A Johnny Bravo Christmas

It’s time to catch a last-minute flight to the North Pole and do the monkey with me back to 2001 for an out-of-order dive into “A Johnny Bravo Christmas,” a well-deserved punch in the face that’s a little bit rock ’n’ roll.

On This Episode:

1. Mike Westfall (@fallwestmike), former blond pompadour-haver until my wife said she liked my hair better short.
2. James Riley (@yourbuddyspooky), flying through the skies above the Arctic with his magic umbrella.

Topics and Tangents:

1. “’Twas the Night,” a 1997 segment of “Johnny Bravo” which this special accounts for in the show’s continuity… sort of.
2. “Larry & Steve,” Seth MacFarlane’s short film for the “What a Cartoon!” show which would become a rough template for “Family Guy.” After this short, Seth worked as a staff writer for “Johnny Bravo.”
3. The Bravos appear to be of a dying breed of people who wait till Christmas Eve or a few days before to start decorating.
4. This special first aired less than 3 months after 9/11, on Pearl Harbor Day, and opens with Johnny unnecessarily calling the fire department to tell them he’s “the bomb.”
5. Homer Simpson’s sandwich.
6. The worst things we’ve found in our couches.
7. The latest you can mail something to guarantee arrival before Christmas, according to the U.S. Postal Service’s Holiday Shipping Deadlines.
8. A rare “true meaning of Christmas” monologue in a cartoon that begins with baby Jesus.
9. The voice of the truck driver is Vanessa Marshall, who may or may have provided the scream of Samus dying in the Metroid Prime games.
10. Santa’s village is hidden behind a fake mountain acting as a Wakanda-like cloaking device, and also looks like the Wicked Witch’s castle from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Previous Podcast Episodes Mentioned:

• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (Season 2, Episode 5)
• Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (Season 2, Episode 12)
• A Pinky and the Brain Christmas (Season 2, Episode 17)
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (Season 2, Episode 19)
• Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (Season 2, Episode 20)
• Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas (Season 4, Episode 6)

Commercial Break:

• American Online Keyword eBay Holiday Shopping Commercial, 2001

Podcast Promos:

• Season’s Eatings, exploring the history of your favorite Christmas foods.
• The Retro Network Podcast, a weekly show devoted to pop culture past and present.

“A Johnny Bravo Christmas” ©2001 Cartoon Network.

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