Last year, we covered in depth the inaugural Christmas episodes of Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show, two of the three original Nicktoons that premiered in 1991. Now, we’re going to look at the Christmas episode for the other original Nicktoon: Doug. Doug was created by Jim Jinkins and was one of the first of the Nicktoons to go into production. Back when Nickelodeon set out to commission its own animation, the studio didn’t actually have an in-house animation studio, or at least not one capable of producing three shows. This meant the original three Nicktoons were all animated independent of Nickelodeon which would in turn make them more expensive than the shows that followed. Rocko’s Modern Life was the first Nicktoon produced by Nick’s own internal studio, Games Animation, which also took over The Ren & Stimpy Show following the firing of John Kricfalusi. I think it’s because of that aspect of the show’s production that Nickelodeon was always reluctant to order more. The original contract with Jinkins was for 65 episodes which were ordered in chunks and spread out as seasons, a common tactic unique to animation where one production season is treated as multiples by a network. Nick ended up stopping at 52 episodes though as Doug wasn’t the hit they had envisioned. Not that it was a failure, it just wasn’t on the same level as the other two original Nicktoons. Combine that with it being more expensive to produce than some of the Nicktoons to follow meant Jinkins got to take his project elsewhere. Nickelodeon had agreed to let Jinkins retain ownership of the property from the onset which is how it ended up in the hands of Disney where it would be revived in 1997 and run for a few more years.
It’s easy to see why Doug may not have been the success that Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show were. Rugrats was fairly unique in its depiction of toddler life which was ripe for comedy while The Ren & Stimpy Show was just off-the-wall zaniness. Doug was a gentler show that was basically a coming-of-age story about a kid who was actually older than the show’s target demographic. Doug was roughly 11 and a half and said to be in the 7th grade and most of the episodes dealt with Doug facing pretty ordinary problems: allowance, rumors, popularity, peer pressure, etc. The show was able to flex its animation muscle a bit with Doug’s imagination. Doug acted as both main character and narrator for each episode and would often fantasize about a way out of his problems where a superhero, secret agent, or some other product of his imagination would save the day. In the end, Doug would have to figure things out on his own that didn’t involve superpowers or fancy spy gear. Alongside him was always his trusty canine sidekick, Porkchop, who is basically on the level of Scooby Doo or Astro as far as intelligence goes. He’s way beyond a normal dog and he’s a character that helps remind the viewer that they’re watching a cartoon and not something set in the real world.
Unlike the other two debut Nicktoons, Doug saved his Christmas episode for what Nickelodeon dubbed Season 4 of the show. Airing in 1993 was “Doug’s Christmas Story,” one of the last episodes of the show to premiere on Nickelodeon. Only three episodes remained from the Nick production run after it with Doug wrapping up on New Year’s Day 1994. And like a great many Christmas episodes from shows that customarily split their half hour block in two, “Doug’s Christmas Story” takes up the full 23 minute runtime for the episode so it can tell a more complete story. It’s one of tragedy and triumph and I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say Doug will have an okay Christmas when all is said and done.
Following the standard opening credits (boo!), we find Doug and his friends doing something familiar for the opening of a Christmas episode: skating. More precisely, they’re playing hockey on a frozen pond, but it’s impossible not to get some A Charlie Brown Christmas vibes from the scene. Doug chimes in as narrator to tell us that basically the worst possible thing that could happen in the lead-up to Christmas is about to happen. He doesn’t actually tell us what that something is, we have to watch and find out. Once he’s done setting the stage, we see the town kids playing hockey. You get a sense of which kids come from money and which don’t. Some have nice gear and actual hockey sticks, while Doug (Billy West) and his buddy Skeeter (Fred Newman) are using a rake and broom, respectively. Apparently, no one owns a hockey puck though as the kids are playing with a pine cone.
Porkchop (Newman) is also present and sliding around on the ice, but he comes to a section marked as a hazard for thin ice and freaks out a bit. As he backs off of the ice, it breaks, and the sign sinks below the surface of the water. A scrum around the not-puck results in the pine cone sliding over in the direction of the area Porkchop just vacated. Beebe (Alice Playten) skates over to retrieve it completely unaware of the thin ice. Despite the pine cone being located near open water, Beebe still heads in the direction to retrieve something that literally grows on trees while Porkchop tries to warn her. Now, I said Porkchop possessed intelligence far beyond a normal dog and compared him to the likes of Scooby Doo, but one thing Scoob can do that Porkchop cannot is actually talk. He communicates with pantomime mostly, and it’s pretty hard to figure out how to get the message of “thin ice” across in such a fashion. Especially when time is a factor, so he does the only thing a dog can do: he bites Beebe. By locking his jaws on her leg, he’s able to pull her away from danger, but to Beebe and any onlooker, it just looks like he attacked her (well, that’s how we’re supposed to read it and thereby ignore the actual open water she was skating towards). Beebe screams and the other kids gather around. As Doug approaches to find out what happened he’s given the bad news: Porkchop attacked Beebe. Doug is rather flabbergasted, but does the normal thing of reprimanding his dog as he has to go off of what the eyewitnesses saw, even if it makes no sense.
Following a quick break to introduce the title card, we find Doug and Porkchop at home. Doug is reprimanding Porkchop for what he did by telling him that you don’t bite people, even if it is Beebe. Beebe is basically the spoiled rich girl of the show that is hard to like, so if the viewer was going to enjoy seeing any of the characters in the show have pain inflicted upon them, chances are it would have been Beebe. Or the school bully, Roger, who is surprisingly absent from this one. Anyway, Porkchop tries to pantomime what happened for Doug, but his message isn’t getting across. Doug just tells him to quit goofing off and sends him into his igloo, which is his dog house. After Porkchop sullenly heads inside, Doug’s sister Judy (Becca Lish) pulls into the driveway and beckons Doug to come with her so they can get Christmas presents for their parents while they’re out. Doug seems a bit reluctant to leave Porkchop, but hops into the car anyway.
We then cut to a radio station where the former mayor of Bluffington, Bob White (Greg Lee), is hosting a talk show. He’s relaying some recipe that involves cocktail weiners soaked in grape jelly, which just sounds terrible. We also find out that he’s a bit of a sore loser as he lost his re-election bid in an earlier episode to Doug’s neighbor, Mrs. Dink, but he points out on his show that she’s out of town which practically makes him the acting mayor for the holidays (I don’t think that’s how it works, Bob, but whatever). Some of his terminology is eerily similar to some of the stolen election rhetoric that’s become all too common in our current society. Anyway, his caller brings up the incident at the pond and Beebe getting attacked by a dog. Seems like a weird thing to gossip about, but okay, it’s a small town. White is understandably just hearing about this for the first time, but he seems to view this incident as an opportunity to get some much needed publicity.
Doug and Judy are shown shopping and apparently Judy wants to get their father a new golf club. He needs a 9 iron and she mistakenly thinks getting him a 7 and a 2 iron would be better than just getting him one club! Doug, for his part, has his mind still on what happened earlier and can’t really focus on the task at hand. He does see a hat that he thinks would look great on Porkchop and decides to buy that for him for Christmas. This seems to cheer him up a bit as we find the two driving home, but when they get there they find a huge crowd assembled. White has apparently summoned the media and the police and demands that Porkchop be arrested for what happened earlier. He even brought his back-up singers from his radio show to punctuate everything he says. Referring to Porkchop as a trained killing machine, he orders the dog be taken away where he’ll be put away forever. This is all done in the name of keeping the children of Bluffington safe. Doug is understandably confused and a bit distraught, but there’s nothing he or his family can do to stop the cops from tossing Porkchop in a paddy wagon and hauling him off to the pound.
We then find the Funnie family in their nicely decorated family room. Doug’s dad, Phil (Doug Preis), is trying to cheer his son up by saying how the spirit of the season should help everyone come to their senses. Judy, on the other hand, is ranting about how unbelievable it is they had a killer in their midst this whole time which earns her a reprimand from their mother, Theda (Lish). Doug’s mom then asks him if he’s sure Porkchop was just trying to play with Beebe and that’s the story Doug is running with as he can’t fathom Porkchop ever actually hurting someone. They’re interrupted by the doorbell and it’s a letter for Doug. He opens it to find out it’s from Beebe’s father, Mr. Bluff, and he’s pressing charges against Porkchop. The family is pretty surprised by this development, but they cheer up when Phil suggests they start a petition that has every signer declare that Porkchop is in fact a good dog. Doug thinks it’s a great idea, but also one that he should undertake by himself since Porkchop is his responsibility. I get the sentiment on Doug’s part, but maybe he’s not taking this as seriously as he should? Four people canvassing the town would cover a lot more ground than one, but his parents don’t object and Doug sets off to do right by his pal.
Doug gets started right away on gathering signatures for his petition. He starts with his neighbor, Mr. Dink (Newman), who is happy to provide his name for Doug’s cause. He finds other neighbors in a similar position, but soon runs into trouble. When one person finds out he’s trying to help the dog they saw on the news, he declines to sign it. Others seem to follow suit and one older lady even reprimands Doug for spreading such negativity at Christmas time. The fact that Doug just stands there and lets her lecture him makes him a better person than I for I would have gone off on the woman. Defeated, Doug walks off and ends up downtown. A store display has a television running and Doug happens to catch a news report on what the media is calling the incident at Lucky Duck Lake. A re-enactment is shown which features a particularly vicious looking dog basically maul a young girl which gets Doug’s dander up. Realizing this is all getting out of hand, he decides he needs to talk to Beebe to try to put things in perspective.
And Beebe is currently in the hospital. Doug races over there and tries to enter her room, only he runs into her father, Mr. Bluff just outside it. When he tells Mr. Bluff who he is the man refuses to grant him access to Beebe. In doing so, we also find out that the Bluffs don’t just want Porkchop put away, they want him killed, though he uses the kid friendly term of “put to sleep.” As Doug tries to reason with him, the man just walks away forcing Doug to follow. When he offers up the excuse that Porkchop was just playing, Mr. Bluff just reiterates that they’ll let the court decide if putting an innocent girl in the hospital is just playing. Doug follows him to his limo where the old man finally states it plainly that it’s no use, he doesn’t like dogs on account that they don’t have any money or even understand the concept of money. Now that we’ve established that this man is cartoonishly evil, we can remove any sympathy we might have felt for him as the father of a girl wounded by a dog. Doug tries to appeal to him once more by stating Porkchop is his best friend, but Mr. Bluff just tells him to get a new best friend. As he drives off, Doug suggests he knows just who to turn to in order to solve this crisis.
If you’ve watched an episode of Doug before then you probably know what’s coming. Doug is going to dip into his imagination and consult with one of his personas. Only since this is the biggest crisis we’ve seen Doug face to date, one persona just isn’t enough. We’re taken to a Hall of Justice like building where Doug’s Indiana Jones rip-off, Race Canyon, comes sliding down a firepole. He’s surprised to find the superhero, Quailman (who is just Funnie with a belt on his head and his underwear over his pants), is there already. He thinks Quailman summoned him, but he did not, and soon enters the James Bond wannabe Smash Adams. He’s brandishing a pair of non-alcoholic drinks that he hands to the others and notes they were all summoned here by someone else over a missing dog or something. And that someone else is: Doug! He spins around in a chair dramatically to announce he’s the one who assembled this collection of the world’s greatest heroes (his definition, not mine) because it’s going to take their combined might to get Porkchop back!
Doug shows the assembled heroes a map of the pound where Porkchop is being held. He solicits a plan from each hero and it goes about as well as you might expect. Quailman suggests flying in and using his super powers to subdue the guards, which Doug can’t do. Next is Race who just suggests beating everyone up, but Doug isn’t about to do that. Smash suggests using high tech gadgetry (as he puts it) which Doug actually thinks is a good idea. He then seeks out the real world help of the Sleech twins (Eddie Korbich), the class nerds capable of inventing stuff, to see if they have a solution. They’re eager to help Doug since he’s likely one of the few kids at school who doesn’t make fun of them for their nerdy ways. And since their dad is a donut maker (a plot of a prior episode), they suggest Doug use subterfuge by hiding a smoke bomb in a cupcake. Apparently, these boys have been spending their Christmas break devising weapons that combine with holiday desserts which is a bit alarming. Doug is right to treat these future school shooters kindly.
Doug sets off with Skeeter and his cupcake bomb to execute his horrible plan to spring Porkchop from the pound. Only upon entering the premises, they find a No Cupcakes sign waiting for them. I guess the plan was to give the cupcake to Porkchop who would then use the cover of the smoke to escape? Seems like the actual cell is an obstacle Doug didn’t account for. Well, with that obstacle in place, Doug still decides to push ahead and alerts Skeeter that he’s up. Skeeter does as he’s told and fakes an illness, only the cop doesn’t really care. He takes a phone call, and it’s about Porkchop too, and that’s the distraction that allows Doug to slip inside to find Porkchop. At first, Doug can’t find him, but he calls out for Porkchop and a helpful dog points him in the direction of a door labeled Very Bad Dogs. In there, he finds a spiral staircase that leads deep into a dungeon-like setting where Porkchop still can’t be found and that’s because he’s in the section for Very Very Bad Dogs. Meanwhile, the cop tries eating the cupcake despite Skeeter’s warning not to and activates the smoke bomb, which will surely reflect poorly on Doug. He soon finds Porkchop who is basically in solitary confinement. He’s locked in a box which in turn is locked in another room separate from the others. Or not locked, as Doug is able to enter, but he sets off an alarm in the process and is hauled away. We briefly get a glimpse of a teary-eyed Porkchop waving goodbye to his best friend. It’s the saddest shot in the episode.
The guards at the pound must have felt some pity for Doug as he apparently avoided his own arrest. We next find him standing outside of Porkchop’s igloo which is covered in police tape. He’s at a loss as to what he can do next and starts to reflect on his past with his dog. We see a toddler Doug opening a present on Christmas which just so happened to contain Porkchop. We also get a shot of last Christmas when Porkchop gifted Doug the very journal he’s writing in as he narrates this story. We then see a vision of the future and a Doug draped in a black coat standing beside Porkchop’s grave. It’s at this point that Doug finally allows himself to cry for how could he not feel helpless knowing that if he fails his dog is as good as dead?
The next day is the trial, and it starts with Mr. Bluff speaking casually to the judge and refers to him by his first name, Dave (West), and informs him he wants this over with quick so he can get to his office Christmas party. The judge tries to discourage him from being so casual, but lets him know he’s of the same mind, essentially. Porkchop is then brought in, muzzled and tied-up, and apparently Doug will be representing him. I guess the Funnie family couldn’t afford a lawyer? I’m also guessing that since this is essentially a civil matter that they’re not entitled to representation. Bluff’s attorney presents an expert on dog psychology who has predictably decided Porkchop is predisposed to being a killer. While he’s giving his testimony, Porkchop is trying to communicate something about the lake to Doug which the expert just uses against him as further proof the dog is nuts. Then they drop the hammer by bringing in their last witness: Beebe. She’s confined to a wheelchair with her leg wrapped and Doug is legitimately alarmed to see the state she’s in. She looks rather sad, like she doesn’t want to be there, but takes the stand, nonetheless.
Upon seeing the state Beebe is in, Doug does what he always does when overwhelmed: he retreats into his imagination. This is just further proof that someone else should be representing Porkchop here, but clearly he’s ride or die with Doug. In his head, Doug imagines his three heroes proposing suggestions on what to do next, which Race thinks should be to plead guilty. The three then get into a physical altercation which just forces Doug to realize that the only one who can get he and Porkchop out of this mess is himself. Beebe is then shown finishing her testimony and it’s now made clear she’s not really fully onboard with this charade. As she says what happened she tells the court that Porkchop did bite her leg, but tries to clarify that it didn’t hurt, which her father’s attorney tries to gloss over. When Doug asks if he can cross-examine the witness, Mr. Bluff objects declaring the girl has been put through too much already. The judge apparently agrees as he asks the people present “Isn’t she a brave girl, ladies and gentlemen?” Again, we’re talking about a dog here so apparently the same rules don’t apply. Doug then approaches the bench to try to plead his case that Porkchop should be allowed to tell his side of the story. He explains that Porkchop has been trying to tell him something about the lake and proposes going there, but the judge finds this suggestion ridiculous. He points out that a dog can’t tell it’s side of the story, and since it’s Christmas Eve, they all have families they need to return to.
Doug takes that as an opening and declares that Porkchop is a part of his family just as Beebe is to the Bluffs. The judge still seems unconvinced, which is when Doug addresses the assembled crowd to point out how Porkchop is a part of the community. It’s at this point the episode goes off the rails a bit for me as we hear about all of the good deeds Porkchop has done. Doug calls out one woman and points out that Porkchop babysat her kids when she had to go out of town to see an aunt. Another family had their house burn down, and Porkchop showed up the next day to help them rebuild. Another person chimes in that he lent them money and a woman stands up to declare that Porkchop fixed her transmission. The capper is that even the judge has encountered Porkchop in his day-to-day life. It seems his daughter suffered an accident and Porkchop actually taught her how to walk again. The judge probably should have recused himself from the case given that, but even so, the dog taught his kid how to walk! This is one absurdly amazing animal. This judge is ready to execute him after that experience?! This dog should be world famous and Bluffington’s number one citizen!
After Doug pleads his case, the judge finally allows for Porkchop to do the same and orders everyone to reconvene at Lucky Duck Lake. Once there, Beebe explains what happened to the judge once more and points out where she thought she was at the time of the attack. Doug asks her to point out exactly where she was, but she’s not sure. Patti (Constance Shulman) spots the pine cone they were using as a puck and determines that she must have been there. Of course, there’s open water still present and even the Thin Ice sign is visible floating on it. As Beebe heads over there, Porkchop once again goes into a panic as he tries to warn everyone about the ice. To the onlookers, this just makes Porkchop look like he wants to maul her again and the judge even suggests that he’s seen enough. Doug assures them that Porkchop is just trying to tell them something and he gets on one knee to consult with the dog. It’s too late though as Beebe falls through the ice!
Mr. Bluff immediately cries out for someone to help his daughter, but Doug shouts out a warning about the ice (finally, someone gets it!). Porkchop is able to break free of the guards and runs after Beebe diving into the water as Beebe goes under. He’s able to pull her up and onto the ice and drag her to safety. We then cut to everyone gathered in a hut of some kind as Patti declares that Porkchop was trying to keep Beebe away from the thin ice. Finally, the last horse, or horses, cross the finish line and the people gathered rightly acknowledge that Porkchop is a hero, not a devil. Porkchop is set free and we cut to Christmas morning and Doug looking at a newspaper which declares Porkchop a hero for saving Beebe. Porkchop is gifted the hat Doug bought for him and he seems to like it, though he also has a cold. Doug also narrates that people kept coming by all morning to see Porkchop, including Mr. Bluff and Beebe, whose leg is suddenly all better. Mr. Bluff, who clearly has had a change of heart, wants to know if there’s something he can do for Porkchop as a showing of thanks for saving the life of his daughter. Doug doesn’t know of anything, but Porkchop apparently does.
Porkchop is somehow able to communicate that what he would like most is for Mr. Bluff to put on a feast for all of the dog’s at the pound. We then get to see how it all unfolded as it took place in the center of town. The former mayor attended and Doug informs us that he was able to use his radio show to find homes for all of the dog’s in attendance. Mr. Bluff, who apparently has a different outlook on dogs now, offers a toast to all in attendance and a special toast for The Hero of Bluffington – Porkchop! Porkchop is there as well dressed as Santa Claus and he joins the Funnie family for a toast. The camera pans out as the assembled crowd break into “Deck the Halls” which takes us into the credits. As a parting gift, we’re treated to an image of a Christmas card from the Funnie family.
And that’s how Porkchop went from villain to hero one Christmas. It’s a solid approach to tug at the heart strings, have a dog wrongfully accused of being a bad dog and toy with the emotions of the viewer by suggesting the life of the mutt is over. And while the premise is a bit preposterous, it fits with the setting of the show since Porkchop is a bit preposterous himself. It just takes things too far by making the people of Bluffington look incredibly stupid by not realizing what is obvious to anyone who looks at that lake. And they also look like lunatics for wanting to terminate Porkchop from the start. The dog is amazing! Too amazing as it undermines the situation because no one would assume the worst of Porkchop given what he’s demonstrated in the past. It’s to the point where it’s absurd. Am I taking this cartoon too literally? Possibly, but it did it to itself by going way too far in characterizing Porkchop as a force in the community. We didn’t need all of those incredible examples of the dog’s good nature in the courtroom to be on his side. And if the show didn’t portray the people of Bluffington as being so readily out for blood then it wouldn’t have taken such a speech to grant Porkchop a defense. Sure, heading to the scene of the crime to let a dog tell its side of the story is a bit odd, but the judge was literally denying Doug any kind of defense for his dog. He couldn’t even cross-examine a witness!
This one is clunky, but don’t assume that means I wasn’t still moved by it. Of course I was! I get a little choked up each time I watch that silly dog pull Beebe from the water and I do feel good for Doug and his dog when all is said and done. It’s still a heartwarming story, it just pushes things too far. It tries way too hard to be that kind of story when it didn’t really have to. That’s why a much better Christmas Nicktoon is “Arnold’s Christmas.” That plot needed some pretty crazy things to fall into place as well, but it doesn’t feel like it’s reaching to the degree that “Doug’s Christmas Story” is. Does that make this one bad? No, but I can totally understand someone having more of an eye roll reaction here than feeling truly moved.
If you would like to see this one for yourself, your best option is to stream it on Paramount+. Doug, being a less celebrated Nicktoon, isn’t assured of finding airplay on cable this year. It’s also a little messy in that Disney owns the character now so Nickelodeon might not be eager to promote this one, even though the company retains ownership of this era of Doug. The episode was released on both VHS and DVD if that’s your fancy, and it can be rented on other streaming services. I give it a bit of a tepid recommend. While I think anyone can enjoy it, it’s probably best enjoyed by those who watched the show as a kid. Anyone else might just find it too ridiculous to take seriously.
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