Rugrats: "Chanukah"

Premiered December 6, 1996.

Chanukah has arrived and Tommy Pickles (Elizabeth Daily), his cousin Angelica (Cheryl Chase) and their friends are a bit confused about what's happening.  Tommy's family lights candles and he gets a present every night for several days and he wonders if every night is his birthday.  

Their grandfather Boris Kropotkin (Michael Bell) is appearing in the local synagogue's play, which is titled "The Meaning Of Chanukah."  Boris is playing Judah Maccabee, the hero of the Chanukah story.  King Antiochus, the villain of Chanukah, will be played by Boris's longtime rival Shlomo (Fyvush Finkel).  Boris and Shlomo have known each other since their childhood in Russia and Boris feels Shlomo lords his successful business over him.  
of the miracle of the oil associated with

Tommy and Angelica's grandparents eat latkes, which symbolize Chanukah's miracle of the oil.

When Tommy and friends see Shlomo's photo next to the phrase "Meaning Of Chanukah," they become confused and believe Shlomo is "the meanie of Chanukah!"  This makes them worry for Boris' safety.

Angelica doesn't want to attend the play, because it will cause her to miss A Very Cynthia Christmas, her favorite holiday special, which airs at the same time as the pageant.  Her Aunt Didi (Melanie Chartoff) insists she attend the play, but Angelica conspires to find a way to watch the Cynthia special.  

Didi's husband Stu (Jack Riley) is not Jewish, but he wants to show respect for the Kropotkin family's Chanukah traditions.  With this in mind, he builds a giant light-up Menorah and plans to show it off at the Chanukah play.  

When the family arrives at the synagogue, Boris and Shlomo immediately start arguing.  The play gets more complicated when another cast member named Lowell Armstein (Alan Rachins) arrives. 

Lowell thought he'd be playing King Antiochus, but the Rabbi (Ron Liebman) tells Lowell he will be playing "the Village Kvetch."  This frustrates Lowell, since he planned to perform a monologue and brought along music to accompany him. 

Angelica sneaks away to search for a TV, so she can the Christmas special.  She's thwarted when an adult finds her and deposits her in the synagogue's nursery with Tommy and the other kids. 

Will the Rugrats learn the Meaning Of Chanukah?  Will the feud between Shlomo and Boris ruin the Chanukah play?  

J.A. Morris says:

Let me state up front that I've been aware of Rugrats since their inception, but I haven't watched many episodes from beginning to end.  But I've always liked what I've seen of the show.  "Chanukah" is fun holiday episode that provides a nice introduction to Chanukah and the traditions related to the occasion.  

I appreciated the resolution to Boris and Shlomo's conflict.  Boris was jealous of Shlomo's successful business.  We learn that Shlomo was jealous of Boris' family, because he and his wife never had the time to be "blessed with children."  Since his wife is now deceased, Shlomo wonders if there's a point to traditions if your loved ones are no longer around.  I won't spoil the ending, but since this is an episode of a Nickelodeon series, it won't be shocking to learn that "a Chanukah miracle" occurs.  

Angelica would rather stay home and watch a Christmas special instead of going to the Chanukah play.  On a (possibly) related note, when Stu is driving to the synagogue (with the giant Menorah on top of his car!) he winds up getting stuck in a Christmas parade! 

I believe these are references to the fact that during the holiday season, many people forget that other traditions exist and that not everyone celebrates Christmas.  I would hope "Chanukah" taught younger viewers of Rugrats to understand this and to respect other peoples' beliefs.  

On a lighter note, Lowell Armstein adds some humor to the episode.

I'm glad this episode exists, if for no other reason than because the world could use for more episodes/specials/movies that focus on occasions that aren't Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  This episode also makes me want to watch more episodes of Rugrats, and not just their many holiday episodes!

"Chanukah" is funny, touching and educational.  It's a great introduction to Chanukah and it gets my highest rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 dreidels!

RigbyMel says:

I've enjoyed watching assorted episodes of Rugrats over the years,  but the Chanukah episode was new to me. 

This episode does a good job of telling the story of Chanukah through the eyes of babes.  In point of fact,  it actually tells the basics of the Chanukah pretty well for adults too.  

I like the way we see the babies imagining themselves in the telling of the story -- including Tommy's great line "A maccababy's gotta do what a maccababy's gotta do" (which plays on the name of Judah Maccabee -- the hero of the original Chanukah story).    

I also like the pop up Old Testament stories we see when the babies imagine reading the Torah in secret while Grandma reads the story.  

One of the appeals of Rugrats for me has always been the wordplay based in childlike (mis)understanding of language.  For example, the babies decide that Shlomo is the "meanie of Chanukah" and determine that he should take a nap rather than bully Grandpa Boris.  The "meanie of Chanukah" bit is also great in that it plays on the whole "meaning of Christmas" schtick of many a holiday special.  

Speaking of holiday specials, bratty Angelica's plan to use the babies' mission to protect Grandpa Boris as a means to watching her Cynthia Christmas program is humorous.   

Moreover, in terms of wordplay,  Angelica's explanation that Chhhhh-anukah (with extra phlegm) takes place between "Misgiving and Christmas" is delightful and a really good illustration of how this Jewish celebration tends to get lumped in with the other traditions floating around in the ether this time of year.  

Rugrats "Chanukah" may well be the very best pop culture explication of Chanukah aimed at children available.  It's sweet and gentle telling of the tale has heart and humor and manages to be educational without being didactic.   I'd heartily recommend it to anyone  --  young or old -- who enjoys holiday programming.  

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 dreidels!    

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: “My Mom, Greg’s Mom, and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves”

Premiered November 30, 2015.

“Man, the holidays blow when you're old.  I'm not even allowed to sit on Santa's lap anymore.”
-Josh Chan

As Hanukkah approaches, Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is preparing for her a holiday visit from her mother Naomi (Tovah Feldshuh).  Since her mother is Jewish, Rebecca takes down all her Christmas decorations...

 and replaces them with symbols of Hanukkah.

She is afraid her judgmental mother will not approve of her friends and her new life in West Covina, California.  Rebecca most definitely doesn’t want Naomi to know she gave up her high-paying job in New York and moved to West Covina in romantic pursuit of Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III).

She is also hoping that her mother will give her the Garfinkel ring, a family heirloom.

Elsewhere, Josh tells his friend Greg (Santino Fontana) that he no longer enjoys the holiday season because he has too many adult responsibilities, like working double-shifts at his job.

Greg isn’t happy either, he’s dreading the annual lavish "Christmas Eve Eve" dinner at his mother Shawna’s (Mel Harris) home in Beverly Hills.  He believes Shawna left him when he was a kid and has never forgiven her.

Greg later runs into (Rebecca’s neighbor) Heather (Vella Lovell), who is working as an elf at the mall. Heather says she loves big holiday gatherings and wants to attend the dinner.  Greg agrees to bring Heather, so someone besides him can witness his mother’s monstrosity.

Will Naomi blow up at Rebecca and ruin their Hanukkah celebration?  Can Greg make it through dinner at his mother’s house?  Will Josh find a way to enjoy the holiday season?

Plus, Darryl (Pete Gardner) gets upset when he’s the only one in the office who is observing National Christmas Sweater Day!

RigbyMel says:

This episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend leans into holiday anxieties and contrasts between childhood and adulthood.   Rebecca desperately wants to impress her mother and is willing to go to extremes with her “level 5 Mom pleaser” tendencies. 

She goes so far as to enlist her best friend Paula to pretend to be a British Jew in order to impress Naomi.   In point of fact,  Donna Lynn Champlin -- who plays Paula -- hits this scene out of the park!  “Tea and matzo, anyone?”

Greg is dealing with familial awkwardness of a different sort and his feelings about his mom turn out to be unwarranted.  Heather has to shake him out of his lack of appreciation in her inimitable deadpan fashion -- plus she gets to enjoy free food. “The whole reason I came here was because I thought you were cute and they were going to be terrible.  But YOU’RE terrible and they’re cute.”

Josh grows up a bit when he learns that a group of teenage hip-hop dancers worship him as "Mr. Chan," since he danced for the same dance troupe in high school.  This makes it easier for him to enjoy the holiday season.

The holiday setting provides great opportunity for songs (the show IS a musical, after all) - including Tovah Feldshuh’s klezmer inflected “Where’s The Bathroom?” and the appropriately Beach Boys-esque “California Christmastime,” which features the entire cast singing and dancing its way through the West Covina Mall.

“My Mom, Greg’s Mom, and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves” is charming, witty and hilarious and is highly recommended as is the entire Crazy Ex-Girlfriend series.

RigbyMel’s rating:

3 and a half candy canes and 3 and a half dreidels. 

J.A. Morris says: 

I agree with most of what my co-blogger wrote.  This is one of my favorite episodes of this great series. 

One thing I appreciate about “My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!” is that I think it could work as a good introduction to the series, which isn't always the case with holiday episodes.  The storylines about difficult family interactions and holidays being less fun as we age are certainly relatable to a lot of people.  So this episode can be enjoyed without knowing all the backstories of the characters.

It’s also nice to see another holiday episode that includes Hanukkah and acknowledges that not everyone celebrates Christmas.

Both songs in the episode are very catchy and funny.  “California Christmastime” has become one of my favorite modern Christmas songs.  The closing performance of the song always makes me smile and it’s been on my holiday playlist every year since this episode aired.

And Tovah Feldshuh's performance of "Where's The Bathroom" is hilarious.

As the episode's title promises, Vincent Rodriquez III, who plays Josh, gets to show off his "sweet dance moves."

Fans of the 1980s series thirtysomething will appreciate that Greg’s mother Shawna is played by Mel Harris, who played Hope Murdoch Steadman on that series.

"My Mom, Greg's Mom and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!” is highly recommended for all fans of Christmas and Hanukkah programming and it gets my highest rating  If you’re not already a fan of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, this episode will make you a fan!

J.A. Morris’ rating:

4 dreidels and 4 candy canes!

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja: "Happy Hanukkah, Howard Weinerman"

Premiered December 3, 2014

"It is On-akkah like Hanukkah!"
-Randy Cunningham

Randy Cunningham (Ben Schwartz) and his friend Howard Weinerman (Andrew Caldwell) are hanging out at the Game Hole, a local arcade.  Howard, whose family celebrates Hanukkah, is complaining about the Hanukkah gifts he's received: socks.

Suddenly, a giant robot breaks into the Game Hole and trashes it.  Randy dons his ninja gear and battles the robot.  He defeats it, but not before the arcade suffers considerable damage and all the games are destroyed.

When the dust settles, local business-creep Hannibal McFist (John DiMaggio) arrives on the scene. He's ready to tear down the arcade and build a shoe store in its place.

Shoe-Mert??

McFist has brought along a city building inspector who cites an ordinance that says an arcade must have at least one game in operation at all times to maintain its status.  With no games working, McFist declares the Game Hole condemned and starts planning where to display shoes.

Thankfully, Howard notices one game, called "Fight Knight" is still working.  The Ninja provides Howard with game tokens and tells him to keep playing until he and Greg (Keith Ferguson), the arcade's owner, can go to a storage unit and get another video game.  If Howard loses, the Game Hole will become McFist's property.

Greg is not being overly helpful. 

The Ninja and Greg head for the storage unit and encounter McFist's robot gorillas (on snowmobiles!) and...a yeti!

All are bent upon preventing the Ninja from completing his mission.

The Yeti bot uses Greg's truck like a boom box. 

Can Howard play the game on one token long enough?  Can the Game Hole be saved?

J.A. Morris says:

There's not many Hanukkah-themed specials or episodes, and this one is an interesting "retelling" of the Hanukkah story.  Instead of the Menorah burning for eight night on only one night's worth of oil, Howard saves the Game Hole by fighting for eight rounds of a video game on only one token.

If you're looking for a thorough introduction to what Hanukkah's all about, you won't find it here. However, it's humorous and filled with lots of fun action scenes.  McFist is a good villain and his mechanical minions make entertaining adversaries for the Ninja.  There are also some funny asides about McFist's previous efforts to please his wife with Christmas presents.  The voice acting cast is also very good.

"Happy Hanukkah, Howard Weinerman", like every episode of the show is only eleven minutes long, so it's a bit thin on plot.  Otherwise, there's not much to criticize here.

This episode is currently available for streaming on Amazon.

If you're looking for some light superhero fun during the holiday season, "Happy Hanukkah, Howard Weinerman" will provide it.  The shortness of the episode and lack of plot keeps me from giving it a higher rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 dreidels.

RigbyMel says:

This is a silly, fast paced animated superhero adventure with a clever Hanukkah veneer.   There are some nice touches like the game token stretching long enough to fight eight knights and the robot yeti's head bearing a resemblance to a dreidel.

I also found it interesting that Greg -- the proprietor of the Game Hole -- seems to look like Wooderson -- Matthew McConaughey's character in the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused.   Which is rather a nice little inside joke for older viewers looking in.

Cartoon Greg -- owner of the Game Hole

Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey)  -- the resemblance is truly striking! 

As J.A. Morris says, this short isn't really a great introduction to the "true meaning of Hanukkah" or anything, but it's certainly amusing and as there are relatively few filmed entertainments dealing with the holiday at all, it's nice to see some inclusiveness.

RigbyMel's rating: 

.5

2 and a half Dreidels.