Out Of This World

Druids and Druidry in Popular Culture

Pumpkinification I: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

It has been said that it is not A Halloween special, it is THE Halloween special. Charles Schulz first came up with the concept of the Great Pumpkin in 1959. It was a simple idea: Linus in his eagerness confuses the holidays and ends up with the idea of a holiday gift-giver who comes on Halloween. Schulz is reported to have said (by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson) something along the lines of "...the Great Pumpkin is really a kind of satire on Santa Claus, because Linus of course writes for gifts and expects to get them. And when the Great Pumpkin doesn't come, Linus is crushed. And it shows that you can't always get what you hoped for but you can still survive...and you can keep trying. Linus never gives up, just like Charlie Brown."[1] The special premiered in 1966, and has run every year since, entering the popular imagination of generations.

It has inspired parodies and tributes from Robot Chicken

And The Simpsons

To artists at DeviantArt.

An odd thing about these representations is the general consensus many people have about what the Great Pumpkin looks like, even though Schulz is commonly supposed to never have drawn any pictures of him. This might be true: but in October of 1977 a strip appeared with this image in the header, (here generously colored by my brother John):

Could this be the Great Pumpkin? The strip it appears with particularly mentions him flying through the air.

As a kid who grew up in a religion that strictly prohibited tricks-or-treats, it was a glimpse into forbidden fun for us. But Linus's situation as someone who believed in a system alternate to the mainstream paradoxically had special meaning to me at the same time. And it's applicability appears widespread: "Linus's seemingly unshakable belief in the Great Pumpkin, and his desire to foster the same belief in others, has been interpreted as a parody of Christian evangelism by some observers. Others have seen Linus's belief in the Great Pumpkin as symbolic of the struggles faced by anyone with beliefs or practices that are not shared by the majority. Still others view Linus's lonely vigils, in the service of a being that may or may not exist and which never makes its presence known in any case, as a metaphor for mankind's basic existential dilemmas. Charles Schulz himself, however, claimed no motivation beyond the humor of having one of his young characters confuse Halloween with Christmas."[2]

Little bits of animation (since edited out) announced the sponsors:

and I remember hearing about Dolly Madison cakes with every Peanuts special I watched up into the Seventies.

And I'd like to end by adding for the record that, for all her crabby reputation, Lucy shows herself to be a truly caring sister. Her objections to Linus's belief in the Great Pumpkin are partly worry for the social grief it could bring Linus himself. Throughout her own trick or treating she constantly asks for candy for Linus, so he will not be left totally out. In the end, she wakes up at four o'clock in the morning to herd her little brother out of a freezing pumpkin patch and into his warm bed. Pretty tender for a girl with such a hard outer shell.

[1] "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown": The Making of a Television Classic, by Lee Mendelson.
[2] Wikipedia.

...And What Is An Action Figure?

The term "action figure" was coined by the creators of the original G. I. Joe, to distance their product from the traditional idea that "dolls" as such were only for girls. The intents and purposes of such a toy were seen as for much more rugged play, and their design and accessories reflected this (with much simpler, coarse clothing and guns and knives instead of tea sets and bottles). Until the early 1970's action figures such as G. I. Joe, Johnny West, and Mego followed this format of hard plastic bodies, molded hair (with notable exceptions), and articulation points (joints) at wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck, waist, knee and ankle that put the action in action figure.

The oil crisis put an end to this style. The plastic that made up the bodies was a petroleum by-product, and the cost of making large figure, especially the foot tall Joes, became prohibitively expensive.

The concept of action figures was re-invented and re-vitalized in the late 1970's with the success of the Star Wars franchise. Hasbro came out with the first line of action figures in a smaller format (typically 3 and 3/4 inches high) and with fewer articulation points, at the neck, shoulder and legs. The first scuplts were simple and iconic, evolving with each new wave of figures over the years, until they reached the finely crafted likenesses of today. This smaller format allowed for many more characters to be made, were simpler to stand (if more limited to pose), and easier to store and carry. Many different toy lines were created along the same general format, including the new G.I. Joe line, which had retained most of the articulation points of the old Joes, losing only the ankle point.

Over the years the action figure has got taller, many lines producing figures 6 inches high, with each inch equalling a foot in scale. This allows for more accurate detailing and even texturing of molded sculpts of fabrics. While the likenesses, poseability, and even accessories of figures has improved, the "action" seems to have suffered, the durable playability lessened. For many of these figures I believe a new term should be applied: "action models".

But this does not seem to worry many hardcore collectors. To many the action figure is no longer a toy, but a collectible, or worse, an investment, not to be taken out of the box at all, for fear of damaging its' future value.

For myself, I can see their point of view. Ideally, and given enough money, I would like to buy three of each action figure I get: one to save for resale, one to preserve mint in box forever, and one to tear open and play with. Alas, money, storage space, and availability are not infinite. Having only one copy of an action figure I always opt to open it. For I believe that the true destiny of any toy is to be played with.

Statement of Purpose

From Mego Planet of the Apes action figures to the first Star Wars to the latest McFarlane release, I have always loved and been fascinated with these sculpted plastic pals. To hold a solid three-dimensional piece of a dream is an indescribable thrill. This blog will be about my action figures--a collection that numbers in the thousands. I want to have a listing of every one, with special attention to new figures as I get them. I want to discuss the strange mania of action figures, their purpose, lore, and future. I am just an enthusiastic amateur, but I hope in this posting to grow in knowledge and expertise, with the help of anyone who can expand my understanding of the field. I hope to post my first entry and image soon!