The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 25

Well, we made it again through another Advent to another Christmas. If you were good this year, then you experienced a visit from Santa. Based on the weather this year, it's more than likely that the Jolly Old Fat Man needed to use the services of a certain ruby schnoz caribou. In honor of that possibility, let's wrap things up with a look at ornaments based on the Rankin-Bass 1964 stop-motion special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

First up in this 1987 ornament from Kurt Adler. This ornament is made of wood and that just really seems out of place since most of the baubles made from the manufacturer are of glass. There's a pull string that when pulled raises Rudolph's ears. I've owned one of these ornaments since I was 10. Sadly, one of the ears is broken. But if I can ever figure out how to fix it, you can be assured I will!

Next up is the Hallmark ornament of misfit elf Hermie astride good ole' Rudolph. There's an interesting fan theory about Hermie going around and I think it's got quite a bit of merit. See, Hermie doesn't have pointed ears like the other elves. I think he's really Santa's son and he hates having to follow in dad's footsteps. Thus in order to rebel, Hermie dreams of becoming a dentist. 

Speaking of Hermie's possible pop, I really like the Jim Shore ornament of Santa taking some of the Misfit Toys on to their new homes. As for favorite Misfit Toy ornaments, I like this one of the cowboy riding an ostrich. I don't understand why this one is a Misfit. I've read that some cowboys in Australia ride ostriches. So I just think that this toy was accidentally shipped to the States instead of where he belonged: store shelves in Brisbane.

In honor of Rudolph and Hermie's partner, Yukon Cornelius, I like this felt ornament found on Etsy. I've heard that in a now deleted scene, the reason Yukon keeps licking his pick axe isn't because he's got some sure fire way to locate gold. The prospector is actually searching for a vein of peppermint! 

Then we've got this 2016 Hallmark ornament of the Bumble. From the looks of things, he's taken to his new job as official Christmas Tree Topper of the North Pole. But he still needs some training on putting up the lights! There's just one problem though- I thought Hermie had pulled out all of the Bumble's teeth. What is he doing with chompers on this decoration?

Finally, I pay tribute to the great Burl Ives with this Sam the Snowman ornament. I like that the body is a bell. Pretty clever and adds to the festive charm.

We've got just enough time for one last DIY ornament. Although, you might have to go to the beach to do this one. You will need 2 medium size clam shells. 6 small pistachio shells, paint of the colors brown, light blonde, black, white, pink and red, 2 paperclips, string and hot glue. 

First of all, hot glue 2 pistachio shells on each clam shell to represent ears. Then take another shell, turned sideways and positioned on the clam shell to represent a snoot, hot glue. On the back of the clam shell, hot glue a paperclip in which a small loop shows from atop the head. Once dry, use the picture below as a painting template. Once dried, tie a piece of string through the paperclip loop and form a loop in order to hang through a branch on your tree.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 24

It's Christmas Eve. Thus I think it's only fitting that I am devoting today's Advent to the world of Peanuts. Charles Schulz' Peanuts is a pop culture franchise that has the rare distinction of being something that my Grandmama, Grandmother and Mom had at least 1 ornament of which on their trees. 

My Grandmama had this satin ball ornament from Hallmark. It's dated 1979 and is for a grandson. That was me! I still own this ornament and treasure it very much. My Grandmother loved to paint wooden ornaments and she had at least 2 of the ornaments displayed here. She had ornaments of both Snoopy and Woodstock in stockings. I think she also had one of Snoopy sitting on his doghouse. But I don't see that ornament. Maybe I imagined it. As for my Mom, I remember this PVC ornament of Snoopy using his food dish as a sled hanging from our tree. It's something we picked up in the late 80s or early 90s. I think it came included with a specially marked box of Whitman's chocolates.

Then we've got an ornament that I vaguely recall somebody in my family owning. I just can't put my finger on who. It's this late 1970s rubber ornament of Linus and Snoopy. I seem to recall Linus' hair being fuzzy. And the fact that Linus is sitting on Snoopy when usually it's the beagle giving the youngster fits as Snoopy really wants that blanket is just so hysterical to me.

Looking at ornaments not owned by my family, first up is this adorable 3-D ornament depicting the final scene of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas had up until this year been an annual tradition in my family. But Tim Cook and Apple decided to become Scrooges and made it to where you can only watch the special on AppleTV. Supposedly tonight and tomorrow, families can watch the show for free. But I haven't a clue how to do that and I really don't feel like creating an account with AppleTV and having to share my personal information. So the next best thing will be this ornament I found on Pintrest, I guess.

Fun Fact- though they are depicted in this ornament, Franklin, Marcy and Peppermint Patty were not in the holiday special as none of them had been created by Charles Schulz just yet.

Another annual holiday tradition is getting to hear 1967's Snoopy's Christmas by The Royal Guardsmen. This holiday follow up to Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron is just such a fun story mixed into a catchy little ditty. Thankfully, Apple doesn't own the rights to this song and I got to hear it the other day in my car. The song is based on Snoopy's pretend play that he's a World War I flying ace in the comic strip. In honor of all this, I share this 2016 ornament that technically isn't Christmas. Instead, it's a Hallmark Halloween ornament as this scene is based on the 1966 Peanuts special It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Hey, nothing says you can't hang Halloween stuff on your Christmas tree...

I wanna go back to looking at a vintage Peanuts ornament for a moment. When I was looking for that Grandson ornament, I ran across several globe ornaments from Hallmark's early days at producing tree decorations. My favorite is this early 1980s globe made of glass. It shows Snoopy acting as Santa with Woodstock and several of his bird friends leading the sleigh over Charlie Brown's neighborhood.

I'm also a big fan of this late 90s ornament. I just can't determine who the manufacturer is. It depicts Charlie Brown going to Lucy for gift ideas instead of psychiatric help for the price of 1 nickel. You can be sure that all the gift ideas Lucy is giving Charlie Brown are all things she wants!

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On the craft made front, my favorite is this ceramic ornament of Snoopy, Woodstock and Charlie Brown in festive attire. I wonder if the Christmas tree behind them is that magical fir from the holiday special. 

And now for the DIY ornament. For this one, you will need yellow paint, a black puffy paint pen, a wooden disc ornament and some type of ribbon. First up, paint the disc yellow. When it dries, use the puffy paint pen and create a zig-zag pattern like on Charlie Brown's shirt. Unlike in the image above, I recommend making the zig-zag a little bit more thicker but don't be afraid to be a little sloppy as that was Schulz's style. When the black paint is dry, tie a ribbon loop through the hole of the ornament and hang on your tree to give it a touch of Peanuts class!

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 22

Just to be clear, Muppets from The Muppets Show are different from those Muppets from Sesame Street. Thus, it's perfectly fine day I've got a day devoted to those more mature Muppets after having spent some time with the gang from Sesame Street on Day 20. 

Of the Muppets from both shows, only Kermit the Frog has regularly appeared on both shows. When on Sesame Street, for the most part, Kermit is an intrepid reporter who often gets into sticky situations. On The Muppet Show, Kermit is the stage manager of the vaudevillian type review. Naturally, I've got to start my look at Muppet ornaments with Kermit. I chose this glass ornament from Target. It's got Kermit wearing a festive Santa hat. But what I love the most about this ornament is how amazing those points on his frock looks. 

My favorite incarnation of the Muppets were when they were toddlers. The animated Muppet Babies cartoon series aired on CBS from 1984-1991 for an impressive 107 episodes. I'm also a big fan of the Star Comics adaptation of the show. Trying to get all 26 issues of the Marvel imprint series is on my massive comic book wish list. To honor the Muppet Babies, I selected this 7 piece rubber foam set available on Amazon. There's a purple penguin included in the set. I don't remember her. She must be from the 2018 reboot that aired on Disney Junior.

I love the oddball characters of The Muppet Show. I feel terrible that nobody thinks Fozzie is all that funny and I just love how weird Gonzo is. For Fozzie, I chose another rubberized foam style ornament. This one has the comedian hopefully holding his hat, just begging that people find him hilarious- which I do. For Gonzo, I selected a 2008 Gold Crown exclusive magic ornament. It has Gonzo about be shot out of his signature cannon and if you press a hidden button, you hear Gonzo's spiel that he does getting ready for his stunt. 

Next up is the Swedish Chef. As a Chef myself, I'm awfully fond of the character. I love how nothing ever seems to go right for him, like when he tried to cook some lobsters and they held him hostage! Hilarious and captured forever in this 2014 ornament from Hallmark. 

Speaking on Hallmark, time to go back in time. I remembered that my Grandmama had a couple of Muppets ornaments on her tree. So I went hunting. I found several vintage editions. But this 1982 satin ball ornament was the only one I remembered. The plastic sleeve around the globe shows the Muppets having their annual holiday party. With just about every character imaginable including Miss Piggy and Kermit's nephew Robin, I spent hours studying this scene. Wish I had one to call my own.

I'm sharing this ornament of Sam the Eagle from Tagotee in honor of my wife. When she gets indignant, she furrows her brow and it reminds me so much of the patriotic Muppet. I love it when she gets madder that I'll egg her on to exclaim Sam's catch phrase, 'What Is Wrong With America?', as she looks even more like him when I do!

On the Etsy front, I really like this painted wooden ornament. The seller has several ornaments using the same medium boasting scenes from 1992's A Muppet Christmas Carol. My favorite of the bunch is this one in which someone accidentally set Rizzo the Rat's tail on fire. I think the goof was made by Gonzo. Can't remember. But it was a great memory made into an ornament. Honorable Mention- this adorable ornament during the opening song Scrooge depicting this family of poor hungry Meeses... Don't worry- Scrooge gave them some cheese after his Christmas night transformation!

And no look at Muppet ornaments would be complete without a one starring those ornery elderly hecklers Statler and Waldorf. In this 2014 Hallmark ornament, the pair are seated in their balcony chairs. With the push of a hidden button, some of the duos best insults are issued. 

We've got a DIY ornament today for you. To make your owner Beaker (Dr. Honeydew's clumsy lab assistant), you will need 1 toilet paper tube, 3 Styrofoam balls, pink paint, black sharpie marker, orange yarn, scissors, hot glue and some white and silver duct tape.

To make this ornament, paint the tube and 1 ball pink. Use the marker to make eyeballs on the remaining 2 balls. When dry, hot glue the eyes and nose on to the tube. Also, draw a sad frown underneath the nose with the marker. Using the white duct tape, wrap about 1 inch of it to the bottom of the tube. Try to fold some ends to look like a lab coat. Then using silver duct tape, fashion the top of a neck tie in the middle. Lastly, hot glue the yarn coming from the top of Beaker's head wildly. With a couple of pieces, don't forget to make a loop in order to hang this creative trinket from the limb of your holiday tree.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 18

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah. As with every Advent I do, I devote a day to the Festival of Lights as my wife is half-Jewish. For this post, I am going with the most Jewish sitcom in all of pop culture, Seinfeld. And yes, you heard me right. Instead of using the random generator, for this post, I did the selection. Let's begin.

In terms of officially licensed ornaments, there aren't very many. The main one I can find is this decoration from Hallmark. Released just this year, this ornament represents that puffy pirate shirt Jerry is forced to wear on a talk show. I don't really know why this is such an iconic scene from the series but people seem to  really love that episode. I like it because it bears the iconic read lettering over a yellow field logo of the sitcom.

There was another Hallmark ornament available and it's devoted to my favorite episode of the series- the Festivus episode. But I saw so many Festivus ornaments from Etsy type sellers that I liked better. If you want to see the official Festivus ornament, Google it.  (Hint- it looks like an ugly sweater) As for me, I'm sticking with the small business man!

Festivus was a holiday George's dad created in opposition to Christmas. Known as the holiday for the rest of us, Festivus involved hanging up a metal pole instead of a tree, airing of grievances towards your loved ones, capped off by the feats of strength. The late great Jerry Stiller really sells the absurdity of the made up holiday and that's why I am sharing this resin ornament of Frank Constanza bearing the Festivus pole from online seller, Christmas Mouse.

If you are looking for an ornament that you just can't look away from, may I suggest this one of Kramer's portrait. Produced on Pixel by a seller know as Doc Braham, this wooden ornament is available as a rectangular looking painting or in fun shapes like star, oval and Christmas Tree.

I also want to share this ornament created by a seller on Etsy devoted to the made up company, Vandelay Industries. When George's unemployment is about to run out, he lies to his case worker that he's interviewed with Vandelay Industries, a maker of fine latex products. Of course, the ruse doesn't pan out. But that's okay because George eventually lands a fairly sweet job working for the New York Yankees. 

For the DIY ornament, I'm going to talk you through making your own Festivus pole. You will need 2 1/2 pieces of balsa wood plank, a 3 inch long metal rod with a hole on top (can be found at Home Depot), a small piece of thin ribbon and some hot glue. First, take the planks and glue them into a cross-section. Then thread the ribbon through the eye of the metal rod and tie off. Next, glue the base on the pole into the center of the plank cross section. Now you are ready to use for the airing of those grievances when not hanging from the limb of your tree. And yes- I understand the irony of that last statement!

By the way, Festivus is held on December 23rd.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 16

 

The random generator deus ex machina determined that today's Advent theme would be Looney Tunes! I knew from many Christmases past that there has been plenty of ornaments devoted to the characters from Warner Bros. since way before Hallmark took over as the de facto producer of pop culture ornaments. 

When I typed in 'Looney Tunes Vintage Ornaments', I was delighted to find this set of 6 ceramic ornaments from my birth year. Produced by Dave Grossman Designs, these 1977 Japanese produced ornaments came with a red and white box that bears illustrations of characters such as Daffy Duck and Tweety that really look primitive compared to how sleek they appeared in 2021's Space Jam 2.

A second wave of ornaments were released the next year. Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales as ornaments make sense to me. But why make one of the Stork that often gave the wrong baby to characters like Foghorn Leghorn instead of a more popular character like Pepe Le Pew? My favorite of all 11 total ornaments is of Yosemite Sam as he's decked out in a Christmas trimmed version of his iconic pirate costume!

Disney might own the world presently. But in the 1990s, a very good case could be made that it was the characters of Warner Bros. who ruled the roost. During this time, a trio of unexpected characters became the faces of Looney Tunes. Move over Bugs, the 90s was the decade of a beast from Down Under, a visitor from another world and a swamp dweller! 

Debuting in a Bugs Bunny cartoon from 1954, the Tasmanian Devil appeared in only 5 cartoons up until 1964 when Warner Bros. shut down it's animation department. With just a couple of cameos, it wasn't until an all-new cartoon series about Taz and his family called Taz-Mania that the 90s became the Taz decade. The sitcom cartoon ran from 1991-1995 on Fox Kids for a total of 65 episodes! To honor the character and his amazing run, here's a very funny 2005 ornament from Hallmark in which Taz is trying to sneak in some treats.

The next character to see a resurgence was the ruler of Mars, Marvin the Martian. The character debuted in the 1948 short Haredevil Hare. Appearing for a grand total of only 5 toons, it wasn't until 1979's Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner Movie that the character was finally given the name Marvin!

That appearance boosted Marvin's popularity. Over the next 15 years, the character would appear about a dozen various Warner Bros. projects before becoming the main antagonist in the 2003 Cartoon Network series Duck Dodgers. In honor of Marvin and his hilarious exploits with Duck Dodgers, played brilliantly by the ever aloof Daffy Duck, I'm sharing this ornament which is also from Hallmark, 2005.

The third character that saw a renewed interest in the 90s is the hilarious character of Michigan J. Frog. In 1955, the character debuted in a 1955 short directed by Chuck Jones titled One Froggy Evening. In the cartoon, a man discovered the amphibian stuffed in a box at a construction site. Whenever the guy is alone, the Frog dons a top hat and bellows out 'Hello, Ma Baby'. But any time the poor guy tries to get producers and directors to agree to an audition, the animal just sits then and ribbits. 

In the original run of Merrie Melodies that ran from 1931-1969, Michigan J. Frog only appeared in 1 cartoon! Yet, the character's charm was strong from that solo appearance. So much that in 1995, Warner Bros. posted the character as the official mascot of the WB, a fledgling network station that eventually morphed into The CW in 2005. 

As part of Michigan J. Frog's newfound resurgence, Hallmark released an ornament in 1997 that shows the character in all his grandeur. With a candy cane cane no less! But don't expect him to perform for you if  somebody is around you. He's only gonna put on a show for you!

The 1990s also saw a new generation of Looney Tunes characters. In 1990, Steven Spielberg spearheaded the debut of Tiny Toons. Instead of a reboot, these characters were young cartoons that attended Acme Looniversity and where taught the ways of the Looney Tunes by the likes of Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny. 

There were dozens of great characters in the Amblin Entertainment produced series. Babs and Buster Bunny- no relation!- were the hosts of the show which ran for 98 episodes for 3 years on Fox Kids! Plucky Duck drove Hampton Pig crazy with his insane schemes. But being a cat person, my favorite character was Furrball. Furrball wasn't a student at the University. Instead, he was a poor stray kitty that only wanted to be loved. Unfortunately, that usually meant Furrball becoming the pet of the good intentioned by oh-so-smothering  Elmyra Duff! 

In 1995, Hallmark released a series of miniature ornaments devoted to the Tiny Toons. And of course, I chose this one of Furrball clutching his gift of sardines from I am assuming Santa! With that torn little ear, this one makes me miss my Gimli so much while making me so appreciative that I can share my home with our newest baby, Lando!

The last officially licensed ornament I wanted to share is from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour online gift shop. It's a globe ornament that bears images of some of Looney Tunes best and brightest. However, it was the Warner Bros. shield that caught my eye. Every Looney Tunes and Merries Melodies cartoon started off with the WB shield. I just didn't think you could take a look at Looney Tunes ornaments without paying homage to that iconic symbol!

You probably were wondering, Where's Bugs Bunny? Other than with that group of vintage ornaments, I've not focused on the leader of the Looney Tunes. Don't worry! I saved him for the DIY ornament. I picked this one because it's a creative twist on the snowman lightbulb ornament that I think I've seen at every holiday craft fair that I've ever visited.

For this ornament, you will need an old light bulb, gray, white and black paint, gray and pink sheet foam, a tiny pink pompom, a couple of pieces of dry spaghetti (painted white) a small felt Santa hat, some ribbon and of course, hot glue. First you paint the bulb gray. Once dry, with the ornament upside down, add white eyes and teeth, and then paint on pupils, a mouth and some whiskers with the black paint. Using scissors, trim a pair of small pink ovals and a pair of slightly larger grey ovals. Hot glue the pink ones atop the gray and add to the bulb. The hot glue the Santa hat over the metal base of the bulb. Hot glue the pompom for the nose and spread out sections of spaghetti from the nose to be the whiskers. Finish things off with a looped section of ribbon not glued onto the hat. Once dry, you're ready to hang on your tree!

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 15

The franchise selected today from that pop culture random generator is a subject of which I could again devote an entire 25 day Advent to! It's the tree decorations that honor the comic book heroes of the DC Universe!

There's no argument- I am a DC person. I love Marvel. I have a lot of Marvel books and favs. But my heart belongs to DC Comics! My dad had a huge collection of DC books that I was enthralled by as a lad. And while my devotion to DC Comics drives my Marvel loving students crazy, I think deep down, my wife and cats are DC people too. 

While my being a DC person is something you can't debate, just who my favorite character is could be argued for decades. It's got to be one of the members of the Superman family. I just can't decide who. My hair has a natural curly-cue just like the Man of Steel. So I cut my hair and wear glasses to resemble Clark Kent. Then there's the fact that I used to own a copy of Action Comics #252, the first appearance of Supergirl (which was eventually stolen) and I am just such a fan of her's because of that connection. Since I cannot make up my mind, here are a pair of Hallmark ornaments. First is a video of the 1995 Magic Clark Kent/Superman phone booth ornament. I'll let the video reveal the surprise. Then up next is a 2018 representation of the Maid of Might from the DC Superhero Girls animated series of Cartoon Network.

Now for a set of ornaments from my childhood. It's a set of 4 plastic (or resin?) ornaments of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin from 1979. Made in Korea, I had these as a kid but over the years, they got lost or broken or thrown away. I really enjoyed these because the characters were in their regular costumes but with holiday touches, like a sack of presents or a wreath. I would be willing to bet money that my mom bought these at Roses or K-Mart.

Out of researching this post, my favorite ornament is this one from Hallmark. The 2020 decoration seems to be one of the few highlights of that sucky year. It has classic look Aquaman astride his trusty seahorse, Storm. My runner-up is also from Hallmark. It's a 2018 representation of the Batboat from the 1960s Batman TV show that starred Adam West and Burt Ward. I'm sorry. I am wrong. The Batboat was from the 1966 live action film. NOT the TV series.

From the Etsy and other similar website department, I selected a really cool one based on my favorite villain/anti-hero. This beautiful mixed medium bauble has Harley Quinn in her traditional jester costume. I love the sliced effect that makes the complete image along with that black yarn. Just perfect Harley!

And now from my growing favorite part of the Advent: the DIY ornament. I selected this project that I saw on Pintrest. You will need a Styrofoam ball, some hot glue and fabric starring your favorite DC characters. You cut the fabric into rounded strips, like ovals or something similar to a baseball cover. Adorn the edges with ribbon trim and hot glue colorful bows and a satin loop on the top of the ball. I particularly like this pattern as it's very similar to a pillow I have and it features artwork by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dick Giordano, the main artists for DC's commercial line of the 70s and 80s.