Is the ability to fly also a genetic trait? Is it dominant or recessive?
I vividly remember being gobsmacked as a young child when I learned that reindeer were real animals, which existed outside Santa’s domain at the North Pole, and that they couldn’t fly. I asked my mother why Santa’s reindeer could fly. She hypothesized that they were some kind of hybrid. I imagined a reindeer-eagle hybrid, although I was too young to consider the difficulties of such a pairing.
I don’t see how one could hybridize or otherwise crossbreed reindeer such that they do not have to obey the laws of science. Without magic, you are not going to get a reindeer aloft for any decently measurable amount of time. It is possible, I suppose, that such magic (should it exist) could prolong reindeer life, but the additional physical stress that would come from requiring 8 “tiny” reindeer to lug several tons of toys through a manic single-night worldwide annual multi-stop distribution of those toys would surely negate any youth preservation powers the magic might give to these reindeer. I’d give 'em 10 years of service, max. Then it’s out of Christmastown one way or the other.
Note there is not a single elderly reindeer anywhere in Rudolph. Not one. The senior deer cease to exist. Claus family food?
They go to the afterlife where they help ghosts carry boos.
I could go for some booze. Do I need to be on the nice list or the naughty list?
You’re on the Nice list, as far as I’m concerned. I’ll put in a word for you with Santa.
I re-watched this last night. I’m sure this has probably been discussed already:
What’s with that dull mauve color scheme in the interiors of Santa’s home/workshops? Especially in Santa’s dining room. No wonder Santa had no appetite. A dull grayish-purple hue on the walls, the table, the china, and the silverware would put me off my feed, too.
It didn’t seem to work. Ol Santa still has quite a full figure.
Watched this again last night. There was something that had never occurred to me before (I don’t know if it is mentioned somewhere in the thread). At the very end Yukon Cornelius seems to take for granted that he can start strip-mining peppermint just a few hundred feet from Santa’s workshop. It seems like the type of thing that could get tied up in litigation, though.
I feel like there are probably few laws regarding peppermint mining at the North Pole by individuals. However surely any environmental impact must be considered. (Perhaps it was the release of some toxic element from the mining that caused nearby Hermie to collapse at the excavation site there at the end of the show.) Perhaps this readily available peppermint creates many of the mental issues the NP residents must endure.
Maybe Yukon’ll be paying kickbacks to Santa. Some of that sweet, sweet peppermint money to make the right jolly old elf look the other way, y’know?
I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but I have a memory of the misfit toys being delivered to disable kids at the end. I watched it this year and it just shows the misfit toys being given umbrellas and parachuting out of the sleigh. Did I imagine the kids actually getting the toys?
Yes, you did (imagine it).
Ah, thanks. I hadn’t watched it in years. Man, Santa was a dick.
Today’s the 60th Anniversary:
Cool. Years ago I came around to really consider that a classic.
Also there’s the MadTV version that Martin Scorcese made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWz7d7Bb2eU
That’s Oscar bait, right there.
And the 24th anniversary of this thread.
There’s probably nothing I can add at this point, so I’ll just say, welcome back, old thread!
Man, I watched it with my teenaged kids tonight (their first time seeing it), and it was even worse than I remember. And from what I remember from my childhood, it was terrible. Bordeline unwatchable. Every time I watched it as a kid, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. The only thing that kept me watching it 40-odd years ago was that it was a “classic” and it just seemed like I had to watch it. The only thing that kept us going through the 60 minutes of claymation torture tonight was that we were MST3K-ing it and making each other laugh.
Worst. Holiday. Special. Ever.
I don’t agree, but even at its worst, it isn’t as bad as the Star Wars Holiday special.
It’s still much more good than bad IMHO, but yeah, it’s got… issues.