People Have an Idea Why ‘Rudolph’s Shiny New Year’ Is So Weird
The oft-forgotten holiday special Rudolph’s Shiny New Year is one of the odder holiday specials out there, and through the years, viewers have had a chance to revel in the story’s weirdness. And most people have the same takeaway from the special.
For the uninitiated, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year tells the story of the titular character‘s journey to help Father Time find the latest “Baby New Year,” who has run away to the “Archipelago of Last Years.” The 1976 Rankin/Bass production features a bunch of weird characters, including an evil vulture, Benjamin Franklin, a caveman, a knight, Papa Bear, a camel with a clock as a hump and a whale named after Big Ben.
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As you would imagine, a story that features all these characters gets weird fast. Viewers of the special over the years have taken to X and had shared their own lighthearted theories as to how this special was thought up in the first place: drugs.
“Ok whoever made the Christmas claymation movies is a genius…. except the guy who made Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” one viewer wrote. “I’m sorry, but what in God’s name were you on while making this movie?”
Another viewer added, “Whoever wrote this ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer finding Baby New Year’ [story] had to be that type 1 high.”
See some of the reactions to the strange special below:
- “A documentary needs to be made on the people that green lit Rudolph’s Shiny New Year.” (source)
- “I haven’t watched Rudolph’s Shiny New Year in decades [and] wow wtf? This is the dumbest storyline ever. I think the writer had to be high lol” (source)
- “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year on AMC. I’m not high enough for this s—.” (source)
- “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year must have been written by someone who was high” (source)
- “Pretty sure the writer’s wanted their viewers wanted to be drunk or high for Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. My goodness this plot is insane.” (source)
- “Good: Imaginative and impressive stop motion animation and sets. Bad: Entirely nonsensical weird story. Contradicts Rudolph’s first movie, and changes abilities. Premise is actually cruel. Just an odd movie.” (source)
- “Thinking about it, and Rudolph’s Shiny New Year is a weird drug trip, ain’t it?” (source)
- “Someone was very stoned when they wrote Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. It has a whale, Ben Franklin, a baby, a knight, the three bears, a giant scary bird, and of course Rudolph.” (source)
