It is without a doubt that when someone mentions Christmas cartoons, seasonal specials such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “The Grinch” or one of the many stop-motion Rankin Bass productions come to mind.
Personally, I have the ability to associate any one of these classic Christmas specials with an early childhood memory of some sort. But, the older I became, the more my memories changed. When I think of Christmas cartoons, I no longer envision the fuzzy Grinch bitterly tapping his finger in disdain or Frosty receiving his carrot nose.
Instead, I have equally vivid memories of Angelica Pickles of “Rugrats” receiving a lump of coal for all of her scheming or, how Grim from, “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” sung with the vampire king while trudging through the heavy snow.
It is without a doubt that holiday specials from some of the most popular and beloved cartoons are just as memorable, endearing and usually downright funny, as the traditional classics. In this list, I will be counting down five of my own holiday favorites.
5. “Ed, Edd, N’ Eddy’s Jingle Jingle Jangle.”
“Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy” was one of the most popular cartoons airing on Cartoon Network from 1999 to 2009. Episodes revolved around a trio – Eddy, Edd (or Double D) and Ed as they schemed in a variety of ways to gain money from a larger cast of characters within their neighborhood cul de sac.
In “Ed, Edd, N’ Eddy’s Jingle Jingle Jangle,” Eddy takes his scheming a step further as he aspires to get adopted by one of the neighborhood kids for Christmas in order to take their presents for himself. Why is he doing this? Because he is tired of getting cheap gifts from his own family.
The episode is filled with allusions to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “The Grinch” and what additionally makes this episode special is the fact it is the first half-hour special of this series. Also, viewers get a treat of a cultural holiday song from Rolf’s – a highly interesting, unspecified country.
Presently, “Ed, Edd, N’ Eddy” is not available for streaming on any platforms, but episodes can be bought for as low as a dollar on Amazon Prime.
4. “Billy and Mandy Save Christmas.”
“The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” is yet another beloved cartoon from Cartoon Network, running from 2000 to 2007. It was a bizarrely unique show, with its premise being centered around two adolescent children – the titular Billy and Mandy – who, after winning a game of limbo with the Grim Reaper, has him as their best friend for all of eternity.
It is an understatement to say that things get a little weird in this show.
In the Christmas special, Grim takes Billy and Mandy to the North Pole to prove Santa Claus exists. While it is shown that the jolly gift-giver is alive, it also turns out that he is a vampire. Therefore, in order to turn him back to normal, Mandy and Grim partake in an adventure to find and eliminate the head vampire.
Or the “head-head vampire.” There’s a few wild twists and turns in here.
Episodes of “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” can be viewed with a Hulu subscription.
3. “The Santa Experience.”
Centered around the imaginatively exaggerated misadventures of a group of babies, the highly popular series, “Rugrats” aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 2004. However, it should be noted that the series is due for an upcoming 2021 CGI reboot so the babies will be among us once more.
All the same, it’s first Christmas episode, “The Santa Experience” aired in 1992 during its second season.
There are multiple plots in this episode that intertwine. First, the parents of the children take them to the mountains to spend the holidays. Then, skeptical of Santa’s existence – and greedy for ‘better presents’ – the devious Angelica manipulates the twins, Phil and Lil, to give her their gifts. She comes to regret her decision throughout the episode as she is deeply concerned about being on Santa’s supposed naughty list.
Meanwhile, Tommy and Chuckie are concerned about Santa Claus’s morality and set traps for him in order to discover what sort of person he is.
This episode would be what would kickstart the “Rugrats” into having multiple holiday-themed episodes that were not just focused around Christmas, but Kwanzaa and Chanukah as well! It should also be noted that “Rugrats” is the first cartoon to have a children’s special about Chanukah.
All seasonal episodes of the Rugrats can be found on Hulu for viewing.
2. “Marge Be Not Proud.“
Unlike other cartoons on this list, “The Simpsons” has neither been canceled, concluded or has an upcoming reboot. As a result, FOX’s long-running animated series has countless gems that you have to dig in order to find.
“Marge Be Not Proud” is the second Christmas special, airing in 1995. The plot centers around Bart shoplifting a new, popular video much to Marge’s horror. His wrongdoing ultimately causes him to be permitted from partaking in any holiday activities with his family.
What is interesting about this episode is the very human way the family interacts with one another after Bart’s crime comes to light. Marge becomes depressed and wonders if his theft is a result of her ‘babying’ him too much, while Bart worries if his mother is no longer capable of loving him again. It shows the real, vulnerable side of Bart Simpson, and Nancy Cartright’s voice acting truly enhances his youthful quality.
While the episode doesn’t follow an explicit holiday formula, it was wonderful to see the mother and son yet again come together after nearly drifting apart.
Every single episode of “The Simpsons” is capable of being viewed on Disney+.
1. “Seven Days of Kwanzaa.”
Disney’s first African-American centered cartoon, “The Proud Family” ran from 2001 to 2005. However, much like “Rugrats” it is due for a 2021 reboot.
In its first season, there was an episode that both centered around Christmas and Kwanzaa in a highly poignant way.
When the Proud family go Christmas shopping, they encounter a homeless family that they invite for their holiday dinner. Shortly after the traditional gift-giving is done, this mysterious family introduces a holiday that they personally celebrate – Kwanzaa. Although the Prouds initially do not know what Kwanzaa is, they ultimately decide to participate as well.
In the episode, it is highlighted that the Prouds deeply needed to learn about this holiday, as in the beginning they were focused on the material things they desired for Christmas, but throughout the episode, the family learns of Kwanzaa’s seven principles and as a result, become far more giving.
This theme highlights how people are capable of sharing culture, as well as how people are capable of celebrating multiple holidays without one canceling out the other.
But more than that, the episode also showed how the uplifting values of Kwanzaa can represent the “true meaning of the holidays” that are often believed to be found in the Christmas season.
This episode, and all episodes of the Proud Family, can be viewed on Disney+.
Ayzha Middlebrooks
Executive Editor