Like many fans of 80’s culture, we were all very saddened to learn that Alan Thicke passed away the other day. Thicke, who played the father figure in the popular sitcom Growing Pains, represented the prototypical TV dad for many children of that era. He was a pretty hot commodity back in the late 80’s, but even that couldn’t explain some of the weird promotional events he took part in at the time. One such event took place when Thicke joined the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to perform a very strange rendition of a popular Christmas song during the Very Merry Christmas Parade at Walt Disney World in 1990.
After he passed, fans quickly began to search for some of the most memorable moments in his career. Some struck gold, while others found curiosities such as this clip from a long forgotten Christmas parade. Something tells me that most of you will have no recollection of the parade in question, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out. If you thought We Wish You a Turtle Christmas was awful, this song may just surprise you. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s just take a moment to analyze one of the more interesting lyrics in this wonderful holiday tune:
He sees you eat your pizza
He sees you on the street
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So be good and keep it neat
I know what you’re thinking: it’s only a matter of time before this song becomes a Christmas classic. Who would have thought to combine a song about the holidays with lyrics about pizza and being a cool dude? I mean, this is truly a world changing musical masterpiece!
All joking aside, it’s definitely surreal to see none other than Alan Thicke performing alongside four guys in turtle suits. I imagine a scenario in which his agent said that he wasn’t relevant enough with younger crowds, so he needed to make appearances like this in order to gain points with Millennials. Unfortunately, something tells me that this didn’t quite have the effect they were hoping for.
Although I’m sure we’ll all miss Alan Thicke, I doubt that anyone will have fond memories of this particular performance. That being said, it’s always fun to revisit some of the cheesier moments from our childhood. What better way to honor his memory than by poking fun at some of his more ridiculous work? Laughter is always the best medicine for sadness, so let’s all have some fun and enjoy some awkward holiday cheer in the form of everyone’s favorite TV Dad rapping with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!