Ho Ho Hunsperger: Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Now days, the Easy Bake Oven has been converted to make it more unisex.  When I was a kid it was pink and touted as a girl's toy.  Back then the closest a boy could get to receiving a "cooking" toy was the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.

And one Christmas my brother and I got one.  Despite the fact that it was cold outside, we were eager to crunch up some ice cubes and coat the shavings in a sugar solution.  Who needed the sno-cone man to drive by anymore?  Certainly not us.

The machine was put into overdrive during the summer months of course, as we'd make treats for our friends as we splashed around in the pool.  Too bad we didn't have a more entrepreneurial spirit, we could have started our own business.  The classic is back with a bit of an updated look, but it still embraces the retro features that made it so popular.

Way Back WhensDay: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Good grief, he can cook

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I blog a lot about Halloween and Christmas, but not really about Thanksgiving.  So I decided to change that with the next couple of Way Back WhensDay blogs.  The first goes back to the year I was born (1973) and the first airing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

When I was a kid, we would always go to my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving.  Cousins, aunts, uncles, and great-grandparents would gather around large tables in the basement and share a home cooked meal.  It was tradition.  But as we all got older, and the kids went off to college, got engaged, and eventually married, tradition started changing.  Now, family members are scattered around the country, and some years we improvise the celebration.

But there has been a constant in my 40 years on this planet, and that's the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special.  I've watched the 30 minute classic every year for as long as I can remember.  As an adult, it takes me back to my childhood, being carefree and knowing that we'd have a couple of days off from school.  Back then, that was a big deal.  Everything seemed so right with the world.

Dinner is served...

I still get a kick out of how bossy Peppermint Patty is and how much of a pushover Charlie Brown is when it comes to dealing with her and Lucy.  Charlie Brown becomes the reluctant host of a Thanksgiving meal, that only a boy and his pet beagle could come up with.  If you recall, the menu for the day included toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jellybeans.  The gang dines on a ping pong table with mismatched chairs.  It's not exactly what the Indians shared with the Pilgrims, but the point is that Charlie Brown opened his home and his heart to his friends when they needed somewhere to go.  Eventually, the Peanuts gang heads over to Charlie Brown's grandmother's house (or condo) for a more traditional dinner.

That leaves Snoopy and Woodstock alone and of course ready to cook their own meal.  The duo comes up with a feast worthy of the first Thanksgiving, including turkey, the trimmings, and some pumpkin pie.  So time and distance may get in the way of celebrating with everyone in the family each year, but this special cartoon is a Thanksgiving tradition in our house.  They just don't make cartoons like that anymore.

Boo: I Got a Rock

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Even at age 40, I still look forward to watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" every year on TV.   It's been a tradition in my family since I was a kid.  The Halloween special has aired each October since 1966, almost seven years before I was born (for the record).

I'm going to make the assumption that you've seen The Great Pumpkin at least once in your life, so I'm not going to go into the details of what happens in this 30 minute animated classic.  The takeaway has remained the same, if there's something you believe in, keep on believing, no matter how silly it seems to others.  At least, that's what I've always gathered from Linus and his desire to catch a glimpse of the mysterious and elusive Great Pumpkin.

I got a rock

While keeping the faith is one piece of this cartoon, it's filled with plenty of great laughs too.  I love the lovable loser, Charlie Brown in this special.  As he and the rest of the Peanuts gang prepare to go trick or treating, Charlie ends up with a sheet filled with holes.  Then while his buddies are getting popcorn balls, candy, and other sweet treats, Charlie Brown proclaims, "I got a rock."  House after house, that's all he ends up with, a collection of rocks.  

Girl vs. Dog

There's also the Halloween party where his head is used as a model for jack-o-lanterns and Lucy and Snoopy struggle over an apple during the bobbing contest.  Speaking of Snoopy, he gets into the spirit of Halloween by dressing as the World War I flying ace, the Red Baron.  It's a nice tribute to veterans.

Keeping the faith

All three story lines are woven together to make this a memorable part of my childhood and something I'm glad I've been able to share (and continue to share) with my kids.  Linus may never get to see that Great Pumpkin, but I love his optimism and spirit of the holiday.  I think the world needs more of that today.