Alan Johnson

🎄 It’s 1978, and celebrities pretending to be ghosts are gaslighting Oscar the Grouch into participating in Christmas. Also, Michael Jackson shows up.🎙 Alan Johnson and Donnie Storms join us for another Scrooge Sunday episode to witness the 2nd best “Sesame Street” Christmas special from 1978… out of 2.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Our episode on “Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.”  I thought Tough Pigs made up this special in 2001 to be funny, but nope, it’s real.  Sesame Street lost an Emmy to Sesame Street.  “A Special Sesame Street Christmas” on Muppet Wiki.  “Elmo’s Delicious Christmas.”  “Anne Murray Sings for the Sesame Street Generation,” an American re-release of “There’s a Hippo in My Tub.”  “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.”  Michael Jackson inadvertently saved Sesame Street from a lawsuit.  “Just One Person” at Jim Henson’s memorial service.Mike talks about “Snoopy! The Musical” on A Special Presentation, or ALF Will Not Be Seen Tonight.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Sesame Place (1984)  Kringle Talks Kristmas.  ****  “A Special Sesame Street Christmas” © 1978 Bob Banner Associates.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.

🐰 Who is Easter Bunny? OMG, Bear is Easter Bunny! How can that be? 🎙 Emily Rowley and Alan Johnson join us as we hop, hop, hop back to 1981 for our first trip to Bear Country, which it turns out was built on top of the Easter Bunny’s industrial nightmare factory.  📺 You can watch “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise” for free on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Yes, we all collectively mispronounced “Berenstain.”  The VHS cover, for reference.  “The Berenstain Bears: The Very First Easter,” being the story of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, who is also a bear.  Inside the Berenstain Bears’ Tree House.  The widest tree in the world, for comparison.  Things this special has in common with “Steel Magnolias”: Knowl Johnson and dozens of broken Easter eggs.  An ode to the Bear Family’s tiny, antique, circular porthole TV set.  Today’s TV Trope: Packed Hero.  “Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video,” featuring young Zachary Danziger (Bill Bunny) and a host of way more familiar names.  ****  📼 Commercial:  Kellogg’s Raisin Bran: Morgan the Mockingbird Commercial (1981), preserved from the original airing of this special.  Mike on Alan’s Two Bad Neighbors podcast for “Marge Be Not Proud” and “Monty Can’t Buy Me Love.”  ****  “The Berenstain Bears’ Easter Surprise” © 1981 Joseph Cates Co., Inc.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.