Hard to believe that the original puppets used in the stop-action Christmas movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer were almost lost to age and neglect. Of course, at the time nobody knew how popular the movie would become, even elevated to cult-status, sans people dressing as misfit toys. Even though they have been on recent tours (nostalgia or new markets?) that have not been in or around NYC, they still hold a certain fascination for me.
Philosophically and culturally speaking:
- Perhaps they hearken back to a simpler time (if there was such a thing?)?
- Perhaps they hold a gentleness for a violent and scary world (when was it never not that way?)?
- Perhaps they remind us of childhood (who really had a happy one, after all?)?
- Perhaps they are simply iconic or even somewhat archetypical (even in a Kantian perspective?)?
Whatever the case, in its simplest, they look good!
Jeffrey…Philosophically and culturally speaking, these are links to the collective youth of people in our age demographic. Back in the dark ages before mega-channel cable packages and DVD box sets, holiday programming occurred once a year on network television. As the holidays approached, it was terribly exciting to flip through TV Guide and see when the TV specials would air. Waiting for Rudolph and Frosty was nearly as much fun as anticipating Sanat’s arrival. Every show, from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” to “The Grinch” and “March of the Wooden Soldiers” provided a healthy dose of spirit for kids of all ages.
Then came Cablevision and the tsunami wave of politcal correctness. 🙁
So, it is longing for a shared experience?
Not exactly. More a bit of cerebral time travel, wistfully thinking about a more innocent, less cluttered time not that long ago.
Was there ever a more innocent, less cluttered time? It seems to me that each generation thinks theirs is the harshest, most difficult, and most unlike any other historical period.
I put the line of demarcation at the moment MTV hit the airwaves.
“Video Killed the Radio Star” . . .