Terrible Christmas Specials Revisited

[MF TOON]

I'm watching Yogi's First Christmas on Boomerang right now... whoooa is this bad! The last time I've seen this must've been on video rental in the late 80's. What ugly designs and colors! This is one of the worst ever; it's funny what time does to an impressionable kid's perspective on these things.


I also watched The Flintstones Christmas Carol from the mid-90's yesterday. Apparently Warner Bros. felt that of all possible Hanna-Barbera holiday themed specials, this was most fitting for a DVD release? Yikes! At least some effort towards aesthetically pleasing character designs and animation was retained in this over the late-70's/80's HB stuff. Still a big misfire. I remember watching another early 90's Flintstones Christmas primetime special in highschool that at the time, I enjoyed considerably. I remember a big deal being made of it too, with lots of network promotion. Perhaps this was the modern stone age family's big animated revival since the 70's (of course there was The Flintstone Kids program in the 80's)? I wonder if I'd feel the same way now about the earlier special... Was the original Flintstone Christmas any good? It's been forever since I've seen that one. I wonder if it's worth refreshing my memory... Were all the original actors and cast brought back?

[Bricolo]

The Opus Christmas special was recently released on DVD and though I love the look of it, it was not the most pleasant of experiences to watch.

[CyberFox]

The Flintstones Christmas specials are practically Nonsense

My mom believe they don't make any sense due to there's no Christmas in the Stoneage

[FlapperPrower]

Weren't there two Hanna-Barbera Christmas specials that used the same song "Which one is the real Santa Claus"?

[Bugsy-Kun]

I'm watching Yogi's First Christmas on Boomerang right now... whoooa is this bad! The last time I've seen this must've been on video rental in the late 80's. What ugly designs and colors! This is one of the worst ever; it's funny what time does to an impressionable kid's perspective on these things.


Yogi's First Christmas is much more a TV movie than a special tough but i agree with you, this stuff is ugly and terrible and YTV's print is murdery.

I also watched The Flintstones Christmas Carol from the mid-90's yesterday. Apparently Warner Bros. felt that of all possible Hanna-Barbera holiday themed specials, this was most fitting for a DVD release? Yikes! At least some effort towards aesthetically pleasing character designs and animation was retained in this over the late-70's/80's HB stuff. Still a big misfire. I remember watching another early 90's Flintstones Christmas primetime special in highschool that at the time, I enjoyed considerably. I remember a big deal being made of it too, with lots of network promotion. Perhaps this was the modern stone age family's big animated revival since the 70's (of course there was The Flintstone Kids program in the 80's)? I wonder if I'd feel the same way now about the earlier special... Was the original Flintstone Christmas any good? It's been forever since I've seen that one. I wonder if it's worth refreshing my memory... Were all the original actors and cast brought back?

I watching the 90's Flintstone Christmas special in 2001 and i think it's very painful to watch but the 70's is so far better and one of the only one i like for the H-B's Christmas specials.

[Marty26]

I thought Herman the Christmas-hating Hermit in Yogi's First Christmas was kind of amusing, at least until he had a "change of heart" at the end (wow, who didn't see that coming? :rolleyes: ). Actually, I also found Aunt Sophie's character drawing kind of sexy (:shame: ::shoots self for admitting this:::shame: ). But otherwise, it was a pretty lame special. The ending, in particular, left a lot to be desired.

The Flintstone Christmas Carol I actually saw when it first premiered in 1995. A pretty clunky rendition of A Christmas Carol, with Wilma being mad at Fred throughout the whole cartoon for no real reason.

As for the early-90's Flintstone Holiday Special, are you guys sure you aren't thinking of the 1993 released Valentines Day special "I Yubba Dubba Do"?

[Bugsy-Kun]

I think already seen "I Yubba Dubba Doo" when i was young and also in 2001 but i didn't feel care for any Flintstones adaptations now. Too bad because they look funny when i was a kid.

[Studio Toledo]

I thought Herman the Christmas-hating Hermit in Yogi's First Christmas was kind of amusing, at least until he had a "change of heart" at the end (wow, who didn't see that coming? :rolleyes: ). Actually, I also found Aunt Sophie's character drawing kind of sexy (:shame: ::shoots self for admitting this:::shame: ). But otherwise, it was a pretty lame special. The ending, in particular, left a lot to be desired.
It's one of those I remember watching as a kid, then saw it again, and couldn't believe how LONG it was, I guess it's length had been blanked out of my mind for the longet! It just sorta dragged on and on and I wanted it to stop!

[MF TOON]

As for the early-90's Flintstone Holiday Special, are you guys sure you aren't thinking of the 1993 released Valentines Day special "I Yubba Dubba Do"?

Nope, the one I was referring to involved Pebbles and Bam-Bam getting married or something, possibly having a baby. As I remember, the network was making a big deal of it at the time. It sounds horrendous and it probably is, but I remember sitting on the couch in my livingroom when it was first broadcast, I was in highschool at the time and enjoying it a lot.

It's one of those I remember watching as a kid, then saw it again, and couldn't believe how LONG it was, I guess it's length had been blanked out of my mind for the longet! It just sorta dragged on and on and I wanted it to stop!


Exactly my reaction! It used to air often during the holiday times and I'd watch it regularly. That thing really drags on forever - it's painful! And whoever was cast for the little Snidley kid must surely win the award for most obnoxious voice acting.



As for Opus, I never really liked that special. Though it is beautifully animated. I picked up the Pink Panther release last week which includes the Pink Christmas special and despite the mildly off-putting and off-model generic 70's TV designs for most of the character drawings meshing with the more stylized backgrounds and everything, I still enjoyed it.

[Marty26]

Nope, the one I was referring to involved Pebbles and Bam-Bam getting married or something, possibly having a baby. As I remember, the network was making a big deal of it at the time. It sounds horrendous and it probably is, but I remember sitting on the couch in my livingroom when it was first broadcast, I was in highschool at the time and enjoying it a lot.


That's the cartoon! That was "I Yubba Dubba Do!" (get it? "I Yubba Dubba Do" - a take on "I Do").

[Mr. Semaj]

I saw parts of the Yogi Christmas Special on Boomerang last year, but I don't care to see it in full, because the art is so ugly.

There were quite a few Flintstones Christmas tales.

-One was the original from 1964 where Fred plays Santa at a mall.
-Another is from the 70's where Fred is asked to play Santa again (in this one, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm can talk! :eek: )
-One from the 90's features a grown-up Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (where the adults remained the same age for some reason...)
-The other is, of course, the 1,999,999,998th rendition of A Christmas Carol, which despite that, I wanted to see in full.

Concerning terrible Christmas specials: For those who haven't seen Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (director Phil Roman), please don't.

[Dell Comics Fan]

[QUOTE=MF TOON]Nope, the one I was referring to involved Pebbles and Bam-Bam getting married or something, possibly having a baby. As I remember, the network was making a big deal of it at the time. It sounds horrendous and it probably is, but I remember sitting on the couch in my livingroom when it was first broadcast, I was in highschool at the time and enjoying it a lot.

You are describing two different made-for-TV movies: "I Yabba Dabba Do!"
(1992; ABC), in which Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm marry; and "Hollyrock-a-Bye
Baby" (1993; ABC), in which Pebbles gives birth. [Thanks to the late, great
Bill Hanna for his biography, "A CAST OF FRIENDS," which includes a complete
list of every TV show and movie (plus some great photos). If only the late Joe Barbera's book, "MY LIFE IN TOONS," had been as satisfying ... not a single :tomcat: :jerry: illustration in a book about a cartoon producer! Very disappointing.]

[BloodyChamp]

The Return of Frosty. Yikes~!

[FlapperPrower]

I saw parts of the Yogi Christmas Special on Boomerang last year, but I don't care to see it in full, because the art is so ugly.

There were quite a few Flintstones Christmas tales.

-One was the original from 1964 where Fred plays Santa at a mall.
-Another is from the 70's where Fred is asked to play Santa again (in this one, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm can talk! :eek: )
-One from the 90's features a grown-up Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm (where the adults remained the same age for some reason...)
-The other is, of course, the 1,999,999,998th rendition of A Christmas Carol, which despite that, I wanted to see in full.

Concerning terrible Christmas specials: For those who haven't seen Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (director Phil Roman), please don't.

I believe alot of people have seen Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer due to Cartoon Network constantly airing it every December. I don't like it honestly.

[Marty26]

The Return of Frosty. Yikes~!

I haven't seen that one. But I have seen Frosty The Snowman and Frosty's Winter Wonderland. What was wrong with The Return Of Frosty?

[BloodyChamp]

I haven't seen that one. But I have seen Frosty The Snowman and Frosty's Winter Wonderland. What was wrong with The Return Of Frosty?

Absolutely gross! To cheesy and cheaply made!

[ThePeterNetwork]

The only thing I didn't like about rewatching Yogi's First Christmas was the corney songs in it. Talk about yuck! :shame: <- (barf bag)

I would rather Boomerang rerun the Pac-Man Christmas special, since I taped it once, and now I don't know what I did with the tape. 'Twould make sense since I taped nearly almost every Pac-Man cartoon there was.

[Jon Cooke]

As a kid, I remember Yogi's First Christmas airing on a local station over the course of a week in half-hour installments. Each day's "episode" began with a recap (in rhyme) about what happened the previous day. I never saw it in its original two-hour movie format until years later on TNT. I doubt I'd be able to sit through it now.

If you really want to see a terrible one, look for Casper's First Christmas from Hanna-Barbera which featured the Yogi gang as guest stars (and those stock H-B Christmas songs that seem to show up in EVERY H-B holiday special).

[Studio Toledo]

Concerning terrible Christmas specials: For those who haven't seen Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (director Phil Roman), please don't.
I'm still not sure what or why someone thought they could turn a rather amusing li'l ditty into that!

[Studio Toledo]

Absolutely gross! To cheesy and cheaply made!
The full title is 'Frosty Returns", and was animated by Bill Melendez productions as a sort of 'unofficial' sequel to the Rankin-Bass specials (design/animation-wise, not really there aside from the conventions).

[CyberFox]

"Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer" is not THAT bad

"Billy and Mandy Saves Christmas" on the other hand, is just plain rediculous!

[Alf]

My vote for the WORST Christmas T.V. special ever goes for A CHRISTMAS STORY, made in 1971 by Hanna-Barbera. For starters, the title itself is unimaginative. The story is plain dull -about a boy who has forgotten to mail his letter to Santa so his pets, a dog and a mouse, try to deliver it personally- and the animation is simply neither better nor worse than their then-current Sat. A.M. fare (to give yourselves an idea, this was made two years after Scooby Doo´s debut, which marked the beginning of the decline of H-B´s product). H-B also made a Thanksgiving special of similar quality that same year, THE THANKSGIVING THAT WASN´T.

[Dell Comics Fan]

"Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer" is not THAT bad

"Billy and Mandy Saves Christmas" on the other hand, is just plain rediculous!

I have "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on video tape. It isn't the worst
TV special by any means, but it was rather a disappointment ... mainly because
they made the character in the song "Cousin Mel" a woman ... and in the mold of
the wicked stepmother in "Cinderella" or the governess in "Heidi." As someone said here or on another message board, it would have been funnier if they had given the project to someone like Jeff Foxworthy. A "redneck" version ... now THAT would have been worth seeing again and again!

OT: Another TV special that I do enjoy seeing every Christmas is the underrated and overlooked "Annabell's Wish," produced by Ralph Edwards (of
all people) and narrated by country singer Randy Travis. It's cute without
being cloying and sentimental without being sappy and has a great voice
cast, including Jerry Van Dyke, Jim Varney and Cloris Leachman.

[Ray Pointer]

I'm watching Yogi's First Christmas on Boomerang right now... whoooa is this bad! The last time I've seen this must've been on video rental in the late 80's. What ugly designs and colors! This is one of the worst ever; it's funny what time does to an impressionable kid's perspective on these things.


I also watched The Flintstones Christmas Carol from the mid-90's yesterday. Apparently Warner Bros. felt that of all possible Hanna-Barbera holiday themed specials, this was most fitting for a DVD release? Yikes! At least some effort towards aesthetically pleasing character designs and animation was retained in this over the late-70's/80's HB stuff. Still a big misfire. I remember watching another early 90's Flintstones Christmas primetime special in highschool that at the time, I enjoyed considerably. I remember a big deal being made of it too, with lots of network promotion. Perhaps this was the modern stone age family's big animated revival since the 70's (of course there was The Flintstone Kids program in the 80's)? I wonder if I'd feel the same way now about the earlier special... Was the original Flintstone Christmas any good? It's been forever since I've seen that one. I wonder if it's worth refreshing my memory... Were all the original actors and cast brought back?

The FLINTSTONES Christmas television episode was good, and had some nice songs. The reason why the later efforts were poor is largely due to the
political corporate influence of H-B under Taft Broadcasting, later Great American Broadcasting, and finally Turner. It was also largely due to a lesser involvement of the founders, Hanna and Barbera in the directing of the specials, which were in the hands of hack directors. This is just another example of why it is so difficult to recreate past properties years later. When the inspiration is absent, it impossible to match the original quality and momentum once it is stopped.

[Ray Pointer]

I have "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on video tape. It isn't the worst
TV special by any means, but it was rather a disappointment ... mainly because
they made the character in the song "Cousin Mel" a woman ... and in the mold of
the wicked stepmother in "Cinderella" or the governess in "Heidi." As someone said here or on another message board, it would have been funnier if they had given the project to someone like Jeff Foxworthy. A "redneck" version ... now THAT would have been worth seeing again and again!

OT: Another TV special that I do enjoy seeing every Christmas is the underrated and overlooked "Annabell's Wish," produced by Ralph Edwards (of
all people) and narrated by country singer Randy Travis. It's cute without
being cloying and sentimental without being sappy and has a great voice
cast, including Jerry Van Dyke, Jim Varney and Cloris Leachman.

While GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER was a hit novelty song, the concept is rather dreadful as a Christmas Special. A forgotten special produced in the latter years of Hanna-Barbera is JEROMY CREEK, narrated by Dick Van Dyke. This is the story of a boy named Jeromy Creek who is greedy, and sends a long list to Santa Claus. Santa thinks this is enough to give to an entire town, and discovers that there is a town with the name Jeromy Creek that is disadvantaged. So Santa showers the disadvantaged town with the gifts which are need there. It was nicely designed, but the narration and read by Van Dyke was not well directed and could have been better.

[MF TOON]

The FLINTSTONES Christmas television episode was good, and had some nice songs. The reason why the later efforts were poor is largely due to the
political corporate influence of H-B under Taft Broadcasting, later Great American Broadcasting, and finally Turner. It was also largely due to a lesser involvement of the founders, Hanna and Barbera in the directing of the specials, which were in the hands of hack directors. This is just another example of why it is so difficult to recreate past properties years later. When the original is absent, it impossible to match the original quality and momentum once it is stopped.

I do remember the original episode, it aired in one of the later seasons (S5 maybe?) and was very well made. There was however, a holiday special a good twenty-thirty years before all the later Flintstones revivals that must've broadcast sometime in the early 70's, titled simply, "A Flintstone Christmas". This is the one that I am curious about; I don't recall having ever seen this and it's rarely if ever rerun on any of the networks during their holiday packages anymore... It's be nice if one of the channels would broadcast this one year instead of all the drudge from the late 70's/80's HB studio and the more recent 90's specials.

[Dell Comics Fan]

While GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER was a hit novelty song, the concept is rather dreadful as a Christmas Special. A forgotten special produced in the latter years of Hanna-Barbera is JEROMY CREEK, narrated by Dick Van Dyke. This is the story of a boy named Jeromy Creek who is greedy, and sends a long list to Santa Claus. Santa thinks this is enough to give to an entire town, and discovers that there is a town with the name Jeromy Creek that is disadvantaged. So Santa showers the disadvantaged town with the gifts which are need there. It was nicely designed, but the narration and read by Van Dyke was not well directed and could have been better.

The Jeremy Creek cartoon is actually titled "THE TOWN SANTA FORGOT." I also
taped that one and watch it every year about this time. Another good one
(which, I think, aired back to back with "THE TOWN SANTA FORGOT") was
"THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS," written by Romeo Muller (who wrote most
of the classic Rankin/Bass specials). Very clever story.

[CyberFox]

Romeo Muller's "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a good special
but, Romeo Muller's "Noel" is very awkward

"Noel" tells a story about a ornament that came to life via a glass blower's tear after he found out that his wife got preggers

If you saw the special, You might have crapped your pants of how utterly bizzare the concept is

[Bugsy-Kun]

but, Romeo Muller's "Noel" is very awkward

"Noel" tells a story about a orniment that came to life via a glass blower's tear after he found out that his wife got preggers


Did you mean "Noel Noel", a canadian animated special?

[CyberFox]

Did you mean "Noel Noel", a canadian animated special?

Nope, The special is called "Noel"

[Dell Comics Fan]

Romeo Muller's "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a good special
but, Romeo Muller's "Noel" is very awkward

"Noel" tells a story about a ornament that came to life via a glass blower's tear after he found out that his wife got preggers

If you saw the special, You might have crapped your pants of how utterly bizzare the concept is

I saw it once, but either I didn't bother to tape it or didn't bother to keep it!

[Matthew Hunter]

By far the worst I've ever seen was "Rudolph's Christmas in July"...the less said about that lump of coal, the better!

[Dell Comics Fan]

It didn't do too well at the box office, either. (Yes, believe it or not, it was

released as a theatrical feature film, in the summer of 1979.) Although it
featured all the biggest stars of the Rankin/Bass TV specials, it was badly
timed. In Rick Goldschmidt's book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS,
producer Arthur Rankin is quoted: "It was not a resounding success when it
opened in the summer. I think it ran for two or three weeks and it was not the
hit we thought it would be. Over the years it has become a valuable property
as a television movie and cassette sales are very active too."

This marks the last time Rankin/Bass would use their "Animagic" process in a
feature film and the last time they would animate Rudolph and Frosty. Goldschmidt says, "The movie is a bit long at ninety-seven minutes and has
many plot twists."

I haven't seen it myself in many years, so I don't have any comments to add.

[cpdavison]

From The Onion AV CLUB site:

Ghosts Of Christmas Past: 15 Mostly Forgotten Holiday Artifacts (http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/ghosts_of_christmas_past_15)

FWIW...

Craig D.

[CyberFox]

The Little Drummer Boy, Book II is probably an unneeded sequel
I mean the original ended on a high note, What gave Rankin/Bass the idea of doing the sequel?

[Dell Comics Fan]

According to Rick Goldschmidt's book The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass (1997): "This sequel is every bit as good as the original, even though it was

made eight years later." The Academy must have thought it was better than
the original: the sequel received an Emmy nomination.

[Vdubdavid]

Romeo Muller's "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a good special
but, Romeo Muller's "Noel" is very awkward

"Noel" tells a story about a ornament that came to life via a glass blower's tear after he found out that his wife got preggers

If you saw the special, You might have crapped your pants of how utterly bizzare the concept is

I remember that, tuning it in on Fox/ABC Family channel about five minutes after the start. So that was how the ornament came to life!

Boy, the Family channel was just wall-to-wall mediocrity when it came to the holidays, wasn't/isn't it!

[CyberFox]

I remember that, tuning it in on Fox/ABC Family channel about five minutes after the start. So that was how the ornament came to life!

Boy, the Family channel was just wall-to-wall mediocrity when it came to the holidays, wasn't/isn't it!

Not really
"Jingle Bell Rap" and "Aliens First Christmas" are decent christmas specials
The makers of those 2 specials are still in business, this is their recent work: http://www.crawfordthecat.com/index1.html

[Surenity]

For me, nothing ever comes close to the He-Man She-Ra Christmas Special, I grew up with it and it is so campy and corny it's painful..and yet thats why I love it so much. Nothing warms ones heart like seeing Skeletor come down with a case of the Christmas spirit and save those Earth children from Horde Prime.

[geekzapoppin]

I know this is OT from discussing bad Christmas shows, but I'd give my right arm for a decent copy of Richard Williams' CHRISTMAS CAROL. The library where I work has a worn-out VHS copy of it. I think I'm the only one who checks it out. :(

I'll second FROSTY RETURNS as being dreadful. I watched it when it first aired, mistakenly thinking that Rankin/Bass had made a new special. What a letdown!

I also think that THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS is such a 180 from the other Rankin/Bass specials in tone that I hate that it was their last foray into Animagic.

[ThePeterNetwork]

Actually, I thought that The Life And Adventures of Santa Claus was rather entertaining with its L. Frank Baum fantasy background. And the actor who played Cliff Huxtable's dad on the Cosby Show (I forget his name) did a great job as a villian VA. Despite it being dark in nature, the fantasy element really enhances the Santa Claus pseudo-myth (Santa was indeed a real person: Remember Saint Nicholas?). I wish they'd release this on DVD around the holidays.

[Acme]

I do remember the original episode, it aired in one of the later seasons (S5 maybe?) and was very well made. There was however, a holiday special a good twenty-thirty years before all the later Flintstones revivals that must've broadcast sometime in the early 70's, titled simply, "A Flintstone Christmas". This is the one that I am curious about; I don't recall having ever seen this and it's rarely if ever rerun on any of the networks during their holiday packages anymore... It's be nice if one of the channels would broadcast this one year instead of all the drudge from the late 70's/80's HB studio and the more recent 90's specials.

The 90 special you were talking about is, "The Flintstones' Family Christmas". A half-hour special about Fred befriending a young homeless boy named Stoney on a Christmas. Boomerang played it this year, well last year. lol. Pebbles and Bam-Bam's kids appear in it as well.

P.S.

If you want a bad Flintstones special look no further than Cave Kids. lol Doesn't anybody else remeber this Flintstone spinoff in the late 90s about baby Pebbles and Bam-Bam. It is a preschool show.

[nickramer]

P.S.

If you want a bad Flintstones special look no further than Cave Kids. lol Doesn't anybody else remeber this Flintstone spinoff in the late 90s about baby Pebbles and Bam-Bam. It is a preschool show.

Yeah, saw it on Warner's IN2TV site. I was hoping no one else here would see it. Guess I shou've warned about when it was first upload on site. Sheesh, what a terrible idea.

[Acme]

Yeah, saw it on Warner's IN2TV site. I was hoping no one else here would see it. Guess I shou've warned about when it was first upload on site. Sheesh, what a terrible idea.

I thought that it was an interesting idea to get the francise up and running againg for a new generation but poorly done and thought out.

[The Silver Fox]

Pinocos(sp) xmas special, R/B last short before closing in 85-6 was one

of the poorly planed specials, this pops up on ABC fam now.

Another that comes to mind, Grandma got run over by a raindeer,
Red boots for xmas(this aired on local stations good story but the animation
was alittle disapointing).

the clamation Xmas was another that didnt' seem to hit a note for me either,
though the Ca Rasons did do a good recreation of The Temptations verson of
Rudolp the red nose raindeer. The rest was a disapointment.

Daffy's Xmas Carol was another that was not though well though those who work for Wallmart may wonder if this is for real. (its a joke, no pun intended).

also Pup named Scooby doo xmas show (barf).. Please tell WB to Kill this
show, archive and burry this version..