bloggera?).  Video and Clash are cousins who grew up on the same street, but as adults they’ve allied themselves with rival bands, as happens in life.  In this episode, both of them return to their hometown for its annual Father’s Day Banquet, bringing the Holograms and the Misfits and a whole lot of trouble with them.

While Video and Clash fight for the spotlight and the admiration of the locals, Jem and the Holograms are preparing a special song to perform in honor of Video’s dad.  Band member Kimber, however, refuses to write the song since she misses her own (deceased) father.  Kimber eventually pulls a Gerald O’Hara, angrily riding a horse that bucks her off, and then has a change of heart when she meets the father of Pizzazz, the bitchy lead singer of the Misfits.  Just when things are looking bad for Video at the Father’s Day Banquet (which has no food or even tables and looks like a high school dance), the Holograms make a splashy entrance, arriving in Pizzazz’s dad’s private jet.  They perform their song but, surprisingly, Pizzazz and her dad do not reconcile by the end of the episode.

The best part of any Jem episode, aside from the amazing outfits the characters wear, are the music video segments.  Two to three times an episode the Holograms and Misfits will break into song, accompanied by psychedelic imagery.  In this case we’re treated to Kimber’s lament for her late father, “Something Is Missing In My Life,” as well as the Misfits’s unfortunately named “Let’s Blow This Town.”  The finale song and ode to fatherhood is “You’re Always In My Heart.”  I love the songs mostly because they are extremely literal and the lyrics usually just repeat the song’s title ad nauseum—a character will say something like “I’m thirsty” and suddenly the music video text appears and they start singing “I’m thirsty/So thirsty/Life makes me thirsty/I’m sooooo thiirrrsssttttyy!”

This episode didn’t exactly move me to tears but it had all of the elements that make Jem such a fun and highly watchable show.  The animation is terrible but the nostalgia factor is high, and you may find yourself humming “Let’s Blow This Town” after watching.

I hope all you dads out there have a truly, truly outrageous Father’s Day!

Father’s Day Quotient: 3

Own It, See It, Skip It?: You may not be able to convince your dad to sit and watch with you, but this one is worth seeing.

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON: SAD SONGS FOR MOTHER'S DAY

To celebrate the approach of Mother’s Day, I present to you a trio of three seemingly unassuming animated scenes/songs about mothers that will give you an emotional punch to the gut. 

I’m not sure why, but over the years animated films and shows have brought us some of the most heart-wrenching songs about mothers and motherhood.  Maybe it’s because they are aimed at children and mothers play a big role in their day-to-day lives, or maybe most animators have a lot of guilt over treating their mothers badly?  Whatever the reason, these songs are guaranteed to trigger your “rush to the phone and call your mom to thank her for everything” instinct.  

First up is "Your Mother and Mine" from Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan.  We bought the Blu-Ray edition and recently re-watched Peter Pan, and let me tell you I forgot how dark this movie is.  Peter Pan is seriously dickish and Tinker Bell and the mermaids tooare basically homicidal.  Don't get me wrong-- none of the above diminishes my enjoyment of the movie, which is firmly ensconced in my Top 25 Animated Disney Films list.  I just didn't remember how much refreshingly sour was mixed in the sweet.  There's also this tremendously sad scene, in which Wendy guilt trips the Lost Boys and her brothers via song.  The lyrics and tone of the song are quite melancholy by themselves, but when you remember that the Lost Boys are all either orphans or runaways (or kidnap victims-- I wouldn't put it past Peter) it adds an extra layer of sadness over the proceedings. You'll be sobbing like Smee by the end, and no need to wipe off your own war paint, because your tears will do it for you:

Feeling the blues yet?  If not, this next little ditty should do the trick.  From one of my current favorites, Disney Channel's wildly successful animated series Sofia the First, comes this song from last year's Mother's Day episode.  Sofia's mom, formerly a commoner, married the king and Sofia got herself a stepdad and two step-siblings (she also got a castle, servants, a magical amulet granting her the ability to talk to animals, and enrolled in a school run by fairies  But I'm not jealous.  Not at all).  But in this poignant song Sofia expresses her melancholy at having to now share her mom's affections.  Yes, she's singing to her witch friend but don't let her presence distract you from this heartfelt and surprisingly catchy song:

"Me and my mooooommmmm...."

You are crying now, right?  If not I must assume you are some sort of robot.  And not the emotional replicant kind yearning to be human, but some sort of Terminator assassin type sent to the past to read blogs about holiday-themed media.

Okay, I saved the saddest for lastest.  One of the most overlooked gems of the 80s is 1987's The Chimpunk Adventure.  This animated movie was a staple of my childhood; my sister and I rented it from our local video store religiously, along with our two other holy scriptures, The Muppets Take Manhattan and Troop Beverly Hills.  The story, which involves the Chipmunks and Chipettes in a hot-air balloon race around the world, collecting dolls secretly stuffed with diamonds by smugglers, is bananas in the best way.  There are thrilling action sequences, gender politics, and fascinating geo-politics at work here.  And the music!  "Diamond Dolls" is seriously one of the greatest songs EVER.  I listen to it constantly.  "The Girls & Boys of Rock & Roll" is a close second.  There's also a pretty racist song about Mexico and siestas that we'll conveniently ignore right now.

And then there's "My Mother."  Both the song itself and the scene that contains it are heartBREAKING.  The song is devastatingly sad on its own, but when coupled with the "sick penguin who needs to be reunited with its mother" storyline and visuals...just try and resist the sadness.  Just to up the ante, here is the scene and song from the movie playing simultaneously with a modern-day toddler's reaction.  This little girl is me in 1987 watching the movie and me now.  She is feeling ALL the emotions.  This is also a commentary on the modern state of parenting, where you record your child's heartfelt emotions and broadcast them to the world.  I've tried to adequately prepare you, I truly have.  Now watch:

Okay, that's it.  Time to go call my mom.  

SPRING FOR STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Strawberry Shortcake

Season 1 (2003)

We had another obnoxiously early Easter this year, and Mother’s Day is still a ways off (though fast approaching).  This makes for a somewhat tricky time in terms of material for the blog.  The weather is finally starting to turn warm and spring is setting in, but there isn’t an abundance of spring-themed TV episodes and films.  Luckily, years of obsessive research has given me an option for just such an occasion. Hence "Spring for Strawberry Shortcake," the second episode of the 2003 reboot of the greeting card character turned 80s childhood icon.  Previously I watched and somewhat surprisingly very much enjoyed the Christmas episode of this rather short-lived series, so perhaps my hopes were a bit too high going in to this.

We begin in Strawberryland, still coated in winter’s snow, where Strawberry Shortcake is eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring.  She explains to her (I assume baby sister?) Apple Dumplin’ what spring is and how great it is and so on and so forth.  She then assembles her various dessert-themed friends and pets (including the delightfully bitchy cat Custard and braggart horse Honey Pie) to help with the spring planting.  Along the way we’re “treated” to several songs about spring, working together, seeds, etc.

And yet spring still fails to show so Strawberry, in a plot almost indentical to the Christmas episode, sets out to find it.  She’s joined by a couple of her friends along the way, who have their own reasons for wanting spring (it involves a checklist of seasonal items like butterflies, flowers, green grass, baby birds and on and on).  Around this point we get the episode’s best song, a vaguely Calypso number called “Strawberry Jammin.’”  It was also at this point that I paused the TV and was dismayed to see that there was 20 minutes left to go.

Strawberry and her pals cross paths with Old Man Winter, who tells them Spring is an actual person and they have to go the Land of Seasons to find her.  “The Land of Seasons” sounds exactly like the kind of place I’d like to go to, so I perked up a bit at this point.  In short order they get there and meet Spring herself.  If you’ve ever wondered what the embodiment of Spring looks like, she’s around 12 years old and wears a green tutu.  Spring and the Strawberry gang pal around, throwing snowballs, until Spring is convinced to stop having fun and get to goddamn work.  She uses her magic to melt the snow, bring the flowers and trees to life, and at LONG last spring has officially arrived in Strawberryland.

There are several rather jumbled morals presented to us throughout the episode (some through song).  There’s something about teamwork and working together to plant crops, and something else about Spring needing to not be lazy and do her duty—I guess?  This show is definitely aimed at more of a preschool audience, so the plotting is light, the songs are endless, and the animation is pretty iffy.  This episode lacked the charms and clever wordplay of "A Very Berry Christmas," and also suffered from a lack of Custard’s bitchy repartee.  And Strawberry Shortcake media of any form suffers when Sour Grapes, the evil diva herself, fails to make an appearance:

Spring Quotient: A 5, as it doesn’t get much springier than this.

Own It, See It, Skip It?: This one definitely falls into the category of “I watched it so you don’t have to.”  Skip it!

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT: WHICH WITCH IS WHICH?

Which Witch Is Which? premiered in 1984, the same year as my illustrious birth.  Apparently it’s part of the Chucklewood Critters series, which began with a Christmas special and then went on to cover all the other major holidays.  It was even made into an ongoing series in the late 1990s, but Buttons and Rusty only ever scampered across our television screen every year around Halloween.

Which Witch Is Which? is set in a national park (apparently named Chucklewood Park, but that’s never mentioned in this special) where Ranger Jones is keeping a watchful eye over the (talking) animals in his care.  Apparently none of the other humans but the Ranger (or Jonsey, as he is also known) notices that the wildlife can speak or occasionally wear pants, but such is life.  Buttons and Rusty, our young fox and bear cub, have a tendency to snoop around the human campers, much to Ranger Jones’ dismay.  When the two learn about the Ranger's upcoming Halloween party they are only too eager to celebrate this strange new human holiday, woodland creature-style.

Meanwhile in a dingy trailer two burglars are plotting to rob the rest of the residents blind while everyone is off at Ranger Jones' party.  Do people really live in trailer parks on the edges of national parks in October?  Probably.  But even as a kid this community always seemed a little weird to me.  The pair of burglars select their Halloween garb in which to perform their Halloween crime spree: a bear suit and a witch.  That’s Witch #1.  Pay attention-- there’s more coming up.

The Ranger's party gets underway and we are treated to a neat musical number, apropos of nothing remotely connected to the plot, but from which our title is taken.  It’s all bubbling cauldrons and jack-o-lanterns and a couple of witches (that’s Witches #2 & #3).  Also in attendance at the party are a local cantankerous shop owner (Witch #4) and a random blond lady in a peaked hat (Witch #5).  All of these witches play a very nominal role in the actual storyline  and no one seems confused as to their identity.  But some identity swapping is in the works, so bear with me.

While the Ranger parties (dressed as some sort of Elton John vampire that always made my sister laugh), the aforementioned burglars snoop around, stealing a fur coat and silver teapot (those trailer park people appreciate fine things).  Meanwhile Buttons and Rusty attempt to trick or treat amongst their oblivious forest friends.  They get skunked by a skunk and get a bunch of acorns dropped on them by a cantankerous squirrel.  Their hapless fathers are in search of the boys as well.  Abner the bear wears overalls; George the fox goes au naturale, and in classic cartoon fashion, no explanation is given for this sartorial discrepancy.

Everything comes to a confusing climax when Button and Rusty cross paths with the robbers, mistaking them for trick-or-treaters.  At one point Rusty dons a witch’s hat, which I guess makes him Witch #6, but no one really cares.  Buttons, Rusty, Abner, George, Ranger Jones, the robbers, and the locals all collide.  Justice is served, peace prevails and the animals return to the forest.

I’ve learned much from Which Witch Is Which? over the years, including:

* Halloween is for humans, not for bears and foxes.

* People in trailer parks wear fur coats and drink out of silver teapots.

* Some animals are nudists, others are more modest.  Especially overweight bears.

* Judging by his choice of Halloween costume, Ranger Jones may be gay.  And I’m okay with that.

And finally, which witch really is which?

Beats me.  But it sure is fun to say the question out loud!

Where To Watch It: I was thrilled to discover that Which Witch Is Witch? is now (finally!) available on DVD as part of a set of mostly holiday-themed Chucklewood Critters episodes.  It's priced insanely high on Amazon, so luckily it's also up for free on YouTube: 

CAMP FEAR

Daria

Season 5 (2001)

I suppose I would be remiss in writing about on-screen summer camps without briefly acknowledging my own summer camp experience (or lack thereof).  While my sister and I went to some summer day camps as kids, it wasn’t until the sixth grade that I actually went, along with the rest of my class, to an overnight camp for a week.  But it wasn’t in the summer; it was early spring and rather gray and drizzly, as the camp was near the California coast town of Bodega Bay (where Hitchcock filmed The Birds).  

Camp Caritas Creek was a Christian environmentalist camp because that’s the sort of camp they send you to when you go to Catholic school.  We did things like solo hikes to commune with God (the solo night hike was particularly terrifying) and put on skits about the evils of Styrofoam containers. I took a paper-making class and my bunk was terrorized by our counselor, who would take off his belt as if to whip us with it (but when one enterprising bunk-mate snapped a photo of him waving his belt around he brought us candy in exchange for our silence).  

I was not a fan of camp; I was semi-homesick but mostly I hated any activity that segregated the boys from the girls, thereby cutting me off from my entire social world.  I did manage to join all three camp clubs, qualifying by kissing a banana slug (the massive creatures were native to the camp), dunking my head in a freezing-cold stream (The Polar Bear Club) and slipping in some mud (I think it was called the Wipeout Club).   Camp was something I endured as opposed to enjoyed, so I could really relate to Season 5 episode of Daria.

Since my friend Jackie recently asked if everything on the blog would include Roseanne and Daria, naturally I decided to start off with a camp-themed episode of Daria!  In “Camp Fear” Daria and her sister Quinn receive invitations to a Camp Grizzly reunion.  Naturally Quinn is all about it, as she was popular and enjoyed camp (a good gag in this episoe is that Quinn’s old camp friends are perfect mirrors of her Fashion Club cronies).  Daria is less enthused but is given the choice of returning to camp or cleaning out the garage.  The sisters are driven to Camp Grizzly by siblings Jane and Trent, who are looking to explore the surrounding area and, on Trent’s part, do some soul-searching.

Once arriving at Camp Grizzly Daria and Quinn quickly fall into old patterns. Quinn spends time with her passive-aggressive mean girls clique and Daria tries to avoid Amelia, a former fellow camper who follows her around like a lost puppy.  To Daria’s credit Amelia is SUPER annoying, endlessly repeating everything Daria says and does.  When Daria finally gets fed up and tells Amelia off, Amelia ends up making a speech denouncing the camp and it’s maniacally-enthused leader, Skip.  All of the campers join in Amelia’s rebellion and Daria’s position as camp weirdo is somewhat reevaluated, as Amelia credits her as her inspiration in reforming Camp Grizzly.

The flashback scenes of young Quinn and Daria at camp are great fun, as the sisters remain true to form even as kids.  Skip’s rabid enthusiasm for all-things camp is a familiar TV trope but we’ve all probably known Skips in our lives—the guys or gals who really loved pep rallies and rooting on the home team while all I want to do is go be by myself and read a book (Young Daria brings Animal Farm with her to camp—good choice!).  The episode is bogged down by Jane and Trent’s weird side trip to a country general store, where they end up taste-testing flavorless potato chips made by a kindly-yet-idiotic couple.  It’s as weird and pointless as it sounds. 

Camp Activities: Arts & Crafts (Keychain-Making), Color Wars, Hiking, Horseback Riding, The Watermelon Game (Diving into a Lake to Capture a Greased-Up Watermelon), End of Summer Bonfire

Camp Quotient: Camp Grizzly really packs a lot of summer activities into one episode, even if they are more referenced than seen, earning this episode a 3.

See It, Skip It, Own It?

“Camp Fear” isn’t one of Daria’s strongest efforts, especially due to the silly Jane and Trent subplot.  It pains me to say it, but you can probably skip this one.

KILL THE ALLIGATOR AND RUN

The Simpsons

Season 11 (2001)

Once upon a time, in my pre-teens and into my teens, I was a Simpsons mega-fan.  I watched the show in reruns A LOT and my Simpsons trivia knowledge was pretty impressive (I’m not bragging because most of that trivia has faded from my brain with old age).  As The Simpsons lumbers on into its 106,000th season, the quality of the show has sharply declined, if not disintegrated entirely in comparison with the early days.  The first ten seasons are golden, but Season 11, from which “Kill the Alligator and Run” comes, is sort of the tipping point.  Season 11 isn’t outright terrible but it’s not great either (and don’t you dare venture past it; the later seasons are just bad).

This episode has a pretty crazy storyline so I’ll try and keep my recap to a minimum.  A magazine quiz that predicts Homer’s early death causes him to go a bit crazy, resulting in a mandatory vacation to Florida with the family. When they arrive Spring Break is in full swing and Homer joins the revelers instead of resting up.  There is drinking, boobs pressed against car windows, and youth-obsessed MTV VJs.  Homer even encounters Kid Rock, which is a reminder that Kid Rock was popular enough at one point in our culture to merit a Simpsons guest appearance.  I lived through those “Kid Rock is a thing” days and even I have trouble believing it.

Neither a kid nor rock.  Discuss amongst yourselves.

Homer eventually kills a local alligator and the entire family is arrested.  This is where the story really goes off the rails.  The family escapes and take jobs in a diner, morphing into hillbillies.  They are then re-captured, work on a chain gang (yeah, Maggie too) and then forced to work as caterers.  The alligator shows up alive and the Simpsons are free once more.  Goofy doesn’t really begin to cover it, but I always did like the one-off character of Velma, the owner of the diner.  She’s like a sharp-tongued character from a 1940s movie who is oddly accepting of everything.

Velma likes your moxie.

Re-watching this episode for the first time in several years, I was struck by how many points of reference I’ve absorbed from The Simpsons.  This episode alone contains many phrases and jokes I utilize on a regular basis, such as referring to Florida as “America’s wang.”  While there are some very funny moments, there’s also a lot of “huh?” and “really?” moments as well.  Some poking around the internet revealed that “Kill the Alligator and Run” is pretty reviled among the show’s fans for its outlandish plot and other elements (*ahem* Kid Rock).

Spring Break Quotient: While you get a lot of Florida ambiance, the Spring Break portion of the episode doesn’t last long, earning it a 2.

See It, Skip It, Own It?

Considering how many truly great, earlier episodes of The Simpsons exist you can probably skip this one in favor of something better.  However if you have some time to kill there are some bits here that are worth a chuckle.

BERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Strawberry Shortcake
Season 1 (2003)

Being a child of the late 80s and early 90s of course I’m familiar with Strawberry Shortcake. I still covet a Berry Happy Home dollhouse of my own.  Strawberry is slightly less popular than some of the other 80s kid franchises and therefore has been revived, rebooted and remodeled several times over the past decade in an attempt to boost her popularity. She's kind of like Doctor Who; she keeps regenerating into new forms.  For reference, here is a side by side comparison of the original character and the current, sleeker and slimmed-down incarnation:

In 2003 Strawberry was revived (and thankfully looked more like her original self than she does now) with a cartoon series, from which this Christmas episode springs.  It has an extra-long running time, features several songs and a ton of characters with cutesy food names.  I have to admit I was pretty eager to watch this; nothing gets me more in the holiday spirit than Christmas-themed cartoons. It reminds me of those exciting childhood days when school was out and Christmas was around the corner.  Instead of trudging off to school I got to watch cartoons in the morning, usually reruns on USA Network. 

Strawberry in her 2003 incarnation.

In “Berry Merry Christmas” Strawberry Shortcake is obsessing over finding the perfect presents to get her friends, despite the fact that they show up and literally announce exactly what they want/need.  “I lost my COOKIE CUTTERS!”  “I love SUGAR PLUMS!”  This version of Strawberry was more than a little dim.  She spoke slowly in that irritating Dora the Explorer manner and constantly asked questions aloud: “What--should--we--do?”  Where--are--we?  What--is--happening?”  Clearly this is aimed at a very young audience (and gay adult male holiday bloggers, because I kind of loved it).

Ignoring their very obvious requests, Strawberry sets out with Honey, a self-centered horse, to Holiday Land to find gifts for her friends.  Holiday Land is the best part of the episode; it’s the sort of Christmas fantasy land I spent most of my childhood drawing, thinking about and trying to escape to.  One by one Strawberry figures the appropriate gifts.  She gets sugar plums from a Sugarplum Fairy, helps stop a crisis at a candy cane factory and gets cookie cutters in return, and so on and so forth.  

Somebody give Honey a  goddam saddle already

Ultimately a magic wind whisks Strawberry and Honey direct to Santa’s workshop where they chat up the jolly old elf and Strawberry randomly bursts into tears when he asks her what she wants for Christmas.  She and Honey make it home only to discover the snowballs they made as a gift for one of their friends melted and ruined all the other presents but—surprise!—Santa restores them, along with a gift for Strawberry (a quilt with her friends pictures on it).  Then everyone sings a song about friendship being the greatest gift of all.

Aside from Strawberry’s stupidity and slow talk, her singing was a bit painful.  She sings in this very childlike voice that isn’t very pleasant on the ears. But otherwise this was really charming, worth it just for the cute food-pun names and Holiday Land décor (such as an all-bell shop shaped like…a bell!).  It reminded me of a childhood favorite that I have on VHS, The Care Bears Nutcracker Suite.  The story is equally insipid but the backgrounds and images just scream Christmas.

Honey and Custard, my new favorites

I liked Honey, the vapid horse, who either asked for or suggested someone be given a saddle approximately every five seconds.  If I was a more ambitious person I would track how many times the words “saddle” and “berry” occurs in this episode, as I’m sure the results would be mind-boggling.   My favorite character, though, was Custard, the bitchy cat.  Custard told Strawberry that her singing hurt her ears, that she didn’t want any presents, and that she planned on hibernating from Christmas until New Year’s.  Custard don’t care!

Recurring Themes: Strawberry undergoes a Perfect Gift Search and the Real Santa Shows Up.

Christmas Quotient: 4

See It, Skip It, Own It?
Admittedly not everyone can stomach this type of kiddie fare, but if you’re feeling nostalgic or like cartoons in general give it a watch (it’s up on Netflix Instant).  Plus Custard and Honey make for a fun diva-bitch duo!

ARNOLD'S THANKSGIVING

Hey Arnold!

Season 3 (1998)

Hey Arnold! is part of the 90s Nickelodeon pantheon of awesome animated shows, including some terrific holiday episodes.  In “Arnold’s Thanksgiving” two of the main characters, Arnold and Helga, finds themselves longing to escape their eccentric families and experience a normal Thanksgiving for once.  Arnold’s frequently confused grandmother insists they celebrate the 4^th of July every Thanksgiving, complete with a rooftop barbeque and fireworks.  With the hindsight of adulthood her apparent dementia is tragic but it’s played entirely for laughs on the show.  Meanwhile Helga’s perfect older sister Olga overshadows her and her (admittedly pathetic-looking) pinecone centerpiece.

Pinecone Centerpiece = Nice try, Helga

Both Helga and Arnold slip away and end up meeting on the docks.  After watching a replica of the Mayflower crash and sink they decided to seek out their teacher, Mr. Simmons.  He earlier wrote and directed a school pageant portraying the perfect Thanksgiving so the kids think he’ll provide one in real life as well.  Mr. Simmons welcomes them into his home but his friends and family turn out to be horrible, argumentative and gluttonous.  Realizing they don’t have it so bad after all Arnold and Helga return to their own worried and grateful families.

By far the greatest thing about this episode is the not-so-subtle revelation that Mr. Simmons is gay.  One of his guests, a mustachioed gentleman named Al, spends the dinner bickering with Mr. Simmons’ mother, who is none too pleased at Al's presence.  When she suggests Mr. Simmons take a female friend out on a date, he casts Al a nervous look and quickly tells his mother that he already has plans.  If I saw this when I was younger it certainly flew over my head, though it’s made screamingly obvious.  The show’s creator has apparently confirmed that Mr. Simmons was gay, although it was never stated outright on the show.  Pleasantly progressive stuff for a 90s kids show!

You go, Mr. Simmons! Seen here at the head of the table.

There are also tons of great Thanksgiving moments, whether it’s the opening pageant scene, Olga’s kitchen preparations, or a store window displaying a Thanksgiving meal that both Arnold and Helga gaze wistfully at.  Even the jazzy score helps set the mood for this urban and surprisingly urbane Thanksgiving adventure.

The Menu: We get multiple meals over the course of the episode, including but not limited to Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Corn, Pie, Hamburgers & Hot Dogs

Thanksgiving Quotient: 5

See It, Skip It, Own It?

This episode is dripping in Thanksgiving details and you’ll need multiple viewings to enjoy it all, so add it to your permanent collection!

BOO-HOO TO YOU!

Doc McStuffins

Season 1 (2012)

Just when I was ready to throw in the towel when it came to the Disney Channel Doc McStuffins came along and restored my faith.  She’s a miracle worker, that Doc!  I had heard of this Disney Junior show, about a little girl who serves as a doctor to broken toys that come to life around her.  It’s a cute premise and this plucky show really delivered with this Halloween episode.

It’s Halloween and the good doctor and her dad are working on their annual haunted living room display.  Even Doc’s toys are getting in the act by wearing costumes.  But when a pumpkin with a motion-detecting ghost inside malfunctions, Doc McStuffins takes it to her clinic (a playhouse in the backyard) to work her medical magic.

Once the Doc brings the adorable little ghost to life it’s revealed that he was frightened by the Halloween decorations and so is hiding out inside the pumpkin.  Doc McStuffins brings the decorations, including a witch and some hanging spiders, to life in order to show the ghost that they are friendly and it’s all in good fun. The witch reminds me of the motorized witch seen in Home Improvement-- except now with the added bonus of sentience!  All my Halloween dreams are coming true!  Anyhoo, the ghost gets into the spirit of things and everyone comes together to spook visiting trick-or-treaters.

Ghost or dollop of delicious frozen yogurt?  Either way I'm sold.

Loved it!  I loved the toy characters and I loved that the Halloween decorations came alive and conversed.  Basically this show is my childhood brought to life, in which I assigned personalities and developed friendships with every inanimate object I came across.  I named every stuffed animal I ever owned and rotated which ones got to sleep at the head of the bed so no one’s feelings would be hurt.  And unpacking our Halloween decorations every year was like being reunited with old friends. 

My only complaint was with the voice actress chosen for the Doc.  The actress is 14 and she sounds like it, with no attempt made to make her sound more childlike.  So it was a bit weird to see this animated little girl talking to her dad in a sort of womanly voice.  Other than that, Doc McStuffins really nails that sense of imagination that kids infuse the world with, especially around the holidays.

And I discovered that there is a dollhouse playset and it is so going on my 2013 Christmas Wish List!

It will be mine!

Halloween Quotient: 4

See It, Skip It, Own It?

This was so charming that it’s worth owning and watching yearly—here’s hoping there’s a Christmas episode!