Tired Old Tunes or... Timeless Icons of the
Christmas Mythos?
I
really like "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Now... Shirley Temple's "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," on the other hand, I can kind of see why it's arguably fallen more or less into obscurity down through
the year, but Rudolph? Write a catchy little jingle like that - that catches on like
wildfire, is covered by an increasing number of musicians, each and every year, is played annually for decades on end -
and you'd be set for life!
Sure, that little song is terribly commercial, and not everyone does a good rendition of it, but
let's not forget that songs like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" are now
a HUGE part of the entire pop culture Christmas mythos.
Perhaps the Nativity scenario depicted in "The Little Drummer Boy" is more appropriate to the subject matter (from a faith based
standpoint), but Rudolph and Frosty are more or less superheroes in the pantheon of Christmas lore, dude. Oldie but goodie
vintage songs like "I'm My Own Grandpa" will almost certainly never even come close to that.
There's Always Tomorrow For Dreams to Come True
When
it comes to Christmas television specials that have had action figures based on them, it's pretty hard to beat the 1964
animated Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer from Rankin/Bass. The video excerpt below is by far, my favorite song from my favorite Christmas show
from years gone by. Such a great message in this song, too.
And
check out THIS gorgeous video! LextheRobot is surpisingly humble about his fantastic "work in progress." "For
about ten years," he says in his YouTube description of the video, "I've been collecting the Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer action figures, based off the classic 'Island of Misfit Toys' Rankin-Bass holiday film.
"Two years ago, I shot these photos re-creating specific frames of the original.
The toys were so perfectly sculpted by the various companies (Playing Mantis, Memory Lane, and now Forever Fun) that it required very little in the way of set dressing to evoke the visuals. A white tablecloth, a large
blue backdrop for sky, etc. I did use a couple of digital retouching cheats, but far fewer than you'd expect. The
bulk of these shots are just toys.
"I had hoped to haul them back out and finish the storyline this year,
but I just learned that I missed out on a few additional action figures the last couple of years, so I need to track those
down first. For now, enjoy the first half of the story, set to the proper music tracks, in the form of instrumentals
by the Decca Concert Orchestra, conducted by Herbert Rehbein."
Wow! A work in progress or not, if there were ever a more loving and creative tribute to
a time honored Christmas classic (or a better use for a personal action figure collection), I don't know what it
would be. Excellent work, Alex!
So
why can't every day be like Christmas? Or so asked Elvis Presley and so many other wonderful singing stars who've made the immortal classic their own over
the years.
At any rate, welcome to the wonderful world of Christmas toys that will forever inhabit
the dreams and timeless memories of children of all ages, wherever they may be found, throughout the Action
Figure Universe and throughout the ages.
Why
Elvis? If Elvis Presley couldn't be counted as a true action figure, I don't know who ever could
be. Naturally, down through the years, there have been lots of Elvis figures made, from statues to dolls to more posable
fare, but I for one would love to see the King immortalized as a more highly detailed and articulated action figure (say about
30 points of articulation, more or less) than what we've seen from Mattel's Barbie line, such as the Barbie Loves Elvis Collector Edition Gift Set from 1996.
And
the fabulous Elvis Christmas video by Paulisiae below? Well, I'd say it's pretty near perfect with its wonderfully chosen, colorful and well placed
imagery. However... at the end, the traditional greeting, "Merry Christmas!" needs an E in the word
"merry," instead of that silly old A. Oh well! Nothing's perfect,
I guess. And besides... what do ya think this is? Christmas!
This incredibly studious filmmaker's personal quest to visit the original shooting locations
of all his favorite movies is laudable enough, but the high levels of professionalism and craftsmanship that go into his fascinating video
logs smacks of museum quality preservation. You can also follow Mr. Attia on Facebook to stay up to date about his ongoing valiant quest to recapture timeless moments of classic movie magic.
"Stink, stank, stunk!"
What
do you get when you combine elements from two immortal and beloved classics? Well, The Sith Who Stole Christmas,
get you do! Happy Holidays, everybody! Sith and Jedi alike.
