1395 – Childhood Cornucopia Specials

Episode 1395 – Childhood Cornucopia Specials

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s not sure…tonight will be some sort of cornucopia-season animated special recap. I’m not exactly sure which one I’m gonna choose or which…some of it may have some personal-essay content, too. I mean, I’m pretty sure which one I’m gonna choose, but I haven't watched it yet, and I know now to…but, whatever. We’ll see. If you're new to the show, welcome. Yeah, this is a podcast. It’s full of…I guess I could say pretty boring surprises. Later on we’ll…well, it’ll already be in the episode title, so it’ll be more of a surprise for me than for you. So, I guess, yeah, that’s a boring…you say, well, it’s…if it’s…if I know about it, it’s not a surprise. I say, well, surprise. I don't know what I’m talking about.

 

If you're regular listeners, you're like, yeah, I’m not surprised, Scoots. That’s why I come…this is the kind of content I come back for night after night after night. So, welcome. If you're new, this show is very different, but I’m very, very glad you're here, and I hope I can help you out. If you're having trouble sleeping, that’s what I’m here to do, is try to help you out, to try to help you get the rest you need. So, alls I could say is see how the show goes. What we got coming up is support so paying for the show is optional, especially for new listeners or occasional listeners or temporary listeners. We want the show to be free for all of you, or paying for it to be optional, obviously, especially if you're new or you're only listening for a couple weeks as you go through a tough time.

 

Then after the support, totally separate from the support, is a intro meant to ease you into bedtime, and then later on I’ll be talking about a animated special or two. I made a list of…one, two, three, four, five in total. So, it’ll be covered for next year, as well. So, yeah, I’m glad you're here, and I really hope I can keep you company, take your mind off of stuff, and ease the deep, dark night and maybe just be there for you so you could fall asleep. If you're a regular listener, we could use your help if you're a regular listener. These are the ways you can help the show so we can be here for you and for all those new listeners and temporary listeners. It sounds like a pretty good deal, huh? And here’s the ways you could be a part of.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. That could be thoughts on your mind that you're thinking about, so thoughts, thoughts, feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, maybe you work a different schedule, or this season it’s temperature, it’s a lot of things in this time of year, right? Travel, work schedule, anticipation, guests, expectations.

 

That’s another thing I don't usually list, but all those expectations, even if they're only between my ears. Oh, those expectations. I’ve never thought to write a poem about you, and if I did, it was more of…it was the expectations that get caught up in…can you have romantic…can you…? I guess you can…what is it? If you have non-romantic, romantic expectations that you're not…I’m not trying to romanticize the non-romantic, romantic expectations, right? I’ll give you an example just to go off-topic early. Let’s just say for this particular season I was gonna make some gravy. I’m not, or, I don't know, I can't predict the future. So, what I mean is…it’d be a totally different podcast that would be paid-only, right, if I was writing anything romantic about gravy, whether it be odes or…keep that to the experts like Chuck Tingle, right?

 

Or a gravy boat, I guess I would be, in that case. But I’m not writing romantic…but…so, it’s non-romantic, but then in my head…well, I’m actually talking about expectations already, so I’m already expecting…so, can you see where I’m going with this? Maybe not. So, it’s like I’m not…I guess I’m romanticizing, but now I’m trying to de-romanticize it for myself. It’s like, so, then my expectations start to be romantic, I guess in the sense, or grandiose. I don't know, they have similar romantic feels like comfort, ease, relaxation.

 

But it’s like, suddenly in my head, it’s like, this gravy…I start to associate all these things with this gravy I’m making, all these intangible and tangible things about wherever…when I show up with that gravy, oh boy…and it kinda takes away from the reality of like, hey, I’m making this gravy for…I hope everybody enjoys it, because it takes on its…a whole new…I guess that’s the only way…it’s caught up. I mean, it’s romantic in a non-romantic way. But I’m imagining…this is only a thought exercise. I really don’t…I’m not a gravy…I think you need…the person…gravy’s a…that’s the main person’s job, 'cause you need all the other stuff while you're in process. So…but in my head, it’s like, holy cow, this gravy…not everybody can identify, and that’s okay, too.

 

But it’s like, man, not only is it gonna change everything; it’s gonna…not…people savoring the gravy I’ve prepared will be a moment to savor. Like, I’m caught up in those feelings, right, those expectations. It does lead to sleepless nights both beforehand…'cause it’s like, well, how am I gonna deal with the days before people…before I get there with the gravy? Is this what people mean when they get their gravy? I guess that’s only a Sleep With Me-specific thing. I’m gonna get your gravy, right? I think it’s like get your goat, but I think at some point with this podcast I said, get your gravy, man. I got your gravy. I mean, in this case, it would be like people would be cheering that. It’s not that grandiose, though. It’s more romantic because it’s more subtle.

 

Like, a romance and that kind of thing, in my limited experience, is subtle but feels good and warm, right? So, the grandiose thing is more like people clapping for my gravy. I’m not actually anticipating that even though this is imaginary, but…so, that’s what I mean when I say I’m…I guess I’m romanticizing my preparation of everything…so, okay, so there’s your vocabulary, maybe. I’m romanticizing my preparation of the gravy and the results in a non-romantic way. It’s kinda like…I mean, I’m not talking about romantic fiction, though, again, I wish I had an endless amount of time 'cause there’s a lot of writers of romantic fiction or the broader genre, and I would love to keep a continual…to pick those authors’ brains about this. They say, Scoots, this is why I fall asleep to you. I have no idea.

 

I kind of understand what you're talking about, but…I think…I’m not…I don't want to brag here, but most writers of fiction associated with romance, other than genre-specific podcasts or super popular podcasts…so, we may be in third place. You say…of people that…that’s, I guess…that one’s…there is a humble brag. Say, we're not the top podcast for writers of fiction that contains a large amount of romance or things associated with romance, and some of these other podcasts are so large that obviously there’s more listeners of all the…of all pursuits. But yeah, in third place…I mean, not the third ranked 'cause there’s more…but, yeah, you're in there. I mean, we're probably in the top twenty. No, we're in the top ten, for sure. It can't be quantified, though, so don’t try it.

 

So, if you've ever had expectations about gravy or you relate to those and you've had sleepless nights, I hope this podcast can help you. You didn’t think you'd get a gravy boat of nonsensical meanders. But the reason I make the show is because I’ve been there, and if you've ever been there, whether it’s seasonal, temporary, or all the time or pretty often — that’s me — I want to help you out, because I know what it feels like for me, and if it feels anything like that for you, even if you've never romanticized or…something like that and thought…it’s not gonna fix everything. Oh no, I’m not getting carried away. It’s just gonna feel supremely good on intangible levels.

 

Even if you can't relate to that, maybe there’s something we can relate to, a shared experience or shared language, or just the fact we're not getting enough sleep, the sleep we want and we need. I want to help with that because we're both people. The other thing is it’s not just me and you. There’s a positive…well, it goes well beyond triangulation because there’s more than one person out there rooting for you. There’s lots of people around the world rooting for you whether you're a regular listener or a new listener, and they really hope this podcast can help you, or glad you're back, 'cause they know exactly how you feel. They've been through something very similar.

 

They're like, Scoots, nope, never done that with gravy, but I also know…I mean, they don’t know, but I’ve been having trouble sleeping 'cause of stuff with my dog. Yeah, it’s like, you could…maybe people could relate to that or whatever. It’s different every time for me, at least. So…and then you get to root for other people, too, if you become a regular listener and you so decide, but not all…you don’t have to root for other listeners. It just feels good and you get to be in that…whatever it is, pseudo angle. I don't know. The other reason I make the show is 'cause you deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need, where your life is more manageable, where you're getting the rest you need on a regular basis, and maybe even you're out there flourishing.

 

But at least with this show, while I yearn and strive to help you fall asleep and make your bedtime excellent and make you feel seen and welcomed in the deep, dark night, even if we just get to the point of like, at least I got that goofy podcaster to listen to, that’s not that bad. That’s a victory because it’s like, hey, at least I got something that’s not bad to listen to. So, it’s like, I don't know even what he’s talking about most of the time. So, yeah, that’s one of the things, right? That’s why I make the show. The way it works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents.

 

So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, I forget what I was talking about, then I repeat myself, then I go off topic again or I ramble and then I get confused by words and the meanings of words. So, that’s how the show kinda starts out, and that’s kinda what to expect coming up. But the thing is, if you're new, I don't know what brought you here, right? Maybe it was a search. Maybe it was recommendation. Maybe you're just frantically trying to find something. It does take some getting used to for this podcast 'cause it’s probably different than your expectations. Whatever you expected, this podcast is not it, unless you're a regular listener, right? Then you say, man, I don't know…I was looking for something a little bit more sleepy or a little bit more…I don't know. This is not what I expected.

 

That could feel surprising or it could feel…you could be skeptical, doubtful, or irritated. That’s how most people get to this show. So, if you're feeling that way, that’s okay. Just…still give it a few tries. Maybe breathe in or be like, okay, I’m a lot…you're allowed to feel that way when you get here. As a matter of fact, you're allowed to strongly dislike me. That’s a common experience. Here’s the thing; even if you strongly dislike me, you could give it a few tries and see how it goes, and then…or, already now if you know, no, it’s stronger than strong dislike, that’s fine. I have a website set up for you, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. You just click a couple things and it’ll bring you to a list of other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff, 'cause everything I said to this point is true, even if you loathe me.

 

But the other thing is I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve learned based on feedback that, one, it takes two or three tries to get used to the show for most people, and sometimes those two or three tries happen over years, 'cause the first reaction for most people is strong confusion, skepticism, doubt, or stronger feelings than that. I had people supporting the show at like, $240 a year, multiple people, who said, I listened to you four years ago and I had non-positive feelings very strongly. Then two years later I returned to the show because this changed in my life and it affected my sleep again, and I realized, oh, wait a second, now I get it. This show is like…it’s just like hanging with a goofy friend that I don't have to provide for or listen to.

 

I mean, obviously supporting the show is great, but you know what I mean. In the moment, you don’t have to clean up after me or wonder if you hung up the phone, or are they still on the phone? So, yeah, just see how it goes, I guess. Give it a few tries, 'cause this is a show you don’t really listen to, but it’s also…it’s like TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, a out-of-focus picture. We’ve all done that before, repurpose something to bring us comfort and distraction and…maybe so we could fall asleep. But the other…or falling asleep to something accidentally; been like, man, I keep falling asleep to this. I think that’s one of the things that ends up working about the show.

 

It’s like, if you've ever used audio or video or anything…or music or radio or shows as a comfort distraction, not always to sleep, maybe this show is for you. But that’s just one of the things. But so…but I’m not here to put you to sleep. This show…there’s no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here over an hour so you don’t have to think about falling asleep, because my job is not to put you to sleep even though I’ve been making a sleep podcast for over twelve years. My job is to keep you company while you fall asleep versus putting you to sleep.

 

Alls that means is I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your neigh-bore, your bore-bie, your best bore-friend f’eva, your best bore-friend f’eva to just keep you company and distract you, just like a friend in person or on the phone or you're FaceTiming them or…I don't know. I guess…maybe in the day that’s…here’s a thing; we don’t know. I mean, we probably do. I’ve never thought about this before, so somebody please remind me to return to this. But I wonder if people fell asleep reading letters, right? I guess you'd…I mean, I guess it would take some extra effort, but I mean, I fall asleep…I mean, I don't fall asleep reading fiction, but I use fiction as a part of my wind down.

 

Maybe people wound down reading letters and started to drift off in the same way, especially if it was a long, detailed one with a lot of meanders. So, I don't know, this show is here to distract you, comfort you so you could fall asleep versus putting you to sleep directly. If you can't sleep at all, you got something to listen to, somebody to be here with you. Because, believe me, last night I was in that for like, five hours. Sleep was not available and I had to use a lot of tools, right? But having a bore-friend or a bore-bae is a nice option or one of the tools you could have. So, just see how it goes. See, these are all ideas, right? The other thing I like to tell people about and meet you where you are is the structure of the show. The structure of the show is based on what benefits the most amount of people, right?

 

We’ve been doing this a while, so this…I’ll explain to you what benefits the most amount of people, but it’s also adjustable, so you could adjust to it, right? Depending. So, we start off all our shows with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so it’s…that’s a nice way to start a show. You say, huh, I feel seen and welcomed in. Everybody’s welcome here, but there’s no pressure to like the show. Huh, that’s different, man. I could just go check it out? Yeah, you could just check it out at a distance, even. Yeah, see what you think.

 

Then we have support because it does take a lot of resources to make the show and a lot of people, and we’ve just found that a lot of people…having a ad-supported, listener-supported version benefits the most amount of people, 'cause a lot of people are just temporary listeners. They're just going through a hard time or they're new. So, having that ad-supported version out there for them that’s also supported by the listeners who choose to pay for it, that’s where the magic happens, right? Because the listeners that benefits the most get to be a part of something magical, but the people that only need to come and go, they don’t have to pay for it. Paying for the show is optional, in quotes, I guess. But…no, it is optional if you're new or you're only temporarily listening, if you only listen from time to time.

 

Okay, then…and if you prefer something without ads, whether you're new or a long-term listener, obviously you get that at Sleep With Me+ or through our referral program if you can't afford to pay for it directly. Either way. Then after that, totally separate from the support, a show within a show, is our intro. It’s totally separate from the support, but people that hate the idea that the show needs support, they lump everything together. But the intro is really here to introduce what the podcast is unsuccessfully…well, not…inefficiently, because…I don't know. I mean, it would be way more efficient for me to just have one intro or a generic, repetitive intro, but I know that’s not gonna help you fall asleep or help you unwind. You want to be seen and welcomed in.

 

You want something familiar and reassuring, but again, you want some sort of dull, boring surprise, and that’s the same thing with the things under the surface that keep me awake. They don’t like predictability. They do like something reassuring and familiar, but I can't listen to the same rainfall two nights in a row because my…something that I can't quite identify knows that. It almost feels disrespected; you're gonna play the same rain storm tonight? No way, man. I’m gonna keep you up. It’s never that clear, but that’s what it’s like. So, that’s why the intro’s different every time, but we follow a familiar structure. The reason it’s long other than we get to hang out and you never know…what am I gonna go on a meander about tonight is romanticizing gravy.

 

Regular listeners…some people have been listening to the show since it came out. They’ll be like, oh, you already did that back in 824 and 336. I say, cool. I always loved gravy, man, and I love…good gravy. I got your gravy, man. A pocket full of stuffing; I wonder if that had good…is that what we were talking about, gotten the gravy? So…but the other reason the intro goes on and on and on is to ease you into bedtime. So, most people don’t fall asleep during the intro. If you do and you're still listening to me, please support the show on Sleep With Me+, 'cause we have no way…it’s critical that people that fall asleep fast support the show. But most people, they're getting ready for bed, they're in bed getting comfortable, they're winding down, they're doing a chill activity.

 

So, the intro can be there for you to listen to while you're doing that, to ease you into bedtime, to lead you into dreamland, to set the mood, not so much to put you to sleep. It’s a little bit of indirect community time. So, that’s the intro, then there’s support after the intro, and then tonight we’ll recap or look at a couple…or one or two or maybe my memories of one Thanksgiving day or Thanksgiving animated special. We’ll see. I don't know what will come up. But I’m glad you're here. I know that, and I know I want to help, because if it’s anything like it is for you like it is for me…even if it’s not, even if it’s just unpleasant, I want to help.

 

A team of people work on this show and are dedicated to the show. We all yearn and strive. We really want to help you fall asleep. So, thanks so much for coming by, and if this podcast does change your life on a regular basis, we really could use your help. So, you could either support the sponsors, support the show directly, or support the show by putting in some time in the referral program, and here’s a couple specific messages that are for you. Thanks.

 

Hey everybody, it’s super-chill Scoots, super-tired Scoots coming at you for this episode. I wasn’t there in the intro, man, but I’m here now 'cause Scoots is not sleepy; tired. He’s got his little baby Koa up at night, taking care…and, yeah, it’s like having a baby that’s new. So, I said, let’s call in Scoots…you're tired, man, but you do want to get this episode recorded. So, let’s call in super-chill Scoots. Maybe he can even chill Scoots down, man. Yeah. Do we need to keep using that sixties vibe? I’ll try not to, but…bud. Okay, I could go with bud. Okay, bud. You like that? I do. Bore? Yeah, no, that’s not working. So, what are we talking about tonight? We're talking about animated…Scooter’s relationship and then maybe…with animated…one particular animated TV…Thanksgiving TV special, and then maybe more, man.

 

Yeah. Sorry, I was supposed to say bud, bud. Well, so, Scoots wasn’t sure if he had told you this story before, but once upon a time…we're not sure what year, but before there were six kids in Scooter’s family, there was three, and then there was four. This was somewhere around when there was four, probably before there was five. Number four must have been pretty young, which is funny, 'cause now number four…Scoots is gonna be living with number four, his brother Ted. But this was before when Ted was either a baby, before Ted was around. This was a brief time when they had a playroom in their house, or a room for playing, because there was three bedrooms for kids, and Scooter’s sister had her own room, and then him and Carl shared a room.

 

Then the third bedroom for future residents, which would become Scooter and Carl's bedroom, it was a playroom. This was a place of play, right? Sometimes Scooter would come up with ideas, and this was a particular day and night where he came up with the idea, and I think in that…no, I guess there wasn’t a TV. I don't know where the TV was. In Scooter’s mind he wishes there was a TV in that playroom because of what happened. So, this room had a tile floor or linoleum tile? I don't know what you call it. This was a house that was probably…even though this wasn’t the seventies, it looked like it was in the seventies. So, it had a floor with square…it wasn’t linoleum because it was hard, but it wasn’t like fancy tile. All the tile…there was no grout between the tiles. So, it was cement with some sort of squares on there.

 

The squares were hard and they were cool to the touch, which is kind of important. So, there was no carpet. Eventually one day there would be carpet down there, and then that carpet would be gone in another twist related to Scooter. But so, this playroom…this happened to be a day in November, which is important because I think at this time there was a…there was a competition for children’s viewing of holiday specials, and maybe there was a combination of Charlie Brown special and a Bugs Bunny special for Thanksgiving. What would happen…what happened is Scooter was looking forward to this Bugs Bunny special 'cause he had seen ads for it, and maybe he had never seen it before or was thinking it was new. I guess he didn’t…now, if I could travel back in time, I’d say it was…it was just a compilation.

 

So, you didn’t miss anything, man. But, spoiler, Scooter and his siblings would end up missing this special, but they had it on their radar. At least Scooter was really excited to watch this later in the evening. But at this particular time, Scooter got himself an idea. Him and his brother and his sister were playing in this playroom, right? Now, once upon a time, before plastic was really popular, cardboard was a way to…toys came in cardboard…I guess containers that were…paper board I guess would be more correct. They would have a tin bottom and then a paper-board tube and a tin top, and you could put toys in there. For example, blocks, Legos, the ones you use to build wood cabins. I forget what those were called. Lincoln Logs, they call…so you could build Lincoln’s cabin.

 

Building toys came in paper-board tubes and maybe even…I don't know what else came in them. But Scooter and his siblings, they probably had…they had about three paper-board tubes with tin bottoms. Now, there was also a bathroom two doors down, right around the corner, with a bathtub in there. Scooter got this idea…they had recently moved to the house within a two-year time span, but at this time it kinda seems like they had recently moved. Scooter got this idea. He was looking at the…they were playing and maybe they got a little bored, and he said, huh, what if we fill up these paper-board containers with water? Maybe he proposed it to his siblings, and they filled them up with water. They brought them from the bathtub into…back into this playroom.

 

I’m sure they were playing with the water, like water…I mean, this was before water…children that had water tables or things like that…probably those are better outdoors no matter what. But, yeah, they had…they didn’t have a water table. So, they were playing and probably playing with the water. Maybe water was getting on the floor. Now, you should also know that Scooter…if there was issues like this, he would have been probably…he was a problem causer and solver. He liked to solve problems under the veil of secrecy, right? So, if the water was becoming a problem, even in his mind, he’s like, we’ll secretly deal with this. Not a big deal right now. We're playing in this water; we're having fun. But the only missing piece for that was that paper board, when it gets wet, it deteriorates.

 

The thinner…maybe some of these toys were even used…the faster the paper deteriorates and has an ability to contain any amount of water. So, at some point the paper board started to break down, and a parental figure arrived and said, what in the name of Lincoln Logs is going on in here? I don't really have a full idea of what…chill Scoots wasn’t there to say, hey man, hey bud, we're playing in the water, bud. Yeah, ma, pa, whomever adult. We made our own water table on the floor. It’s more like a water floor. It should be a thing. It’s nice. Oh, wait, the paper board’s deteriorating and…oh yeah, how are we gonna get this…? Oh, it’s a bit of a mess. Oh yeah, you're right, bud. I don't have a history of cleaning up after myself. You got me.

 

I’m for sure…that’s my…yeah, I don't really do that kind of thing that well, and probably we don’t have a mop and a mop bucket, yeah. So, I see what you're saying, but you definitely seem very surprised by all this. Oh, I guess the containers are kinda ruined, too. So, the decision was made that…now, this was…to take you back into time…and, don't worry, some people might think that this is…you say, hey, not only are you gonna not…I want you to clean this up and then you're gonna go to bed. You're gonna…you had a very healthy lunch, so you're gonna bypass dinner and you're gonna go to bed and you're not gonna watch this special that you've been looking forward to, or multiple specials.

 

Out of all those things, the only thing fixed in Scooter’s mind other than that this was not…should have been sanctioned…he said, bud, we just were playing. We just made a water floor. It was experimental. Maybe one day one of us will go to some sort of genius academy where this kind of thing is encouraged. One of us could have invented the water table. But, no, I get it. This was…we did not predict the outcome of this or see it fully through to know that probably we're gonna have to soak all this up with nice…the only nice bath towels we have. So, yeah, your frustration is seen and…sending us to bed with…after…just for lunch…with lunch, breakfast…we had a hearty breakfast, a hearty lunch, so, I get it. That’s just…that was the time, man. I get it, bud.

 

But he did…the only thing he cared about was that Bugs Bunny special, and how could I miss that? I can't believe it. He actually…instead of making it better, he decided he would try to sneak out and watch the special on another TV. He may have been able to do part of it, but not able to watch the whole thing. But I would tell him he didn’t miss much, because we watched the special. One, you say, I’m not even gonna tell you where to find it because it’s one of those things that’s like…the title itself is like, what? But apparently it premiered in 1979. So, this could have been 1980, 1981, I would say. Maybe ‘82, even, that this happened. I don't think it was ‘79, but really…the thing is, bud, this was only a clip show with Bugs Bunny as a narrator.

 

It really didn’t have…it really was a tough thing to say…how is this even about Thanksgiving? But there was one with Yosemite Sam, who tries…says, hey, I’ve got a Thanksgiving going. No turkey for us. There was also one about…there was one with Bugs and Taz, there was one with Road Runner and Wile E., and Wile E. actually talked in this very studious voice, which we noticed. Maybe there was one with Elmer Fudd. We didn’t take a lot of notes 'cause it said…okay, this one. Then we watched…so, I said, hey, let’s heal this memory. Let’s watch Garfield, which was ten years later. 1989 it premiered. Now, this one was mostly focused on Jon, and it was kinda funny. We tried to predict what was gonna happen. I don't really remember seeing this as a kid, I guess 'cause I would have been…I guess…1989, yeah.

 

Maybe I wasn’t watching specials. I don't know if that’s true, though. But Garfield has an appointment with a person who takes good care of cats, and he doesn't want to go. So, then…I think Jon was trying to sleep in, even. Then the next day is Thanksgiving. So, I thought that…Garfield says, see? It’s Thursday. Jon goes, no, it’s Wednesday. Then we see Jon to go the vet, and…I say, Jon, you gotta get…I’m not sure about your behavior, bud. But he also says, hey, be on a professional relationship. Would you want to come over for dinner sometime? To the person caring for Garfield. So, he finally gets an agreement and says, yeah, I guess so. Then we see that at some point he’s getting ready for the big day, and he’s getting all these things together, right? He’s prepping. He just wings it.

 

He has his…maybe it’s from his grandmother? I don't know, he’s following some kind of recipe but he’s not following it, and he’s making every single exception, which is a total bad idea. Like, every…like, frozen? I’ll just put it in the oven anyway, kinda thing. Meanwhile, his date’s there, or she arrives. Then he’s trying to still get things ready. Also, he could have a sleep podcast. At some point what happens is he realizes he should just call his grandmother, who rides a motorcycle. She’s an excellent cook and is able to improvise and say, okay, well, we can't make a trad…we could make something like a traditional meal. But then Jon also is like…he explains all sorts of history stuff like a sleep podcaster, which was interesting.

 

It kinda ends up that…it goes pretty well 'cause grandmother’s…makes the date think that Jon did everything, so he could take the credit, and take the credit he does. So, he does that, and then Garfield and Odie have fun. Then there was one which we didn’t pay too much attention to. We tried to watch it. I guess it was from Season 2. So, there used to be a animated show about Pac-Man. Yes, Pac-Man, the video game. But this show…I don't know if the lore…it was a in-depth show. It had certain mythology that I can't quite remember.

 

It was also — and we will cover a Smurfs episode here — very much like the Smurfs and the Gummi Bears, as there was some sort of wizard involved who did not have good…it’s amazing anybody ever got…that Lord of the Rings was successful after so much anti-wizard or witch…I mean, I guess Wicked tried to say, hey, the eighties, man…what was with those animated shows? Everything was anti-wizard and witch, or war…can you imagine how warlocks felt? But so, this one was kind of a look at traditions and vacations. So, what do we have? Miss…oh, she’s Ms. Pac-Man? I thought…so, they're not married. They have a baby together. So, there’s Baby Pac…Pac-Baby, and Mr. Pac-Man and then Ms. Pac-Man, and they're gonna have a Pacsgiving. Then they make preparations. They're trying to make a human meal.

 

Then their friends, the Caspers from the game, they're always trying…there’s actually a cast of specific Caspers. Now…and then Pac-Man can have these power pellets, which is a bit like if Popeye has spinach. But then in the end they say, hey, why don’t you come to the dinner, too? We won't…let’s just work together. But, I don't know, it was a little bit dated. It definitely was dated. Then there was a Smurfs one which we kinda had to search for 'cause it’s not directly one to one, but it’s similar. The Smurfs are having a feast-of-plenty festival. So, it’s not exactly the same, but pretty close. You got Papa Smurf…I don't know how the Smurfs movie did it. I’m recording this before the Smurfs movie came out. But he says, yeah, the feast of plenty is tomorrow. Everybody get going.

 

There’s Farmer, Jokey, Painter, Greedy, who’s a chef…I didn’t real…I had forgotten that. I said, a…what is that, a chef? It said, no, that’s Greedy. So, Greedy’s in the forest, right? He’s looking for perfect ingredients or something. He meets a fairy who had fallen into a thing of Gargamel…like when Gargamel’s looking for Smurfs, similar to Pac-Man, even though the Pac-Man special…we didn’t actually encounter…I just remember seeing the beginning of the show. There’s some sort of wizard. Maybe we could look up some of that history here. But so, he meets Gunilda, maybe, who’s a fairy. She’s stuck with this Gargamel surprise, but Greedy helps her out. She says, hey, thanks for letting me go. Here’s a magical porridge pot. If you see…if you say, little magic porridge pot, make me porridge nice and hot, it’ll fill up with porridge.

 

But the thing is, it’s a bit like a Tribble. So, Greedy goes back. This is the night before. He says, check out this magic…it makes delicious porridge. Everybody’s very impressed but also a little bit jealous. So, Brainy, who’s also usually up…I guess maybe Greedy and Brainy are the ones that are causing a little bit of chaos. But Greedy checks out the pot and he says, I’m gonna do a switcheroo. So, he switches…he paints another pot similar, steals it while Greedy…Brainy does this. He tries…he steals…he switches out Greedy’s pot. But Brainy only knows how to start the thing. So, he starts making porridge, but he doesn't know the phrase to have it stop making porridge. So, it continually produces porridge. I mean, what a miracle of fairy science. It fills the entire village with porridge, slowly.

 

But at some point there’s…everybody’s like…it’s total chaos. People are trying to make boats. Greedy’s in his porridge pot 'cause his porridge pot won't fill. So, he’s like, is this thing broken? But he ends up using it as a conveyance. Finally, Brainy has to tell Papa Smurf what’s happening, and then Greedy’s floating around in the pot. He’s kinda stuck in it. He runs into the fairy. She says, what’s up, man? He says, this pot doesn't work. Everything’s covered in porridge, too. She goes, that’s not the pot I gave you. That’s…somebody switched it on you or something. He goes, oh, wait a second. Then he knows how to shut the pot down, which is like, don’t make any more porridge, you silly, little pot or whatever. So, that stops everything and then they clean up. It’s like, yeah, learn your lesson or whatever. Very eighties.

 

But let’s see, let’s compare…let’s see. If I look up…I think Wikipedia’s probably the best place versus using some sort of thing. Let’s start with the Gummi Bears TV show, which…that was one I was a fan of, and I’ve talked about it before. Adventures of the Gummi Bears…so, we're gonna look at Pac-Man, Smurf, Adventures of Gummi Bears, see what else comes up, and see kinda the similarities and lore. I think this is a Disney one. I don't know if it’s on Disney+, but…so, this is from Wikipedia. It’s an American animated children’s series loosely inspired by gummy bear candies. It takes place in a fantasy world of medieval lands and magic. Six mystical beings known as the Gummi Bears and their exploits…they tackle a series of problems and help humans. Episodes consisted of a single story or two eleven-minute stories.

 

It was lavishly budgeted, it said, and it iconically spearheaded the style of animation that followed for Disney and a artistic improvement in television. No wonder I was into it. The series was known for various elements including Gummiberry Juice, the theme music, which was spectacular…ran from ‘85 to ‘91. So, it takes place in this world…they're anthropomorphic bears. Great skills in magic and technology. They live in Gummi Glen, which is a secret settlement in the Forest of Dunwyn. Now, once upon a time they had a powerful, mighty civilization, but humans wanted their magic, so they…that’s why they hid out. They're now just a legend. But they search for the past and they find their old high-tech devices and stuff. But they…humans are…they like humans, but humans are also trying to find them.

 

I don't see any…Princess Calla is a human. King Gregor is the king. There’s Gregor’s knight, Tuxford. Yeah, they get…they have magic through Gummiberry Juice. They also have this system where they go through trees and roots on sleds, I think. Oh yeah, Duke Igthorn is trying to get the Gummiberry Juice. Oh, and they have friendly ogres that work with Igthorn and Toadwart. They're also trying to usurp the king or whatever. So, there’s Zummi Gummi, Gruffi Gummi, Granni Gummi, Tummi Gummi…Lorenzo Music plays Tummi Gummi, is the…and Sunni Gummi, Cubbi Gummi, Cavin…is that…? That must be…David Faustino played in Season 3. Young Boy, page and squire, and Dunwyn Castle…Princess Calla, King Gregor, Sir Tuxford, Duke Sigmund Igthorn, former knight of Dunwyn but tried to get…take…pull something over on King Gregor.

 

Hangs out with ogres. Toadwart…oh, Toadwart’s…oh, so Toadwart is an ogre. Then we have Gusto Gummi. That’s an artistic Gummi. So, there’s other occasional things. Started in ‘85 along with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. So, that’s the Gummi Bears. Let’s look up Pac-Man and…okay, there we go, Pac-Man and the Casper Adventures, known in Japan as Pac World, an animated television series…and, what do we got here? Wow, it came out in Disney XD and bilingual. Based on the Pac-Man franchise…the second animated show to be based on this. Oh, following…okay, so that’s the…we gotta go to the 1982 Pac-Man TV series. Wow, so this predates Gummi Bears. It was the highest-rated Saturday morning cartoon show in 1982. 20 million kids watched the first episode.

 

Okay, Pac-Man, Pepper…that’s Ms. Pac-Man, and Pac Baby. Chomp-Chomp’s their dog, and their cat’s Sourpuss. They live in Pac-Land. They live in sphere shapes, and they gotta deal with the Caspers, Inky, Blinky…Inky, Binkie, Pinky, Clyde, and Sue, which I think in the game they did have those names. But yeah, they worked for Mezmaron or Maron, Mezmaron. Kinda like Mezmaro — who wants to get to the power pellets. So, you have your secret…kinda like Gummiberry Juice. That’s a food and power source. Deus ex machina in virtually every episode…interesting. Okay, production…this was a theatrical agent. They talked to Hanna-Barbera…they didn’t understand who Pac-Man was, thinking it was…they were gonna go pitch an idea. But the show…oh, the show’s success inspired ABC’s rival CBS to become Supercade.

 

So, that…we’ll have to check that out next. Yeah, there was Pac-Land, Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures…are those games? But yeah, that’s really all we got. There’s Season 1, Season 2, there’s…oh, there was a trick-or-treat special and a holiday special. Maybe we’ll check out the holiday special. Let’s see…yeah, it was also on with the Richie Rich Show and then the Rubix Amazing Cube Hour. That was on Cartoon Express in the 1980s on the Cartoon Network. Okay. Let’s see, Saturday morning Supercade; that was the anthology series from video games Frogger, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Cubert…I remember Cubert a lot. Interesting. Frogger was a ace reporter who worked for the Swamp Gazette with Shelly Turtle. Yeah. What else do we have here?

 

Donkey Kong voiced by Soupy Sales…and works with Mario and Pauline, though they're…chasing after. There’s two seasons of that. There was also Pitfall, which was another popular game, Cubert…why do I remember Cubert the most? Donkey Kong Jr., Kangaroo…that was another game. Space Ace…okay. Let’s just read about Smurfs. S-M-U-R…animated…okay, 1981. This is probably the one. Smurfs Adventures, 1981…children’s thing…‘81 to ‘89. Based on the Belgian comic series by Peyo. Yeah, they got…they said, hey, let’s…they launched the Smurfs in association with the Wallace…with the California company Wallace Berrie and Co. who was doing the toys. Let’s see what we got. Let’s see, we got…anything about the plot here? I didn’t know about Gargamel and stuff. This has just all the cast.

 

Smurfs produced by a thing…history…let me look at…gone into production…voice, cast, and characters, reboot…there’s nothing about the plot. I mean, I need to know the plot, man. But yeah, the Smurfs were up against Quantum Leap. 200 episodes…1989, it had reached a 200-episode threshold, which is rare for cartoons. Let’s see, it was one of the few hits to emerge from this area. One of the longest running…seven spin-offs, specials…Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Gargamel, Azrael, Johan, and was the nominee for multiple Daytime Emmy awards. Interesting stuff here. Okay, I want to look up…next I want to do…is see if we can find the TV commercials that played during that…must update to continue. Oh man, okay. Well, we’ll do that. No problem. We’re being told what to do.

 

So, I watched…I think it was the Bugs Bunny one with commercials, and what I noticed was that it…there was one iconic commercial for Mickey D’s, right? I don't think there’s any food in the entire commercial. All those ones had a very…'cause you say, hey, Generation X — again, this comes up a lot — what’s up with you, Generation X? I’d say, well, let me lay out this commercial for you. It’s like, kids…there’s animation, children, human children, live-action actors, obviously, and I’m pretty sure my memory…if I can find the commercial…the kids are ice skating. Then I think at some point…then these animated animals come running around with them, and they're like, this is great. Then they see Ronald, old Ronny D. He’s ice skating with joy. Yeah, that’s it, I mean, that I can remember, right?

 

Let me see if I…what I can find. Okay, here’s the one…now let’s see if I can find the one that had the commercials. Maybe it wasn’t on here. Hm. Okay, I think I found it. Okay, so, let’s see. First there’s…this first commercial’s for…this is a different one. So, this one’s for, again, Mickey D’s. Ronald is…has these dancing poof friends that are…I think these were the Fry Guys. All the kids are dancing, too, pretty well. The Fry Guys are maybe animated or they may be puppets. I think they're puppets. I don't know the music, obviously, 'cause I’m here with you. How many Fry Guys are…? There’s a yellow…six of them, it looks like; yellow, orange, green, light blue, navy blue, and then kinda like a fuchsia. Is that fuchsia? Is that the correct pronunciation of that color? That was called the Fry Step. So, Ronald teaches everybody the Fry Step.

 

Yeah, that’s fuchsia. Maybe they just have animated legs. Wow, this is really advanced. I think that’s it. Wow. So, that’s advanced commercialling. The inside of the McDonald’s set is very nice, which was an aesthetic back then. Lots of light and lots of space for dancing. Okay, the next one coming up here is a kid on a hobby horse with a cow, and then…now a girl with a bunny, Bunny Grabbit. So, these were…puppy love. So, these were very huggable stuffed animals. Oh, then a bear buddy. Oh, then somebody on the phone. Hug heaven…so…oh, Puffalumps. So, these were the Puffalumps. I think the Puffalumps may have had their own show for a time. Next commercial here…we got milk, we got a kid eating something. Breakfast is…a big family breakfast or dinner. Oh, it’s soup. This kid’s eating some soup.

 

The dog’s watching him eat soup. Oh, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup in a can. It’s part…and he’s drinking…okay, there’s another Gen X thing. Okay, this I can't even imagine doing, but I probably did. You say, Gen X, what’s up with you? Well, let me tell you another example other than learning to dance in a McDonald’s. Or, that would be an idealized version. We would regularly eat things like Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup with a chicken broth type thing, and whole…and a glass of whole milk together at the same meal. Yeah. You say, wait a second, what? I say, yeah, I don't even know how we ever…like, it was…and we would have milk at lunch, chocolate…you could choose between chocolate milk and non-chocolate milk.

 

I mean, can you imagine for all our friends that are…their bodies say, I don't tolerate that well. Man. But Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup with a glass of milk. Then there’s a commercial for Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which I think must have been new back then, and still one of my top…I don't have it a lot, but one of my favorite cereals. I really like the ads. This one has a animated…three animated chefs. Two kids are putting stuff up for Santa, and then three animated chefs are saying, no…what about cereal for Santa instead of cookies? Cinnamon Toast Crunch is as good as cookies. They maybe are even singing. Okay, then there’s some bears in a plane. No purchase…oh, this is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You could win a bear. Santa Bear Express…I don't know if that was a movie, too. Wow, those are huge.

 

Okay, then a ad for a couple shows, I Love Lucy and something else. They're interspersing. Let’s see…then Jane Curtin…okay, so these are all different shows. A Monday…oh, Kate & Allie and…something place. Friend’s place? Okay, then we have a commercial for Simon and Simon. Oh, this…yeah, then the weather. Okay. Okay, then we have somebody else talking from a TV show. Her arms are crossed…Ari Meyers. Then we got more commercials coming up. What do we got here? Oh, Juicy Fruit is gonna move you. So, there’s people snowboarding, and back then sugared gum was a way to…instead of beer…all these people…beautiful people snowboarding, laughing, and chewing gum. That’s what beautiful people used to do in the eighties.

 

They had Juicy Fruit gum which only…the taste only…the taste moves you because it’s…it moves you to have another piece because the taste does not last long. Okay, then we have kids bowling, little kid…toddlers. Oh, and this is for Flintstones Vitamins. It looks like they had four different ones. Okay, now we have a ad for Ore-Ida, and another toddler…a lot of toddlers in these commercials. Oh, microwave fries, Ore-Ida microwave fries. Oh, rida…Ore-Ida is alrighta. Then we have Daffy Duck in an ad. Daffy Duck had a Thanks-for-giving special next. Didn’t know about that. Then Pee-wee’s Playhouse commercial for…come in and pull yourself up a chair Saturdays. What else do we have? Do we have any more? Okay, now we have a girl. She’s got a doll. This must be a TV movie. Is she gulping? There’s somebody with a lamb.

 

Now she’s talking. Now they're helping another kid. There’s a carriage. The Secret Garden, Monday at 9:00. Then there was a TV show about Belle and…and then Dallas, a commercial for Dallas. Might even be…I don't think Dallas is…the Falcon Crest…these were PM soap operas. Friday night…yeah, Friday night was for soap operas. Now there’s a TV…a commercial for a truck, a light truck, and some vehicles have dealer-installed options. $500 back when you buy it. Oh, there’s…oh, automatic transmission on this one, and that one’s going through the mud. This one’s going through a field. This one’s going through a meadow. So, if you drive through meadows, fields, or mud, get a truck. Okay, then next up we have a house. Oh, there’s…is that a Pound Puppy? Yeah, a Pound Puppy from Tonka.

 

There’s Pound Kittens. They're trying to get this kid’s attention, so he asks Santa for him. Oh, this one’s getting into his house. He doesn't even need Santa. All the other puppies and cats…oh, they all came down the chimney. The kid looks and…oh, 'cause you get them from Hardy’s. Interesting. Didn’t say how, but I mean, it could have been…I could have missed it. Okay, then we have a special sign, CBS special…oh, and this is the ads between the Daffy Duck special. Okay. Okay, we have three people getting ready, a kid and his parents. He’s brushing his teeth. They're rating him as they brush…oh no, they're giving him flashcards. Division for…24 divided by 4. This is…instead of your parents, what about something like a tablet that’s…does flash cards and math? The Talking Wiz Kid. Batteries not included. So, that’s interesting.

 

Turn on a mind. Okay, now we have Extra sugar-free gum. Now, instead of skiing, this is sailing on the dirt. But it’s, again, beautiful people. They're out on these boats with wheels, and then there’s a dad and his daughter. He’s winning prizes. Then there’s people in a…they're kayaking. White-water rafting with gum. Make sure it’s sugar-free in that case. Wrigley’s Extra. Lasts extra…extra-long time. Keebler Elves…a taxi pulls up and a bunch of reporters…'cause they have a new…some new product, cheddar something. Aged with New York cheddar. I think these are kinda like Goldfish, cheddar crackers. Oh yeah, Townhouse Crackers; that was a kind of Keebler cracker. These ones are cheddar Townhouse. Cheddar Jr., maybe? I can't quite make it out. Then a ad for ranch dressing, for Rancher’s Choice.

 

You know what ranch dressing ranchers like? Rancher’s Choice. Who choose…do choosey moms choose Jif? No, ranch. Oh, and they also have…oh, Italian, French dressing, catalina dressing. These are all squeezable dressings…and people doing fancy work with their dressing. Kraft makes salad sing, man. Okay, then another ad for TV shows. Oh, this is like…Kate & Allie were in a version of…huh. Kate and Allie and friends play…Frank’s Place. Okay, then a ad for sports coming up, college sports. Sporting around. That’s on the weekend. Okay, so this was Friday night the special was on. That makes sense for Scoots’ original story. Okay, then we have the ad for the birds or the bear contest from Cinnamon Toast Crunch. 1 in 1,000 chance of winning…Santa Bear Express…okay, then we have…a couple days only.

 

Sears is having a sale, a Friday night special. Everybody’s looking through the flyers. 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday. Oh, it must be on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Then Campbell’s Special Request Soup…oh, this is, again, beautiful people eating soup, kinda like people that look like they're famous or something. Special request…another ad for the Secret Garden. So, the Secret Garden’s getting…the Secret Garden…I guess they're promoting their own stuff. That makes sense. Network television premiere of…what movie’s this?

 

Oh, Gandhi. Gandhi’s network television premiere. Then we’ll have a couple more specials before we tuck in here. Last round of stuff, commercials from the eighties. What do we have? Or do we have…? Oh no, that’s it. So, that’s it, everybody. Oh no, there’s still twenty seconds left. They're just running the…yeah, so, I guess that’s it. I’ll tuck you in, I’ll say goodnight, and hope you have a happy holiday season. Thanks for listening. Goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

Seasonal / Holiday

 

Rise of Romantasy

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/02/romantasy-literary-genre-booktok

https://theeverydaymagazine.co.uk/fictionandpoetry/the-rise-of-the-good-girl-why-romantasy-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing-genres

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/03/romantasy-and-booktok-driving-a-huge-rise-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-sales

 

Toy Packaging

https://www.creativebloq.com/computer-arts/toy-packaging-then-and-now-5089338

https://designforceinc.com/thinking/the-evolution-of-toy-package-design-over-the-last-40-years/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12618/why-toy-packaging-so-difficult-open

 

Pac-Man TV Show

https://otakunoculture.com/2013/06/28/pac-man-ghostly-adventures/

https://www.retroist.com/p/pac-man-the-animated-series

https://www.gamegrin.com/articles/comparing-the-two-short-lived-pac-man-cartoons/

 

McDonald’s Ice Skating commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xi-kKMBNe0

https://www.eater.com/22179053/mcdonalds-commercials-80s-90s-advertisements-ronald-mcdonald

https://theretronetwork.com/mcdonalds-happy-holidays-ronald-skating/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Some sort of Cornucopia season animated content recap and maybe a personal essay

I guess you’ll already know what this is because of the title

Surprise! I don’t know what I’m talking about

I hope I can be there for you

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Kindred; Odoo; Uncommon Goods; Everyday Dose

 

INTRO

It’s a lot of things at this time of year, huh?

All those expectations

Oh, those expectations between my ears

Non-Romantic Romantic Expectations

I’m not trying to romanticize non-romantic feelings

Let’s assume I’m making gravy

I’ll leave the romantic gravy content to Chuck Tingle

All my intangible associations with gravy

Get Your Gravy

I got your gravy, man

Grandiose but (maybe) not romantic feelings

I’m romanticizing my preparation of gravy and the results

Again, I’m not talking about romantic fiction

I wouldn’t say we’re the top romantic podcast

A gravy boat of nonsensical meanders

At least I have that sleepy podcaster to listen to…

Confused by my own words

This show is definitely different from your expectations

You’re allowed to dislike me

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

It is beyond normal to take your time to understand me

I’m just here to be your borefriend

Did people ever fall asleep reading letters?

Explaining the show structure

Check out Sleep With Me Plus or our Referral Program

The same but different every time

Shoutout to my pocketful of stuffing

Gah Gah Gravy

Indirect community time

Tonight we’re recapping some animated Thanksgiving specials

Thanks for coming by

 

STORY

Super chill / super tired Scoots is here now!

I’ve been taking care of my sweet baby Koa at night

Yeah, man, chill Scoots is here

I’ll try to avoid a 60s vibe

“Bud” is acceptable

Scooter’s relationship with some animated Thanksgiving TV specials

Has Scoots told you this story before?

Once upon a time, before there were 6 kids in Scooter’s family

A brief time when there was a playroom

I don’t know where the TV was

This room had a linoleum tile floor

It wasn’t the 70s but it had a 70s floor

It wasn’t fancy tile

Hard squares that were cool to the touch

Competition between a Charlie Brown and Bugs Bunny animated special

Don’t worry, little Andy, it’s just a compilation

Toys came in paperboard containers with tin tops

Blocks, legos, etc

There were 3 paperboard tubes

They were playing with water in the tub

Scooter was a problem causer and solver

Solving problems under the veil of secrecy

But paperboard deteriorates when it gets wet

A parental figure arrived

What in the name of Lincoln Logs is going on here?

I made my own water table on the floor. A water floor

Chill Scoots wasn’t there to mediate

Young Scoots was gonna bypass dinner and have an early bedtime

That was just the time

Scoots was so bummed to miss that Bugs Bunny special

He decided to sneak out to watch the special but didn’t watch much of it

I won’t even tell you the title

It apparently premiered in 1979, so this was maybe 1981 or 1982

A clip show with Bugs as a narrator

This wasn’t even really about Thanksgiving

Fast forward to 1989 and the Garfield Thanksgiving special

It oddly focuses on Jon

Garfield doesn’t want to go to his appointment with the person who takes care of cats

Jon hits on the person taking care of Garfield

She’s gonna come for Thanksgiving

Jon is winging it for Thanksgiving

He’s making every kind of exception for this family recipe

His date arrives

He calls his Grandmother who’s riding a motorcycle

Jon takes his grandma’s advice and manages to impress his date

Remember the animated TV show about Pac-Man?

How come so many animated TV shows were anti-magic users in the 80s?

It’s a miracle that Lord of the Rings was a success…

Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Baby Pac

This show has a cast of specific caspers

They invite them all to dinner

Then there was a Smurfs one

Smurfs are having a feast of plenty festival

I’m recording this pre-Smurfs movie so I don’t know how it did

Greedy Smurf meets a fairy who’s caught in one of Gargamel’s Smurf traps

Gunilda is her name?

Stuck in a Gargamel Surprise

She gives him a magic porridge pot as thanks

This porridge pot is a bit of a tribble

Greedy and Brainy are causing some chaos

Brainy tries to do a switcheroo on Greedy’s pot

But Brainy doesn’t know how to turn off the porridge pot

What a miracle of fairy science

Porridge fills the village

Let’s start with the Gummy Bears TV Show

Loosely inspired by Gummy Bear candies

Wow, this show was “lavishly budgeted”

The theme music was spectacular

It ran for 6 years!

The gummy bears once had a mighty kingdom but have gone into hiding

Oh yeah, Duke Igthorn is trying to get the gummy juice

Lorenzo Music plays Tummy Gummy

Reading the character list

Okay, let’s look up the Pac-Man TV Show

Wow, there were multiple TV shows based on Pac-Man

20 million kids watched the first episode in 1982???

The caspers work for Mesmeron

The pellets are a food and power sources

Deus Ex Machina solved the end of every episode

Wow, there’s also a trick or treat and holiday special

Saturday Morning Supercade

I remember Qbert

A whole series of animated shows based on videogames

Let’s go back to the Smurfs show

Smurfs Adventures ran for the entire 80s, whoa

What’s the plot, man?

Smurfs ran up against Quantum Leap

200 episodes is rare for cartoons

Nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy awards

Okay, can I find some of the commercials from this time?

One iconic commercial for McD’s

There wasn’t any food at all in this commercial

Kids are ice skating and then they see animated animals

Ronny D is ice skating with joy

Ronald has some dancing fry friends

I don’t know if the Fry Guys are animated or puppets

Is that color fuschia?

Do the Fry Steps

Advanced Commercialing

Great lighting

Puppy Loves – huggable stuffed animals

Oh yeah, I remember the puffalumps

Next commercial – a dog is watching a kid eat soup

Gen X, what’s up with you?

Well, we’d have Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and milk for dinner, so there you go

Cinnamon Toast Crunch must’ve been new back then

Leave CTC out for Santa

Wow, that’s a huge stuffed bear that you could win

Ads for shows

A commercial for Simon & Simon

Sugared gum was huge in the 80s

Little toddlers bowling for.. Flinstones Vitamins

Lotta toddlers in these commercials

Oreida microwave fries

Daffy Duck had his own Thanksgiving special?

Pee Wee’s Playhouse ad

A tv show about Belle

A commercial for Dallas

Friday night is for soap operas

If you drive through meadows, fields, or mud, buy this truck

An ad for Pound Puppies

White Water Rafting…with gum

So many gum ads

New Keebler Elves products

An ad for Ranch dressing

Squeezable Dressings

Sportin’ Around with college sports

Sears is having a Black Friday special

Famous people eating soup

The Secret Garden TV movie is getting a lot of press

The network TV premiere of… Gandhi

Hope you have a happy holiday season

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1395

Title: Childhood Cornucopia Specials

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Kindred; Odoo; Uncommon Goods; Everyday Dose

Notable Language:

• Non-Romantic Romantic Expectations
• Get Your Gravy
• Pocketful of Stuffing
• Gah Gah Gravy
• Bud
• Paperboard Tubes
• Water Floor
• Stuck in a Gargamel Surprise
• Lavishly Budgeted
• Do the Fry Steps
• Advanced Commercialing
• Squeezable Dressings
• Sportin’ Around

 

Notable Culture:

• • Chuck Tingle
  • Thanksgiving
  • sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
  • Charlie Brown
  • Bugs Bunny
  • LEGO
  • Lincoln Logs
  • Looney Tunes

• Bugs Bunny’s Thanksgiving Diet

• Garfield

• Pac-Man

• The Smurfs

• Star Trek

• • Gummy Bears TV Show
  • Donkey Kong
  • Pitfall
  • Frogger
  • Qbert

• Quantum Leap

• • McDonald’s
  • Campbell’s Soup
  • Simon & Simon
  • Juicy Fruit
  • Pee Wee’s Playhouse

• Beauty & The Beast

• Dallas

• • Sears
  • Black Friday

• The Secret Garden

• Gandhi

 

Notable Talking Points:

• It’s a lot of things at this time of year, huh?
• All those expectations
• Oh, those expectations between my ears
• Non-Romantic Romantic Expectations
• I’m not trying to romanticize non-romantic feelings
• Let’s assume I’m making gravy
• I’ll leave the romantic gravy content to Chuck Tingle
• All my intangible associations with gravy
• Get Your Gravy
• I got your gravy, man
• Grandiose but (maybe) not romantic feelings
• I’m romanticizing my preparation of gravy and the results
• Again, I’m not talking about romantic fiction
• I wouldn’t say we’re the top romantic podcast
• A gravy boat of nonsensical meanders
• At least I have that sleepy podcaster to listen to…
• Confused by my own words
• This show is definitely different from your expectations
• You’re allowed to dislike me
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• It is beyond normal to take your time to understand me
• I’m just here to be your borefriend
• Did people ever fall asleep reading letters?
• Explaining the show structure
• Check out Sleep With Me Plus or our Referral Program
• The same but different every time
• Shoutout to my pocketful of stuffing
• Gah Gah Gravy
• Indirect community time
• Tonight we’re recapping some animated Thanksgiving specials
• Thanks for coming by
• Super chill / super tired Scoots is here now!
• I’ve been taking care of my sweet baby Koa at night
• Yeah, man, chill Scoots is here
• I’ll try to avoid a 60s vibe
• “Bud” is acceptable
• Scooter’s relationship with some animated Thanksgiving TV specials
• Has Scoots told you this story before?
• Once upon a time, before there were 6 kids in Scooter’s family
• A brief time when there was a playroom
• I don’t know where the TV was
• This room had a linoleum tile floor
• It wasn’t the 70s but it had a 70s floor
• It wasn’t fancy tile
• Hard squares that were cool to the touch
• Competition between a Charlie Brown and Bugs Bunny animated special
• Don’t worry, little Andy, it’s just a compilation
• Toys came in paperboard containers with tin tops
• Blocks, legos, etc
• There were 3 paperboard tubes
• They were playing with water in the tub
• Scooter was a problem causer and solver
• Solving problems under the veil of secrecy
• But paperboard deteriorates when it gets wet
• A parental figure arrived
• What in the name of Lincoln Logs is going on here?
• I made my own water table on the floor. A water floor
• Chill Scoots wasn’t there to mediate
• Young Scoots was gonna bypass dinner and have an early bedtime
• That was just the time
• Scoots was so bummed to miss that Bugs Bunny special
• He decided to sneak out to watch the special but didn’t watch much of it
• I won’t even tell you the title
• It apparently premiered in 1979, so this was maybe 1981 or 1982
• A clip show with Bugs as a narrator
• This wasn’t even really about Thanksgiving
• Fast forward to 1989 and the Garfield Thanksgiving special
• It oddly focuses on Jon
• Garfield doesn’t want to go to his appointment with the person who takes care of cats
• Jon hits on the person taking care of Garfield
• She’s gonna come for Thanksgiving
• Jon is winging it for Thanksgiving
• He’s making every kind of exception for this family recipe
• His date arrives
• He calls his Grandmother who’s riding a motorcycle
• Jon takes his grandma’s advice and manages to impress his date
• Remember the animated TV show about Pac-Man?
• How come so many animated TV shows were anti-magic users in the 80s?
• It’s a miracle that Lord of the Rings was a success…
• Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Baby Pac
• This show has a cast of specific caspers
• They invite them all to dinner
• Then there was a Smurfs one
• Smurfs are having a feast of plenty festival
• I’m recording this pre-Smurfs movie so I don’t know how it did
• Greedy Smurf meets a fairy who’s caught in one of Gargamel’s Smurf traps
• Gunilda is her name?
• Stuck in a Gargamel Surprise
• She gives him a magic porridge pot as thanks
• This porridge pot is a bit of a tribble
• Greedy and Brainy are causing some chaos
• Brainy tries to do a switcheroo on Greedy’s pot
• But Brainy doesn’t know how to turn off the porridge pot
• What a miracle of fairy science
• Porridge fills the village
• Let’s start with the Gummy Bears TV Show
• Loosely inspired by Gummy Bear candies
• Wow, this show was “lavishly budgeted”
• The theme music was spectacular
• It ran for 6 years!
• The gummy bears once had a mighty kingdom but have gone into hiding
• Oh yeah, Duke Igthorn is trying to get the gummy juice
• Lorenzo Music plays Tummy Gummy
• Reading the character list
• Okay, let’s look up the Pac-Man TV Show
• Wow, there were multiple TV shows based on Pac-Man
• 20 million kids watched the first episode in 1982???
• The caspers work for Mesmeron
• The pellets are a food and power sources
• Deus Ex Machina solved the end of every episode
• Wow, there’s also a trick or treat and holiday special
• Saturday Morning Supercade
• I remember Qbert
• A whole series of animated shows based on videogames
• Let’s go back to the Smurfs show
• Smurfs Adventures ran for the entire 80s, whoa
• What’s the plot, man?
• Smurfs ran up against Quantum Leap
• 200 episodes is rare for cartoons
• Nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy awards
• Okay, can I find some of the commercials from this time?
• One iconic commercial for McD’s
• There wasn’t any food at all in this commercial
• Kids are ice skating and then they see animated animals
• Ronny D is ice skating with joy
• Ronald has some dancing fry friends
• I don’t  know if the Fry Guys are animated or puppets
• Is that color fuschia?
• Do the Fry Steps
• Advanced Commercialing
• Great lighting
• Puppy Loves – huggable stuffed animals
• Oh yeah, I remember the puffalumps
• Next commercial – a dog is watching a kid eat soup
• Gen X, what’s up with you?
• Well, we’d have Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and milk for dinner, so there you go
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch must’ve been new back then
• Leave CTC out for Santa
• Wow, that’s a huge stuffed bear that you could win
• Ads for shows
• A commercial for Simon & Simon
• Sugared gum was huge in the 80s
• Little toddlers bowling for.. Flinstones Vitamins
• Lotta toddlers in these commercials
• Oreida microwave fries
• Daffy Duck had his own Thanksgiving special?
• Pee Wee’s Playhouse ad
• A tv show about Belle
• A commercial for Dallas
• Friday night is for soap operas
• If you drive through meadows, fields, or mud, buy this truck
• An ad for Pound Puppies
• White Water Rafting…with gum
• So many gum ads
• New Keebler Elves products
• An ad for Ranch dressing
• Squeezable Dressings
• Sportin’ Around with college sports
• Sears is having a Black Friday special
• Famous people eating soup
• The Secret Garden TV movie is getting a lot of press
• The network TV premiere of… Gandhi
• Hope you have a happy holiday season