Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse!
Behold, one of my all-time favorite Christmas specials. It’s criminal that I haven’t written much about Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse over the years, but the truth is that the special is so loaded with awesomeness that I just wouldn’t know where to start.
Released in 1988, I was shocked to hear Paul Reubens say that this was a breeze to produce when compared to a normal Pee-wee’s Playhouse episode. It’s just so damn good and SO full of amazing bits. If you’ve never seen it, you’re in for a treat. I just can’t imagine anyone not finding something in here to latch onto.
Berenstain Bears Thanksgiving Special!
Way back in 1980, The Berenstain Bears had their own prime time Thanksgiving special on NBC!
The neat thing about The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw is that it was as much a Bigfoot cartoon as a Thanksgiving one. Something for everyone?
Enjoy your last weekend before Thanksgiving!
Christmas Game Show Episodes!
Found some ancient Christmas-themed game show episodes on YouTube, and that is just way too random to ignore. Here they are!
First is an ep of Super Password, from 1986:
…and then we have a Christmassy episode of Family Feud, from 1977:
And last is an episode of Classic Concentration, from 1987:
Pick your poison/poinsettia.
Oh, and if you missed it on the main page, here’s Dino Drac’s recipe for Thanksgiving stuffing. The pics will make you hungry! (Or grossed out? I dunno.)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
We’re less than a week away from Thanksgiving, which is RIDICULOUS. If I blink, it’s gonna be 2018.
Here’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, from 1973. (Wow, 1973? For some reason I didn’t think it was quite so old.)
While nowhere near as “important” as Chuck’s Halloween or Christmas specials, I actually find A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving the easiest of the three to watch. (Which isn’t to say that I like it more — just that it’s breezier and more casual.)
I’ve now spent over 13 years blogging about Snoopy’s makeshift Thanksgiving dinner, where popcorn, toast and jelly beans stood in for turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes. I’m still all about that scene, which to me is as much a symbol of this special as the pathetic tree is to A Charlie Brown Christmas. (And I guess The Great Pumpkin gets a rock?)
…though in fairness, I suppose the special is even more famous for gluing the Lucy-pulls-the-football gag into the public consciousness.
Here’s a Thanksgiving survey, should you feel inclined to participate:
As a kid, what were your typical Thanksgivings like? How many people? What kind of food? Any games? Any weird traditions? Spill it, in the comments.
