A year or so ago I picked up a crazy looking bootlegish VHS set called Kid Pics. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and the main reason I picked it up was for the gaudy airbrushed art on the cover. It wasn’t until quite some time later that I actually popped it in to check out the toons, and discovered The Happy hamster.

Apparently, a company called Amvest Video thought it would be a good idea to bundle a bunch of cartoons together and try to pawn them off as quality collections, when in fact they were insane compilations. They surrounded the shorts with clips of The Happy Hamster dancing and saying creepy things in front of a blue screen. Take a look at the titles featured on this Walt Disney edition of Kids Pics.

I love how they included some of the old Alice Comedies under the Mickey Mouse category. Seven Dwarfs and Friends? Really? I wouldn’t have been too excited by The Winged Scourge when I was five years old.

The fact that Hooked Bear came out in 1956, and they included their company’s contact information on the box makes me think that it is somehow legit, but who knows. Did the Happy Hamster even get used in other sets? Did anyone actually join the club and get one of those awesome shirts?

Did any of you have any bizarre VHS bootlegs growing up?

It feels like Hoth around here lately, so I thought I’d add the nifty snow effect I’ve been seeing. Don’t worry, this isn’t my post of the day, I’ve got something cool coming later tonight (if I make it home).

Looking for Charlie Brown Christmas Wallpapers? Check out this post!

Rob Richards over at Animation Backgrounds has just posted some backgrounds from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love the simple, graphic style of the Charlie Brown cartoons.

See the rest at Animation Backgrounds

Movies have always been a staple for me during the holidays, from VHS to DVD, and now Blu-ray. Below are some of the best (and in some cases, crazy expensive) home video gift ideas for the year.

Batman – The Complete Animated Series

Even if you didn’t grow up in the 90s like I did, you have to admit this show was awesome. Better than the first four Batman films combined, this show was stylized, dark, and action-packed. This is at the top of my wish list this year. It’s a cool $85 in stores, but of course Amazon has it cheaper. PS – I think The Dark Knight is a given if someone you know doesn’t have it.

Batman – The Complete Animated Series on Amazon

Fraggle Rock – The Complete Series

If you’re a die hard Muppets/Fraggle Rock fan, chances are you’re kinda pissed off about this. Luckily, I’m not. Long story short, the only way to get the 4th season is to buy this set, which sucks if you already own the first three. A lot of people are mad about this, but I only have the first season, so its not that big of a deal for me.

$90 $80 on Amazon

The Flintstones – The Complete Series

The last of the crazy expensive sets, I promise. I miss the Flintstones. I don’t see TV at all anymore, and I doubt if I did I would even get to see this show anyway. Get this for yourself or even a kid. I promise they’ll like it. From my experience (lots of nieces and nephews) kids today love old animation just as much as the stuff they’re exposed to daily.

$90 on Amazon

Wall-E/Nightmare Before Christmas/Sleeping Beauty

Three awesome films. I’m a certifiable Pixar nut, stop motion freak, and classic Disney animation fanboy. Wall-E is Andrew Stanton’s second turn at director, and he did a great job. This would make an awesome gift for just about anyone. The Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s masterpiece, and it’s never looked better than it does on Blu-ray. Sleeping Beauty is a gorgeous film, worth the price even if you don’t care for the story. It’s a moving illustration from the Gothic period and it’s great to finally see it in it’s full aspect ratio.

• Wall-E is $22.99 on Amazon
• Nightmare is $20.99 on Amazon
  for the DVD
• Sleeping Beauty is $23.99 on Amazon
  for Blu-ray (with standard DVD)

Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear!

A feature-length Yogi Bear animated movie? I honestly don’t know that I’ve ever seen this, but I’m going to order it as soon as possible. A little googling reveals that it’s the first feature length cartoon Hanna-Barbera produced. Cool! I always loved Yogi, and I’m on a quest to own every feature-length animated movie I’m interested in (ie, not most Dreamworks movies). Oddly enough, the complete series of The Yogi Bear Show is cheaper.

$16.49 on Amazon

Popeye Shorts

Now in its third volume, the classic Popeye animated shorts are a must-have too. I picked up the first volume last Christmas and I hope to get the second two soon. My wife and I love these. They’re so violent and silly, but hilarious. We even entertained a group of nieces and nephews between the ages of 6 and 13 with these DVDs, and they loved them too.

Volume 3 is $24.99 on Amazon

Welcome to Saturday Morning Central’s 12 Days of Christmas. Is there a better time of the year to launch a blog dedicated to all the warm, fuzzy memories we have of our childhood than Christmas? Of course not, so today I give you the first really-for-real post of the site, the Holiday Gift Guide: Volume 1 – Stocking Stuffers.

Stocking Stuffers

Justice League Batman with Pig

I saw this in Target yesterday, and instantly thought how cool of a stocking stuffer this would be. As weird as Batman toys usually are, this was still surprising. Why would Batman come with a pig? Apparently its from an episode of Justice League, but I’d rather just think it was completely random.

$9.99 or so at Target | More expensive on Amazon

Super Mario Brothers PVC Figurines

Who doesn’t love Mario Brothers? With the Wii rocking out nursing homes these days, it’s safe to say that everyone from 1 to 92 at least recognizes these characters. These small PVC figures are cute, cheap, and the whole package should fit in your stocking.

$4.99 at Toys R Us | $5.99 on Amazon

Galactic Heroes/Superhero Squad/Combat Heroes/Cute Things

The trend of turning regular action figures in to tiny cute versions is still going strong, and I love it. I’m sure you’ve seen them in some form, whether it was Indiana Jones, Star Wars, or the new GI Joe “Combat Heroes”. They’re tiny, inexpensive (around $6-10), and they’re perfect for decorating your desk. Cross pollination between titles could lead to some interesting results. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cute Darth Vader vs. Cute Hulk. Bonus points for Star Wars for actually packaging a special ‘Stocking Stuffers’ edition of Galactic Heroes.

Misc. Stocking Standards

I imagine each of you have different stocking traditions. I usually end up giving/receiving some sort of candy, socks, and knick-knackery, and for years I’ve always put Necco Wafers in my mom’s stocking.

What are some common things you usually give and get in your stocking?

Coming up next – DVDs!