The Island Of Misfit Toys

[erinhue]

[GoodSam]

I de-lurked just to say Hi to the folks. I remember a conversation Bumpy, Durin and I had about the poor misfit bird in Estes Park.

[InnocentEvil]

Had a gigantic fit about that poor flightless bird at a Christmas party last week. People looked at me like I'd lost my marbles. Which I mostly have, so. yeah.

[Morwenna]

Haven't seen that show in a lot of years.

Do we have threads about the other holiday specials? A few years ago "The Year Without a Santa Claus" was all over the place again, and everyone was back singing the Misers' songs.

[Cock-Robin]

Well, this isn't just about the Rudolph special. We've discussed Frosty the Snowman, where Santa leaves the little girl on the roof to freeze to death as she can't get down, and others.

And notice Rudolph's growth goes backwards in the diffrerent specials? He's full grown at the end of the first Rudolph special, but in Rudolph's Shiny New Year, he's back to being a little deer again, and then in Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, he gets even younger. Santa must have put an evil spell on the poor fellow.

[Cock-Robin]

Well, it's that time of year again, when we watch that evil elf throw that flightless bird to his death.

There's something else about this special. It proves the point of Galadriel. She mentioned in FOTR that the elves which remained in Middle-Earth would dwindle to a rustic folk of dell and dingle, forgetting and being forgotten.

Here's a clip which shows some of the elves who remained after the Last Ship left:

We Are Santa's Elves

[Gamgee Wench]

Cock-Robin, I like this new theory, very much. Those elves have definitely lost their former glory....but at least they now have a dentist!

[Cock-Robin]

Thanks, GW. Despite its many goofs, I really like that special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

It's a classic, and there were worse Christmas specials. A few of the most atrocious were like the Star Wars Holiday Special, which was so bad that George Lucas wanted to find every copy of it and burn it. None of the stars who played in it wanted to acknowledge that it existed. The only bright spot of the special was at the end when we find out that Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) knew how to sing. Here's a clip from that infamous special, and it gets worse from here:

Star Wars Holiday Special

Another was a movie I suffered through when I was a kid. It was called Santa Claus. It was made in Mexico in 1959 and dubbed in English in 1960. This was a Santa that would give kids nightmares. He lived in a crystal palace in outer space and had fantastical devices like a moving eye on a stalk which watched the children and a device that looked like a giant satellite dish with a big ear planted in the middle. He also had these wind-up mechanical laughing albino reindeer that were SO creepy.

He had an enemy, a devil named Pitch who wanted to ruin Santa by turning the children bad and stopping Santa's run. He blew in the ear of a little girl trying to make her steal and gave her this surreal dream of dancing dolls with two faces. That's just some of this atrocity. Here's a clip from this movie:

Santa Claus 1959

Instead of elves, he's served by children he's taken from several cultures who sing to him in trance-like voices. And you wonder why I was traumatized as a kid!

[GoodSam]

So last year my family and I were watching Rudolph, and I pointed out when Santa tossed out the flightless bird toy. They were honestly disturbed. I hope I didn't ruin the program for them.

[Vanaladiel]

Oh GoodSam that would be so wrong!!! I hope you didn't give anyone nightmares!! Oh well if they didn't think about it before they sure will now!

I am laughing over the fact this thread has resurfaced again! I love the silly Christmas show chats!!

[Gamgee Wench]

Goodsam, your kids are older now and they need to learn that the world is a cruel place at times. Like at the end of this show!

We just watched it. We were out at a meeting and got back in time to see the very end. My son watched and when that elf just pulled back that umbrella and pushed that flightless bird out....he just looked at us and said "Man, that really is screwed up". Yup.

But it's still our favorite christmas special.

And Cock Robin....I can't bring myself to click on that star wars special. I fear it. I do.

[Durin VIII]

We are watching this now. I cant miss it!!! Even though Santa is a jerk.

Best quote from Donner "this is man's work"

I remember watching that Star Wars special when if first aired and even a 12 year old me recognized it as crap at the time.

[Cock-Robin]

Oh, yes, and those who played in it refuse to acknowledge they did. Here's a clip where it was mentioned to Harrison Ford and his reaction:

Harrison Ford on the Special

Of course, the script was easy to write when most of the dialogue is "growl roar roar purr."

[Tookish_Traveler]

Yer all a warped bunch.

[Cock-Robin]

Yep, we're warped and proud of it.

[prmiller]

A Muse Upon Misfitting Toys
a.k.a. Poetic Obfuscation

You know where they are when you see them,
and what you have found when you do,
you know it as surely as surely,
as much as you know you are you.
You do not give quarter to doubtings,
suspicions have no business here.
You know what it is when you find it,
that bright revelation made clear.
Thus for that you eschew any reasons
to explain what you find on these shores;
no I am not one who is caught repeating
those obvious things which makes...bores:
not I, for I know I write clearly--
exactly what you know is true--
why this place is the place for amusements,
that do not fit, as they ought to.

Blessings,
Parm

[Cock-Robin]

Great poem, Parm, and thank you.

Speaking of Donner, there's a part where Donner is missing. He's gone to search for Rudolph. Santa says he can't fly without Donner.

But then at the end, we find Donner isn't hitched up with the team. So how can they fly without him? He's down on the ground admiring Rudolph.

[Cock-Robin]

And Cock Robin....I can't bring myself to click on that star wars special. I fear it. I do.

Oh, don't fear it. That is the way to the dark side.

[Cock-Robin]

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and it's time for Christmas season again. And once again, that evil elf throws that poor bird to his death. hehehehe.

Here's the tale:

Bird Story

[Gamgee Wench]

Oh Cock-Robin, greatest sig pic ever. (Well, for those that understand.) The last picture of a doomed bird.

I will show this to my hubby as soon as he gets downstairs.

Yes, it's that time of year again......LOL!

[Cock-Robin]

Yes, and for some reason, that bird looks terrified in the sig pic, as if he knows what is coming.

[Dunthule]

LOL! It was fun to read GW's original post after sooo many years.

[Vanaladiel]

I knew what you were referring to about the bird being thrown to his death but I had never read all that before!! OH my that was so funny!!! Thank you CR!!!

[Cock-Robin]

Thanks, Vana! And I thought this song was hilarious, with the snowman's magic banjo that plays piano music!

Silver and Gold

[Gamgee Wench]

It's on tonight...in High definition. Now you can clearly see this poor bird plummet to it's depth....in vivid color and detail. Yikes!

My husband has blocked out that hour of time....so he can enjoy his favorite show. Me, I'm going to a robotics mentor meeting....but hope to be home for the end.

[prmiller]

When I saw CockRobin's sig pic, I really did not know what it was about
until I looked for Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of
Misfit Toys for myself.
It can be viewed here.
It was most ... revelatory.


Sadistic or Perhaps Forgetful

The other toys, umbrella bound,
could float with safety to some ground,
but when one sees a well-winged bird,
to give such aid would seem absurd.
Sadistic elf? It may not be.
Perhaps he lives, as one like me,
with moments of forgetfulness
that come from times of heightened stress.
However, one can make the case
he lives with out remorse or grace
concluding that this flightless bird
should be dispatched without a word.
I sense that Rankin and, yes, Bass,
may have no insights here, alas.

Merry Christmas,
Parm

[GoodSam]

The horrible sequence starts at 50 minutes and 31 seconds, and the bird plummets to his death at 50 minutes and 38 seconds. Oh the humanity!

[prmiller]

The Defense Rests

How true no fine could well expunge
the crime that caused a bird to plunge
to earth, despite the wings one sees,
but useless as a chain of fleas.
Our elf, perhaps, by cold's duress,
experienced the crushing stress
that briefly blanks out moral codes,
the strain to deal out Santa's loads,
a heavy burden, clear to all,
that Santa must eight reindeer call
to whisk him off in laden sleigh
to bless us all for Christmas Day.
The prosecution's case is sound
of fowl that plummet to the ground
by elves who must not e'er forget:
No Toy Shall Be Maligned...and yet...
we see it happen...plain as day:
this bird could never fly away,
and thus, because it could not fly,
the elf, in question, let it die.
We beg the mercy of this court,
but know full well our thin report
cannot undo this heinous deed.
From conscience, then, we must concede.

Water is wet...no sense fightin' it!
Parm
for the Defense

[Cock-Robin]

A wonderful poetic portrayal of a dastardly deed, Parm! Beautiful!

And yes, the bird fell to his death...again. I told somebody about it, and she said it gave her a WKRP flashback. On that show, they dropped some live turkeys from a helicopter, and this is the result:

WKRP Turkey Drop

So, we may cut the elf some slack. Like the owner of the station here, he could probably say "As God is my witness, I thought the bird could fly!"

[Cock-Robin]

Bumping the thread because it's that time again! The time of the year that the dastardly elf tosses the flightless bird to his death.

I can see it now, reporting on it from the ground:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg

That at the end is probably what the elf said.