TVSquad

As I was watching all my favorite holiday specials this season, it became clear to me that there's a desperate need for some new offerings. Then I started thinking that if weekly shows can spinoff characters then why can't specials? With that in mind, here are my ideas for spinoffs to make your holidays more festive.

Out of the Box
Nobody wants a Charlie in the Box...except Charlie. After years of being not being delivered by Santa Claus, Charlie from the island of misfit toys decides it's time to make a change. Determined to find himself and discover what he was really made for, Charlie travels the country living on the road and meeting adventures head on. After living the life of Kerouac, Charlie returns to share his wisdom with the jelly squirting gun, ostrich riding cowboy and the doll with the unnamed condition.

A Charlie Brown Christmas will always be about eight billion light years above all other holiday specials in my mind, but that's not to say I don't enjoy those other old standards that pop up on TV this time of year. How the Grinch Stole Christmas remains one of my favorites: a perfect blend of all things Seussian and Jonesian.

To be honest, from a visual standpoint How the Grinch Stole Christmas is pretty much a Chuck Jones special. The only characters who really resemble Dr. Seuss' graphic style are The Whos, and even the precocious Cindy Lou Who (who was no more than two) is given the doe eyes and adorable but dopey face that made Jones' characters instantly recognizable. Jones did much the same thing when he took over the Tom and Jerry shorts for MGM which were originated by William Hanna and Joe Barbera: he redesigned the characters and made it his own thing.