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11/21/2007: The 1991 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Quick Note: I’m spending oodles of money on this year’s Christmas/Advent wares, so if you want to help me recoup some of that, there’s an easy way to do it. If you’re taking advantage of Amazon’s ridiculously good Black Friday deals this weekend, please do so using this link right here. I’ll get a little referral fee, and that will let me buy more wacky-flavored candy canes without having to give up gasoline. Thanks!


Ha ha ha ha ha! Technically, I am NOT late! Up now, with like 10 minutes to spare before it’s actually Thanksgiving, is my review of the 1991 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, filled with words, pics and video clips!

I must be honest with you: It’s the least interesting of the parades I’ve reviewed, and nothing exciting happens. In fact, after struggling to make the article go for at least two pages, I ultimately consolidated it into one longer page. There just wasn’t enough there. Next year, perhaps I should investigate things like this before it gets too late to pick a different parade.

On the other hand, it had Captain Planet, The Addams Family and, uh, Kelsey Grammer, and that’s at least good for something.

A Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating it tomorrow. Eat the food, drink the drinks and bask in the glow of a holiday season officially begun. Now that the bird parade is out of my hair, it’s time to paint this sum’bitch town red…and motherfuckin’ green. Holla.


While I’m here, I might as well knock this out of the way. I’m not sure if there’s anything to dislike about these neat little Play-Doh stocking stuffers, except for the fact that they’re sold together in really ugly plastic bags. If you’re able to convince yourself that they didn’t come in such ugly, useless bags, they become flawless.Each pack comes with two holiday-themed Play-Doh containers. One is shaped like an undecorated Christmas tree, while the other is a rather befuddled and egg-shaped snowman. You get white and red Play-Doh, while the containers themselves each host a small Play-Doh “cookie cutter”.

More interesting than any of this is the warning sticker on each container, alerting parents with allergy-laden children that Play-Doh contains wheat. This seems like a bold admission that most kids enjoy eating Play-Doh. Someday, they should just make outright edible, flavored Play-Doh and be done with it. We’re going to eat it anyway…it might as well have a hint of cherry and an ad campaign behind it.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 253 comments

The year that they finally retired that Kermit the Frog balloon? I cried.

Ghosted by Jemmy @ 11/23/2007 12:36 AM EST


Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

That Care Bears Float did rock.

Am I the only one that thought when I saw that new Silver Rabbit balloon that he was holding a butcher knife instead of carrot? I slasher flick staring a rabbit might be interesting.

I’m kinda surprised Mighty Mouse doesn’t have his own movie yet. They gave one to Underdog, so why not MM?

I really like that Promegranate 7UP. It has a plum-like flavor to it.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 11/23/2007 12:40 AM EST


Happy Thanksgiving all. Had the traditional dinner with my parents and brother followed by watching old MST3Ks. Watched I Accuse My Parents, Manos the Hands of Fate, and some of the best shorts. Manos has to be the worst movie of all time. Bad plot, bad dialogue, bad acting, bad directing, bad music…bad everything.

Now it’s onto Black Friday. Anyone gonna try to brave the crowds tomorrow? I thought about going to Target sometime late morning for a couple of tv DVD box sets, but I found them for a better price on Amazon. Matt, sorry I didn’t see your update sooner. Would have used your referral link.

Stay warm everyone.

Ghosted by Eric @ 11/23/2007 1:40 AM EST


Hey all! Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and that the leftovers will be plentiful.

I drove back to the parent’s house today and got spend some time with my brothers and nephews as well. The nephews live a few hours away, and are busy with their high school lives, so it is good to see them the few times of the year I can.

I also got to bring home some leftovers so I definitely am considering digging in for a second meal in a few minutes. The lady is staying over at her parent’s house tonight so that she can help her mother put up Christmas decorations tomorrow, so the house is all mine tonight!

I’ve got some vodka in the freezer, Transformers on DVD (from Netflix — along with Live Free or Die Hard & Amelie — decisions, decisions), and leftovers in the fridge. Life isn’t great, but it could be much, much worse.

Again, whether you celebrate the US Thanksgiving or not, here is to hoping everyone had a great day, wherever they are.

Ghosted by Magic Toy @ 11/23/2007 1:46 AM EST


Oh man I had a such a nice Thanksgiving. Celebrating a full day of sloth and gluttony. Oh yeah. Sleeping, watching TV, eating a big dinner with the family, taking a nap, and then spending time with friends. I went over to my friend’s house and was like, “I brought Garfield Thanksgiving,” and we wound up watching all 3 of the holiday specials. Then Disney Scene-It. Now I think it might be time for leftovers…

Ghosted by Mystie @ 11/23/2007 2:28 AM EST


Wow, what a great night. Has everyone had a nice and safe Thanksgiving? Appears some of you have.

I spent my day at my Mom’s house. We put the tree up, the Christmas lights on the house, I finally tried peppermint Peeps, I had my first glass of egg nog of the season (I refuse to drink it before Thanksgiving), and when I went to Wal Mart to buy spare bulbs and a pack of fuses, I found 13.5 oz Coca Cola bottles shaped like ornaments. I bought a couple, they’re fun to drink out of, and I plan on buying more as they’ll make a good stocking stuffer.

Now I’m just looking through bfads.net for that irresistible offer, but I’m finding nothing impressive or anything I can’t find any time of the year online.

Ghosted by fistpittingnork @ 11/23/2007 2:51 AM EST


Somehow, I’m in an odd state where I’m completely full but somehow really hungry… Has anyone else ever experienced this phenomenon?

Ghosted by Ben @ 11/23/2007 2:57 AM EST


Ben: I’ve had that quite a few times. It’s SO annoying!

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2007 3:16 AM EST


Me too!

I’ve been eating whenever it feels like I have room. But, when I don’t, I feel like I’m waiting to eat again.

It’s the magic of Thanksgiving!

Ghosted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 11/23/2007 3:20 AM EST


I know this year the “science” is saying Turkey doesn’t make you sleep but none of their explinations can properly explain the sleep I just had, which was early, tremendous, long and unusually straight. I have not had a sleep like this in a year.

Ghosted by dohopoki @ 11/23/2007 3:36 AM EST


It’s snowing! The weatherman said it wasn’t going to, but we showed him. I should’ve known. The cattle have been dropping calves all week, and they generally know better than Doppler Dave.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 11/23/2007 12:20 PM EST


That Uno Attack commercial where it sounds like it says the girl gets AIDS is back on TV; it’s almost as bad as the cleaning product commercial where the kid whispers “I play with my balls in the bathroom”

Ghosted by Shuanfu @ 11/23/2007 12:22 PM EST


Oh, and a friend just called me to ask if I wanted to go out shopping in a bit. Who the heck do they think they called?! I would not be caught dead in a store today….

Ghosted by Shaunfu @ 11/23/2007 12:24 PM EST


“No whoa? That’s a no go.”

That’s all I have to say

Ghosted by Todd Kent @ 11/23/2007 12:29 PM EST


Hello, and happy shopping! The parade, or what I saw, was pretty fun, but I missed out on the Foster’s Float for Imaginary Friends because me and Ma went to T’Giving lunch with my Uncle and Aunt.

Now, thanks to Matt, I can’t see Ted Turner’s eco-hero without calling him “Captain Package” from now on.

Woo-hoo superhero Hello Kitty! (Hero Kitty?) I have a niece in Wahington state who just adores Little Miss Sanrio, and now I need to find out if there’s a version in plush to send her for Xmas.

The BC Clark ads have started here in Oklahoma, so the Season is totally underway now. Have any of your local traditional ads started yet? Wal-Mart has been running the Hershey’s Kisses bell ads on the in-store monitors for a while now.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 11/23/2007 1:13 PM EST


So I found the fabled christmas mix tape that my mom made for me. I finally dated it at 1991 after just watching the commercials. The best commercial for me, hands down (because it is the funniest) was an Irish Spring soap commercial where some alleged irishman slices the top off of a bar of the soap and gives it a nice whiff. I almost pissed myself laughing after seeing that. Also I really liked that there were previews on for the news later that night, apparently in december 91′ a baby went through the x-ray machine at cleveland-hopkins airport. HAHAHA maybe they thought it was a bomb….probably not though. Also I did not realize that it was CBS that played my favorite saturday morning cartoons at that time. They had TMNT, muppet babies, the Bill and Ted cartoon, an d Garfield and Friends. Alos, I forgot to mention that there was a Ragu commercial on the tape and Ben Stiller’s wife is the main character in it. HAHAHAHA

Ghosted by Leigha @ 11/23/2007 1:50 PM EST


I misspelled “also” in all of my excitement god damn me

Ghosted by Leigha @ 11/23/2007 1:51 PM EST


kingklash

My ex was a huge Hello Kitty fan (we had HK toasters, sandwich makers, coffee makers, juicers, lamps, alarm clocks, and countless other HK craps throughout every room of our house). Target is a good place to look locally, since they shut down that shop in Northpark Mall. Also, dreamkitty.com has a ton of stuff, even though they’re a bit expensive.

Ghosted by fistpittingnork @ 11/23/2007 2:17 PM EST


“I’m kinda surprised Mighty Mouse doesn’t have his own movie yet. They gave one to Underdog, so why not MM?”

Don’t give them any ideas…considering how true to the source Underdog was, and how awful other cartoons-to-live-action movies are….no. Just no.

Ghosted by James @ 11/23/2007 2:19 PM EST


What they really need to make is a (good) “Danger Mouse” movie!

Ghosted by Cigar @ 11/23/2007 3:23 PM EST


Hey Matt, I think you said something about your nephews wanting south park seasons in an earlier post on an earlier blog. Amazon’s got many of them today for like 18 a piece.

Ghosted by dohopoki @ 11/23/2007 3:49 PM EST


OMG! Menudo is back!
What’s with all the Rock a Doodle hate?
I luv that movie. Brian Mays son is marrying an internet friend of mine. She is Freddy Mercury’s god daughter. Rock n Roll inbreeding FTW!

I found Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie for PSP today! 3.99

Just cant beat portable Python.

Ghosted by mandy_on dial up til Thursday_Reeves @ 11/23/2007 5:11 PM EST


Happy Belated Thxgiving to all of my fellow American XE’rs. Hope Black Friday was good for yawll, we don’t have any cool shit like that up here in Canada! Come to think of it, that’s probably a good thing!

Ghosted by Greg @ 11/23/2007 6:25 PM EST


Brian Mays son is marrying an internet friend of mine. She is Freddy Mercury’s god daughter. Rock n Roll inbreeding FTW!

This statement has single-handedly turned my brain into some sort of useless, gelatinous substance.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2007 6:31 PM EST


*is listening to ‘More Twisted Christmas’* :D

Ghosted by Moony @ 11/23/2007 6:34 PM EST


He just got appointed chancellor of a university. He has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Just part of a long standing tradition of rock Ph.D.s

Milo from the Descendents
Dexter from the Offspring

I can’t think of any of the others right now, but hey Milo and Brian are cool enough :)

Ghosted by Knegative @ 11/23/2007 6:59 PM EST


Matt: I, too, dug the Care Bears float muchly. Did anyone notice how many singers were missing their lip syncing cues? Priceless!

kingklash: I caught my first BC Clark commercial on the radio coming back from my aunt and uncle’s last night. I was SO HAPPY! I sang along as obnoxiously as humanly possible.

Well, Black Friday has successfully beaten my ass into a pulp. We left my parents’ house at 3:30 am, got home at 5 pm. After only getting an hour and a half of sleep prior to leaving for the sales, I’m exhausted. But loads of awesome finds.

P.S. 20Q Television Edition completely sucks! I grabbed one whilst standing in line at a store and it couldn’t get I Dream of Jeannie or Bewitched, two of the most classic classic tv shows of all time. Whatev.

Ghosted by Special K @ 11/23/2007 8:03 PM EST


For anyone who missed the Foster’s Home float yesterday and wanted to see it, it’s now on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNMgCJPC85I

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2007 8:23 PM EST


Haha. I didn’t go out today at all. Maybe because I woke up at 5pm.

Ghosted by Knegative @ 11/23/2007 8:53 PM EST


Happy Black Friday! Got a new tv, wooooooo.

Ghosted by Fox @ 11/23/2007 9:11 PM EST


New TVs are cool! :)

Ghosted by Moony @ 11/23/2007 10:05 PM EST


We were in need of paper plates and Febreeze so I went out to Target, and stopped to check out Best Buy too. The only really super deals I saw were a cheap camera at Target and 50% off HBO DVDs at Best Buy. I was really tempted to pick up the Rome sets, but I’m needing to watch the funds lately, thanks in no small part to previous Best Buy DVD runs. I would have bought the 6FU series box set regardless at 50% off, but the little headstone was missing.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 11/23/2007 10:37 PM EST


I think I am going to “do” Black Friday” next year. I never have, and the idea of doing all the shopping in one day is alluring. I always end up working, as I did today. I literally had to walk over large bags and boxes to get peoples trays to their tables. But they all looked to be having a good time.

Ghosted by kb @ 11/23/2007 10:49 PM EST


So who else had to work today? :(

I’m putting up my Christmas tree RIGHT NOW!!!!

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 11/23/2007 11:09 PM EST


I also kinda wanna do Black Friday next year. I was pretty bored today.

I did get a good deal on Amazon – season 1 of House for $13. Not bad at all.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2007 11:28 PM EST


so friggin dial up died AGAIN!

im on my psp. Think im gonna watch Holy Grail UMD movie I got today. 4 bucks! Portable Python ftw!

Ghosted by mandy_on dial up til Thursday_Reeves @ 11/23/2007 11:45 PM EST


Okay now that it’s over, some one please tell me they also saw a tickle me elmo commercial talking about elmo’s “consealed secret” and showed a blocky censor graphic over his crotch.

Yes, Doho I saw that too, I burst out laughing!! God I hate Elmo!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 11/23/2007 11:51 PM EST


kb: I’m not completely sure why, but your little story about having to step over people’s shopping bags made me feel all fuzzy inside. Perhaps I shopped too much today or perhaps it made me think of Bing Crosby singing “Silver Bells.” Either way, thanks! :)

Does anyone else have a weird hang up about Christmas? For instance, I can’t put up the Christmas tree unless I’m watching Fiddler on the Roof. I know it’s not a Christmas movie in the slightest, but, for some unexplainable reason, it was always on when my parents decided to put up the Christmas tree, so now my inner child associates “If I Were a Rich Man” with putting lots of ornaments up on a fake tree. So I rent it every year and watch it while I decorate. Right now I’m sitting at home with a little bit of a cold and I want to decorate, but I can’t get in the spirit, so I think I’m going to have to go to Blockbuster.

Ghosted by Special K @ 11/24/2007 1:25 AM EST


Special K, there’s something ironic about feeling the need to watch a movie about Jews while you’re putting up Christmas decorations.

I always have to put on Christmas music while I wrap presents, otherwise I’m not inspired enough to do it. It’s such a tedious task, but for some reason Christmas music makes it feel like a festive holiday activity. I always have to put on the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack when I’m trimming the tree, too.

Ghosted by Lori @ 11/24/2007 1:37 AM EST


I think the only major ritual I have is the order in which things go on the tree. First the angel goes on top (it’s a big angel so it has to go first so I know how much of the tree top will show), then the lights, then the garlands/strings of beads or whatever. Then anything where we have several of the same thing, like bows or gold balls. Then finally all the other ornaments can go on, with a little gold bird being last. The bird is a tradition from when my grandma was alive, because she’d never really want to help decorate the tree, but we’d always have her come out and put the bird on as the last thing, since she loved birds.

I used to always love putting our presents under the tree a few at a time throughout December, but starting last year we had a destructive puppy and a kitten who likes to climb the tree (he still does this as an adult cat, despite weighing over 10 lbs) so we can’t do that anymore :(

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/24/2007 1:57 AM EST


Lori: I know! This became such a family tradition for us, I honestly didn’t know the movie was about Jews with absolutely no Christmas-related topics until I was in high school. I don’t even think they celebrate Hanukkah in the movie!

Yeah, wrapping presents is kind of a long process, but I actually enjoy it. It’s kind of zen or something. I put the Christmas CDs on, pour a glass of egg nog, put in Christmas Vacation with the volume turned down and drive right in. An hour or so later, I’m all done and then I get to look at that pile of shiny paper under the tree, which is such an awesome moment.

Ghosted by Special K @ 11/24/2007 2:00 AM EST


Well, first off Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday (even though it’s technically over) to everybody. And, to Bill and Shaunfu, way to go with being so giving and generous. Who cares what anybody has to say about it.

My Turkey Day was fairly interesting this year. Unfortunately it started off me with completely sleeping through the parade. (D’oh!) My mom came knocking on the door, telling me to get up and get ready cause we had to leave in like 15 minutes to get to my cousin’s house. Somehow she had also tripped a circuit or something in the kitchen, completely frying the coffee maker and shorting out the refrigerator. Luckily, there’s like 3 guys in my family who are contracters and electricians and such, so after dinner was over, my cousin came over and took a look at it and got it sorted out. Anyways, we raced over to where the dinner was and made it just in time. I ended up leaving kind of early and it’s too bad I did cause apparently after I did something went down with a couple of little cousins of mine and one kicked the other one in the nose so hard he got a nose bleed. Nothing like mild violence with 8 year olds on Thanksgiving to bring in the holiday season. Too bad I left. I could have had dinner and a show. As far as the meal, my cousin Billy, who hosts this shindig every year cause his house is pretty big (we have like 65 million, trillion people in the family), decided to go the fried turkey route this year, as opposed to traditional baked. I’ve never had fried turkey before, but I gotta tell you, this thing was AMAZING. He had two of them, and they were freakin’ huge, and seasoned really well. It made me rethink my notions of turkey. I might be a fried turkey guy now.

Later that evening, my cousin and I went and saw The Mist. Highly recommended. It’s always been one of my favorite Stephen King stories. The end will mess you up.

Matt, the article was great. Nice to see you got it in there just in time. But, no matter which Thanksgiving article I read, I don’t think anything will ever top the image of John Ratzenburger singing in the that one review you did. I don’t remember the year, but that was at the same time hilarious and kind of uncomfortable.

I spent today at work, so no Black Friday shopping sprees for me. But, even if I hadn’t, I don’t get up at 4am to go shopping for anything. It just ain’t happening. I’ll take my chances in a couple of weeks.

Hey, FyarlGirl! Nice to see ya!

Lessee…1991..I was 14. I’m so old.

mimitchi33, What the heck is an Abby Kadaver?

Leigha, I totally remember that Irish Spring commercial. Actually, that’s my favorite soap. I’ve never cut it open and took a wiff though. I’ll leave it to the professionals.

Oh, and for the record, in my opinion Christina Ricci is the most gorgeous thing to ever walk the face of this earth, ever, ever. Natalie Portman brings up a very close second.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 11/24/2007 2:07 AM EST



DJ D

Fried Turkey is heaven. Fried Turkey Steak is Heaven +1.

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 11/24/2007 2:12 AM EST


Eh…
Personally, I just can’t get in on the “Deep-Fried Turkey” trend.

I had it once. It was good, but not fantastic. It didn’t give me anything I didn’t get from the traditional roasted Turkey (which is much healthier, I might add).

But, hey it’s all diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks, right?

Just wanted to go on record as an old-fashioned “Roasted Turkey” fan.

Ghosted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 11/24/2007 2:27 AM EST


Oh man, this thing was great. I’d never had it before, and honestly always thought the idea of it was kind of gross. I mean, I like fried chicken, but I always thought fried turkey would just be greasy and that it would kill the flavor. I don’t know if it was just the seasoning or what, but yeah, it was pretty close to heaven. I guess you gotta be careful cooking it though cause we had a problem at first with both of them turning out undercooked. He kept having to put them back in a few times till we were satisfied that it was cooked properly.

And I know this is kind of weird and nitpicky, but every year we’ve had dinner someone else has always made the turkey, sliced it and put it into a giant plastic bowl for you to get pieces of before I ever got there. This was the first year that I actually saw an entire turkey sitting there (two of them!), and actually saw them slicing giant slices off of it. Somehow that made it that much better. Getting a giant, wide freshly sliced hunk of turkey, with the seasoned skin still on instead of chopped up little pieces in a plastic bowl…man, that was good stuff. I had leftovers for dinner tonight, but I’m missing it again now.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 11/24/2007 2:38 AM EST


I’m watching Christmas Vacation and just realized that the kid who played Russ now plays Leonard on The Big Bang Theory which is my new favorite show! Tres awesome!

Ghosted by Special K @ 11/24/2007 2:39 AM EST


AH! Advent Calendar! :D

Ghosted by Special K @ 11/24/2007 2:40 AM EST


Definitely agreed that a slice right off the bird is better somehow. ;)

But, I still prefer my bird roasted. Slow roasted over a period of several hours, basted at just the right times.

It’s gotta be cooked for however long it takes until the body starts to fall apart and for the skin to become crispy and turn a nice golden brown.

And, yes seasoning is crucial, no matter how you cook it!

It’s not that I find deep-fried terrible. In fact, I didn’t find it to be that different from roasted at all. But, not quite the same.

To my taste-buds anyway, the slow roasted version just comes out on top.

Again, it’s all a matter of personal taste. Also, the abilities of whoever cooked it might be a factor (some people are better at roasting than frying or vice-versa).

However it was cooked, I hope everyone’s turkey (or ham, or duck, or tofu, or whatever) was delicious, and yielded plenty of left-overs! :)

Ghosted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 11/24/2007 3:17 AM EST


Advent Calendar! Advent Calendar!

Now, I’ve got to hurry up and finish catching up on the old ones. Looks like I’ll have some reading to do tomorrow.

That’s it. It’s official. Halloween’s almost a month long gone. Thanksgiving’s now been over for a good 24 hours now. Whether you’re ready or not, the season is officially upon us. Like a giant, peppermint t-rex, there’s nothing holding back Christmas now. Hold on to yer butts.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 11/24/2007 3:20 AM EST


I’m another roast turkey loyalist, mostly because I just plain enjoy roasting a turkey.

I’m so excited because, while we’ve put up our massive living room tree, I’ve decided this year I’m going to put up our older, unused tree in my room (I have a pretty big room). I’ll use the glass ornaments that we can no longer put on the big tree due to the cat climbing it, and I can pile presents under it as I wrap them.

I am so totally stoked. We’ve never had two trees before. Can’t wait to get up and do that tomorrow! :D

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/24/2007 3:39 AM EST


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