With droves of imaginary Santa's flocking to Foster's, Mac's Christmas faith is shaken and Bloo sets out to prove the jolly old elf is real. A Christmas-version ofthe show's music kicks things off as Mac heads to Foster's in the snow, noticing snow-versions of Wilt, Coco, and Eduardo along the way. Inside, everyone is preparing for the holidays, with Coco providing ornaments for the others to decorate with. Wilt handles the tree, though Bloo eats the candy canes, and Madame Foster struggles to make a popcorn garland. Eduardo comes down wearing a wreath and with his horns painted with stripes, and hangs mistletoe from one. He declares it a "Merry 'Kissmas'" and runs down to smooch Bloo. Everyone is overjoyed when Mac comes in, especially the kissy Ed, and Wilt reveals they've saved the tree's star for him. Wilt and the others are excited because this is their first Christmas with Mac and Bloo, but their joy is interrupted when Herriman begins ranting about not being able to find Frankie. Annoyed that she's probably holiday shopping, Herriman shows bills she has yet to pay and hops to his office in a huff; Mac calls him a Scrooge, but Wilt says he really isn't that bad, and always makes sure that every friend gets one Christmas present. Bloo is horrified by this, saying Moishe told him they get eight presents; Moishe, a dreidel imaginary friends, corrects that he gets eight. Bloo becomes frantic despite Wilt pointing out they don't have a lot of money, and Mac calms him by pointing out that Santa will bring all his presents to Foster's this year. To their surprise, Santa suddenly enters the house, and they begin worshiping him, though he says there's no need for such a show and asks what they want for Christmas. Mac is further confused, however, when another Santa enters the house, and he and the first begin competing to see who can offer Bloo the better gift. They eventually begin brawling, and Frankie shocks Mac again by leading in a swarm of Santas of all shapes, sizes, and colors, directing them to Herriman's office. After wishing Mac a merry Christmas Eve, she explains that every year, kids get so excited for Christmas that they imagine tons of Santas. When he sadly asks for confirmation that none were the real Santa, her response suggests that there isn't a real Santa. He begins wondering who he saw during Santa visits before, and after Bloo is kicked out of Herriman's office, Mac frantically tells him about the imaginary Santas and that he doesn't think there is a real Santa at all. Later in Bloo's room, Mac freaks out in the fetal position about his discovery, while his friend rants about what a terrible thing this is. Mac, of course, is upset that "everything in the world is a lie," but Bloo is just upset that he'll only be getting one present this year, from Herriman. Bloo decides that Mac is wrong and Santa exists, while Mac chides himself for believing in something as improbable as Santa Claus. Slapping Mac out of his funk, Bloo says they can't give up Santa without a fight, deciding to disprove Mac's theories about Santa being unbelievable. His first test comes at the stables: if reindeer can make the worldwide trip in a night, he believes their winged unicorns should be able to make it in an afternoon. Wilt, his unaware participant, is in the sleigh when Bloo sends the unicorns away, swearing that their friend will be back before dinner. On the roof, Bloo has Mac repeat what he said about Santa fitting down the chimney, and reveals he's going to have Eduardo go down theirs, in exchange for receiving a big, wet kiss that freezes his head, to his annoyance. As Bloo stomps away, Eduardo takes a page from the Grinch to reassure Mac that he'll be okay, saying that "If Santa can do it, so can I." The duo then goes to the mall to ask Santa how he can manufacture and provide brand-name toys, and mac slowly becomes hopeful, suggesting that Santa could simply be buying anything brand-name at the mall if he were to come each year. His hopes are shattered, however, when he is plopped down on Coco's lap, and though he says no one will believe her costume, all the kids seem to. As he leaves with Bloo, Mac trips and accidentally yanks off Coco's beard, disappointing the kids and even the manager, who says Coco lied about being the real Santa and fires her on the spot. Angry with Mac, Coco skis home as he tries to apologize, not knowing she needed the money for her vacation home; she declares that she's never going to speak to him again. Bloo says this is just a setback, and Ed and Wilt will confirm the truth, but they arrive at Foster's to find emergency service vehicles out front. A fireman assures Frankie as he leaves that Ed is fine, just stuck, but the chimney could collapse if they try to get him out, and a specialist can come by after the holidays. Frankie tells Mac that while Ed will be okay, Wilt has disappeared, as no one has seen him since that afternoon, and Mac agrees with her that it's a rotten Christmas Eve. Bloo brings up the one present issue again, but Mac merely sighs and goes inside. Madame Foster notices Mac moping around the house and calls him over to help with her sewing. She tells him she understands what he's going through; ever kid who celebrates Christmas experiences it at some point. Though it's an unfortunate rite of passage, she says he'll feel fine soon enough, when the truth makes itself clear; she runs out of thread and ushers him away for the night so she can get more. Later that night, Bloo again whines about his present situation by the chimney, though Ed wants him to go to sleep so Santa will visit. As he selfishly complains, he tells Ed not to be selfish as Moishe comes up to brag about his eight presents again. Bloo eats Santa's snacks, to Ed's displeasure, and remembers some kind of story about a stingy guy on Christmas who was rich, and a poor family dressed up as ghosts to scare him (Bloo obviously didn't care much to pay attention to Dickens). Eduardo pretends to be asleep to get Santa to come, and Bloo thanks him for his "help," finishing up Santas treats and leaving. He goes to Herriman's room, waking the rabbit as the ghost of his old business partner, Bob Marley, to the headmaster's confusion. He tells him he'll be visited by three spirits, then hops away. Bloo returns as a box, "The Ghost of a Christmas Present," and tells Herriman he's been a stingy cheapskate for too long, and needs to put in more effort this year. If he doesn't, Bloo says sets up what will happen, then returns as the robotic "Ghost of Christmas Guture," claiming Christmas in the future will be dark, scary, full or robots, and with no presents, all because of Herriman. The terrified Herriman begs him to stop and quotes the actual A Christmas Carol, asking if he can change what will happen. Bloo, not understanding his wording, simply agrees and tells him to obey the other ghosts. Herriman asks what Bloo wants, and he, annoyed that Herriman seems to have not paid attention, says he "shouldn't be spending Foster's money on one present." The rabbit suggests two presents, which angers Bloo again, so Herriman says he understands: "Not two presents, not one present," which Bloo says is correct, as one present is unacceptable. Herriman repeatedly asks for confirmation that Bloo "doesn't want one present," and Bloo, missing his inflection, says that yes, he "doesn't want one present." Herriman laments that the friends will be saddened to not get one single present, but Bloo says they'll love it. Over at Mac's house, the boy is tossing and turning in his bed, and begs Santa for a sign that he's real, by doing something only Santa could. He decides to ask for a specific present, saying he would be happy to get underwear for Christmas, as it would be the perfect gift as long as he knew it was from Santa. A phone call interrupts Mac's request, as Bloo has got in touch with him to tell him his idea for Herriman didn't go as planned. With Bloo causing problems left and right, and Mac's belief wavering, it'll take a Christmas miracle to set everything right. This isn't necessarily a Christmas special I always feel like watching each year, but it's definitely still a fun one that has plenty of referential fun, which was always great in Craig McCracken's work.
Of course in my Halloween post for this show, I mentioned Powerpuff Girls references, as well as one to "Tank Girl," and there have been plenty of others throughout the series, like having the main characters of The Big Lebowski in a bowling alley. In this one, the most obvious references are in Bloo's attempts to convince Herriman to give more toys by copying A Christmas Carol, though it's immediately obvious he doesn't know the story. The Christmas Future idea was an easy one to go for, as it's a simple theory that in the future, robots will be around, even if the original story had a sort of reaper for this spirit. For me, Bob Marley was always one of the funniest aspects, as there's no reason to connect him with the character Bloo used him for, aside from their last names being the same. It's a rather ridiculous idea for Bloo to come in dressed as him, and is a perfect way of showing that Bloo doesn't know a classic story, and is more knowledgeable of pop culture. There's another reference later on in the episode, as Mac walks to Foster's for Christmas and happens to pass a doghouse that has been decorated for the season, which is a nice, not in-your-face reference to Charlie Brown. This story does have something I mentioned as less interesting for me in my last post, focusing on Mac doubting the existence of Santa Claus. I like the way they handle it however, as being in a world where people can create real imaginary friends mean there can be plenty of Santas who are simultaneously real and imaginary. This is, of course, what sets Mac off doubting his belief in Santa, along with Frankie's rather mean decision to not roll with him believing. Mac is a very logical kid, so really considering everything involved in Santa's story is a rude awakening for Mac. At the same time, though Bloo's plans are obviously doomed to fail, he does have a point in that Santa could easily make sense in a world where imaginary friends like flying unicorns exist. This episode came at a point where things weren't as great for this show, in my opinion, as over time Bloo became a rather unlikable character. When I was younger, the setup made sense to me that they accepted a kind imaginary friend on the condition his polite creator visit every day. What didn't make sense later was that Bloo became a self-absorbed jerk, constantly breaking rules and treating everyone else like garbage, occasionally even Mac. This always made me wonder why Mac would want to stay as his friend, and why the others in the house would tolerate his behavior. It's still a joyful episode to watch, however, doing a good job at not just questioning if Santa exists, but doing so specifically in a way to say that it's an unfortunate process all Christmas celebrators go through at some point. Like with other cartoons, the scenery and even the show's music have been altered to fit the season, with snow and decorations everywhere and a Christmas-y tune to the music. Bloo comes up with some creative ideas for proving Santa is real, especially having the unicorns fly around the world with Wilt. His third plan leads to a funny take on the trope of uncovering a fake Santa, as unlike other times where the Santa is merely a jerk, here it's Coco, which annoys Mac. The joke is improved after Coco is uncovered, since everyone had fallen for the disguise, even the manager, and he's so upset he fires her on the spot. Not as great of a special for me as some other Christmas episodes, but this is still a fun enough episode and has great jokes and references for the holiday season.
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AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
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