The Fat Albert Christmas Special (1977)
Hey hey hey.
Brief Backstory
One of the most well known comedians of all time, Bill Cosby, created one of the 1970s best animated series, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. The series ran from the early 1970s to the mid 1980s and would take on serious topics such as gang violence and alcohol abuse. In the mist of this, the Cosby Kids would also find themselves in holiday-related adventures, most prominently Christmas.
Story
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids give shelter to an unlucky family, but their clubhouse’s standing is jeopardized by the cranky and miserable Mr. Tyrone. To make matters worse, the family’s son goes missing when he thinks that his parents are better off without him, and the Cosby Kids have to find him fast.
Random Facts
Filmation, known for BraveStarr and He-Man, did the animation, which explains the recycled animation. This is likely due to the lower budget that Filmation potentially had in the 1970s.
Philadelphia rarely gets white Christmases. Don’t be fooled by how snowy it is in this cartoon.
Random Opinions
Talking pregnancy in a children’s cartoon doesn’t seem very common; then again Fat Albert had an episode where a kid got killed protecting someone from getting a bullet.
Not counting Super Friends or a few Hanna-Barbera series (Hong Kong Phooey and the Scooby Doo Show/New Scooby Doo Movies), this is in my opinion one of the only good cartoons of the 70s. Fat Albert actually has conflicts and doesn’t come off as some plagiarized shit Scooby Doo ripoff (i.e. Josie and the Pussycats).
Yes, yes, we know Bill Cosby’s notorious for being a rapist and he deserves having to pay his debt to society. But does that really mean that his works should be barred from viewing?
Pros
- The plot is good.
- Great humor (when it isn’t being forced by the laugh track).
- Mr. Tyrone is a great one-time character.
Cons
- Somewhat boring. I mentioned that the plot’s good, but the way the cartoon goes it’s not as interesting as the series.
- The pacing is somewhat slow. There’s nothing for build up.
- Some of the backgrounds look a little unfinished. The top image (next to the “Brief Backstory” spot) has just lighted windows behind Mr. Tyrone.
Rating: 6/10 – Decent
While there are better Christmas cartoons, the Fat Albert Christmas Special is overall okay for the most part.