Ah, The PJs, the first claymation sitcom to air in primetime. I watched this show regularly in its first two seasons, but then gradually got tired of it. At its core, the show was hilarious, the characters, the political jokes, it all landed. I guess concepts like this aren't meant to last forever, and sooner or later, the humor dries up and it's time to move on. So, I wanted to look back on this Christmas episode of The PJs which, as you can tell from the title, spoofs How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Our tale will be told to us in flashback by Walter Burkett, the fat, corrupt parole officer who tonight is doubling as a police officer arresting a pickpocket. He notices the boy's sour attitude about Christmas, and so as part of his punishment, he has to listen to Walter tell him a story about another individual who wasn't bursting at the seams with Christmas cheer either, and that someone was the super of the Hilton-Jacobs, Thurgood Stubbs. His crazy quest began when Muriel less-than-subtly told him what she wanted for her gift: a computer. The best state of the art machine that 1999 technology had to offer, and if you remember those dark days of Y2K, you'd know this was probably the worst time to buy a computer. However, Thurgood was set on getting his little lady what her heart desired. He spots one at the pawn shop for a cool $500, which to someone like Thurgood is as much as a Park Avenue penthouse. That night... oh, get a load of these swaying, robotic carolers. Nice one, Will Vinton. Thankfully, Mrs. Avery called the cops on them to can that noise. Anyway, that night, Thurgood opened up the tip envelopes he'd passed out to all the tenants, hoping they would throw some cash his way, and they didn't. Well, maybe they would have if he didn't give them so many reasons to hate his guts. When that plan didn't work, Thurgood resorted to begging the pawn shop guy to let him have the computer on credit, but he was quickly turned away. However, the owner of the shop was willing to scratch Thurgood's back, provided he was willing to scratch his. Sure, why not trust the shady looking dude in a black fez? He says he needs a repo man. At first, Mr. Stubbs refuses, citing that the tenants would hate him. Don't they already? But when he sees that computer, he gives in. He manages to repossess most of the tenants' possessions, sneaking in and out like a greedy ninja, until it came to those who he considered friends: Mrs. Avery, Sanchez, Jimmy and Bebe, Garcelle, Calvin and Juicy. Now he gets an attack of conscience and refuses to finish the job, and so Mr. Shady orders him to bring back the computer. He was halfway out of his apartment when Muriel came in and noticed what he was carrying. She was elated. He couldn't take it back now.
While Thurgood prayed to a baked potato representing Baby Jesus in the building's Nativity Scene (don't ask), he spots his so-called friends taking up a collection amongst themselves. When Thurgood questions them, they fib that it's going to be spent at the tracks. Well, sir, he was madder than a wet hen who caught her gander in bed with another chicken. They were holding out on him. Well, no more Mr. Nice Super. Oh, and periodically we cut back to Walter who was telling this story to his suspect, who he has now trussed up and thrown in the trunk of his car. He forces him to wait until the end of the commercial break before resuming the story. While the rest of the tenants were putting on their Christmas pageant, Thurgood donned himself a Santy Claus hat and coat and went from room to room, pilfering peoples' goods while we hear a funny parody of You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. He was caught stealing Nula's fish tank, so he thought up a lie, and quickly you bet: he says Phantom Menace is the best Star Wars yet. Ah yes, the good old days when that was the worst Star Wars movie... ugh, Disney. Anyway, it didn't take long before the residents of the Hilton-Jacobs discover they'd been repo'd. Thurgood throws those tip envelopes back in their faces, and that's when he gets a real huge helping of humility. Remember that collection they were taking up? They didn't spend it all at the tracks, they used it to buy Thurgood a brand new massage chair. Oh man did he feel like the biggest heel in the world. Muriel couldn't even enjoy her new computer knowing that their friends had nothing. And what happened then? Well, in the projects they say, Thurgood's small heart grew two sizes that day. He sold his new chair to Tarnell for $500, which he then used to pay off his friends' debts and get their stuff back. Everyone was very happy that Christmas morn... until Nula recognized Thurgood as the thief and ratted him out, then everyone gives him a good, sound beating. That concludes our story, and Walter just disappears and leaves the perp in his trunk.
So that was How the Super Stoled Christmas. Good voice acting, some funny jokes, an amusing Grinch parody, and decent claymation work from Will Vinton Studios. This was a nice little time capsule of the late '90s, showing what a more innocent time it used to be. Maybe you liked the PJs, maybe you didn't, but you have to admit it was revolutionary for its time. It ran about two years on Fox, before joining another network and was subsequently canceled in 2001, which was probably for the best as it really started to go down the drain by that point. As for this episode, the message is a very good one that doesn't get lost in too many jokes or gags, it's right there and good one to take to heart. Regardless of their differences, these people only had each other and they looked out for one another, through thick and thin, even if they do occasionally treat one another poorly. Not much else I can say except I recommend How the Super Stoled Christmas, and give The PJs a look while you're at it. Either see it for the first time, or go back and get a helping of '90s nostalgia.
While Thurgood prayed to a baked potato representing Baby Jesus in the building's Nativity Scene (don't ask), he spots his so-called friends taking up a collection amongst themselves. When Thurgood questions them, they fib that it's going to be spent at the tracks. Well, sir, he was madder than a wet hen who caught her gander in bed with another chicken. They were holding out on him. Well, no more Mr. Nice Super. Oh, and periodically we cut back to Walter who was telling this story to his suspect, who he has now trussed up and thrown in the trunk of his car. He forces him to wait until the end of the commercial break before resuming the story. While the rest of the tenants were putting on their Christmas pageant, Thurgood donned himself a Santy Claus hat and coat and went from room to room, pilfering peoples' goods while we hear a funny parody of You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. He was caught stealing Nula's fish tank, so he thought up a lie, and quickly you bet: he says Phantom Menace is the best Star Wars yet. Ah yes, the good old days when that was the worst Star Wars movie... ugh, Disney. Anyway, it didn't take long before the residents of the Hilton-Jacobs discover they'd been repo'd. Thurgood throws those tip envelopes back in their faces, and that's when he gets a real huge helping of humility. Remember that collection they were taking up? They didn't spend it all at the tracks, they used it to buy Thurgood a brand new massage chair. Oh man did he feel like the biggest heel in the world. Muriel couldn't even enjoy her new computer knowing that their friends had nothing. And what happened then? Well, in the projects they say, Thurgood's small heart grew two sizes that day. He sold his new chair to Tarnell for $500, which he then used to pay off his friends' debts and get their stuff back. Everyone was very happy that Christmas morn... until Nula recognized Thurgood as the thief and ratted him out, then everyone gives him a good, sound beating. That concludes our story, and Walter just disappears and leaves the perp in his trunk.
So that was How the Super Stoled Christmas. Good voice acting, some funny jokes, an amusing Grinch parody, and decent claymation work from Will Vinton Studios. This was a nice little time capsule of the late '90s, showing what a more innocent time it used to be. Maybe you liked the PJs, maybe you didn't, but you have to admit it was revolutionary for its time. It ran about two years on Fox, before joining another network and was subsequently canceled in 2001, which was probably for the best as it really started to go down the drain by that point. As for this episode, the message is a very good one that doesn't get lost in too many jokes or gags, it's right there and good one to take to heart. Regardless of their differences, these people only had each other and they looked out for one another, through thick and thin, even if they do occasionally treat one another poorly. Not much else I can say except I recommend How the Super Stoled Christmas, and give The PJs a look while you're at it. Either see it for the first time, or go back and get a helping of '90s nostalgia.