Search This Blog

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 10, 1958


Hi! And, welcome to the 101st day of 2012!

On most other years, April 10th would be the 100th day of the year, but since it's a leap year this year, it's not. I know, it's weird, isn't it? :D

All that aside, it's time for another trip back through time, as we take a look back on an event that took place on April 10th.

But, before we launch into that, we will, as always, talk about some other happenings that occurred on this date throughout history.

We'll start with April 10th happenings through the years, beginning with...

837 – Halley's Comet and Earth experienced their closest approach to one another, their distance being 3.2 million miles apart

1815 – Mount Tambora begins a three-month long eruption. 71,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives, and the resulting disaster affects global climate for the next two years

1816 – The U.S. Government approves creation of the Second Bank of the United States

1856 – Theta Chi fraternity is founded at Norwich University

1858 – After the original “Big Ben” had cracked during testing, a new bell was recast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry

1874 – The first Arbor Day is celebrated in the state of Nebraska

1887 – Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of The Catholic University of America

1912 – The Titanic leaves port in Southampton, England, would sink just five days later

1916 – The PGA (Professional Golf Association of America) is created in New York City

1925 – F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby” was first published

1953 – The movie “House of Wax” debuts, making it the first 3D film made from a major American studio (Warner Brothers)

1970 – Paul McCartney announces his departure from the Beatles citing personal and professional reasons

1972 – For the first time since 1967, American troops bomb North Vietnam during Vietnam War

2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes in Russia, killing Polish president Lech Kaczynski

We also said goodbye to a few celebrities on April 10. These include actor Larry Linville (2000), singer Little Eva (2003), football player Al Lucas (2005), and actress Dixie Carter (2010).



For today's look back through time, we're going to feature a celebrity birthday. A celebrity who happens to have the birthdate of April 10, 1958.

It isn't these people, but a very happy birthday to Max von Sydow, Ken Griffey Sr., Steven Seagal, Peter MacNicol, Steven Gustafson (10,000 Maniacs), Brian Setzer, Orlando Jones, Billy Jayne (previously Jacoby), Kenny Lattimore, Q-Tip, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kasey Kahne, Laura Bell Bundy, Liz McClarnon (Atomic Kitten), Chyler Leigh, Ryan Merriman, Mandy Moore, Haley Joel Osment, Alex Pettyfer, and A.J. Michalka.

No, today we're going to be taking a look back at a man who started off in the industry very young, and who ended up wearing many hats during his career. Singer, songwriter, performer, record label founder, record producer, film producer...he even has a stretch of highway named after him!

Seriously, that last part is the truth! If you're ever driving down Interstate 65 which passes through the city of Indianapolis, you'll likely see some signs in the area indicating that a particular part of the highway was named after someone named Kenneth Edmonds. But, you may recognize him by his professional name better. Oh, look, here's one of his songs down below.



This is for the cool in you, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. That's right. This blog post is all about you today!

Born on April 10, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kenneth Edmonds knew that he wanted to have a career in music as long as he could remember. He was one of six brothers (two of which also had musical success, as Melvin and Kevon Edmonds formed the band After 7 in the late 1980s), and growing up, Kenneth was incredibly shy. He often didn't share his emotions with people publicly. Instead, he got his feelings out through song lyrics. Beginning in his early teen years, Kenneth was writing dozens of songs. It was the way that he coped with his shyness in the public world. I can understand where he was coming from, believe me. Although I never wrote song lyrics, I did do a lot of writing in my teen years myself to cope with feelings of loneliness. I suppose in some ways, I still do this.



But, this blog entry isn't about me. It's about Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Moving on.

When Kenneth was just in the eighth grade, his father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise six boys as a single parent. It was right around this time that Kenneth had decided that he wanted to take his songwriting skills and put them to the test by becoming a recording artist.

When he was just out of high school, Kenneth started performing and playing. It was one performance that he ended up doing with funk performer Bootsy Collins that Edmonds ended up getting the nickname of “Babyface”. It was coined by Collins, who gave him the moniker upon realizing that he had a young looking face compared to the other performers. The name caught on, and Edmonds soon began using the name professionally.

Babyface would also play with groups such as Manchild, and later joined the band, The Deele (which he would meet Antonio “L.A.” Reid for the first time) as the band's keyboardist. During the period he was with the band, Babyface recorded his debut solo album, “Lovers” in 1986, and achieved his first commercial songwriting credit three years before that when he wrote the tune “Slow-Jam” for the band Midnight Star. But, “Slow-Jam” wasn't a commercial success, and his debut album, while a modest success, only sold a little more than 200,000 copies.



It wasn't until 1988 that Babyface's rise to super-stardom would take place. That was the year that both he and L.A. Reid left The Deele. The following year would be an incredibly busy one for the 31-year-old Edmonds, but it was to be the most life-changing year of his life.



Let's take a look back at Babyface's 1989, shall we? 1989 was the year that Babyface recorded his sophomore album entitled “Tender Lover”, and its success on the charts was much better than his debut. The album's first two singles, “It's No Crime” and “Tender Lover” did very well on the Billboard charts, and both songs topped the R&B charts for several weeks. The album itself went triple platinum, making Babyface a force to be reckoned with on the R&B charts.

And that was just singing. Babyface had even bigger success as a songwriter and music producer, essentially becoming one of the faces behind the creation of the genre of music known as “new jack swing” (which admittedly was a style of music that was a large part of my childhood). Together with L.A. Reid, the duo founded the record label known as LaFace Records in 1989, though it would be a few years yet before that record label would become hugely successful. For now, Babyface and Reid were content on achieving success by writing and producing for other artists. During late 1988 and early 1989, the duo produced songs for Pebbles, Sheena Easton, Bobby Brown, Karyn White, and Paula Abdul, amongst others. And, in 1990, Babyface would end up achieving his first #1 Top 40 hit...although someone else was singing it.



That was Whitney Houston's “I'm Your Baby Tonight”, a #1 hit for her in December 1990, written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface.

Other huge hits that could be credited to Babyface were two singles by Boyz II Men (“End of the Road” and “I'll Make Love To You”), Madonna's “Take A Bow”, and “Change The World” by Eric Clapton.

As Babyface became a successful songwriter for other artists, he found his own solo projects getting better as a result. By the time his fourth album “For The Cool In You” was released, Babyface had managed to sell millions of copies of his solo work, and he ended up performing singles from the album on an episode of “Beverly Hills 90210”. This was one of the songs he performed on the show's fourth season finale, and it also happens to be one of my favourite Babyface singles of all time.



ARTIST: Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds
SONG: When Can I See You
ALBUM: For The Cool In You
DATE RELEASED: June 28, 1994
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #4

With Edmonds establishing himself as a successful singer and songwriter, it was time for him to build up his resume by developing LaFace Records. In order for the record label to be successful, both Babyface and L.A. Reid needed fresh talent.

Who could have known that three of the first artists signed to LaFace Records would end up becoming huge success stories in themselves?



One of the first bands to sign with LaFace Records was TLC, who ended up recording two incredibly successful albums with LaFace. Both 1992's “Ooooooohhh...On The TLC Tip” and 1994's “CrazySexyCool”, helped TLC become one of the best-selling female musical groups of all-time, the “CrazySexyCool” album spawning several hit singles between 1994 and 1996.



Toni Braxton also recorded her debut album with LaFace Records in 1993. With such hits as “Breathe Again”, “Another Sad Love Song”, and “You Mean The World To Me”, Braxton's album sold eight million copies.



Another artist to benefit from joining the LaFace family was Usher Raymond, whose 1994 debut set the stage for his incredibly successful solo career, which as of 2012 is still going on strong, with Usher set to release his seventh studio album later this year.

So, to say that Babyface was a force in the recording industry would be a bit of an understatement, wouldn't you say? He not only carved out a nice little solo career for himself, but he helped produce songs for other successful artists, and even helped kick off the careers of other musical stars.

In later years, Babyface moved into producing soundtracks for motion pictures (most notably the soundtrack for the 1995 film “Waiting To Exhale”), and he would eventually start up Edmonds Entertainment Group, responsible for the production of the successful 1997 film “Soul Food”, and the less-than-successful 2001 film “Josie and the Pussycats”.



It's hard to ignore the incredible contributions to music that Babyface has made. He helped create a new style of music, and started up a successful record company. He has been rewarded with several high charting singles and albums, dozens of awards, and yes, even that stretch of highway in Indianapolis.

And to think that it all began the day he was born...April 10, 1958.

Monday, April 09, 2012

The Three Dimensions Of Titanic

This week marks the anniversary of a rather tragic event in history. 


It has been almost one hundred years since the Titanic collided with an iceberg the night of April 14, 1912.  Just three hours later, around 2:20am on April 15, the boat broke in two and sank into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

A total of 1,514 people lost their lives in what was one of the biggest peacetime maritime disasters in the twentieth century.  The wreckage still sits on the bottom of the ocean as a reminder of what happened.  There were only 710 survivors of the disaster.  The last living survivor of the disaster passed away on May 31, 2009 at the age of 97 (she was a newborn at the time).

Over the last century, the sinking of the Titanic has been well documented and studied by millions of people all over the world.  From conspiracy theories to actual investigation of the wreckage in recent years, the Titanic is still widely researched.  It has been the subject of countless magazine articles, documentaries, and feature films.

Since today is the Monday Matinee portion of the week, I think you know where this entry is going.



Yes, we’re going to be looking at the movie “Titanic”, which was released in December 1997.  The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart, and Billy Zane, was a box office phenomenon.  Directed by James Cameron, the movie was nominated for fourteen Academy Awards (winning eleven), and was the first film ever to reach a total gross of one BILLION dollars.  In fact, the movie was listed as the highest grossing film ever between 1998 and 2010, the record being broken by another James Cameron film, “Avatar”.  Although the film was a fictional depiction of the sinking, Cameron made sure that there were just as many historical accuracies mixed in with the very fictional love story between the main characters.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, movie theatres have re-released the film entirely in 3D, and it’s only fitting that this entry will be in 3D as well.


Oh, but don’t worry.  You won’t need to wear those funny looking glasses for this entry.  The title of this blog is “The Three Dimensions of Titanic” for a reason.  The more I watch the film, the more I realize that there are three main components within the film that make it work.  When you take these three dimensions apart, they appear to have absolutely nothing in common.  But, link them together, and you have one fantastic, if not doomed, love story that captivated audiences all over the world.

These three dimensions are Jack Dawson (DiCaprio), Rose DeWitt Bukater (Winslet), and the Titanic itself.

Taking the two human characters into the discussion, let’s look at Jack first.  Although his talent as an artist was evident, he didn’t really apply himself very much, and ended up drifting as a career choice.  Rose, on the other hand, was a seventeen-year-old socialite, living a life of privilege.  By hearing those descriptions, Rose and Jack appear to have nothing in common, and had they passed by each other on a city sidewalk, I imagine that neither one would give the other a second glance.

But, here’s where the third dimension comes in to tie Jack and Rose together. 

The Titanic’s maiden voyage.


Rose is a first class passenger on the ship along with her mother Ruth, and her fiancĂ©, Caledon Hockley (Zane).  However, the audience learns right from the get-go that the only reason that Rose is with Cal is for his money.

Now, before you go and accuse Rose of being nothing more than a gold-digger, consider this.  Although Rose’s family gave off the illusion that they were wealthy, in all actuality, they were having huge financial difficulties.  And, Cal was a man who came from a wealthy background.  Therefore, the solution was simple, according to Ruth.  Rose marries Cal, and Cal ends up eradicating any trace of financial troubles within the DeWitt Bukater family.

Cal was looking forward to becoming Rose’s husband.  Rose, on the other hand, would have rather flung herself over the side of the boat.

No, seriously, that’s what she was planning on doing to get out of the engagement to a man she did not love. 

And she probably would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for that meddling drifter.


Somehow, Jack Dawson happens upon the scene and convinces Rose not to throw her life away.  In the commotion, Cal happens upon the scene, and starts to jump to the wrong conclusion, but cleverly, Rose covers for Jack.  Telling Cal that she accidentally slipped and that Jack saved her, Cal seems to believe the story.  At Rose’s insistence, Cal invites Jack to join them for dinner inside the first class dining room.  Although Jack accepts the offer, and starts up a friendship with Rose in the process, Cal does not seem to trust Jack at all.  Even Rose’s mother looks down on Jack, thinking that he could never measure up to the man that Cal was.

Still, Rose finds herself strangely attracted to Jack.  She even followed Jack down into the third-class cabins where a party was going on.  But once Cal and Ruth got wind about what was happening, they intervened.  There was no way that Rose was ever going to see Jack again.  No way at all.

Of course, a seventeen year old’s logic differs from the logic of an adult.  When you’re seventeen, and someone forbids you to do something, doesn’t it make you want to do it MORE?  I know that when I was seventeen, I thought in a similar manner.

The more that everyone told Rose to stay away from Jack, the more Rose wanted to be with Jack.  And, that persistence would lead up to one of the most memorable scenes in the whole film.


Thus began the courtship of Rose and Jack.

And, in regards to that courtship, Rose wasted no time in telling Jack how she felt.  When Jack and Rose arrived back at Rose’s stateroom, she asked Jack to sketch her in the nude.  The only thing she would wear was a necklace which was called “The Heart of the Ocean”, an engagement present from Cal.  That moment lead to a session of passionate love making between Jack and Rose, and Rose had come to a decision.  She would break off the engagement with a man she did not love, and would run off with the man who captured her heart.

If only that damn iceberg didn’t get in the way.



The ship crashed, and the situation is dire.  Rose and Jack witness the collision, and Rose immediately gets worried about her mother and Cal.  Unfortunately, at that moment, Cal discovers the sketch that Jack made of Rose along with the necklace in his personal safe, and is immediately disgusted and furious.  He attempts to frame Jack for stealing “The Heart of the Ocean” by having someone stuff it inside Jack’s coat, and Jack is arrested.  When Rose finds out, she frees Jack herself.  Somehow, Jack and Rose make it onto the deck where the lifeboats are being deployed, and Cal encourages Rose to get on a lifeboat with the promise that he has made arrangements for both himself and Jack to get off the boat safely. 

It turns out that promise was worth less than a penny, as Cal revealed to Jack that he had no intention of helping him get off the boat at all.  He was content with leaving Jack to die alone on the boat while he sailed off to safety with Rose in a lifeboat.

And then THIS happens...


Yes.  Jack was right.  Rose was quite stupid at that moment.  As if anyone would willingly come back onto a boat that was doomed from the moment it struck that iceberg.  Yet, Rose decided at that moment that she did not want to leave Jack’s side.  Whether they got off the boat alive or went down with the ship, Rose wanted Jack by her side, no matter what.

Now, that’s real, undying love.  It didn’t matter that they had only known each other for three days or however long it was.  Their love for each other was one hundred per cent real.  And, the incredibly insecure Cal wasn’t going to stand for it.  Somehow, he got his hands on a pistol, and chases Rose and Jack through the first-class section of the boat.  Luckily for Jack and Rose, Cal is a lousy shot, and he dejectedly gives up the chase.

Jack and Rose are left on the boat as it splits in two, and as passengers plunge into the ice cold ocean below, Jack and Rose stare death directly in the face, with a future as unstable as a gelatin dessert.

And, I think I’ll leave off there.  Most of you have seen the movie before, so you know how it ends, but here are a few cryptic clues.


You may have noticed that I have mentioned Gloria Stuart in the cast of the movie.  I’ll reveal that she plays the role of the elderly Rose, so you know that one of the main characters survived.  But, what happened to Jack?  What happened to Cal?  What happened to “The Heart of the Ocean”?  I’m sure you know all the answers to these questions already, but for the select few who have never seen this movie, fear not...all of these questions will be answered in the movie’s last few minutes.

So, what can we learn from Jack and Rose’s romance on the doomed ship Titanic?  I guess the main one is to follow your heart.  It can be argued that this lesson ultimately lead to them being on the boat as it sank into the depths of the ocean, but at that moment, both Jack and Rose had clarity about what they really wanted for the first time in their whole lives.  Rose, in particular, had a real eye-opening experience.  Instead of dooming herself to a life of misery and unhappiness with someone she didn’t love, she followed her heart to be with someone who loved her for who she was.  She became more open, more carefree, and ended up taking more risks.  Jack inspired her to be a better person, and I’d like to think that the reverse was true as well.

Fate had brought them together.  Jack and Rose would have never met had it not been for the Titanic. 

I’ll admit that when I first watched this movie, I often joked about the ending, in particular with the fate of one of the main characters...but watching the movie years later, I think I’ve developed a whole new appreciation for the love story of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater.

To conclude this entry, I thought that it would be best to end it off with the song that defined this movie.  One of 1998’s biggest hits, here’s “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.  And, my apologies to the non-Dion fans out there.  At least I waited until the end!



Sunday, April 08, 2012

Sugar Sugar, You Are My Candy Girl...

Good morning, blog followers, and HAPPY EASTER!!!

It also happens to be the final day of “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week”. I hope you all enjoyed all of the delicious blog entries for the week. I know I had fun coming up with the various topics for this special week.

To conclude this special week, I have selected a song for the Sunday Jukebox that wraps everything up nicely in a big sugar-dusted bow.


Have you ever heard of a band known as the Archies? If you've ever owned an old issue of the “Everything's Archie” comic book that was printed between 1969 and 1991, then in all likelihood, you've seen them in action.

Yes, the popular comic book characters (who celebrated their 70th anniversary in late 2011) did have their own garage band. The line-up and instruments were always the same. Archie Andrews was the lead singer and guitarist, Betty Cooper played tambourine, Veronica Lodge played the synthesizer, Reggie Mantle played bass guitar, and Jughead Jones was the band's drummer.

And for some reason, Jughead's dog, Hot Dog, was the conductor. Go figure.



As the Everything's Archie title continued, the band's success grew and grew. Despite the fact that the band's median age was sixteen and three-quarters, they somehow found a way to balance schoolwork with gigs. Throughout the 1970s, they played at discotheques, amusement parks, concert halls, and even around the world. With the creation of MTV in the summer of 1981, the title evolved as the band started to make music videos for their hit singles.



Although “Everything's Archie” stopped production at issue #157, this did not mean that it was the end of the Archies. You can still find them making appearances in the various Double Digests that are still being published. And new stories featuring the band can usually be found in the “Archie” title, currently at issue #631.

Now, here's the kicker.  Did you know that although the band was fictional in nature, they managed to score a #1 hit single in the fall of 1969 in the real world?  How could such a thing happen?  Was it magic?

Not really.  All it took was the work of two men to bring the Archies out of the pages of comic books and onto record players and radio stations all over the world.

Enter Jeff Barry and Don Kirschner.

TRIVIA:  If the name Kirschner sounds familiar, it's because he was a key player in creating the band known as "The Monkees".  In fact, an urban legend stated that today's song feature was offered to The Monkees first, but they turned it down!

Berry produced the record that would eventually become the Archies debut album, recorded by a group of studio musicians and singers assembled by Kirschner.  Using a process called multitracking (which takes separate recordings of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole), the album was quickly released.  However, fan reaction to the Archies at first was lukewarm.  The first single off of the album "Bang-Shang-A-Lang" just missed cracking the top twenty.  It wasn't a bad song, and for a debut single, it was a modest performance.  Still, with "Bang-Shang-A-Lang" not doing well on the charts, both Berry and Kirschner were a bit reluctant to release the follow-up single.  They had believed that if people discovered that the song was recorded by a cartoon band, they wouldn't take it seriously, and it wouldn't sell.

So, it was decided that when the Archies second single was ready to be released in the summer of 1969, they sent out a promotional team to play the song for radio station executives, keeping the identity of the band a mystery.  They figured that the mystery would entice radio stations to play the song more frequently, making the song a bigger hit.

That gamble ended up paying off.  Once disc jockeys were clued into the fact that the Archies had recorded the song, it quickly rose up the charts, and quickly became one of the biggest bubblegum hits of all time.  The timing was absolutely perfect as well, due to the fact that at the time of the song's release, the Archie cartoon show on CBS was one of the network's most watched Saturday morning programs, increasing the popularity of the song further.

This is the song that made the Archies famous.




ARTIST:  The Archies
SONG:  Sugar, Sugar
ALBUM:  Everything's Archie
DATE RELEASED:  July 26, 1969
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 4 weeks



"Sugar, Sugar" became one of the most well known songs of the late 60's.  It was so popular that it was named the most popular single of 1969.  Canada was the first country to recognize the song as a number one hit, as it topped the charts there the week of September 13, 1969.  The song would hit the top of the Billboard Charts just one week later.  The song also peaked at #1 on the British charts and stayed at that position for eight weeks there.  "Sugar, Sugar" made the list of Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time, landing at the sixty-third position.

And, why wouldn't the song be a success?  It's a fantastic song!  I might be a little bit biased on that opinion, mainly because I have been a fan of Archie comics for a quarter of a century now, but "Sugar, Sugar" is one of the greatest pop songs I've ever heard.  The first time I heard it was probably right around the same time that I started reading Archie comics, and whenever it came on, I always had to crank it full-blast.  And, when I was a kid, I actually tried to picture the Archie characters singing on the song.  When the line "I'm gonna make your life so sweet" came on, I said to my parents, "That's Veronica singing that!"

Of course, we all know that the real musicians that sang on the album didn't have checkerboard hair, nor did they wear crowns on their heads.  However, the musicians who sang on the album ended up having brilliant careers in music all on their own.  There was some real talent behind the cartoons.



Take Toni Wine for example.  She was the gal who really sang the lines of the song that I believed Veronica was singing.  She ended up writing songs for other artists that became huge hits.  She wrote for The Mindbenders ("Groovy Kind Of Love"), Tony Orlando and Dawn ("Candida"), Elvis Presley, and Checkmates Inc.  She also sang back-up for several artists as well.

TRIVIA:  Toni Wine sang back-up on Willie Nelson's classic "Always On My Mind".



Andy Kim was another huge player in the Archies.  He sang back-up vocals on "Sugar, Sugar", but he ended up having a huge career as a solo artists.  He had some modest hits throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, but perhaps most people will remember Kim for this 1974 classic, which became a #1 hit.


TRIVIA:  Due to Andy Kim being born in Quebec, Canada, his contribution on "Sugar, Sugar" helped get the song inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in February 2006!

And then there's the lead singer of The Archies, Ron Dante.



A lot of people don't realize this, but Ron Dante's contributions to the world of music didn't stop with the Archies.  He released quite a few solo albums beginning in 1970 with differing styles from pop to disco.  He also had a long-running musical partnership with legendary singer Barry Manilow, with each one producing the other one's albums.  Did you know that Ron Dante actually sang back-up on Barry Manilow's 1974 hit, "Mandy"?  That's quite the list of achievements for Mr. Dante, wouldn't you say?

At any rate, the song "Sugar, Sugar" has made its mark on the world of pop music.  Former U.S. President George W. Bush has stated that "Sugar, Sugar" is a favourite of his, and that it played at the wedding reception of his daughter.  The song has appeared in the soundtrack to the film "Now and Then", and it is used as the theme song for the TLC show "Cake Boss".  The song itself has been covered by a few artists over the years including Jonathan King, Stars on 45, Wilson Pickett, and Count Baysee.

(Mind you, I've only heard of two of those artists, but still, it's worth noting.)

I really couldn't think of a better song to conclude "Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week", and I hope that you all enjoyed it.  I'll be having another theme week coming up for you sometime in the next couple of months, so be on the lookout.

Have a happy and safe Easter, and may all your eggs be filled with chocolate.




Saturday, April 07, 2012

The World Of Strawberry Shortcake

With just two more days left in the “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week", I thought I’d dedicate today’s blog entry to a cartoon that was filled with a lot of sweet things, sweet people, and sweet morals. 

Basically a show that was so sweet, it had the potential to give you a cavity.

I imagine you’re probably asking yourself why I have decided to make this entire blog entry red in colour today (as opposed to the dark brown that I’ve used for the duration of the week).  Well, it happens to be a colour that is quite dominant in the world of this character.  This character started off life as a greeting card mascot, and by the early 1980s, she exploded in popularity alongside her friends.  She’s had several television specials, an entire line of dolls, and even has had her own video game series!

This is also a character that I had to do a lot of research on as well.  I believe that when I was growing up, I only saw one episode of the series she starred in at the most, and let’s just say that it wasn’t my favourite show.  Granted, it was a show that was marketed for young girls, and the only reason I ended up watching it in the first place was because it was a cartoon that aired before a feature presentation at the movies, but it didn’t make much of an impact.

When it came down to it, however, I figured that this subject would be the perfect one to spotlight.  It’s a cartoon, so it fits in perfectly with the Saturday morning theme, and it’s got more references to baked goods and sweet treats than any other cartoon I can think of, so it definitely fits the theme.  Unfortunately, it happens to be a show that I wasn’t a fan of, so I took on the painstaking task of watching old shows and looking up information to bring the subject to life, even though it wasn’t a show I cared for.

I’m wondering if the fact that the main character happens to be named after a dessert that I am allergic to has something to do with my nonchalant attitude towards this cartoon.

At any rate, today’s blog entry will look at the wonderful world of Strawberry Shortcake.


Um...no.  Not THAT shortcake.


Yes...this one.

Strawberry Shortcake first made the scene in 1977.  She was created by artist Muriel Fahrion for the American Greetings card company.  The designs for Strawberry Shortcake and her calico cat, Custard were drawn up by Fahrion for various greeting cards, and shortly thereafter, the characters were presented to Bernie Loomis (who worked for General Mills).  Loomis loved Strawberry Shortcake enough to license the character, and Fahrion designed a total of thirty-two characters for American Greetings card and toy lines.



The first Strawberry Shortcake doll was designed by Fahrion herself, and created by her sister, Susan Trentel.  The doll was similar to a Raggedy Ann in that it was a rag doll, but it set the tone for future dolls and characters during the late 1970s.

By 1980, the Strawberry Shortcake brand was continuing to grow, as the company focused on fleshing out the details for Strawberry Shortcake’s friends.  Each character was named after a specific dessert treat.  They were also given a wardrobe that matched their name, as well as a complimentary pet.  One feature that stood out for the Strawberry Shortcake dolls were the fact that their hair was scented after the dessert they were named after (for instance, Strawberry Shortcake dolls would smell like strawberries).  At the time, no other doll boasted that feature, so the dolls definitely stood out in toy stores (in more ways than one).


And who were some of Strawberry Shortcake’s friends?  I managed to find a short list below.  Some of the characters have changed looks (and even genders) over the years, but the names and scents remained largely unchanged.  The list includes...

Huckleberry Pie (pet dog named Pupcake)
Blueberry Muffin (pet mouse named Cheesecake)
Apple Dumplin’ (pet turtle named Tea Time Turtle)

Raspberry Tart (pet monkey named Rhubarb)

Plum Puddin’ (pet owl named Elderberry)
Orange Blossom (pet butterfly named Marmalade)

Lemon Meringue (pet frog named Frappe)
Apricot (pet bunny named Hopsalot)

Lime Chiffon (pet parrot named Parfait)
Cherry Cuddler (pet goose named Gooseberry)



(Hmmm...for some reason, I’m beginning to get hungry now.)

1980 was the year in which Strawberry Shortcake really exploded in popularity.  That was the year that the toys first began appearing on store shelves.  It was also the year that the first of six animated Strawberry Shortcake specials debuted in syndication.  If you click HERE, you can watch a little snippet of the first Strawberry Shortcake special, but I warn you...this cartoon is so sugary sweet it makes an episode of Full House look like South Park in comparison.


The dolls sold so well that playsets began to be manufactured beginning in early 1981.  These playsets included the Berry Bake Shop, a carousel, the Big Berry Trolley, and Berry Happy Home.  Thousands of young girls snapped up almost everything that had to do with Strawberry Shortcake between 1980 and 1985.  And back in the early 1980s, there was certainly a lot of Strawberry Shortcake merchandise to be found.  There were scratch and sniff stickers, clothing items, bath items, and even a Strawberry Shortcake video game for the Atari 2600! 

Of course, no fad lasts forever, and by 1986, Strawberry Shortcake had passed her best before date, and the toys soon faded into obscurity.  There was a short renaissance for the Strawberry Shortcake toy line in the early 1990s, which sold modestly, but the second coming of Strawberry Shortcake only lasted until 1992.  Ten more years would pass before Strawberry Shortcake made another comeback in the world of television and toys.


In 2003, a brand new version of Strawberry Shortcake was introduced.  Because a new team of designers were responsible for the revamp, Strawberry Shortcake looked significantly different from her late 1970’s appearance.

But with the reappearance of Strawberry Shortcake came a new television series, as well as a new line of toys.  CD’s and DVD’s were made, and video games were produced for both the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS.  Unlike the original version, the 2003 version of Strawberry Shortcake was more of an educational program.  In 2006, Playmates Toys took over the merchandising and manufacturing of the Strawberry Shortcake line, but after poor reviews and dismal sales, Hasbro ended up winning the rights to the Strawberry Shortcake line.  Hasbro then teamed up with American Greetings to relaunch the Strawberry Shortcake name for a fourth time!

You know, for a cartoon character, Strawberry Shortcake seems to have almost as many lives as her cat, Custard!  But, as much as I can’t claim to be a fan of Strawberry Shortcake, I have to admit that it is really cool to see former classics get a second wind.  Or, in this case, a third or even a fourth wind!

I’m sure that you’ve heard the saying that “everything old can be new again”.  I think that’s very much true for this blog.  I take various subjects from the past, and try to look at them through different angles so that I can find a way to appreciate them more.  I think that in the case of Strawberry Shortcake, she’s adapted with the times, and in turn has delighted generations of girls for the last thirty-five years.  And while the popularity of Strawberry Shortcake has had its peaks and valleys over those thirty-five years, she’s still got the staying power and sweetness that attracts fans.

Hey, even I’ll admit that after writing this blog entry, I have found a whole new appreciation for Strawberry Shortcake.


(But I still can’t eat a slice of strawberry shortcake.  I’d break out in hives.)

Friday, April 06, 2012

It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

I'm sure that we all have heard this expression at some point in our lives. It's an expression that really should have been tattooed to my forehead when I was younger. Basically, it means that we're all guilty of falling for a trick, lie, or cheat, and we're all entitled to blame the person who set it all in motion. However, if we fall for the trick a second time, then really, we're the stupid people who allow history to repeat itself.

Today's topic is about an annual television special that appears to be based around this very statement...at first.

I'm sure if any of you read my entry on “It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (if you need a refresher, you can read it HERE), you'll know exactly what I am talking about. In that special, Linus is so determined to prove that “The Great Pumpkin” was real, and camped out at a nearby pumpkin patch all Halloween night to prove it. He could never convince anybody else to join him, as they would rather have gone trick-or-treating for candy, chocolate, gum, and rocks. But, somehow, little Sally Brown thought about it, and she decided to skip all the fun to hide out in the pumpkin patch with Linus for a glimpse of the Great Pumpkin. After all, Linus had promised Sally that the rewards that come from meeting the Great Pumpkin would far outweigh the little trinkets that they would normally have gotten from trick-or-treating.

So, imagine Sally's disappointment when the Great Pumpkin did not show, and she ended up missing all the fun of Halloween because Linus had insisted that he would come. She was furious. She told Linus off. It seemed as if Sally would never forgive Linus for that day.

So, why the heck would Sally decide to tempt fate once again and believe Linus when he went on and on about how there was an “Easter Beagle”, that would bring coloured eggs to all the children in the neighbourhood? Did she not learn from last time that anything coming out of Linus' mouth was likely not the truth? Did Sally not once stop to think that she was making herself look like more the fool by swallowing the “used car salesman” logic of Linus Van Pelt?



Sigh...I think it's a great time to talk about the Peanuts special “It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown”. As promised, I would incorporate some Easter references to the special “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week”, and well...I think this Easter special is really sweet.

The television special, which first debuted on CBS on April 9, 1974, still airs on television annually. It's one of the very few Easter specials that have ever been made, and part of the reason why I love this special so much is because of all the various sub-plots surrounding it. Sub-plots that act as ingredients in making the most perfect Easter celebration.



(Well, unless you're Charlie Brown, that is.)



I've already talked about what the main plot is. Linus is determined to prove that an Easter Beagle does exist, and despite what happened on Halloween, Sally has decided to believe Linus' claims once more. Elsewhere in the Peanuts world, other Easter happenings are going on that have nothing to do with the Easter Beagle.



SUB-PLOT #1 – Peppermint Patty tries to teach Marcie how to make an Easter egg.

Oh, Marcie, Marcie, Marcie...so naĂŻve and inexperienced. Perhaps if she had spent more time learning about Easter customs and less on being Peppermint Patty's slave, maybe the whole experience would have ended a lot differently. Peppermint Patty wanted to colour Easter eggs for the holiday, but Marcie had absolutely no clue as to how to prepare the eggs.

(Here's a hint...you BOIL THEM.)



Try telling Marcie that. Every single attempt that Marcie made ended up being a disaster. Attempt number one, Marcie ended up making an omelet. Apparently, she believed that by frying them in a pan, the eggs would be suitable for colouring. Yeah...no.

Marcie's second attempt wasn't much better. If they wouldn't work in a frying pan, maybe cooking them in a waffle iron would work better. When that didn't work, she tried putting them in a toaster, and then inside the oven. It's a wonder Marcie didn't have Gordon Ramsay knocking on her door calling her a stupid donkey!

Finally, Peppermint Patty explained to Marcie that the best way to make Easter eggs suitable for colouring is to boil them. And, Marcie seemed to get it then.

Well, that is...until Marcie cracked open every single egg, and made egg drop soup.

You know, why don't we move on to the next plot?



SUB-PLOT #2 – Woodstock gets a new home...and then loses it...

This sub-plot is probably one of my favourites in the whole episode, mainly because it displays the friendship between Woodstock and Snoopy, but also because it incorporates one of the most iconic scenes in the whole special. Take a look for yourselves.



Wasn't that neat? That scene took place at a department store. Apparently, it's the only department store that actually allows a dog to roam the departments at free will. The reason why Snoopy is there? He wanted to purchase a brand new house for his pal Woodstock. The arrival of spring has brought the arrival of showers. While it's true that April showers may bring May flowers, in Woodstock's case, they only bring misery. Woodstock's nest is considered to be worthless when it comes to protecting the poor little bird from the cold, wet rain. It's clear that Woodstock needed an upgrade, so Snoopy offered to help him find a new home. And, Snoopy ended up getting Woodstock a lovely home.



Problem was that Woodstock found Snoopy's taste to be quite tacky, and he decided to transform the house into a swinging 1970s bachelor pad, complete with shag carpeting, television, sunken bed, and a stereo system.

(Which makes me wonder how the heck Woodstock ended up getting the money to buy all those things, come to think of it.)

But, of course, Snoopy ended up wanting to see the new place, and stuck his nose right into the birdhouse. He ended up getting stuck, and ends up smashing Woodstock's new house into a million pieces trying to get out.

Poor Woodstock. Luckily, Snoopy ended up getting Woodstock another place to live, and all was well.

In fact, Snoopy would end up getting involved in the third sub-plot.



SUB-PLOT #3 – Lucy is selfish.

I mean, let's face it. Of all the Peanuts characters, Lucy Van Pelt has always been the most self-absorbed, thoughtless, greedy person. She charges five cents for psychiatric advice, which is usually best not followed in the first place. She refuses to even let Charlie Brown kick the football. So, naturally, it doesn't surprise me that Lucy would be the one character who would completely miss the point of what Easter is all about.

Sadly these days, Easter is almost as commercialized as Christmas or Valentine's Day, which makes me feel that Lucy would fit right in with 2012 customs. Back in the 1970s, Lucy strongly believed that Easter was all about getting as many presents as possible...a belief that made Schroeder headbash his child-sized piano repeatedly.

So, Lucy comes up with a plan. Unlike poor Marcie, Lucy actually knew how to prepare an Easter egg for painting. She ended up doing up an entire basket filled with them, and her plan was to have an Easter egg hunt. Sounds like a great idea.

The only catch? Lucy arranged it so that she would be the only one hiding the eggs. Furthermore, she would also be the only one finding the eggs. If Lucy had her way, she would end up with all the eggs, and Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Pig Pen, Violet, Shermy, Rerun, Tapioca Pudding, and any other Peanuts character would get zip.

How very “unselfish” of her.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, a certain beagle comes following behind her with a small basket. Every time she hid an egg, the dog would pick the egg up and place it in his little basket.

Hmmmm...considering that the title of the special is “It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown”, I wonder if maybe this is foreshadowing of some sort. And, I wonder if Sally was right to believe Linus after all?



I suppose I COULD tell you what happens at the end, but I don't want to spoil it too much. All I'll say is that Marcie is STILL clueless, Charlie Brown is STILL left out, and Lucy ends up learning a lesson in karmic retribution.

But it's funny. All of the plots of the special are neatly intertwined with each other to create a wonderful and warm Easter.



Unless you're Charlie Brown. Seriously, someone give the kid a hug!

It was nice to see Snoopy offer to help Woodstock find a new home, even if Woodstock questioned Snoopy's taste at first. Their friendship is quite inspiring, and there were funny moments mixed in with the seriousness. I loved how Snoopy ended up sticking it to Lucy. She really needed to be set straight, and Snoopy really is the only Peanuts character with the guts to stand up to her. Peppermint Patty's patience should be rewarded, and I appreciate the humour surrounding Marcie's frustration at not being able to understand how to make an Easter egg.

But the one thing that I appreciate the most about this Easter special is the idea that all the Peanuts gang celebrated the holiday together. They may come from different backgrounds, and have different personalities, but they all still respect and love each other as friends, and can put their differences aside to enjoy the holiday...at least for a few hours.



Happy Good Friday, everyone...and Charlie Brown, if you want an Easter egg, I'll give you one. I'll even make sure that it has never been inside a toaster!