Tooned In: Happy Pacs-Giving (1983)

Grandpa Joe after continuing his piggybacking onto Charlie, even after he won the lifetime supply of chocolate…

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Never forget that on this day, 34 years ago, the Hulkster went out and had his neck broken for all you Hulkamaniacs, brother.

(I also nearly got busted that same day for having just so happened to be in the boys’ room where someone just put out a cigarette in the toilet…but that worked out better)

Forgive me, way back when I talked about the MeTV Toons holiday lineup, there was one cartoon I COMPLETELY undersold. This weekend IS a Christmas Carol adaption, but not just any. No, this is the RICHARD WILLIAMS version, which HBO used to instill nightmares in many a child for years. Of course, MeTV pushed the Chuck Jones angle more in its press release, like Tim Burton with The Nightmare Before Christmas. So this plus the Little Rascals thing makes this Saturday even more must-see.

Now, onto another ’83 video game character’s take on Thanksgiving, as we switch to the main man himself. The main PAC-MAN. Unlike the Christmas episode, this like the Q*bert episode was just part of a typical episode of his Saturday morning series, paired with another short as was usually the case. All that’s left to say is to wish you all a…

HAPPY PACS-GIVING

Nana and Grand-Pac arrive for Pacs-giving dinner. These are Ms. Pac-Man’s parents. You know, I’ll throw gamers a bone and fanon that Grand-Pac’s name was Otto Pac-Man. The crazy relative of the family. Speaking of video game deep cuts, Pac-Man for some reason is not wearing his red hat, making him look like the drawing from the Pac-Man Plus marquee:

As usual in the Pac-Universe, much talk about chomping, power pellets, and food involving power pellets ensues, but Nana is here for the “let’s remember the reason for the season” speech and shames Pac for never telling Pac-Baby the story of the first Pacs-giving. I agree, Pac-Baby is smart enough to master video games and pinball all at once, have some faith in your kid! Nana gets Pac-Man’s copy of the Pac Family Album off the shelf to tell the tale from 1620. They beat Q*bert on getting closer to the correct date, but are a year off still. But the Pacs would beat the Q*People at Price is Right I suppose. Or Time Machine, which was NBC’s PIR, only with more history and more John Davidson. Oh sorry, I meant (Shadoe Stevens voice) JJJJOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNN DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVIDDDDDDDDSSSSSSSOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!! And a family album is pictures, right? If the Pacs are hoarding 200 year old pictures, they shouldn’t wait for some school lesson, take those out to be appraised, pronto.

So like the Q*bert version, we get a renamed Pac-Flower ship and the show’s characters acting out the trip to the New World, which the Pac People will claim for their own after driving the Space Invaders out of their native land. Only to Pac-Man’s defense, they bother to show that the characters are portraying their own historical figures. Pac-Man is “Miles Pac-Man,” leading his family away from oppressive ghost monsters who’d take away their freedom to chomp. Meanwhile, Pac-Pet antics break out with Sour Puss the cat trying to play some prank involving syrup on the family dog, Chomp-Chomp. This leads to Sour Puss ending up in a gallow-type trap. Luckily he only gets syrup dumped on his head, unlike other cartoon cats who LOST their heads because of mouse chicanery during the French Revolution.

The Pac-Pilgrims arrive at the future Pacland, and begin their colonization, building cabins and planting power pellet trees. And somehow a bear is involved in this cartoon too, when Sour Puss runs afoul of one after trying to use a honey trail to attract ants towards Chomp-Chomp, I guess. Winter comes and everyone is cold and hungry; still no death, but at least unlike Q*bert, the Pac-Man writers try to make it look challenging. Miles Pac goes out to “fetch some wood,” which we all know makes it good. It is then that the Ghost Monsters interject themselves into the story, and the gag is they are passing the buck deciding who gets to do name-your-difficult/dangerous chore. This cartoon messed up game continuity by insisting that Clyde is the boss, as opposed to the “dumb” ghost. Inky gets that role instead, and his bashful/cowardly personality goes to the actual ghost boss, Blinky. Aggressive/strong Pinky is the only one they get right, the cartoon one being a guy aside. This led to discrepancies in later games, such as the red ghost in Pac-Mania being called “Clyde”. I think Pac-Man Arrangement did the same? Sue, however, gets to be more than Clyde/orange ghost with a new name.

Upon seeing Pac Pilgrims, the monsters have Inky disguise as a turkey to lure them out. The predictable “turkey” and (predictable for a Pac-Man cartoon) “gobble” cracks are exchanged, and Pac and his family hunker down in the cabin, only for Pinky to use his strength and inflation powers to Big Bad Wolf the house down. A chase ensues, and luckily the Pacs discover Power Pellet trees! All seems lost when said trees are frozen, but the morning sun thaws them out, allowing them to get their fix and turn the ghosts purple with fright. Yet my gaming OCD is bothered seeing that they are back to their “dangerous” colors as they get chomped by not only Pac-Man, but Pac-Baby, the pets, and the bear. Being thankful for their colony being saved (and presumably for cannibalism too), Pac declares the first Pacs-giving feast, and back in the present, the story is over, and Pac gets to eat finally, all is well, the end.

Wait a minute….the ghosts were essentially in Native American wear. The Pac People warded them off and didn’t need their help in building Pacland on their turf, only taking pity on the “less deserving” when they let the ghosts join in on the meal. THIS MAY BE THE FIRST TRUE TO LIFE CARTOON THANKSGIVING SPECIAL! I’m hard on you when I need to be, Hanna-Barbera, but hats off to you for daring to not sugarcoat or simplify things.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and try not to chomp nor Pac Away too much, nor take too many Power Pills…