In his chaotic quest for a Turbo Man doll, Howard Langston goes to extremes to find the toy on Christmas Eve. It's the stuff of Christmas slapstick comedy, right? In reality, society has always been obsessed with 'the must-have' gifts during the holiday season and parents have gone to even more extreme lengths for their kids, with both the Cabbage Patch riots of 1983 and the Power Rangers craze of 1993 proving beleaguered mums and dads will do anything to get the latest toy for their children, including chasing trucks and beating up store staff.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Howard, a great mattress salesman, but a less-than-adequate husband and father. When his disappointed son tells him he wants a Turbo Man action figure, Howard springs into action on Christmas Eve, only to find every store out of stock. This is why you don't leave your Christmas shopping to the last minute!

Despite the initial poor reception, Jingle All the Way has become an unlikely holiday classic, and an effective satire of the commercialization of Christmas. The movie has found new life through annual holiday season rewatches, with nostalgia playing a significant role in its enduring popularity.

And in a weird twist of fate, the movie, which came out in November 1996, predicted exactly what parents would do to get a Tickle Me Elmo that year...

I would love to hear your thoughts on Jingle All the Way !

Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.

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ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA

Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Patrons: Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Heather, Danny, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam, Elaine, Kyle, Aaron and Conner

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