A Wish for Wings That Work

Grab an emergency parachute as we dive in to the 1991 TV Christmas special, “A Wish for Wings That Work,” starring Opus the Penguin and Bill the Cat from the comic strip series “Bloom County” and “Outland.”

On This EpisodeMike Westfall (@fallwestmike), French-accented, self-identifying rhinoceros who was born a pig.Erin Evans (@mserinmevans), our frequent wingwoman and the closest thing this podcast is getting to resident “Bloom County” expert.Joey O. (@ImGonnaDJ24) from Y-Not Radio and Words With Nerds.Topics and TangentsThis is based on a book version you can watch someone read to you on YouTube, if you’d like.“Bloom County” creator Berkeley Breathed was not happy with this special. He also confirmed the animators hid some naughty bits in the opening.Bill the Cat’s presidential run in 1988, including the candidates’ interpretations of the song “Louie Louie.”Joey’s interview with Michael Bell, the voice of Opus.“The Ant and the Aardvark,” starring John Byner, the voice of Bill.Surprise cameos by Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, who may or may not have walked over from the set of “Hook” to record their lines.Opus’ flight attempt is reminiscent Larry Walters’ real-life flight using over 40 weather balloons tied to a lawn chair.Opus’ nightmare is from “Lost Horizon,” a 1937 movie by future “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank Capra.“A Frog Thing,” a children’s book with a very similar plot, but less Christmassy.Opus plushes with Santa hats are pretty easy to find on eBay.Previous Episodes of This Podcast MentionedSeason 1, Episode 6: A Rugrats Chanukah

“A Wish for Wings That Work” ©1991 Universal Cartoon Studios, Inc. / Amblin Entertainment, Inc.

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