Snowden's Christmas
This is a funny little one! Snowden was a Target mascot, at least in the 80's and 90's, who ended up having a few corporate tie-in TV specials on CBS. I discovered these while researching the two Raggedy Ann & Snowden specials and the merch involved, it's quite a gem. Snowden's Christmas was animated by Cuppa Coffee Studios, who are most known for Celebrity Death Match on MTV and a host of other adult animated films and stop-motion shorts. That would probably explain why the script is surprisingly edgy. There are very few moments that remind you this is essentially an add for their mascot.
Snowden and his friends Drummer, Tiny, and Footloose are owned by a little boy named Adam. In classic Toy Story fashion, Adam's family is moving to NYC and the box with the toys falls out of the trunk. The toys are now on their own hundres of miles away, and have to hitchhike their way home back to their kid just in time for christmas. Spoilers ahead! So if this sounds fun just watch it first ;).
Thoughts
What makes this special so iconic to me is 1) the animation and 2) the characters! Knowing the animation is done by a stop-motion studio specializing in Robot Chicken / MTV / Adult Swim style makes sense immidiately. It's playfull and scrappy, cars have painted-on windows and the buildings are 2D, the design goes very far to make the most of the small budget. The main figures are beautifully sewn plush dolls with cutout features, and they get a lot of mileage out of the cartoony expressions!
As mentioned, this special is surprisingly edgy. Snowden is a naive and hopefull little creature, but the rest of the toys are constantly bickering and taking shots at each other and him, him blissfully unaware of how mean they are. We meet a family on a road trip with annoying kids and parents who hate them and each other, some Happy Meal toys who aren't too kind to "knockoffs", and a Jersey rat. Of course, Santa saves the day and the toys get home safe, but it isn't afraid to be a little mean along the way. The writing is surprisingly competent, each of the toys has their 'bit' but feel like rounded characters.
In the last scene, the toys get dropped off on Adam's doorstep in fancy new red and green christmas marching band outfits! New merch alert! Marketable plushies incoming! I went to look up if there was any merch made for this special specifically, and unfortunately could not find any of Drummer. Was I about to spend my cold hard cash on a Target plush of Drummer from the 90's? Probably not. But I did hope to see him. Tiny and Footloose have shown up in some way in other Snowden and Friends media, so they have some merch, but he's unique to this special and so there's nothing!!!
Characters
Snowden
The little guy! He's just a little guy! An absolute sweetheart with a heart of gold, lost in a cruel world, but right on the edge of too sappy. You just have to feel a little pitty for the guy and you want him to find better friends. His design here is less corporate than his mascot merch and other TV appearances.
Favorite quote:
Drummer
He wants to say 'ass' so bad. Let him curse. You know I have a love for bears. He's a marching band bear with a huge drum, and a switch on his back that sets him off. He's very proud, and considers himself more of a 'collectible' than a toy. He is such a sarcastic bitch.
Favorite quote(s):
Tiny
Tiny is the larget toy, a big plush elephant. She has anxiety, expecially claustrophobia, and is scared of pretty much everything. She isn't just a scaredy-cat though, and has her own sarcastic moments.
Favorite quote:
Footloose
Footloose is a pink rabbit plush with big feet, I wouldn't recommend pointing them out unless you want to end up with one in your gut. He's the most childlike out of the group, with a higher voice than the others, and is easily swayed between Snowden and Drummer's points of view. He tries somewhat to comfort Snowden after the others are mean to him, but either can't or doesn't want to argue.
Favorite quote:
Fanart
If you're looking for new specials to put into the background noise rotation this christmas, this is a great little addition! You'll get a few laughs and the stylized stop-motion is a treat. It doesn't feel as corporate as its sponsorship makes it sound. I love these silly little assholes. I would die for Drummer.
