Most of the specials I have lined up are entirely new to me, but I could swear I've already seen our first entry at least once as a child. It's "The Adventures of Candy Claus", it's directed by noted weird animator Yoram Gross, and it looks like this:
Candy Claus appeared in an ad for a 900 number, in which she's identified as "the Christmas Seal Child". None of that matters as far as the special goes. Instead, Candy is one of two dolls made by a family who just realized it isn't really fair that Santa never gets a present on Christmas. (The special at least operates in a world where nobody questions whether Santa exists, which is honestly refreshing.) Candy comes to life thanks to the power of love and she becomes Santa and Mrs. Claus' daughter because sure, why not. Later, this young new character for the young persons to relate to gets her own sleigh pulled by baby reindeer, a robot buddy, and access to a time machine. Really.
The other doll, meanwhile, is stolen and raised by Oh No, a wicked... nasty old man that's also a wind ghost... This doll comes to life but only *partially*. He is barely able to move and talk because Oh No doesn't love him. Oh No gives the poor thing the name Hey You, treats him like crap, and makes him compare his wretched life to Candy's and reflect on the existential horror of his existence and hate himself. If you're at all paying attention, you may have noticed that this is one hell of a subplot to a children's Christmas special.
With that in mind, as terrible as the songs are (and of course these hideous earworms are why I remember this special), they're nothing compared to that ending. Merry Christmas, kids!😥
-----
Art of the Day!
Hey, if it's winter, Boston Yeti should be reappearing soon!
