The Christmas Toy

Last night I forced to watch a Garfield Christmas. First off, I'd like to go on record as saying that it was without a doubt the worst Christmas special I have ever seen in my life! It was poorly animated, boring, it made no sense, and the music was just terrible. I was never a huge Garfield fan to begin with; I just don't see the appeal. He's a cat that loves lasagna, we GET it. How someone managed to stretch that comic out for so many years is beyond me.

After the movie came to a merciful end, I began to rant about how awful it was, as I am want to do. I began listing other Christmas specials that were far superior to this lackluster movie and I eventually came to Jim Henson's: the Christmas Toy. I was shocked and appalled to find that neither of roommates had ever heard of this film.

The Christmas Toy is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. Without giving too much away, it is a story about toys that come to life whenever humans leave them alone. They have their own society and carry on fun little lives involving building things and playing games. The only catch is, if they are seen moving by a human, they pretty much die. They freeze in the position in which they were found and then the other toys hold a funeral service for them. How messed up/ great a premise for a children’s movie is that?!

Every year the toy society welcomes in the new additions that arrive on Christmas morning and last year’s favorite toy has to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer number one. This concept is lost on Rugby, a stuffed tiger who refuses to give up the thrown, as he attempts to sneak back down to the tree and climb into a box so that can be unwrapped and serve a 2nd term as the family childs favorite toy. Hilarity ensues. I am now on a personal quest to track down this movie so that I may add it to my holiday movie rotation.

If you have never seen this movie, please do yourself a favor and give it a shot. You won't be disappointed.