…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 52)

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“Yabba-dabba-doo! 

Flinstones, meet the Flinstones

They’re the modern Stone Age Family

From the town of Bedrock

They’re a page right out of history…”

I can still hear that toon in my head after all these years!  That’s the beginning of The Flinstones theme song from the Saturday cartoon that my brother and I watched on Saturday mornings when the weather was too nasty to go out to play.  (Of course, in Southern California, that doesn’t happen very often.)

Meet Fred Flinstone, the patriarch of the Flinstone family.  He is married to Wilma, and they have a cute little girl named Pebbles.  You can find them in the town of Bedrock, although they have had different addresses.  Mostly, they can be found at 345 Cave Stone Road.

You’ll know Fred is around when you hear him belt out “Yabba-dabba-doo!”  He’s a loud-mouthed and offensive, constantly scheming ways to improve his family’s working-class lot in life, often with unintended results.

Fred’s obstinate and ill-tempered personality was based on Ralph Kramden from the 1950s television series The Honeymooners and Chester A. Riley from The Life of Riley.  That temper comes out when his immature best friend Barney bugs and pesters him, which makes him frequently mad and aggravated.

The better side of Fred’s personality is that he is mainly friendly, kind-hearted and selfless.  He’ll even go out of his way to help someone.  Fred is also a very caring and loving husband and father.

To support his family, Fred began his working career as a “bronto-crane operator” at Slate Rock and Gravel Company.  Once Pebbles and Barney’s kid Bamm-Bamm became teenagers, Fred and Barney left the company to become officers on the Bedrock police force.  Both returned to their old jobs working for Mr. Slate, once their kids grew up and left home.

Fred’s interests include bowling, playing pool, poker, gambling (he has a serious gambling problem), playing golf, coaching baseball, and lounging around the house.  Although he is a good bowler, he never cold beat Blowhard Sandstone.  Too bad, because Blowhard is more obnoxious than Fred!

Inventing is another one of Fred’s hobbies, although his inventions always tend to backfire.  Take “412up” for example.  The horrible soft drink he created was intended to cure hiccups but instead caused invisibility!  Yikes!!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 51)

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Wow!  A blast from the past!  Seeing Winnie the Pooh instantly took me back to my second grade classroom where I celebrated my birthday with my classmates.  My mom made this cake for me of Winnie holding onto his red balloon and being lifted off the ground. My dad took this picture at home before school:

Mom brought the cake to class for the party, and my classmates loved it!  I was so proud of her and this cake—still my favorite birthday cake EVER.  It is one of my favorite childhood memories, and I even remember what I got for my birthday that year:  KerPlunk.  For some reason, I really wanted that game, and it was at the top of my wish list.  I was one happy kid!

When I was a child I loved teddy bears, so Winnie was naturally one of my favorite cartoon characters.  What’s not to like?  Pooh is absolutely adorable!

Although Walt Disney Productions licensed certain film and other rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters in 1961, the cuddly fictional teddy bear was created by English author A.A. Milne.  Early animated films, from the 1930’s to the 1960’s that Disney produced were based on several of the original stories my Milne and artwork by E.H. Shepard.

In 1977, Winnie made the big screen starring in Disney’s animated feature film The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh.  The movie included three separate stories that were originally produced as featurettes:  Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974).  Those were classics! 

Winnie went on to star in more Walt Disney Productions, including a live-action TV series, an animated series, and more films.  The bear is also a common sight at all of the Disney Parks, but he is usually seen with his pals Tigger (the tiger) and Eeyore (a donkey).  Occasionally, Piglet tags a long, and he’s quite the cutie! 

The friendly bear is a real kid-pleaser, especially at Disney Paris where he has his own show called “Winnie the Pooh and Friends too!”  Winnie also has his very own float in Disney Magic on Parade.

Like several of Winnie’s pals at Disneyland, he earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he was the fourth Disney character to do so after Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Donald Duck.

To know Winnie is to love him.  Pooh is stuffed with fluff, and due to his obesity, he bursts at the seams every now and then.  That’s no biggie to the bear though; he just fixes himself up and moves on—mostly to collecting honey.  His tree house in Hundred Acre Wood is filled with jars and jars of honey, which he harvests from beehives throughout the day.

When Pooh’s “Poo-koo-clock” rings in the morning, the rotund bear rises and shines, ready to do his “stoutness exercise,” which is an ironic attempt to gain weight, rather than loose it.  The remainder of his day is spent collecting honey or paling around with his buddies.  His favorite friend is Christopher Robin, and they have a very special bond.

Winnie (named after Winnipeg, Canada) isn’t the brightest bear, and he can be quite naïve and absent-minded, but he is a sweetheart with a heart of gold.  That’s what I loved most about him!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 50)

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Pluto!!  I’ve been waiting to see if Mickey Mouse’s pooch would follow the scent trail to the Sun City Peachtree bench.  He’s such a cute canine, isn’t he?  Mickey once said, “Aw, you’re just a mutt,” but I don’t care what Mickey says.  He’s an adorable bloodhound, and the mouse is lucky to have him!

The hound first appeared with Mickey on the screen in The Moose Hunt in 1931, so he has been Mr. Mouse’s loyal companion for a very long time.  1934 was the year Pluto made it big, though.  In the short Playful Pluto, there was a scene in which Pluto gets stuck to flypaper and must figure out a way to escape his plight, all with no dialogue.  His facial expressions and antics told the entire story without a word!

Pluto the Pup has a knack for conveying emotion through pantomime, which made him very popular.  As a matter of fact, his prominence in Disney shorts eventually surpassed even that of Mickey’s, with several cartoons dedicating more screen time to Pluto despite headlining as a Mickey picture.  In 1937, the pooch was given his own cartoon series beginning with Pluto’s Quin-puplets.  Way to go, Pluto!

In addition to Pluto’s Quin-puplets, Pluto has a son by the name of Pluto Junior.  Evidently, Fifi the Peke was Pluto’s mate in one film, but Dinah the Dachsund is his girlfriend in others.

Like most dogs, Pluto likes bones, meat, treats, sleeping, stretching, playing fetch, running, hunting, walks, and receiving belly rubs.  He also has a love for licking faces, so watch out!

More than anything or anyone, Pluto loves Mickey, and he is the mouse’s best friend and sidekick.

On the flip side, there are some things Pluto doesn’t like at all:  Cats (especially Minnie’s cat, Figaro!), fleas, dogcatchers, baths, pests, and rodents.  He also feels bad when he upsets Mickey and Minnie.  Don’t take him ice skating either, because he doesn’t like that ice!

These days, Pluto keeps just as busy as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy as one of the six leading characters of the Walt Disney Company.  Between films, television, printed media, video games, souvenirs, and the group of Disney Parks; Pluto is a very popular pooch! 

In fact, the pup is so busy with all those appearances that he sometimes doesn’t take the necessary time-out breaks in a private manner.  On the Walt Disney Studios lot, there is a curb dubbed “Pluto’s Corner.”  On the curb is a hydrant, while Pluto’s footprints can be seen on the pavement.  Only three footprints are visible, meant to indicate that Pluto (oops!) took a restroom break in that spot.  Well, Pluto, if you need to take a break during your visit to Sun City Peachtree, we have several hydrants located in more discreet locations around the ‘hood.

Meanwhile, Pluto, thanks for being my 50th little random acts of kindness blog posts!  Come by my house, and I’ll give you a great big belly rub!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 49)

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Awww, isn’t that nice?  Mickey Mouse’s sweetie has come to join him for a visit to Sun City Peachtree!  Minerva Mouse, better known as “Minnie” is probably keeping an eye out on her beau, making sure he isn’t getting into trouble.  She’s a no-nonsense gal, after all.  Bullying, thievery, lying, and fighting are just something Minnie won’t put up with; so, if there is any chance of Mickey or his pals getting into it, she’ll put a stop to it.

This is what Minnie is about:  She’s struggling to make it as a musician, singer, and songwriter; so, those are her passions in life (besides Mickey and her pet dog Fifi and Figaro, her kitten.  There is also Frankie the canary and Hoppy the kangaroo!  I can’t forget about them.  She also cares a lot for her best friend, Daisy Duck.

Besides music, Minnie’s interests include fashion (especially large hair bows!), shopping, children, flowers, movies, dancing, stage performances, gardening, cooking, and painting.  She also likes to stop by and visit her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame once in a while; however, she’s usually too busy at Disneyland and Disney World to fit it in her schedule.

Minnie’s calendar started getting packed back in 1988 when she had her first starring role in the television special Totally Minnie.  Since then, she has endured as one of Walt Disney Company’s most popular and significant characters.  She has headlined several of her own cartoons with a lot of spunk and that sweet demeanor, so she is one busy mouse!

In 2018, Minnie earned that Hollywood Walk of Fame star for her contributions to animation.  Recently, her passion for fashion as landed her appearances at New York Fashion Week and the Fashion Awards in Los Angeles!  In addition, she now serves as the figurehead of the Rock the Dots apparel and merchandise promotions, because she is often seen rocking the polka dots with her hair bows and flapper dresses.  She just loooves those polka dots!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 48)

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It’s Mickey Mouse!  He came by looking for Donald Duck, but Donald waddled out Sun City Peachtree about a month ago.  Oh well, it’s nice to have you here, Mickey! But, where’s Pluto?  Did you leave your pet pooch behind?  I hope he catches up with you here!  What about your girlfriend, Minnie?  (Actually, according to Walt Disney, the two are married in private life!)

You’re sure looking spry for your age, Mick!  You’re coming up on your 93rd birthday, and you don’t look a day over nine. 

How is it that after all these years, your red shorts, white gloves, and yellow shoes still look as good as knew?  You have kept trim, too!  At 23 pounds, you haven’t gained an ounce.  (At 2’3”, he hasn’t grown either.)  Your voice is sounding as falsetto as ever, and you’re still stuck on “swell” and “gee” as your go-to lingo.  Some things never change.

You still have that awesome spirit, too.  You may be known as an underdog, but despite your diminutive stature, you are larger than life.  Nobody can overcome adversity like you, Mickey.  Your quick wit and can-do spirit can get you through anything!

You’ve had quite the life and career since Steamboat Willie, haven’t you?

It’s Mickey Mouse’s magnetic personality that has made him the most popular and recognizable cartoon character in the world.  (Of course, being in 130 movies, being the star of your own club and television show, having your image plastered on all sorts of souvenirs; and, being the mascot of Disneyland and Disney World helps a lot, too!)

There’s a bit of history that made Mickey Mouse the star that he is.  Walt Disney treasured Mickey Mouse like no other character, and the two were widely regarded as “alter-egos” by peers and historians, a perception supported by Walt originating Mickey’s voice.  Disney once attributed his success to the advent of Mickey, famously proclaiming that, “it was all started by a mouse.”

Mickey’s fame earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he is the highest-grossing animated character of all time.  Mr. Mouse has also received ten nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

There is so much documentation on all things Mickey Mouse that I could write an entire college term paper on the round-eared, bright-eyed mouse!  I’ll keep this short, though, and just conclude by offering my congratulations and thanks to Mickey for all the joy he has brought to the world.  (He sure helped increase our stock in Walt Disney, too!)

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 47)

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What in the world is Mr. Spacely doing here?!  He just can’t leave George Jetson and his family alone to enjoy their visit to Sun City Peachtree.

Cosmo G. Spacely, George’s boss, is a real piece of work!  This is the guy who owns Spacely Space Sprockets where George works.  He’s always yelling at George for one thing or another, because he thinks his employee is not doing a good job.  Typically, he’ll videophone George and start the conversation by yelling, “JETSON!!” at the top of his lungs.  Sheesh.

This guy is a greedy dude, too.  Driven by the almighty buck, he is so obsessed with profit he was prepared to see the Jetson family buried alive under rubble and the total destruction of the Grungee’s homeworld, just so Spacely Sprockets could reach its 1,000,000th sprocket milestone.  Only when confronted by George and under extreme duress does he back off.  (By the way, in case you missed seeing The Jetsons, Grungees are a race of furry alien creatures.)

Not only does Spacely regularly verbally assault George at work, but he also finds excuses to get involved in George’s personal life, increasing poor George’s already high stress level. Spacely is constantly yelling “You’re Fired!!” to George for the slightest offense.

Rosie the Robot has no use for Mr. Spacely and does her best to come to George’s defense.  In the pilot episode, the robot clobbered Spacely with a pineapple upside-down cake!  You go, girl (uhhh, robot!)!

A bit about Mr. Spacely’s personal life, the short, rotund tyrant with the 3-hair combover is married to the snooty Mrs. Stella Spacely.  She henpecks at her husband unmercifully, so perhaps that’s the reason Mr. Spacely projects that onto poor George.

The couple have a son Arthur, and he has a pet dog named Zero.  His mother-in-law is Mrs. Meltdown.

During the 1980’s, Spacely constantly turned things into competition between his family and the Jetsons, and that didn’t sit too well with George’s wife, Jane.  No wonder why she stormed off from the Sun City Peachtree bench when she saw Cosmo Spacely coming!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 46)

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Last, but definitely not least, here’s Rosie the Robot!  She is the last remaining member of the family to visit us here at Sun City Peachtree.  Rosie was busy vacuuming up the mess Elroy made while eating snacks in the back seat of the Jetson’s aerocar, so it took her a while to catch up.

Rosie is the Jetson’s family robot, maid, and housekeeper.  Although she is an older model (an XB-500), she does a good job getting the work done.  Besides, Jane couldn’t afford a newer model, and this was the only one U-Rent A Maid could offer at the right price.

The robot is mostly made of blue metal, and she rolls around on wheels.  I’m thinking Rosie may need some WD-40 on her wheels, though, because she makes loud grinding and clicking sounds as she moves around.  That’s how I knew she was here!

Rosie’s other features include claw-like arms that can extend to play sports.  Cool!  That would have come in handy when my brother and I were growing up!  Her cylindrical head features lips that look like small doors and eyes that resemble dials and sometimes light up.  Although her eyes mostly point upwards, they can move slightly to show different emotions.  If they are pointed towards each other, that means Rosie is sad.  Watch out if they are pointed outward and horizontally, because that means she is mad!

Since Rosie is a maid, her uniform includes a maid’s hat, a dress, and an apron.  To complete the look, she has antennae on the sides of her head.

According to Rosie, her XB-500 model is wired for tape analysis, which means she is compatible to read magnetic tape that computers used.  When she is home by herself, she functions as a security system and house sitter.  Otherwise, she is a traditional maid that cleans the house with a feather duster, vacuum, and other conventional cleaning tools.  In addition, she operates the other household appliances.

When Rosie speaks, she has a Brooklyn accent, which evidently appeals to her boyfriend, Mac.  He is also a robot and Henry Orbit’s helper.  Rosie loves him dearly, but he isn’t very smart.  She is definitely the more intelligent robot.

I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t mind having Rosie come by our place once in a while.  She can do the vacuuming while I write about her!  (I’m wondering if I could reprogram her accent to a British one, though…)

The interesting thing about Rosie and so many other things happening in the The Jetsons world is just how much of their futuristic lives became a reality decades later.  Hyundai and other companies are making their own versions of Rosie, robotic vacuums now roam around people’s homes, we video chat on Zoom and other platforms, and homes are outfitted with all sorts of smart technology that people can control with their smart phones.  Aerocars may not be in existence quite yet, but self-driving cars are currently being tested by Tesla, Google, and several others.  Meanwhile, Branson and Bezos are preparing to fly into space in their private spaceships.  How long will it be before everybody is living in the Jetson’s futuristic world?

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 45)

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There’s Astro!  I was wondering where the Great Dane was, because he is Elroy’s best friend.  Astro probably stopped to dig up a bone he sniffed out along the way.  After all, there are a lot of pet dogs here at Sun City Peachtree, and you never know if one of them might have buried a bone around the ‘hood.

Astro was adopted by Elroy when he found him during the fourth episode of The Jetsons.  His parents were at odds with each other as to whether they should let their little son keep the canine.  George was against it, because he felt an apartment was no place for a dog; however, Jane, and Elroy’s sister, Judy, wanted to keep him.

Majority rules, so George was S.O.L.  The thing is, by the time the 15th episode came along, they learned that Astro belonged to zillionaire J.P. Gottrockets and was actually named “Tralfaz.”  The Jetsons knew they had to the right thing and return the pooch to his rightful owner; however, Mr. Gottrockets realized that his dog was happier with the Jetsons and allowed him to go back home with them. 

Now, Astro isn’t just your average dog.  He has a rudimentary grasp of the English language and talks a bit like Scooby-Doo in Scooby Doo Where Are You!  It’s the r’s he has a hard time pronouncing, so instead of saying “I love you, George,” it comes out sounding like “I ruv roo, Reorge.”  As a result, when he expressed how much he hated the name “Tralfaz,” he said, “Ralfaz… Ruck!” which was supposed to be “Tralfaz… Yuk!”  “Uh-oh!” sounds like “Ruh-roh!” when Astro says it, which is often since it’s his signature expression.

Like a lot of dogs, Astro isn’t especially found of felines.  A joke at the end of each episode in the 1960’s run shows George Jetson walking Astro on an automatic dogwalker outside his apartment.  Astro chases a cat causing the dogwalker to go fast; George loses hold of the dog leash; Astro and the cat jump to one side, and both watch George forced to run for his life on the out-of-control dogwalker screaming for Jane to “stop this CRAZY THING!” George eventually falls and is carried by the treadmill’s belt around its path, under the machine and back up again.

I guess the Jetsons won’t be adopting a cat any time soon!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 44)

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Little Elroy Jetson finally caught up to his big sister Judy to join her on the Sun City Peachtree bench.  He exited the aerocar with his sis and parents, George and Jane; however, you know how a typical six-year-old is—easily distracted.  He couldn’t resist playing with turtle he saw along the way that was probably headed for the pond.  (Turtle crossings do happen around here from time to time!)

Elroy is the smart kid in the family.  He is an expert in space sciences and loves messing around with high-tech gadgets and robots.  The Space Club Troop is lucky to have Elroy as an active member, and Little Dipper School can boast having Elroy as one of their top little dippers.  He especially excels in the subjects of elementary electronics and advanced finger painting.

Like most little kids, Elroy loves dogs, so his pooch, Astro, is his best friend.  He also pals around with two human friends, Jimmy and Irvin.

When it comes to his favorite foods, Elroy reminds me of my nephew, Nathan, many years ago when he was Elroy’s age, because they both liked noodles with butter for dinner!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 43)

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George and Jane Jetson’s daughter, Judy, is now making her appearance here at Sun City Peachtree.  Like her mom, the 15-year-old teenager is quite fashionable, as you can see!  She is also a typical teen girl obsessed with boys (she has dated 30 of them), rock stars (especially teen idol, Jet Screamer), shopping for clothes, and talking on the phone or hanging out with her friends from Orbit High School.

Many teenage girls write in a diary about their friends, latest crushes, and high school happenings, and Judy is no different.  Her diary, however, is a floating robotic diary named “DiDi.” Cool!  I wouldn’t mind having one of those to write these blog posts!

Judy is also into a lot of other high-tech gadgets.  Her favorite?  How about zero-gravity switches made for rockin’ the latest dance moves?!  I’m sure many of us here at Sun City would appreciate having those at our disposal on Friday Dance Night to save our aching arthritic hips!