Around this time of year, I usually rewatch Holiday episodes of my favorite tv shows and rewatch The Simpsons episode ” ‘Tis the Fifteenth Season. The Big Promotional image used for this episode was of Homer as the Grinch, implying a parody of the Dr. Seuss classic. However, the Grinch parody is a bit of a last-minute Act 3 closer. The episode also has 3 parodies of a Christmas Carol, a California Raisins parody, and a Rankin-Bass Parody that proves Jimmy Stewart as a puppet is just wrong. Holiday specials are so ingrained in pop culture that they are ripe for parody, so I think it is fair to try to point out how other shows approach the concept.
When it comes to Grinch Parodies, there are 2 ways to do a Grinch Parody; Green Christmas themed monster or a random parody of the infamous song.
When it comes to having a Green Monster showing up, it mainly involves some random way to show how evil the character is, such as having Roger the Alien turn into a Green Monster from a lack of sex.
Even though it was at the end of the episode Tis the Fifteenth Season is still a top-notch Grinch Parody, mainly because it is the only one with a parody of the iconic Thurl Ravencroft. It was also the second time the show had Homer play breaking and entering to steal stuff on Christmas Eve, as we saw him stealing Funzo in Grift of the Magi. Last Exit Springfield also had the iconic parody with Mr. Burns as the Grinch, expecting the town to act like the citizens of Whoville when waking up without presents. However, in Tis’ the Fifteenth Season, on top of keeping a scene of Homer stealing presents, we also see preservation of the source material’s theme as the crowd calms down at the “sight” of a Christmas miracle. Which, cynically, was Hans Moleman’s flare gun. It’s a subtle end that even today’s adaptations seem to forget, such as the currently ongoing Walmart Grinch ad campaign
Despite being a Christmas movie, most parodies of this holiday classic usually involve a holiday. Unless you want to count the Muppet Christmas Special, where he creates an alternate timeline in which the Twin Towers never fell. Needless to say Muppet fans hate this special because of the sight of a depressed Kermit.
My favorite would probably have to be Johnny’s Guardian Angel. It’s a mean spirited revalation of Johnny learning everyone in his life would be better off without him, only to change his mind over his sheer vanity. It is certainly less mean spirited then Fairly Odd Parents’ attempt. I will still argue it could count as a Christmas episode because of the presence of a Guardian Angel.
While a quick 2-minute bit in a holiday episode, Holly Jolly Secrets gave us a pretty funny Rudolf Parody where The Ice King, after creating a snowman army and one gets an apple stuck on his face. The Recognition of the Snowman and immediate rejection upon the Snowman losing the apple is a perfect summary of the stupidity of the story Rudolph is.
I also must admit that Holly Jolly Secrets is more of a parody of Twas the Night Before Christmas as we see the Ice King break into Finn and Jake’s treehouse while snowing them in. The fact that this episode contains the spirit of Christmas while never once implying the Holiday makes it a perfect parody.
One sitcom classic I love coming back to every year is Community’s season 2 episode Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas. A tribute to Rankin-Bass specials involves Abed taking the study group on an imagined magical stop mation christmas special. This one really felt like the spirit of a Rankin-Bass special as Abed imagines a Christmas Themed Adventure they’re on while also coming to terms with a recent event in his life. Having the climax be as special as a musical number is what really captures the spirit of this holiday episode.
Christmas Carol has had probably hundreds of adaptations and parodies, with some of them never even taking place during Christmas. Some going completely off the rails and just using one of the ghosts as a side character. However, I think the biggest standout would be The Real Ghostbusters Cartoon parody of the novel. This episode involves the crew traveling back in time, busting the ghosts meant to visit Scrooge. This results in Scrooge writing a Christmas Humbug thus ruining the entire holiday for everyone. It’s yet another brilliant subversion where everything goes wrong, but it’s a pretty good message about the good of the holiday spirit.
A recent standout would be the Smiling Friends episode Pim Finally Turns Green, which involves bringing the Claymation Rotten the Snowman to life. This starts off as a normal parody, only for the character Pim to turn the Snowman into a ball of anxiety by telling him about the concept of life and death. Frosty isn’t the best Christmas classic, so I love the idea of him being horrified by the concept of his existence. Not exactly a holiday-themed message, but at least it ends on possitive note.
So, despite all being parodies of holiday classics, I still feel they should be held in high regard. After all, most are about expressing gratitude during this holiday season and the importance to treat others well.
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