Mike Westfall

🎄 It’s another Scrooge Sunday, which means we’re about to be haunted by a series of spirits as we ride the airwaves back to 1980 for a version of “A Christmas Carol” set in the studios of “WKRP in Cincinnati.”  🎙️ Gerry Davila, Scott Leopold, and Michael May join us on a trip through time that definitely wasn’t fueled by special brownies, so stop asking.  📺 You can find “Bah, Humbug” on the Internet Archive.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (03:03) - Guest and Episode Histories  (07:55) - Carlson’s Grandfather’s Ghost  (26:03) - Christmas Past  (38:30) - Retro Commercial Break  (39:58) - Christmas Present  (46:42) - Christmas Future and The End of It  (59:17) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  This episode won an Emmy for video editing, beating out an Alice in Wonderland themed episode of “The Muppet Show” starring Brooke Shields.  A teenage Jan Smithers (Bailey) on a 1966 cover of “Newsweek.”  Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) in “Day of the Tentacle.”  There’s now a real, actual WKRP-FM radio station in Cincinnati.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Kmart Christmas Commercial (1980)  Holly Jolly X’masu  ****  “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Bah, Humbug” © 1980 Company Four.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1980s #scroogesunday

⚠️ Warning: Our wartime yuletide takes a grimmer turn in this episode, which includes the death of a man hit by a sniper. But since it’s Christmas, we’re all going to do the best we can to find a bit of hope, joy, and laughter in the face of tragedy.  🎙️ Tim Babb from the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast and Jamie Ray from Fave Five From Fans join us as we report for duty to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and try to give some kids a merry Christmas.  📺 You can watch “M*A*S*H” on Hulu. “Death Takes a Holiday” is Season 9, Episode 5.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:26) - Guest and Episode Histories  (09:41) - Act 1  (37:43) - Retro Commercial Break  (39:01) - Act 2  (1:00:42) - Final Thoughts****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Mike and Jamie’s Fave Five Christmas TV Specials.  Tim’s Five Golden Things: Favorite Christmas TV Episodes (2015)  “Good grief! The comedian’s a bear!”  Keye Luke (Choi Sung Ho) as the original voice of Brak on “Space Ghost.”  Why Do People String Popcorn on Christmas Trees?  A fanmade “M*A*S*H” timeline, on which this episode causes some confusion as to what year it is, and which characters should be there.  Weather Spark confirms it was a cold Christmas in Korea.  “Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor,” by Jeff Maxwell.  M*A*S*H Matters Podcast.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Kodak Colorburst 260 Camera: The Tree Trimming (1980)  ****  “M*A*S*H” and “Death Takes a Holiday” © 1980 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1980s

🎄 Today’s adventure finds us caught in the middle of a battle for the North Pole in multiple dimensions.  🎙️ Sammy Hain and Jeff Loftin join the march back to 1997 to witness the Christmas clash of Santa vs. the Snowman, a TV special from creator Steve Oedekerk and director John A. Davis, who’d later team up to write and direct “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.”  📺 You can find “Santa vs. the Snowman” on YouTube, both an original 1997 broadcast with commercials, and its 2002 update for IMAX 3D.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:16) - Guest and Special Histories  (07:31) - 3D Opening  (12:58) - Act 1  (26:19) - Retro Commercial Break  (28:51) - Act 2  (52:19) - Act 3  (1:00:50) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Don LaFontaine in “Five Guys in a Limo” (1997)  Don LaFontaine’s final TV voiceover role on “Phineas and Ferb.”  Ben Stein’s “Confessions for the Holidays” (2005) taken way out of context.  Hershey’s Chocolate Tour: Holiday Edition.  Today’s TV Trope: Animated Outtakes, and an example from “A Bug’s Life.”  ****  📼 Commercials:  Bell Atlantic: Wild Things Are Happening (1997)  Old Navy: A Very Magic Holiday Special (1997)  The Lost Christmas Podcast  ****  “Santa vs. the Snowman” © 1997, 2002 Steaming Monkey, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s

🎃 It’s Halloween in July, and it’s time to spookalize!  🎙️ Becca Petunia joins us as we creep back to 1997 for a howling good time at the spookiest address on Sesame Street, as Elmo pays a visit to Count von Count with one mission: To tell him a bunch of funny, scary jokes!  📺 You can find “Elmo Says BOO!” on YouTube.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:19) - History of the Special and Accompanying Album  (14:12) - Funny, Scary Jokes!  (48:26) - Retro Commercial Break  (49:43) - More Funny, Scary Jokes!  (1:02:29) - Into the Pyramid  (1:07:53) - Even More Funny, Scary Jokes!  (1:26:28) - More About the Album and Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Muppet Wiki notes this Halloween special doesn’t mention Halloween… on purpose.  The “Elmo Says BOO!” album featuring songs not in the special, including a weird “Monster Mash” cover.  ToughPigs: My Week with Halloween: Elmo Says BOO!  A Definitive Rating of All 15 Funny, Scary Jokes in Elmo Says BOO!  Becca discusses “Kermit Unpigged” on Movin’ Right Along.  The Count and Susan Sarandon in a “Rocky Horror” spoof.  Jim Henson’s Monster Cereals.  “The Song of the Count” art by Luke Flowers.  Shriek on “Batman Beyond.”  Julia Roberts shares a limo with the Two-Headed Monster.  “Java.”  Mike’s Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets preview and interviews with Imagineers and Electric Mayhem guitarists.  Elmo’s debut in the original “We Are All Monsters,” and the redub that’s a rare instance of Elmo speaking in the first person.  Bert & Ernie’s Pyramid Scheme: The Sesame Street Sketch You Might Have Repressed.  The Other Top 70 Muppet Moments.  “Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter” (It’s Swedish for “Five ants are more than four elephants.”)  Frazzle shows his range of emotions.  J.D. Hansel interviews Noel MacNeal, including his work on “The Batty Bat.”  Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2” as performed by Tom Cat and Bugs Bunny.  “Mysterioso Pizzicato,” or “The Villain’s Theme.”  Jackman Wolf on home video and at Sesame Place.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Elmo Says BOO! VHS Commercial (1997)  Micro Machines Micro Lights (1990)  ****  “Elmo Says BOO!” © 1997 Children’s Television Workshop.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s #halloween #muppets

🎄 It’s Christmas time for teddy bears in this 1992 prequel to what I thought until very recently was a one-off special called “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic.”  🎙️ Ethan “The Hungry Reader” and Anthony Strand join us as we meet the title teddy from a later cartoon series called “The Secret World of Benjamin Bear,” his first encounter with his friend, Wally, and a new, but familiar set of rules of being a living teddy bear. Many comparisons to “The Christmas Toy” ensue.    📺 You can find “The Teddy Bears’ Christmas” on YouTube.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:09) - The History of Benjamin Bear  (05:26) - Act 1  (23:22) - Act 2  (35:40) - Retro Commercial Break  (36:50) - Act 3  (1:08:44) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” (1989)  “The Secret World of Benjamin Bear.”  Today’s TV Trope: Sliding Scale of Living Toys.  “A celebrity is not a people.” — Lew Zealand.  Mike on A Special Presentation for “The Hugga Bunch Movie.”  The Price of His Toys store catalog.  When Houses Had Built-In “Milk Doors.”  Goofy gets kissed by the milkman (“Father’s Day Off,” 1953)  “The Birthday Dragon” (1991)  “Rollin’ with Saget” by Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone (Wally), featuring Bob Saget.  Garfield: “Pooky has two ears and no mouth.” (1985)  More talk about Santabear.  Mike previewed the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets… and interviewed the Electric Mayhem for ToughPigs.com!  ****  📼 Commercials:  TV Teddy (1993)  Christmas Creeps.  ****  “The Teddy Bears’ Christmas” © 1992 Longboat Productions, LLC.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s

🎄 It’s that time of year again: Time to deal with smarty-pants 4th-graders who think they know how Santa Claus works.  🎙️ The Advent Calendar House welcomes Caleb Cote from Insert Reference Here and Robert Nicholas from Behind the Bells as we watch a very special 1998 Christmas episode of Disney’s “Recess,” featuring elementary school hierarchy, a globally televised Christmas pageant, and the dulcet tones of a 10-year-old who sings like Robert Goulet.  📺 “Recess” is available on Disney+. “Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave” is Season 2, Episode 10.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:26) - Our Histories with Recess  (10:49) - Our Histories with “Recess”  (24:11) - Act 1  (1:03:55) - Retro Commercial Break  (1:06:12) - Act 2  (1:29:02) - Act 3  (1:48:48) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Caleb introduces us to Goalball.  Mike talks about The Legend of Zelda on Insert Reference Here.  Dabney Coleman (Principal Prickly) in “The Muppets Take Manhattan.”  Robert Goulet sings “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” on “The Simpsons.”  Today’s TV Tropes: Cast Calculus, Noodle Incident, and Glass-Shattering Sound.  Kevin sits on Santa Michael’s lap on “The Office.”  Ronnie Schell (Mayor Fitzhugh) as Peter Puck.  “Local Politician” by The Arrogant Worms.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Bubble Tape (circa 1991)  ****  “Recess” and “Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave” © 1998 Disney Enterprises, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s #disney

🐰 This Easter in July, we’ve hopped back to 1994 on a rather stressful and dangerous trip through Jellystone Park.  🎙️ Sammy Hain and Gerry Davila join us for a visit to the Easter Bunny, the Magical Easter Chicken, and the world’s least eco-friendly plastic factory, all of which somehow call Jellystone Park home.  📺 You can find “Yogi the Easter Bear” on the Internet Archive.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:23) - Guest and Special Histories  (05:50) - Act 1  (46:15) - Retro Commercial Break  (47:50) - Act 2  (59:22) - Act 3  (01:18:36) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  There’s a whole franchise of Jellystone Park campgrounds.  Don’t feed bears chocolate!  Today’s TV Tropes: “Oh, Crap!” Smile and Bat Scare.  The International Ranger Federation was founded way more recently than I expected.  Sesame Street News Flash: Holiday Mix-Up.  The creepy Easter Bunny from “Teen Titans Go!”  “The Simpsons,” Duff, Duff Light, and Duff Dry.  “Saturday Night Live,” Colon Blow.  Easter Sammy’s Spring Breakers T-shirt, designed by Jayme!  ****  📼 Commercials:  Cadbury Bunny Tryouts (1994)  Totally Rad Christmas  ****  “Yogi the Easter Bear” © 1994 Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s #easter #hannabarbera

🎄 Well, them podcast boys have run into another Scrooge Sunday, and this time, the ghosts from “A Christmas Carol” are haunting Boss Hogg in the Dukes of Hazzard’s Saturday morning cartoon counterpart.  🎙️ Michael DiGiovanni and new guest Ken Kessler from The Sounds of Christmas join the ride through Christmas past, present, and future as the Dukes take a holiday from their race around the world in an episode that made us wish they’d get back to racing.  📺 You can find “A Dickens of a Christmas” on the Internet Archive.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:23) - Personal and Series History  (10:03) - Act 1: Big Jake Marley’s Ghost  (23:27) - Retro Commercial Break  (25:29) - Act 2: Christmas Past and Present  (37:19) - Act 3: Christmas Future and The End of It  (48:35) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  John Schneider and Tom Wopat made a Christmas album.  Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg) as Santa on “Full House.”  Christmas in Russia is on January 7th.  Is this story’s Belle substitute the only time we ever meet Uncle Jesse’s late (or, in this case, future) wife?  ****  📼 Commercials:  “The Dukes” Saturday Morning Promo (1983)  Kentucky Fried Chicken Christmas Commercial (circa 1987)  Snow in Southtown  ****  “The Dukes” and “A Dickens of a Christmas” © 1983 Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.  “The Dukes of Hazzard” © 1983 Warner Bros., Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1980s #scroogesunday #hannabarbera

💝 We’re celebrating Valentine’s Day in July with a deep dive into a 1990 “DuckTales” special that aired on “The Magical World of Disney.”  🎙️ Erin Evans and Joey O. join us as we tune our heart-shaped TVs to watch Scrooge McDuck search for the lost treasure of Aphroducky, which nearly ends in him marrying the avian goddess of love and angering her Honeymooner of a husband.  📺 You can watch “A DuckTales Valentine” on Disney+.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:26) - Our Histories with DuckTales  (08:34) - The Magical World of Disney Intro  (10:32) - Act 1  (31:45) - Retro Commercial Break  (35:29) - Act 2  (54:42) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The accompanying shorts: “Mickey’s Delayed Date,” “Mr. Duck Steps Out,” and “Canine Casanova.”  This special’s intro featuring Michael Eisner and original commercials.  Michael’s Disney varsity jacket is on eBay.  Terry McGovern (Launchpad) in a “Back to the Future” deleted scene.  Terry McGovern on voicing Stormtroopers and accidentally inventing the word “Wookiee.”  Get the Phillies Feeling (circa 1988)  Today’s TV Trope: Cupid’s Arrow.  “Stop the presses!” from “The Great Muppet Caper.”  Sesame Street’s Love Boat.  Peter dives into a money bin on “Family Guy.”  Revenge of the Turducken Hunger Games.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: “The Lost Queen of Atlantis.”  “Donald Duck: Instant Millionaire.”  ****  📼 Commercials:  Isuzu Trooper Commercial starring Joe Isuzu (1990)  Holidays After Dark  ****  “DuckTales” and “A DuckTales Valentine” © 1990 The Walt Disney Company.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1990s #valentinesday #disney

🎄 Somehow Frosty returned.  🎙️ The Advent Calendar House is back open for Christmas in July as Donnie Storms and new guest Collin Murr from Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast drop in seeking shelter from “Frosty Returns,” which despite the title, is not a sequel, and not even a Christmas special. From Lorne Michaels and Kermit the Frog’s ghostwriter comes a message about the environment delivered by the voices of John Goodman, Jonathan Winters, and a young Elizabeth Moss.  📺 You can find “Frosty Returns” on the Internet Archive.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (02:10) - Guest Histories  (05:57) - The History of Frosty Returns  (12:06) - Act 1  (44:41) - Retro Commercial Break  (45:57) - Act 2  (01:08:14) - Act 3  (01:22:28) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  An interview with story writer Jim Lewis (The Muppet Newsflash, 2007).  Today’s TV Tropes: Stern Teacher and Right-Hand Cat.  “Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In.”  “Donald’s Snow Fight.”  “I have a hole in my stomach!” from “Death Becomes Her.”  The parade from “Batman” (1989).  ****  📼 Commercials:  Trix Cereal Christmas Commercial (circa 1992)  Festive Foreign Film Fans  ****  “Frosty Returns” © 1992 CBS Inc.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  #s16 #1990s #frosty

🎄 It’s the 200th episode of the Advent Calendar House, but more importantly, it’s Christmas Eve! So we’re celebrating with a salute to the last remaining special we have left to talk about in the Rankin/Bass Christmas canon: 1974’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus.”  🎙️ It’s a packed party with Tim Babb, Michael DiGiovanni, Joey O., and Matt Spaulding as we spread Christmas cheer over Southtown and everywhere else — something we could’ve seen Mrs. Claus search for if she hadn’t immediately dropped the idea, but then we wouldn’t have met the true stars of the special: The Miser Bros.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The original story by Phyllis McGinley.  A read-along record narrated by Boris Karloff.  The DVD menu and only the DVD menu, if that interests you.  Snow Miser’s song in “Batman and Robin.”  Shirley Booth (Mrs. Claus) as “Hazel.”  Today’s TV Tropes: Dressed to Heal, Spinning Paper.  Bob McFadden (Elf Doctor) as “Cool McCool.”  “Panic In New York: Menagerie Breaks Loose,” and other prop newspaper headlines.  Are Santa’s Reindeer Female? (Old Farmer’s Almanac)  Survivor Series 1994: Clowns Are Us vs. the Royal Family.  Ron Marshall (Iggy’s dad) marks the first time I ended up on Muppet Wiki by surprise.  Charlie Chaplin’s hanging out in Southtown.  Heatmiser: the band.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Coca-Cola: “Candles (Buy the World a Coke)” (1977)  Coca-Cola: The World Needs More Santas (2023)  Matt’s book: “Santa in His Own Words.”  “A Bomb for Christmas 2: Past, Present, and Future” on the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast.  ****  “The Year Without a Santa Claus” © 1974 Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1970s #rankinbass

🎄 Rise and shine while you still can! Since this year’s December Solstice falls on a Sunday, I’ve come bearing the gift of an unexpectedly very merry Scrooge Sunday episode of “Xena: Warrior Princess” from 1996.  🎙️ April Ryley and Sammy Hain join the mission to warm the cold heart of a king who’s banned all Solstice celebrations on an almost wibbly-wobbly timeline that manages to smash together “A Christmas Carol,” the Three Fates of ancient Greek tradition, a Santa Claus origin story, and the Nativity. It even throws in some “Home Alone” style shenanigans, as a treat!  📺 As of this recording, “A Solstice Carol” is available to watch on Prime Video.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Lucy Lawless in “Spider-Man.”  “Ebenezer and the Invisible World,” the video game.  Moirai: The Three Fates.  The Simpsons: “Desperately Xeeking Xena” from “Treehouse of Horror X” (1999)  Inside Senticles’s toy closet, and his King Friday XIII lookalike jack-in-the-box.  The song: “Solstice Night.”  Karl Urban as Cupid in a Valentine’s Day episode.  ****  📼 Commercials:  7up: Holiday Celebration (1996)  Bad Princess Movies.  ****  “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “A Solstice Carol” © 1996 MCA Television Limited.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1990s #scroogesunday

🎄 Fresh from 1996 comes a Christmas tale that’ll make you cry, but only because it’s being told by an onion.  🎙️ Anthony Strand hops along for the ride as we buzz back to the VeggieTales’ first Christmas special, in which the only children’s toy that comes with a working circular saw embarks on a quest to find the true reason for the season.  📺 You can watch the official version of “The Toy That Saved Christmas” for free on YouTube, or the original 1996 version on the Internet Archive.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Differences between the original and the reanimated version from 1997.  “Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus.”  “Most folks call ’em green onions, but they’re really scallions.”  This Mr. Nezzer is not the previously seen Nebby K. Nezzer, but his brother, Wally P. Nezzer, who’s not as cleverly named.  The original vs. the new, improved Bunny Song.  The shelves of Buzzsaw Louies predate the shelves of Buzz Lightyears in “Toy Story 2.”  Ken Cavanagh (Buzzsaw Louie) may have authored this Medium post from 2020: “Leave Jesus Out of It. Viruses don’t care what you believe.”  “The Dead Sea Squirrels,” by Mike Nawrocki.  Today’s TV Trope: Blatant Burglar.  Doctors in the hallway in “Muppets From Space.”  What do you call a group of penguins?  Two More Eggs: CGI Palz.  ****  📼 Commercials:  VeggieTales: “The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree” album (2005)  The Incredible, Edible Egg: Wisecracks (1991)  Mouse Trap (1990)  The Studio Demands It!  ****  “VeggieTales” and “The Toy That Saved Christmas” © 1996 Big Idea Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1990s #nativity

🎄 What if Mr. Christmas was on the naughty list this entire time, thanks to a curse on his family for generations?  🎙️ Gerry Davila from Totally Rad Christmas and Guy Hutchinson from Pointless Nostalgia join us on a Christmas quest back to 1985 as Andy Williams leads a dozen “true believers” on a trip to Finland to find Santa and answer for his totally-not-made-up ancestor.  📺 You can watch “Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa” on the Internet Archive.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The NBC Kids are: Soleil Moon Frye, Cherie Johnson, Ami Foster, and Casey Ellison from “Punky Brewster”; Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner from “The Cosby Show”; Alfonso Ribeiro from “Silver Spoons”; and Joey and Matthew Lawrence from “Gimme a Break!” But not Mindy Cohn from “The Facts of Life,” who shows up, sings half a line, and that’s it.  Guy visits New York City’s Christmas cinematic landmarks, including locations from “Mr. T and Emmanuel Lewis in A Christmas Dream.”  Not Just Theo: Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Surprising Career.  Alfonso Ribeiro’s Pepsi Commercial with Michael Jackson (1984)  The painting supposedly featuring Lars Sven Olaf Williams, from 1863.  The Sàmi.  “Sea for Catwoman!”  Porvoo Cathedral (pronounced like “Borga”).  ****  📼 Commercials:  NBC “Let’s All Be There” ID with Santa (1985)  Polaroid: “Christmas – Santa Claus” (1985)  Tinsel Tunes - The Christmas Music Podcast.  ****  “Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa” © 1985 Pierre Cossette / Barnaby Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1980s

🕎 Celebrate Hanukkah with a community talent show we don’t even get to watch.  We’ve miraculously found another Hanukkah special — with yet another spelling of it — so join us as we instantly reappear back in 1991 with a bunch of Canadian animal puppets to discover the magic of the holiday Under the Umbrella Tree.  🎙️ April Ryley is our lovely assistant as we meet a humble shopkeeper and former magician once known as “The Great Goldberg,” played by the equally great Harvey Atkin.  📺 As of this recording, you can watch “Hanukah Under the Umbrella Tree” on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Holly Larocque in “The Big Band Broadcast” (2008)  Stephen Brathwaite’s (Jacob) artwork portfolio.  Bob Stutt (Iggy) as Wander McMooch on “Fraggle Rock.”  David Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty disappear.  “Peoples is peoples.”  Today’s TV Trope: Magicians Are Wizards.  A Star is Borscht: The Harvey Atkin Young Jewish Performer Competition (2022)  “Under the Umbrella Tree: The Mask Special” (2020)  ****  📼 Commercials:  Happy Holidays from “Under the Umbrella Tree” (CBC)  Hallmark “Old Friends” Hanukkah Card Commercial (1993)  Remember That Show?  ****  “Hanukah Under the Umbrella Tree” © 1991 Noreen Young Productions, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1990s #hanukkah #puppets

🎄 It is once again Scrooge Sunday, and the time has come to awkwardly smoosh our spirits through the walls of our bedchamber and float back to 2004 for a special TV movie based on Alan Menken’s musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol,” starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge, Jason Alexander as Marley’s Ghost, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Belle, and Jane Krakowski as the Ghost of Christmas Past.  🎙️ Michael May and Rob Graham from After Lunch join the celebration of abundance, charity, and good will toward men as we forge this podcast link by link and dumb joke by dumb joke.  📺 You can watch “A Christmas Carol: The Musical” for free on YouTube.  Plus: After this episode, listen to the 3 of us on After Lunch review “A Christmas Carol” on “Shower of Stars” from 1954.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Julian Ovenden (Fred) in “Downton Abbey.”  Today’s TV Trope: And You Were There.  Jacob Collier (Tiny Tim) on YouTube, including his Grammy-winning arrangement of “The Flintstones” theme.  Brian Bedford (Fezziwig) on “Frasier” and as Disney’s Robin Hood.  Ebenezer Scrooges Ranked by How Redeemed They Are (FilmHounds, 2024)  ****  📼 Commercials:  KFC “Christmas with Jason Alexander” (2001)  Merry Britsmas.  ****  “A Christmas Carol: The Musical” © 2004 Hallmark Entertainment Distribution, LLC.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #2000s #scroogesunday

🎄 Your podcast feed or burst! Join us as we dance joyfully back to 1988 for a very special episode of “Perfect Strangers,” in which Balki invites his grouchy boss to a Christmas Eve party, whether Cousin Larry and their co-workers like it or not.  🎙️ Shawn Robare and William Bruce West join the party which, despite IMDb’s summary, is not a “Christmas Carol parody.” If anything, Mr. Gorpley’s the Grinch. And hey, a pre-“Family Matters” Harriette Winslow is here! But why isn’t she with her own children?  📺 As of this recording, “The Gift of the Mypiot” (Season 4, Episode 9) is available for free on Pluto TV.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  “The Gift of the Mypiot” on Perfect Strangers Reviewed, and the gift of assswing.gif.  This is just 3 episodes before we’d meet Carl Winslow. I guess he was busy this Christmas at Nakatomi Plaza.  Kate Finlayson (Allyson) “Dancing the Enneagram.”  The mystery of Nora Trueblood Adams.  Geraldo opens Al Capone’s vault.  Our personal stories of getting the same gift twice and having to play it cool.  ****  📼 Commercials:  “Perfect Strangers” Cast Christmas Greeting (1988)  Circuit City Christmas Sale (1988)  WIZARDS The Podcast Guide to Comics.  ****  “Perfect Strangers” and “The Gift of the Mypiot” © 1988 Lorimar Television.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1980s

🎄 Put on your cute little helmet and join us on a journey back to 1984 for a Christmas special based on the toy craze that turned holiday shopping from a winter wonderland to a warzone.  🎙️ Julia (Tis the Podcast) and Steven (The Bigfoot Club) join the adventure from the hidden home of the Cabbage Patch Kids to the unnamed but totally identifiable big city in search of the Christmas spirit, while we evade 2 nearly identical but probably not related trios trying to kidnap us. It’ll all make sense.  Actually, no. It will not.  📺 “The Cabbage Patch Kids’ First Christmas” is well preserved on YouTube. Here’s an upscaled version.  Watch Steven’s film, “The Bigfoot Club,” on Prime Video.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  The totally official, extremely bonkers Legend of the Cabbage Patch Kids.  Babyland General Hospital.  ‘Custody’ fight over Cabbage Patch dolls (Christian Science Monitor, 1983)  Josh Rodine (Dawson Glenn) in “Sparky’s Magic Piano” (1987)  Sparky Marcus (Xavier) as Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979)  “Kudzu: The Invasive Vine that Ate the South.”  Piedmont Park.  What idiot took the gay out of “Don we now our gay apparel”?  ****  📼 Commercials:  Cabbage Patch Kids Talking Phone (1984)  Cabbage Patch Kids Hide and Seek Game (1984)  ****  “The Cabbage Patch Kids’ First Christmas” © 1984 Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1980s #rubyspears

🎄 It’s been 10 years since the Muppets’ 2015 TV series gave us the gift of a Christmas episode, so it’s time to stay Up Late with Miss Piggy and find out if we can take it seriously, or if it left us because we couldn’t stop making jokes about it.  🎙️ Becca Petunia and J.D. Hansel of ToughPigs.com join the chaos including, but not limited to: a rigged Secret Santa! Gross and unhelpful mistletoe strategy! And, of course, Echosmith!  📺 You can find “Single All the Way” on Disney+.  Becca’s also on A Prairie Dawn Companion and Here Comes Tomorrow.  J.D. is also on The Great Muppet Fandom Panel and Stick to Shorts.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  ToughPigs’ review of “Single All the Way” (2015)  The Muppets at Midseason: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly (ToughPigs.com, 2016)  70 Years, 70 Muppets: Yolanda the Rat and Chip.  The Muppets’ a cappella cover of “Cool Kids” by Echosmith.  “Bright” by Echosmith.  Sam the Eagle’s paintball-themed minigame in “Muppets Party Cruise.”  The Swedish Chef is married because one time Steve Whitmire forgot to take off his wedding ring and they just decided it’s canon now.  Chip has synesthesia.  An extremely rare one-on-one scene with Miss Piggy and Fozzie.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Pizza Hut “4 for All” Pizza Commercial starring the Muppets (2004)   ****  “The Muppets” and “Single All the Way” © 2015 ABC Studios / The Muppets Studio.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #2010s #muppets #disney

🎄 If you thought Christmas was fast approaching, hang onto something as we zip back to 1996 and do our best to keep up with Sonic the Hedgehog on a mission to save Christmas.  🎙️ Mike (Bitter Karella) and Ethan (The Hungry Reader) from A Special Presentation, or ALF Will Not Be Seen Tonight join the quest to rescue Santa from the evil Robotnik Claus, obtain the Secret to Ultimate Velocity, and find a gift for Sonic’s girlfriend from another universe.  📺 You can watch “Sonic Christmas Blast” for free on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  How Sonic scored two different animated series at the same time (Polygon, 2020)  This specially was originally called “An X-tremely Sonic Christmas” to promote a Sega Saturn game that ended up getting canceled.  Jay Brazeau (Santa) as the referee in “Air Bud” who says the line.  The robot queen in “The Great Mouse Detective.”  “Let the Heartaches Begin” by Long John Baldry (Robotnik).  The original “Ugly Sonic” movie trailer.  Dr. Robotnik’s in-game design looks like both an Eggman and a walrus.  The other cartoon’s theme song.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Sonic & Knuckles Christmas Elves Commercial (1994)  ****  “Sonic Christmas Blast” © 1996 DIC Productions, L.P.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s15 #1990s #videogames #dic