Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!

New Year's Holidays 

 
             I could make a joke about the idea of their being a Peanuts special for everything because there kind of is one for almost anything.  New Year's doesn't have as many specials really, compared to Christmas and other holidays. It's kind of hard to think of an idea for a  New Year's special.  Peanuts has one because, sure alright.

        "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown" first aired on CBS on January 1st 1986, ABC currently reruns it with  "She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown" .   Let's talk about it.

       It starts with Charlie Brown (and Linus ) waiting for Christmas vacation and the teacher decides to assign a book report, but not of any book. The teacher has chosen "War and Peace".  Which is the weirdest thing to assign to kids who are like what eight?   Charles Schulz did insert a lot of references to Leo Tolstoy into  Peanuts.  It's still kind of weird to give children a report on "War and Peace" not only because it's thick book, but it's also above the age range. 
 
            That is the main conflict of the special, Charlie Brown struggles with this huge book. It's something  that many people might have gone through themselves in childhood, or maybe even later.  Charlie Brown tries to read the book but it doesn't interest him in any way and it's a long dense read. I like the gag of him using a cart to wheel the book around.  I am confused as why Linus wasn't working on the assignment when he was shown to be in the same class. Now, he could have already known the book since, he seemed to know everything about Leo Tolstoy.

               The New Year's planning is in the background. Peppermint Patty is having a party and invites everyone. She still doesn't listen to Chuck on the phone, except when he mentions Heather/ The Little Red Haired girl. (Funnily enough)  There is a some light comedy like the Rerun blowing balloons in to square shapes. Peanuts isn't prominently comedy so, that's fine. 

          It is unfair to compare to the other Peanuts holiday specials, that proceeded it but, it does a good job with the holiday it was given to have fun with.  It was sad that Charlie Brown didn't get to dance with the little red haired girl/ Heather, even though he did ask her , for once. Linus for some reason didn't see him right over there on the bench sleeping in front of the house.  The songs are good, it was nice to see Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown practice dancing.  The musical chairs song was fun as well.

         The sense of stretching for time does happen, where you can really feel they were trying to fit it to the standard time. Charlie Brown reading pieces of "War and Peace",for example, does give it a drag. As  Peanuts special over all for ranking, I'd put it in mid-range, it's not the worst but, not in the best. It's an alright special to give your time to. If you watch it on television, watch the Peppermint Patty special after it too!


   That's it from us, have a Happy New Year!

     
     

Christmas: A Robot for All Seasons (From My Life as A Teenage Robot)

Christmas  Nickelodeon 

                     
                   This time, I have decided to look at an episode of one of my favorite Nicktoon series, that would be "My Life as a Teenage Robot".  This series ran from 2003-2009 (too much detail for this post to explain that date) and has 39 episodes, like Weekenders!  Anyway, I'm looking at the Christmas episode :  A Robot for All Seasons. This is the first episode of season 2 and it first aired on December 8th 2004.

                    The episode already starts with some action of  very fast "Santa" coming through and delivering presents. It's actually the main character, the robot, Jenny (or XJ-9) the reason why she is doing Santa's job is because Santa was injured in a mysterious accident.  So Jenny has saved Christmas, that means this special is short, what a great special, I enjoyed that.  There's even a cheesy Christmas song, that happens in Christmas specials,  which is slightly catchy.   That was a great episode, short but great!

Christmas is saved! / Copyright Viacom 

    Well tune in next time, when we don't pull this joke....

                The episode continues with the day after Christmas, and Jenny, Brad, and Tuck go the mall to go for the annual tradition of post-Christmas shopping.  Jenny sees a sad child who is sad that he doesn't get what he wants for Christmas.  Jenny decides to let the boy , Todd Sweeny (wait they did what now? Oh you crafty crafty writers)  to take her to his house for day of fun with a robot. (What does that mean?) She also finds out he is rich.  Jenny plays along with him and when he puts a device on her; she thinks nonetheless.

Control Robot with Robot stuff/ Copyright Viacom 

            Todd tells her that he really wants weapons for Christmas, and that's what he really wants. (There's the reason, he didn't qualify for the background checks, duh!) He knocks out Jenny; but it seems she wakes up and escapes the mansion.  Jenny makes it back to town and notices the town is celebrating Christmas.


        There's something we and she don't yet. People in the town start attacking her and she doesn't know why.  This makes her go back to  Todd to wonder what the heck is going on? This Christmas episode really has taken a dark turn: Jenny is being chased by police and everyone in the town hates her. The drama is really built up well and we are just as confused because we with Jenny in the technical sense. (I was literally there, I'm a cartoon)


        Luckily the one boy who has crush on her, Sheldon, finds her and he's the only one that doesn't hate her. (His Robot Love keeps his heart strong) He's also there to tell us what is going on here.

       We'll get to that but first, Santa says there are spoilers a head, so yes.  Also more after the Jump.

Christmas: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Christmas  

       
      "Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer" is a special that first ran on October 31st 2000, on the WB network  and is based on the song of the same name. For many years it ran on Cartoon Network , a couple times on Freeform, it aired on the WB each year, and still does on the successor network, the CW.

      This is a weird Christmas special. Mostly because it's a weird song about a Grandma getting crunched to death by Santa's  Reindeer. (Merry Christmas!)  So, how you make a special based off the idea of a woman getting crunched to death by a reindeer. Well, you don't have her get crunched to death by a reindeer, because Children are watching, and because need to fill 50 minutes of run time.

          I'm going to insert a slight personal opinion: This is a special I do watch every year, even though it's not the best  it's still a weird thing to just watch for fun for me.

      This was directed by Phil Roman? wow.   The narrator for the special is  Elmo Shropshire, who is the singer of the original song so, that's nice touch.  He is being the adult version of main character Jake Spankenheimer , who is talking about his grandma.  The special starts with the famous song and grandma getting run over by a dang reindeer.  I mean, they went right for it, you saw the title Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and well they are giving you a grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

Uhhhh  oops/ Copyright Warner Bros. 

            Jake says that this almost put an end Christmas. (almost? What, you got the insurance money?)  Meanwhile, they live in a town called Cityville (creative name for a city) and Grandma has a store.(Yeah her name is Grandma , she's not important enough for a name) If you have heard the song before, there's someone named Cousin Mel, well in this special that's a character. She's greedy.

She also attacks dolls/Copyright Warner Bros. 

          Also Jake has better speech to text software than we have in our own times, and I'm mad about this.  Jake's sister taunts him for still believing in Santa because  kids between the ages of 6-11 don't believe in Santa, I guess.   The sister gets a name, Daphne, so does the dog, Doofus, (that's the dog's name; we aren't calling you names)  The dad gets a Christmas tree that is filled with air because,  science? 

Why? / Copyright Warner Bros. 

        Austin Bucks (get it , hold on too early here please hold) is the richest man in town (get it, bucks, rich ha ha ) and he pretty much owns everything in the city.  In fact, the company is called "Own All Corp" (C O M M E N T A R Y) he doesn't own Grandma's store, so he wants to buy it.  Now why does he want to buy the store? To use it as a hub to deliver Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. (What?)  Like Santa, oh wait that's right Jake, there is no Santa hahahhahahaha. (C O M M E N T A R Y)  So he asks her if he could by the store, she says no, he offers money, she asks Jake, he says no, and she then say no. (What would have done if Jake said "Take the Money!"?)
                 

No Deal, troll/ Copyright Warner Bros.

    Mel  doesn't like this, because she thinks she going to get some of Grandma's cash if she had yes? Mel creepily hits on Austin Bucks. Grandma even tells Mel that the store will never be hers? (No will for her) Random song about fruit cake.  Like really, Jake (the narrator version) mentions his Grandma's fruit cake and a song about Grandma's killer fruit cake appears.  It's so random , you know for a special about a Grandma getting runover by a reindeer.  Which, we've not got back to yet.

The state of Kentucky is trying to leave!/ Copyright Warner Bros. 

       Cousin Mel gets Grandma and Jake away from working of fruit cake ( OOOH FRUIT CAKE SONG, cut that out! Oh Sorry)  and  she poisons the food.  Really, pours stuff in the food so the food gets people sick, and Grandma has to sell. (Genius plan?)   They found to insert that line from the song about egg nog into the dialogue. (Wonderful?)   She's allergic to eggs because we can't have Grandma getting drunk on spiked egg nog in a children-targeted special about a Grandma getting runover by a reindeer.   Oh, the dad gets a name, it's Frank, yeah Grandpa doesn't get a name, Grandma gets no one, Mom gets no name, but Dad gets a name!  The special does show us how Grandma and Jake are close.

aww , it would be bad if you like got ran over by a reindeer/Copyright Warner Bros.

more after the jump
   

Christmas: A Christmas Angel (For Better or For Worse)

Christmas  The Flashback 

  Previously on Joshuaonline: Back during Halloween we dipped into a special based off the comic strip "For Better or For Worse" We now dip again for Christmas with the 1992 special "A Christmas Angel".

    The special starts with father, John Patterson, and his two kids : Elizabeth and Michael come home with a Christmas tree. (Getting right into the Christmas, this Christmas special is) The mother, Elly , doesn't seem enthused by the tree.  She does feel  stressed out by the whole Christmas thing in the first place. Elizabeth wants to do Christmas stuff, but everyone seems to be on their own mode. Michael is going out an cleaning driveways of snow to buy Christmas stuff. In fact, he even sings a song. He even turns down his friends' offer to go sledding. (whoa)

 
      While Elizabeth was working on the tree, her little sister, April, breaks her mother's angel. (Her favorite angel) Elizabeth feels the middle kid blues and sad about the angel.  She thinks about making an angel to replace it. (that was nice of her)   Meanwhile, Michael is at the mall (teen heaven until the internet ruined things or whatever)  and looks around for Christmas gifts. The father is making something for Elizabeth. (That was nice of him) When he checks on her, April is into stuff again and he his displeased with Elizabeth.  This makes her feel bad some more.

        Now some sledding. (That's fun)  Elizabeth couldn't ride on one of the sleds with a bunch of other kids because they were full, and she gets bumped off. It's just not her day.  She finds another spot and the camera shows us a plot convenient "No Sledding allowed" sign. (Uh oh danger)   Then she hits her head against a tree and is out. (The music gets scary)

  More after the jump

Christmas: Jack Frost (1979)

Christmas theFlashback 

     
      We dip into another Rankin-Bass and one that turns 40 in 2019.  "Jack Frost" premiered on NBC on December 13th 1979; it's one of the later Rankin-Bass specials.  Interestingly enough, this is the second it's the second time that they have personified Jack Frost  though in this story they have a different canon.

           This is another Rankin Bass Christmas special you could watch in February and not be judged. (What? That was a strange thing to say)

           The February thing was not just a throw away line of mine, I mean the special starts in February with a groundhog named  Pardon-Me Pete , voiced by Buddy Hacket, whom you may know from some older Disney movies. Pete (we are going to call him Pete) is getting ready to do Groundhog Day. (This special will loop)   When he gets scared by his shadow, he explains that wasn't his shadow but Jack Frost. So, before bed he wants to tell us about Jack Frost.  Leading to the theme music. Jack Frost is personified as figure who likes being around the people, in this special it will focus on a town called January Junction.

Gather round me, I shall tell you a story/ Copyright Warner 

            January Junction is kind of in a bad spot there is an evil king named  Kubla Kraus, who ha made the town his serfdom. He takes all the money and makes everyone poor. During winter the town benefits from the snow and cold because people can exchange ice money. (I'm not  sure how this economy works in the first place if a crazy man owns all the money, how do you have a business?)
                   

         Now Jack gets close to the people of January including a girl named Elisa, who likes Jack Frost and he hears this and takes it as something else, I think.  I love the creativeness of this special as Jack's home is  in the clouds they personify winter as Father Winter who run a whole winter operation. There's a guy name Snip who makes the snowflakes, there's a sprite named Holly who is in charge of a White Christmas (they must have fired here around here) and there are some other weather figures. 

Holly and the ivy/ Copyright Warner

   
         Jack has decided that he wants to be a human because has fallen in love with the girl.  He has gone to Father Winter to request this, and after  a song Father allows it. Father says that it's tempoary, Jack has to get a house, horse, gold, and wife before spring and he'll be human permanently. (Well that's a list)

The lady of his affections/ Copyright Warner 

              Now human, Jack meets with Elisa and goes by the name Jack Snip.  (Could have told her he was Jack Frost but apparently that's hard) Father Winter decides to send Snip and Holly to human life as well to assist Jack. (He's using this power a little too much) Jack finds out that January Junction is not the best place to get a house, gold, or horse.

             The villain is ,of course  Kubla Kraus. They made him a very interesting one, he's greedy, mean, and yet he is sad and lonely because he is mean and greedy. He even has a robot army, and robot mice because even the mice don't want to be around him. There's also a dummy he has named Donnie. Also, I'm going to get this out of the way now, he will be dead by the end of special, it's not even reform him special or something, no he will be dead. Not even go away or something straight up dead.
   
      More on that later.  More after the jump

Christmas: Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Christmas  The Lookback 

 
           Frosty Returns isn't a direct sequel in anyway to "Frosty the Snowman" (1969 by Rankin Bass)  this special is.  From 1976 it's  "Frosty's Winter Wonderland".

      I don't think Rankin Bass were expecting to make a "Frosty 2" really, they may have just saw the popularity of the first one and thought "sure,let's do it." The funny thing is this one first aired on ABC, not CBS like Frosty, so it's weird way to sequel if  CBS is airing original "Frosty". It happens since Rudolph aired on NBC, later CBS, while "Shiny New Year" aired on ABC.

        First off, there is Karen at all.  Did she really stay on that roof and died? Nobody knows, she's not here.  The narrator here is Andy Griffith.  I can't say anything mean about Andy Griffith unless I want to be scumbag and a liar. (What?)  The kids, different kids than the past special kids, are sad that Frosty hasn't shown up. Andy Griffith tells them don't be sad because he promised he'd be back some day. (It's been 7 years , Frosty, hurry up!) 

Wow Andy Griffith just lives on our town,nice!/ Copyright Warner 

     The special cuts to Frosty who is in the North Pole.  The animation is different styled than the first special.(I'm sorry I keep mentioning the first one)  I do like the designs of the people and Frosty, they have a nice refined style, and really the design I associate with Rankin-Bass 2 D animation.  How long has Frosty been gone?  Anyway plot convince newspaper flies in his face, and it's winter in the  City. (Capital C, not the most creative name for a city, neither was Town)  Frosty decides to travel to the City.  (He has a nice house) The kids are happy that Frosty is returning.

Nice house, how much does North Pole housing go for?/ Copyright Warner

    Andy Griffith tells us that Frosty has a surprise coming for him. oh that's nice. I hope will be surprised with him.  Frosty took a wife.  (Whoa he spoiled it right there, rude!)  Since, I think Professor Hinkle was reformed ( and now does floor shows in Vegas!) we needed a new antagonist; so meet Jack Frost. So apparently, the embodiment of winter cold is our enemy is special, what?  Not sure it's good to fight Nature.  He's jealous that Frosty gets more love than he does.

Hello I'm Jack Frost, like me, please like me!/ Copyright Warner

     They can see Jack Frost (This is  a strange universe).  His goal is to take Frosty's hat to then become beloved. (So, his plan to get the children to like him is to take away their friend? Genius?) Jack Frost thinks he took Frosty's hat, he took a horse's hat because horses wear hats. We're minutes in and there's no Frosty wife action. (I what?)  Frosty is lonely outside , especially when the kids have to go in. Elise's , the main red head girl, idea is that he needs a wife. (That was her first idea, not a snow dog or something? Well, alright.) So, the kids with Frosty design a wife. (Uhhhh ok)

It's hard to create life/ Copyright Warner 

      They think up a name, and Frosty picks the name Crystal. (nice name) There is one problem, how do you make a second snow person come alive? (Witchcraft?)  Oh, Jack Frost figured out that the hat was the wrong hat.  How will he get out of this? Find out after the Jump.

Christmas: The Magic Hockey Skates

Joshuaonline CA 

           CHRISTMAS 

     
           This time we are looking at the 2012 Christmas special called "The Magic Hockey Skates"   It , so far airs yearly on the CBC.  It has also aired in the UK , Ireland, and the US.  So let's talk about this Christmas special that involves hockey, because Canada.  (A Curling special would have also applied.)

        It starts with hockey, to be honest, that's how it should start. No magic hockey skates yet, but hockey. The main character is a boy named Joey "The Flea"  Mack and he's playing against larger hockey players.   There's another hockey player named Rocky St. Jean.  They are apparently, the only two hockey players on the team; because that's fair.  Then Joey stumbles and the other team wins the Stanley Cup (TM?) . It was a dream, I was confused there.

Would be a strange hockey game 

          Joey is awakened by his mother and he is glad that it snowed! (Glad some one is)  He's happy because he likes outdoor hockey, even though his brother, Zach, says he' s not a good skater.  Joey wants skates by the hockey player mentioned above, Rocky St. Jean.  Zach wants a new hockey mask and they both cost lots of money.  The shopkeeper, who looks like Santa, and I am thinking that is on purpose because he looks like Santa and this is a Christmas special, and hockey skates. (Keep it along) oh yeah, sorry,  storekeeper guy says they good second-hand skates. (insert quip about second foot skates, laugh here)

He totally is Santa Claus 

           Oh his name is Nick, oh come on!  The skates that totally that is Santa offers are 90% off. (of what?)   So, they get those skates.  Totally is Santa tells Joey that they are magic hockey skates (roll those credits)  and that he has 3 wishes; all he has to do is believe.  There's also a dog in this special, and he's good boy.   Joey works to learn how to skate on ice. (or Ice-skating as I like to call it)  People make fun of him falling down because falling is funny(?)  Joey makes a wish that he was a better skater and apparently, witchcraft is real! (or magic) 

Maybe the wish works 

more after the jump

Christmas : Frosty Returns (1992)

Christmas The Flashback 

   So, you are watching one or both of the two showing of "Frosty the Snowman" on CBS and it's a 30 minute special. Then you see something called "Frosty Returns" come on and you might be befuddled at what this is special.

  It's NOT  a direct sequel of "Frosty the Snowman" from Rankin Bass , but CBS doesn't have rights (as of this writing to that special) they do have rights this one!  From 1992, this is "Frosty Returns".

      This special's animation looks like a Peanuts special and that's not because some random dude was trying to rip-off Peanuts. The animation is done by  Bill Melendez  and his production company. The same Bill Melendez who did the Peanuts specials.  The music sounds like Rugrats, why does it sound like that, because it's done by Mark Mothersbaugh, who also did music on "Rugrats". 


 On the special!

        They do copy the hallmarks of a Rankin Bass special by having a narrator. In this case it's narrated by Johnathan Winters.  This narrator can ride snow flakes because science.  I cut here before we get to rest of the special, it's not going to mention Christmas, there's some winter carnival so it can  place anytime between December and March. (That means a)using the Christmas tag was a weird thing for me to do, and b) I can watch this special in March) I'm only mentioning this now, not because it bugs me , but to make sure you know that it doesn't mention Christmas.

          At first there's a song with kids singing how much they love snow (yeah pro-snow agenda) while, the adults complaining about it in the same song.  Our main character is Holly DeCarlo  and she also has this friend who looks like Marcie from Peanuts had a son. His name is Charles so I have my own ideas.

Charlie Brown and Marcie had a son?/ Copyright CBS 

More after the jump