Christmas Video Time

Hey everyone, it's getting close to the end of the year and another Festivus is almost upon us (Up your nose with a rubber hose, BillO the clown). I kid, of course, except about the part about BillO and the aforementioned hose, but as is becoming a tradition I'm starting, I'm going to put up a few YouTube Videos I think are so cool for the season.

First up is a little Ditty courtesy of the good folks at Crooks and Liars' terrific Late Night Music Club  which takes the Outkast hit "Hey Ya!" and mashes it up with my most favorite animated Christmas special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." I love how it's totally synched up to the music. ABC ran the spcial tonight and it's companion piece, "Happy Holidays, Charlie Brown," Which was produced a few years ago before Charles Schultz shuffled off his mortal coil and joined the Choir Invisibule (Bonus points if you know that reference).

Second is the first of those Midwestern Animated shorts that were staples on sets in Chicago, Milwaukee and all points "Fargo-esque." Some of you are familiar with the classic "Hardrock, Coco and Joe" but those of you who aren't this was a little stop-motion animated gem that, as I said ran on TV's across the Midwest. We out here on the Left Coast really missed out on something like this, all we ever had was than damn, "Currier and Ives Christmas" loop that was as ubiquidous to Los Angeles sets at Christmas as the WPIX Yule Log was to Manhattan and the Boroughs. First, here's the classic tale of the three dwarfs who drive Santa's seld every year...

Second is the tale of everyone's favorite bundle of shave ice come to life, Frosty the Snowman. It's done in the same manner as HCJ but it literally follows the song that made everyone's favorite frost bitten friend so famous. Ironically, the creators of this version, UPA (United Productions of America) ushered in the era of the "Limited Animation" style of production, which utilized a more contemporary design and Stylized movement of the characters, something that would become the staple of the Hanna-Barbera studios in the 60's.

Finally, the third of the so-called "Midwestern Trilogy," was the story of Suzy Snowflake. This one, which premiered on Chicago's  WBBM just after Christmas day 1953. This has also become a beloved staple of the Christmas season. The Museum of Broadcast Communications offers all three of these, along with the animated take of Peter Cottontail, also another Midwest stapale at the Easter season. 

So Enjoy, and stay tuned for the annual "Yule Log" playlist on Christmas eve