The More Things Change...The More I Get Upset
I'm an adult. Gone are the days of my youth. My time in the sun has passed and made way for a new generation to enjoy their carefree and fun years.But, dammit, I hate that!
And what I hate even more is when something I loved as a kid is practically bastardized in order to market people who weren't even born when Diana and Charles wed...or when the Challenger exploded...or when MTV was cool.
A few weeks back, I Googled Holly Hobbie (I can't even remember why...probably for some image to include in an e-mail or to make a point or something)...anyway, instead of the sweet, demure, bonneted, subtle Holly Hobbie of my youth (my cousin even had the board game)...I came across this. Sure, it's still sweet...but it's not Holly Hobbie.
I mean...what on earth was wrong with keeping her looking like an extra from "Little House on the Prairie"? Wasn't that the whole point? She wasn't "modern" when I was a kid...why should she be now?
Anyway...I didn't make mention of it then (or maybe I did...I don't remember)...but I had to bring it up today since I found an article about the modernization of two other iconic characters...Betty and Veronica.
I realize these characters have been around for 60 years and that this isn't their first makeover. But I think it's their worst.
Click on the image at the top of this post to enlarge it. Notice how the earlier renditions of Betty and Veronica were simple and clean...the new image (on the right) looks like Betty and Veronica meet Aeon Flux.
I really am unhappy about this. (However, Archie has received an update, too...and he is looking FINE, which is also pretty disturbing because his appeal was never his looks.)
So, to celebrate the Betty and Veronica from the days of Yore...I found this little clip. Oddly enough, Taylor Hicks makes a cameo appearance about midway in. I think they must have filmed this in a mall during Easter.
And for those of you who didn't know, the original "Sugar Sugar" actually wasn't recorded by a band of cartoon characters...it was recorded by our very own Gray Charles and his brothers, John, George, and Ringo. Be sure to note the nifty ear monitors. Oh...and watch at the end when Gray pulls a total Milli Vanilli.
I love the hair, Gray...you sexy beast.
Sorry for the random "Be careful who you trust" clip at the end. I guess it means we shouldn't trust Gray...but then, with those lapels and that polyester suit...why SHOULD we trust him?
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Labels: Pop Culture
posted by shelley @ 12/18/2006 08:13:00 PM
73 comments
73 Comments:
Shellllley! My eyes! My eyes! I think that Holly Hobbie just burned out my retinas.
I really hated "Sugar, Sugar". Even as a kid, it practically put me into a hyperglycemic stupor. However, I am glad to know that the lyric is "the loveliness of lovin' you" -- I never understood it before. However, I liked the cool over-the-shoulder guitar strap (as opposed to going behind the back. Who played the guitar like that in the cartoon -- Reggie? Jughead?
Animation has certainly improved, but I ABHOR when this is done. Why do these characters have to be "Brittany-ized"? Ugh.
Oh, and why does Archie have red hair and black eyebrows?
Gray?!? Who knew? Nice brown leisure suit, though.
...Pour a lil' sugah on it, babay...
p.s. Veronica is still a HO.
Gray wore leisure suits when leisures weren't cool...um...uh...wait...that doesn't sound right.
Mind Doc...now you have me wondering if a guitar can actually be played that way...
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DD...the Britney-i-zation is truly autrocious...I totally agree.
DD said, "p.s. Veronica is still a HO."
snort...giggle...guffaw
Don't y'all think they now look like Ann and Nancy Wilson.
OOoooooo....barracuda
Shelley - I found this tonight and thought of you....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPXuReVN9oo&mode=related&search=
Merry Christmas Shelley and all.
Well, except for maybe mind doc.
http://homepage.mac.com/t1st/.Pictures/DSCN0401.JPG
Oops. That's kinda big. But you get the idea.
DD...I love the kiss Johnnie plants on June at the end of that clip. Thanks.
Love that song.
Here's a MUCH more mellow version by Hem.
very nice, malisa! thanks.
o--{:8)}=
Yes, the kiss is boss. JC had class.
I get an error on Malisa's link.
I like the hair flip at around 1:30. Nice touch.
Sugar, Sugar makes me think of a dance my friends and I put together for a school talent show.
*shudders at the thought*
NOLA...I knew only the most discerning eyes would catch the hair flip.
Truly, Gray is one sexy man.
http://homepage.mac.com/t1st/.Pictures/DSCN0399.JPG
Sorry. Playing with new software/upload site. That one disappeared.
Why of course I'd catch that Shelley - Gray and that hair of his - can't miss it! :)
Is it an optical illusion or does John, George and Ringo bear a striking resemblance to Gray?!?
I think they're quadruplets.
Gray is truly one sexy beast of a man.
I had the type of grandma who had a bunch of comics and lincoln logs sitting around her house to entertain the grandkids. That's the only time I'd read comics, and yes, Archie comics were a staple of her collection. I never liked them--I was a Richie Rich girl myself, and much preferred the weird squat one to the more realistic one--because all the teenyboppers were so...stupid. Who the heck would fight over a guy like that? He likes you, he likes you. He doesn't, he doesn't. I totally didn't "get" all the game-playing stuff going on in those stories.
Always felt sorry for poor Jughead, too.
Oh, and as for Holly Hobbie's makeover...hey, it could be worse.
--Q
Q...you are so very right. The Bratz thing escapes me...why would any mother want to buy her daughter a hoochie to play with?
I'm just so glad...with all the chaos and Bratz in the world that...Gray is so sexy.
AAARRGGHHH! BRATZ! The. worst. "toy". ever. invented.
Whatever happened to good old fashioned toys like Hot Wheels race tracks, Slinkys, Easy Bake Ovens, Atari?
AAaaaaahhhh...Atari.
I love Atari...almost as much as I love how sexy Gray is.
Shelley -- you are on a single track with this Gray = Sexy thing. Sorry, but that's like kissing your brother. Ewww.
However, I give you this....for Gray...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQqPxzrnJUM
Okay, I'll just flat out admit that I missing something here. Are we supposed to be saying how sexy Gray is or something? Has he shown signs of insecurity in regards to his physical being that we must assuage?
I'll squee if I must, but I'm a bit befuddled here.
--Q
Look...there's nothing wrong with being sexy....especially if you're Gray and you're not a 10...but an 11.
For the record, folks...I'm joking.
I was trying to get a rise out of Gray and thought y'all would play along.
Oh well...I guess not. :(
Oh, you wanted Gray to come out and play? Maybe drop the bait at MJ's...seems to be where he hangs out.
Here kitty, kitty...
LOL--Okay, okay...I thought it was an "inside joke" that I was standing on the outside thereof, not a joke in the making in which I could gleefully join!
Loved the Spinal Tap segment. Okay, Gray's level of sexiness is the new 11. Taylor himself rates only a 10.
--Q
I refuse to go to MJ's to look for Gray...(boy, he'd love that, wouldn't he?)
I just thought...when came by again...it'd be sheer silliness if everybody had written "Gray is sexy."
But now that I've typed that out loud...it doesn't sound funny.
---
Q...when you go for it...you don't just stick your toe in...you dive right in!
Taylor a 10 and Gray an 11??!!
GASP
LOL
P.S. Q, got the e-mail...will read tomorrow...is very excited
Bratz are banned in my house, much to my daughter's dismay.
Shelley...am I gonna have to slap you with a large fish for all this fangirly Gray nonsense?
AWwwwww...Squee!
C'mon!
You and I both know Gray is sexy.
The other day I was in Costco, wanted to buy cocoa mix. I can never find things in that store, I think for one reason: they always move stuff around, and for another reason: when you buy in bulk, it takes forever before you need another one, so who knows where you found it the last time? And you can forget aisle signs or helpful employees to guide you in your quest. At any rate, I was on a mission to get Nestle's cocoa, and I could not find it! Traipsed up and down aisles, from one end to the other and back again. It's like being in a marathon, the amount of ground you can cover in Costco. I got to the point where I was ready to give up, but by that time I had so much time invested, there was no way I was leaving without it. So where did I find it, finally? "Repackaged", in all of it's slick, consumer-tested glory, a new red plastic jar with a screw-off lid (replacing the cardboard cylinder with it's chilly blue background and steaming hot mug of cocoa that I was looking for), right next to the red cans of Folger's. Camouflaged.
Yes, I hate change.
Shelley, do you REALLY want me to say Gray is sexy?
There, I did it. Are you happy now? :P
RE: Gray and the Grayettes. The hair is fascinating. But why the flip...? not a hair is out of place. Maybe it's a move learned from Ace, all that hair touching makes wimmin swoon. Sexy. Yes, that's it, sexy.
And what's up with John, George, and Ringo's hair? It looks to me like they've got some kind of antennas (Monkbots in disguise??). Or is it low-res artifacts? Lighting? Why don't they ever have any close-ups? Maybe there's meaning in the ending message?
::baby duck leaves to search for her tin-foil hat::
Sorry for the FUBAR, Shelley. Fact is, very few of us have actually seen Gray or his likeness (without donning the sunglasses), but since I have seen a picture, I'll fess up to my secret:
GRAY IS BRINGIN' SEXY BACK!
Baby Duck said, "RE: Gray and the Grayettes. The hair is fascinating. But why the flip...? not a hair is out of place. Maybe it's a move learned from Ace, all that hair touching makes wimmin swoon. Sexy. Yes, that's it, sexy."
1,000 Monkbot points for totally grasping my joke. Bravo!!!!
And, for the record, the one thing I hate more than the revamping of iconic cartoon characters is the repackaging of products.
When Noxema redesigned their jar I sat in a darkened room for a week.
And...to let you know just how bad I hate change...I don't use any perfume except Love's Baby Soft (I've got a VERY sensitive nose and it's the only perfume that doesn't make me sick).
Anyway...I've worn Love's since 7th grade (yes, I REALLY hate change) and in recent year's the makers have changed the cap from a soothing light pink to a blaring and obnoxious hot pink.
I hate it.
So, whenever I get new bottle...the first thing I do is take that ugly hot pink cap and toss it in the garbage and replace it with the light pink cap that I've had now for about 6 years.
I know...I'm pathetic.
(Also, my aunt Chris hates the new Nestle Cocoa box so much that she transfers the cocoa into an old container she kept.)
NOLA -- This is for you....
(Yes, go ahead and say it DD is DA Bestus!)
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0f1lr2
Walkin' to New Orleans - The Taylor Hicks version.
DD...we're gonna HAVE to teach you how to do hotlinks.
thanks for the song, btw...you are teh da bestus
Love's baby soft and Nestle's Cocoa. There is a psychoanalytic interpretation in there somewhere... I will work on it.
Re: Gray is a sexy, sexy man -- Shelley, ya gots to take the risks because, sometimes, comedy is not pretty.
Of course Gray is sexy. What's not sexy about a dude committed to intellectual musicianshipness? Oh, yeah...and add a sprinkle of his mysteriousness and a splash of his family manness. Totally sexy.
(Love's Baby Soft?? Really? When there is Chanel Mademoiselle, Dior Cherie, Gucci Rush...and the old standby Burberry London out there to tantalize your nosehole???)
BWA HA HA HA at the STeve Martin cover!
And I promise, Bama...my...er...nosehole (fainting slightly at that reference)...is VERY sensitive. Strong perfumes make widdle Shelwey's head pound like a friggin' jack hammer.
I'm sorry for your headhole!
ROFL...headhole.
Did you guys notice in the small print on the oldest edition of the comic book "in this edition recording artist Bobby Darin". That made me crack up! The Taylor Hicks of his time. Also, what's up with Archie giving Betty "weed"? What the fushizzle? Was that the Snoop Dog edition?
I'm at work and can't watch the videos, so no comments on Gray. But I have heard he is so sexy!!!!
This is for Bama....
Gray is sexier than.....
Matthew McConaghey in those Stetson ads.
Emmitt Smith dancin'.
Justin Timberlake kickin' that ball.
Taylor sayin' "Unh"... well maybe not that sexy.
; )
Ha! DD!
Is Gray sexier than a fluffy kitten lapping up a dish of cream??
Gray is sexier than my uncle Ralph vacuuming in his underwear.
(Gulp!)
Gray is sexier than a Godiva Signature Truffle Assortment...and a bottle of Moet and Chadon Nectar Imperial.
EWWWWWWWW
*covers ears*(and eyes)
LALALALALALALALALALALALA
Shelley said: Gray is sexier than my uncle Ralph vacuuming in his underwear.
-----------------------
Not much of a stretch there, huh Shel?
Bama...Question is: Is Gray sexier than a fluffy kitten sitting on Matthew McConaghey's lap? By a blazing fire? Sipping Cognac? After cleaning the dinner dishes?
I digress...
DD...that was the point.
Have I not made it clear that most of what I type is utter drivel and ridiculousness?
Let me clarify...most of what I type is utter drivel and ridiculousness.
That written...Gray is sexier than Burt Reynolds on a bear skin rug.
Wait, DD...Is the kitten sipping cognac?
Personally, I think Gray is sexier than Santa sliding down a slippery, steeply sloped, stove-pipe...while carrying a cognac sipping kitten in his sack.
Well, I've seen a picture of Gray from WorkPlay. He looks like a regular, polo-shirt wearing, father of two. And he DOES look a bit like Stephen King...
*tee hee* Sorry Shelley, did I spoil the thread? Hold on...
OMG GRAY IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWT!!!!!!!!! THUD!!!!
Gray = fluffy kittens giving baby ducks butterfly kisses while cuddled up on George Clooney's knee, with George relaxing on a bearskin LayeezeeBoy. Howzat?
(LOL, Gray if you read this, I got sucked in!! Mob mentality. I'm sure you're hideous, really.)
Oh wait.... ;)
bamaborntxbred said...
Gray is sexier than a Godiva Signature Truffle Assortment.
OK, now that's going a little bit overboard, don'tcha think? Teasing gray is one thing... but this... just what kind of a board are you running, shelley?
Baby Duck- It's a sexy board baby!
(Okay-the Godiva thing was pushing it for sure. There really isn't anything sexier than the perfect chocolate.)
Claire-What's not sexy about a polo-shirt wearing father of two?? And regular? I think not!
....I wanna bearsking Lazy-boy. Niiiice.
Gray is sexier than David Hasselhoff holding wrinkly puppies in his bare lap!
There, I said it! Trump that, I dare you!!!
--Q
Q- I think I just threw up a little in my mouth...
Man, even all of this flattery hasn't pulled Gray out of the wood work? Shelley's gonna be SOOOOooooo disappointed. Let me try this.....
Gray. Gray. Gray.
Well, seriously. Wonder what he would say..."Yep. I'm sexy. Dead sexy, baby."
Girls...he posted in the London thread.
I think he's purposefully (and wisely) steering clear of this conversation.
Gray is sexier than a big ol' fat CHICKEN!
(Btw, Q...the Hasselhoff remark was da bomb.)
I saw his comment...
Sexier than a big ol' fat chicken covered in chocolate and being licked by a fluffy cognac sipping kitten.
Yes. Me do thinks that the great Gray may be a bit "intimidated"?
So, is that the proverbial Achilles heel? I just love to find a man's weakness...don't you?
I am woman, hear me roar....
I am dyin' over here! Chickens and drunk kittens....that's HAWT!
Bama, you took the words right out of my mouth (in response to Q's visual).
The only thing that could make the image of "the Hoff" wrinkly puppies in his bare lap any hotter is if Katherine McPhee were sitting on the floor at his feet singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
No, better if she's singing her single "Open Toes".
She's sooo ghetto. Kitty from the block is what they used to call her back in the barrio.
Bama, ROFLMAO! I haven't had the pleasure of hearing her new single. She is so ghetto she might be on the next season of Flavor of Love. (every little girl's dream)
Flaaaaavor Flaaaaaav!
I think the next one is called "I love New York" and features New York as the "bachelorette". Too bad for Kitty Kat...she'll have to wait til next time around to get her hands on that hot hunk of man meat!
HOt hunk of man meat--now that time I did throw up!
"Kitty from the block" - hee hee. Dat right dere is fun-NY!
Poor Flav is just misunderstood. Who can resist a man with a gold grill and a giant clock hangin' 'round his neck?
I don't think there is any "poor Flav" going on Bama - he's got what, 18 kids or something? I think he gets plenty of attention from the ladies if ya know what I mean wink wink (how 8th grade was that, my God!)
Ack! Ack!
:best imitation of Bill the Cat:
Monkbots, you know what time it is?
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