Hip Squared Season 2 Christmas Special

The best bad Christmas movie? Arguably so.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukka! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Solstice! Fearsome Festivus! It’s the holidays, and Hip Squared is celebrating with our very first Christmas special (sorry other holidays, maybe next year).

Kelly Shiflet comes back to talk about the He-Man & She-Ra Christmas Special from 1985 (available for free on Youtube). This is the tale of Orko, one of He-Man’s sidekicks, who accidentally travels to Earth to learn about Christmas. She-Ra helps him return with the children he meets, and then she joins He-Man and their friends in a battle against Skeletor and Horde Prime to save Christmas and Eternia. Kelly also talks about the Rankin Bass Christmas specials of the 1960s and 70s including Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Then John talks about The Kinks’ “Father Christmas”, a rock song from 1978 about a department store Santa who is mugged by a group of kids. They tell him to give him his money, and to save his toys “for all the little rich boys”. This song attacks the season’s over-consumption, but also contains a message of compassion and generosity for the poor. Then John talks about Santa Claus: the Movie, a 1985 film starring Dudley Moore and John Lithgow. It’s about an elf who leaves the North Pole and meets an evil toy-maker (played by Moore and Lithgow respectively). The toy-maker wants to use Christmas magic for evil, and plans his own Christmas 2. Can Santa and his friends save Christmas? Of course they can.

Finally, Troy talks to us about the Great British Bake-Off (or Baking show as it’s known in America). He talks about the humor and gentleness of the show. Then he describes the newest Christmas specials, including the current season of the Great American Baking Show and Great British Bake-Off holiday specials starring some of its former contestants. Listen for some splendid flavors. This episode has no soggy bottom!

Produced by Maplex Monk.

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