Advent Calendar House

Latest Episodes:

Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

🎄 In Part 2 of our Disney Christmas double feature, Mickey and the rest of the Fab Five — and Daisy, who’s somehow less important than the dog — enter the third-dimension.

🎙️ Drew Crowley and John Dedeke from The Hourchive return for “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas,” the main mouse’s first 3D-animated special.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

If you haven’t been to a Disney theme park in the last year or two, Mickey has a different face now.

The hippo and crocodile from “Fantasia” have names.

Chuck McCann (Santa) was the Dreamfinder in the original Journey Into Imagination.

The grumpy dog who keeps showing up only to get beverages spilled on him is the Stan Lee of the Mickey Mouse universe, which I only mention because we recorded this the day after Stan died.

Between the Goofys and the Plutos of this universe, there are talking reindeer who can own pets.

The Hidden Mickeys Podcast.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #2000s #disney

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Dec 19, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Live from the Turducken Hunger Games comes Part 1 of a Disney Christmas double feature featuring Mickey Mouse and his pals.

🎙️ Drew Crowley and John Dedeke from The Hourchive help me attempt to make sense of time, space, and the Disney fowl food chain as we watch Disney’s 1999 direct to video Christmas special.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

Donald Duck’s comically enormous, fanmade family tree.

Happy Duck to the Future Day!

The “Quack Pack” intro will tell you everything you need to know about “Quack Pack.”

Donald Jr., a tiny, semi-realistic duck introduced in “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.”

The Fab Five supposedly live in the fictional U.S. state of Calisota, on the Pacific coast.

Pete has been a cat this entire time!

Pete smokes a cigar, something since reportedly banned from Disney movies, despite still showing up in Disney movies.

Recycled animation alert: Mickey’s wacky, tongue-waggling dance first appeared in 1942’s “Mickey’s Birthday Party.”

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1990s #disney #christmaseveryday #giftofthemagi

He-Man/She-Ra: A Christmas Special Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

🎄 By the power of Grayskull, the only holiday podcast with Battle Damage action is back to be nice, kind, and wonderful to 1985’s He-Man and She-Ra Christmas special, in which Skeletor’s heart grows three sizes.

🎙️ Brandon Medley and Chad Young are here to help me identify everyone at Eternia’s first ever Christmas party. And Brandon’s dog stops by because he heard us talking about the Beast Monster!

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

He-Man and She-Ra are between 18 and 21 years old and gave children unreasonable expectations of what they’d look like when they grow up.

Greyskull Wiki has an entire section of Queen Marlena’s entry dedicated to speculating about her religion.

The Monstroids exist because the makers of He-Man toys want you to believe giant robots that can transform are evil.

Skeletor and Hordak are basically Miracle Max and his wife from “The Princess Bride.”

This may have been the first time I’d ever seen someone yank off Santa’s beard.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1980s #filmation

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Tonight in the Advent Calendar House, we’re doing the same thing we do every night… watchin’ a bunch of holiday specials!

🎙️ Joey O. and special guest Joey Letson from The Animanicast joins the mission to apply North Pole to Pinky and the Brain’s 1996 Christmas special, probably the closest the lab mouse duo ever got to actually taking over the world.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

This special won the 1996 Primetime Emmy award for outstanding animated program.

Joey O. interviewed Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche.

The Animanicast interview with Maurice LaMarche.

“Powerhouse,” Warner Bros.’ go-to “assembly line” music.

io9 ranked this episode dead last among the Brain’s plans to take over the world.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1990s #warnerbros

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas Dec 16, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Listen in as we gush over a 1977 Muppet Christmas special that probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

🎙️ Emily Rowley drops in to marvel at Kermit riding a bicycle, watch a drum roll out a door too many times to count, and rock out to the Riverbottom Nightmare Band. Pa would’ve loved this podcast.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

Muppet Wiki has the lowdown of all 5 cuts of this.

The official outtake reel and the one with the drum roll.

Of Muppets and Men: The Making of The Muppet Show.

The Christmas Price Index.

The “ass sliding” scene from “Rad.”

Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold sing “When the River Meets the Sea” at Jim Henson’s memorial.

The Can’t Wait for Christmas podcast on Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1970s #muppets #giftofthemagi

Saved by the Bell - Home for Christmas Dec 15, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Hang on to your creepy mistletoe hat as we hit the Bayside Mall for a 2-part “Saved by the Bell” Christmas special from 1991.

🎙️ Chad Young and Tommy Coombs drop in to watch Zack get way too shook upon learning the latest girl of his dreams is homeless.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

Chad’s write-up on “Home for Christmas” from 2013.

That time WWE’s Daniel Bryan got fired for choking out an announcer.

Puppy Surprise, the dog that’s pregnant.

Dustin Diamond’s terrible heel turn on “Celebrity Fit Club.”

Homer Simpson beat Screech to the “What’s the number for 911?” joke by a year in “Bart vs. Thanksgiving.”

Who waits until Christmas Eve to buy a tree?

The Evolution of the Zack Morris phone.

Funny or Die: The Time Zack Morris Gave Himself A Homeless Girl For Christmas.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1990s

Batman: The Animated Series - Christmas with the Joker Dec 14, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Coming to you from Gotham City, it’s the podcast nobody wanted to see, but everyone will hear.

🎙️ Jay from the Purple Stuff Podcast and Joey O. drop in to spend Christmas with the Joker on a 1992 episode of “Batman: The Animated Series.”

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

The crowdsourced origins of Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.

More discussion on “Christmas with the Joker” on Batman: The Animated Podcast and The Arkham Sessions.

Gotham City is in New Jersey.

Mark Hamill’s original performance as Ferris Boyle in “Heart of Ice.”

“Comic Book: The Movie.”

Mark Hamill’s longtime obsession with David Letterman.

Charles Manson apparently spent this Christmas at Arkham Asylum before spending a later Christmas in Nebraska on “South Park.”

Joker’s “Laffy” hand puppet reminds us of Señor Wences. His upside-down mouth puppet is even weirder.

Betty Blooper looks like Toot from “Drawn Together.”

Of course the Joker is hiding out at the Laffco Toy Factory. Look at it!

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1990s #warnerbros #dc #comics

The Small One Dec 13, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Part 2 of our Christmas donkey double feature presents a completely different origin story of the donkey who carried Mary to Bethlehem.

🎙️ Lindy Kempe and Brandon Medley return to talk “The Small One,” Don Bluth’s last Disney project, released in front of the 1978 re-release of “Pinocchio.”

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

The original book, “The Small One: A Story for Those Who Like Christmas and Small Donkeys.”

“Dragon’s Lair.”

The Land Before Time toys from Pizza Hut.

Mouse in Transition: When Everyone Left Disney (Cartoon Brew, 2014)

Don Bluth visited Walt Disney Animation Studios 40 years later.

Assistant director Richard Rich went on to direct all 8 Swan Princess movies. (I’m sorry if you just learned there are 8 Swan Princess movies.)

One piece of silver, adjusted for inflation.

Edits for home video include the Merchants’ song, and the Star of Bethlehem getting extra rays of light to look less cross-shaped. To avoid too much foreshadowing, I guess.

Gordon Jump, the voice of Joseph, was on a very special episode of “Diff’rent Strokes.” Yeah. Sorry.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1970s #disney #nativity

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

🎄 Extend your ears as we revisit a lesser-known Rankin/Bass special from 1977 that unravels a new side quest to the Nativity story.

🎙️ Lindy Kempe and Brandon Medley droop in to salute “Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” the first of a Christmas donkey double feature.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

Roger Miller performing “Do Wacka Do” in 1966 with another guitarist, “Stubbs,” who’s wearing a Batman T-shirt.

Roger Miller’s “Whistle Stop” in Disney’s “Robin Hood” is secretly the Hamster Dance.

Tilly’s ascension back to heaven is strikingly similar to Poochie’s exit from “The Itchy and Scratchy Show.”

Mary has the Glow from “The Last Dragon.”

Annalee Santa dolls.

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1970s #rankinbass #nativity

Jingle Bell Rap Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

🎄 We dug down like dogs to the bottom of the VHS bargain bin and found “Jingle Bell Rap,” an overlooked special from 1991 that had all the potential to become a Christmas classic, but none of the airtime.

🎙️ Chad Young drops in to introduce me to this special from Perennial Pictures, a studio that managed to spend the entire 1990s producing a whole slew of holiday specials I never knew about till now.

📺 You can watch “Jingle Bell Rap” in Tubi.

****

💬 Topics & Tangents:

“Jingle Bell Rap” on Perennial Pictures.

Fruity Pebbles’ “Master Rapper” commercial.

Shout-out to the Cult Film Club and “Plot in 60 Seconds.”

Rollover’s dad looks like angry Homer Simpson.

Ralph Wiggum’s heart breaks in slow motion.

New Kids on the Block perform “Funky Funky Xmas” on “The Arsenio Hall Show.”

****

Find us at adventcalendar.house.

#s2 #1990s