To me, the animated A Charlie Brown Christmas is as much a part of the holidays as Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and that reindeer with the cocaine problem. Wait, you mean, that’s not why his nose is red? I digress, from ecstasy schilling elves to something much more saccharine and safe. When I found out that they were releasing collectibles based upon this famed cartoon, I was enthralled and eager. I bought all that I could find. As you can tell, that is, if you’re a toy collector, this was purchased at Toys ‘R Us; the obscenely bright orange tag gives it away.
Taking a closer look at Pig Pen, we find out that this is a pretty decent mold, and brings the character to life. Pig Pen’s importance in the series is debatable, but he undeniably left his impression, and clouds of dust, upon all of us.
The accessories were the next victims of my rich analytical mind. The first, a patch of snow, isn’t very noteworthy, and could have been left out without any major discrepancies. I suggest unleashing your personal creativity—whip out a yellow marker, and go to town! The second, a snowman, complete with ridiculously mammoth carrot nose, and filth. The only place he’s not dirty is his belly; perhaps, E.T. is hiding underneath the snowy exterior, and that’s the light of his heart melting the compacted snow.
Here’s the finished product, and I’ve got to admit, it looks pretty darn good! It’s difficult squeezing both Pig Pen and the snowman together on the snow platform; like being forced to bring your little brother with you, back in 1996, on your date to see Bio-Dome, when all you wanted was to get to second base with the girl that reeked of cheap alcohol and indifference. Wait, Bio-Dome, you remember it, right? That cruddy movie that fed us such earthshakingly wondrous lines like “If you were yogurt, would you be fruit at the bottom or stirred?” I’m getting seriously off the subject here; I suppose that’s what I get for writing an article at 2:15AM.
I was throwing away the box for this item when I stumbled upon some text that boasted of a “Messy” feature. Apparently, when you get Pig Pen wet with warm water, it rinses him of his trademark filth; but, once he dries, he’s dirty all over again. The fun never ends! I had to test this wacky, but admittedly charming, little feature out. The proof is in the pictures. There were a couple kids in my high school that had the “Messy” feature, too. Except, it wasn’t so delightful then…
In closing, I think that this is a pretty swell toy. We don’t have much room in our small apartment, so I paid tribute to Pig Pen and his eternal dirtiness by placing him on his temporary home of our toilet. In my heart, I think he’d approve. Buy one of these for a loved one, no, scratch that, buy four—who wouldn’t want to receive a toy of a dirty little boy under their tree this year.
Overall Grade: A
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