Novelty Christmas Music

Our American Odysseus, the wascally wabbit, has been a staple of our culture from the ‘thirties. According to Guinness World Records, he (it) is the ninth most portrayed film figure world wide. I guess he’s okay because how he made Mel Blanc famous (many decades later).

A resurgence in Merrie Meoldies/Looney Toons came around with the end of the millennium infantilism that celebrated protracted second childhoods. That’s when most of the Christmas albums that thought it was a hoot to have cartoon voices sing serious carols came out.

The concept album Kwazy Christmas sells a tale of all the talking animals festing at Granny’s house (her of the bird/cat ownership). It’s too hard to say goodbye at the end of the album, so they all goof on “Carol of the Looney Toons Bells.” That taste should give you an idea why we loved/hated all the ADHD we inspired in the ’90s.

A Looney Toons Sing-a-Long came out in 2007 and featured each character cracking wise and performing trads.

But before that, in 2003, a more original (less Mel Blanc, who passed in ’89) album of more original songs (Christmas with the Looney Toons) came out with…

Pepe LePew singing “Christmas in Paree.” This nugget takes its continental time to run the joke song. Bravo.

Tweety Bird singing “I Tawt I Taw Ol’ Tanty Claus” evoking real Blanc-ian mania. Cute, if heavy on sound fx.

Daffy Duck singing “All I Want for Christmas is More, More, More.” Fricative, frenzied fun.

[Both these albums have been recycled in newer releases. ]

The Looney Toons Show from 2002 helped rediscover slapstick if not adult-disapproved violence. “Christmas Rules” brings us excitedly into the new century.

I want to spend some time on real Mel Blanc. One of his last Looney Toons assignments was a 1974 Peter Pan Records album-readalong-book called Holly Daze. He does all the voices, just like in his hayday.

“I Love Snow” is bugs convincing Holly Daze (Yosemite Sam) that winter outside the desert can be cool.

Convincing Jr. Bunny that “Christmas Isn’t Christmas Without Santa Claus” only takes a short song as well.

Perhaps most child friendly, “Do You Believe in Santa Claus?” grays the area between secular and faith. Adorbs!

Cartoon Art Carney Yogi Bear was a guest-starring cartoon on The Huckleberry Hound Show for a couple years before he got his own title. He may have hummed scat incessantly, but it took a while to get some Christmas songs out of him, the godless beast.

In 1980 the special ‘Yogi’s First Christmas’ was broadcast to mild notice. It’s a contest with an evil dude to save the lodge at Yellowstone Park, or something.

Speaking of irreligiousity, [RERUN] Cindy Bear sings a “Mistletoe Song” about macking on the Yogi, which terrfies and delights Boo Boo bear.

“It’s Our Favorite Time of the Year” seems like the same song from the Flintstones, but listen carefully. It’s worse.

The opening number kicks off the whole magilla with a bevvy of guest stars (no Yogi) singing. “Coming up Christmas Time” is a kidddie classic.

This kid-friendly ‘Honeymooners’ aired originally from 1960 to 1966, but plays on forever in many incarnations.

Rerun: In 1964, Fred as Santa sang the picture book Christmas story of “Dino the Dinosaur’s Christmas Tree.” Kiddy kitsch: it’s as good as the show got.

Rerun: The next year an album was dropped featuring the arrested development infants Pebbles and Bam-Bam. It’s all trad carols except for one experimental number, “Snowflake.” Not bad for children’s counterculture lite rock.

Other albums include 1999’s A Flintstone Motown Christmas, with talky intros about getting lost to a Christmas show intercut with songs from The Temptations, and The Jackson 5, and more. Skip it.

Christmas in Bedrock Special Edition (also w/impersonators) cashed in the same year from Rhino Records . It’s amazingly ’80s pop as in “The Flintstone Way” (a shout out from Wilma to give to charity),

and “Sleigh Ride” (Betty’s simple wish to spend time with her hubby instead of getting spendy gifts).

These are working class folk, after all.

But way back in 1977 the holiday special ‘A Flintstone Christmas’ told the story of Fred filling in for a malingering Santa. It had songs, some recycled (yaknow ‘cuz they were so good).

“Hope is a Christmas Tree” gets used many years later in a Yogi Bear holiday special. This is mama Wilma’s lullaby to baby P. Yawn, excuse me.

Fred and Barney go gleefully nuts in Santa’s workshop with their “Brand New Kind of Christmas Song.” Only a kid would sing along.

“Which One is the Real Santa Claus?” was originally in another Hanna Barbera cartoon special from a few years before. ttipoopfinal has thoughtfully double screened these two for your comparison.

For my money “It’s My Favorite time of Year” has the pathos and hubris the show is most affective for.