🎄It’s 2001, and a magical partridge is sending me on a coat drive for some kind of Karate Kid-style Santa training. 

🎙️ Andre Bennett and Tim Babb join us for a ride in our light blue ’54 convertible as we take a joyride through the very last and most overlooked Rankin/Bass Christmas special, featuring a mostly black cast starring Patti LaBelle, Gregory Hines, and a criminally underused Eartha Kitt as a talking cat. 

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💬 Topics & Tangents: 

This special was co-written by Suzanne Collins, who went on to write “The Hunger Games.” 

The other co-writer, Peter Bakalian, also has a book series. It’s called “The F.A.R.T. Diaries.” 

Patti LaBelle in Philadelphia’s “Get to Know Us” tourism campaign, 1985. 

Patti LaBelle on “Sesame Street” singing “How I Miss My X.” 

IMDb’s photo gallery for “Santa, Baby!” is full of high-quality promotional images. 

RankinBass.com’s first look at “Santa, Baby!” from December 2001. 

Gregory Hines in “The Muppets Take Manhattan” and “Running Scared.” 

Rankin/Bass finally includes “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “Jingle Bells” in a Christmas special. 

Natalie Toro (Samson) lists “Santa Baby!” on her bio page. 

Andre’s uncle co-wrote K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life.” 

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📼 Commercials: 

McDonald’s “Wake Up” Breakfast Commercial featuring Patti LaBelle (1990) 

Can’t Wait for Christmas. 

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“Santa, Baby” © 2001 Perisphere Pictures, Inc. 

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost. 
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