Cool Bits of Trivia
To free space and reduce clutter, I've moved all my short trivia posts into this new page, sorted reverse-chronologically. As such, any new trivia will always appear at the top. Enjoy!
When a Gen Zer and a Baby Boomer Conceived a Millennial in The Terminator
Have you ever noticed how intergenerational Kyle Reese of The Terminator is? He's a Gen Zer (born, 2003), played by Michael Biehn, a Baby Boomer (born, 1956), who battled A.I. in 2029, before time travelling back to 1984, where he met Sarah Connor, a Baby Boomer (born, 1964). After falling in love, the couple conceived the future's Chosen One, John Connor, a Millennial (born, 1985). Kyle was then slain by a robot assassin sent by the A.I. from 2029, aged 26 (2003 - 1984). How many Hollywood protagonists can boast of such a fascinating intergenerational family tree (or tombstone)? Pretty cool, huh?
Posted on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
When a Real-World City and a Legendary Voice Actor Appeared in Super Mario 64
Did you know that the skybox (background image) of Wet-Dry World in Super Mario 64 is an altered photograph of a real-world city? It was originally believed to be Casares, Spain, though the actual location has since reportedly been confirmed as Shibam, Yemen. Another interesting tidbit concerning Super Mario 64 is that Mario's original voice in the 1995 beta version of the game was archivally provided by the late Mel Blanc via the Warner Bros. Sound Effects Library. Pretty cool, huh?
When Luigi Read GamePro
In the original live action Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993, Luigi can be seen reading the May 1992 issue of GamePro magazine, which regularly reviewed the Mario series and other Nintendo games across its lifetime. As such, the flesh and blood Luigi read a magazine that featured the pixelated counterparts of his big brother, Mario, and himself, many times. Pretty cool, huh?
Everyday Words Derived from Three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains standing. However, at least three others endure in the lexicon derived from them. "Colossus", meaning "gigantic", comes from the Colossus of Rhodes, a gigantic statue of Helios. "Faro", meaning "lighthouse" in Spanish, comes from the Pharos of Alexandria, an ancient lighthouse. And "mausoleum", meaning "tomb", comes from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the tomb of King Mausolus. Pretty cool, huh?
Long John Baldry: The Cool Connection Between Elton John and Sonic the Hedgehog
Contrary to what Hollywood would have you believe, the "John" in Elton John's stage name didn't come from the late John Lennon. It came from the late legendary bluesman, Long John Baldry, who also happened to be the "someone" in Someone Saved My Life Tonight (I have no clue why the Rocketman biopic completely ignored Long John Baldry's impact on Elton John's life, but I digress). Long John Baldry was also Dr. Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Pretty cool, huh?
Christmas Video Games
There are plenty of Christmas songs, books, movies, and TV specials, but how about video games? These are some video games that are either about, set during, or feature elements of Christmas. 🎅🎄☃
Christmas Specials That Preceded or Followed TV Shows
Have you ever noticed how several animated series were preceded by standalone Christmas specials? Peanuts, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Raccoons, The Simpsons, and South Park all started out this way. While not animated, the Trailer Park Boys Christmas special was a standalone prequel. The shows that followed these Christmas specials are quite different in animation, character development, settings, etc. In contrast, the Inspector Gadget and Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas specials, both served as belated series finales. Pretty cool, huh?
The Origins of Die Hard
Did you know that Die Hard was based on the Roderick Thorp novel Nothing Lasts Forever, which was a sequel to his earlier novel The Detective? Nothing Lasts Forever was set in a Los Angeles skyscraper besieged by German terrorists during a Christmas Eve office party, and followed a retired NYPD detective who was there visiting his daughter and managed to slip away undetected and barefoot. Joe Leland, the character from the books who became John McClane in Die Hard, was portrayed by Frank Sinatra in the film adaptation of The Detective, so Frank Sinatra and Bruce Willis played different versions of the same character. That's my Christmas trivia post for the day. 😊
The Mean and Rude Santa from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
I'm sorry to say it, but the Santa Claus in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a huge jerk, just like all of the other reindeer. He's initially impressed with the newborn Rudolph until he spots his shiny red nose, and when Donner assures him that it's likely temporary, Santa responds, "Well, let's hope so, if he wants to make the sleigh team someday." After the elves perform their song with pride, Santa bluntly states, "Well, it needs work. I have to go." and promptly leaves the room. While Santa is initially delighted with Rudolph's impressive flying skills, the moment his false black nose falls off and the other reindeer begin bullying him, Santa turns to Donner and angrily shouts, "Donner, you should be ashamed of yourself. What a pity. He had a nice takeoff, too." and storms off. That Santa is a prejudiced jerk who only cared about Rudolph and his red nose when it benefitted him and the other reindeer. When Santa had the nerve to ask, "Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?", if I were Rudolph, I would've flatly replied, "Nope!" and walked off with Clarice, ho-ho-ho! 😂
The Lost Director's Cut of The Land Before Time
The following six photos are from the original 80-minute cut of The Land Before Time. These scenes were among the 11 minutes of fully animated footage that were deleted on the grounds of being "too frightening for young children". Don Bluth was unhappy with the cuts and fought to keep these 19 deleted scenes in the film, but the footage is now thought to be either lost or destroyed.
The Lost Director's Cut of The Black Cauldron
Some fun fantasy trivia: the original cut of Disney's The Black Cauldron was extremely dark. In addition to a scene of partial nudity after Princess Eilonwy's dress gets torn, there were many graphic deaths, such as a henchman's skin melting off, the undead army slitting one villager's throat and slashing another across the torso, Taran killing several henchmen with his sword, etc. This was fully animated, scored by Elmer Bernstein, and ready for theatres. Unfortunately, executive meddling resulted in the said footage being cut at the last minute to avoid a PG-13 or R rating. Given the popularity of the fantasy genre, wouldn't it be cool if Disney released the uncut version of The Black Cauldron on Blu-ray or Disney+?
Doritos' Disneyland Roots
Did you know that Doritos were created at Disneyland? They were originally served at the Casa de Fritos Mexican restaurant in Frontierland in the early 1960s. Pretty cool, huh?
The Story of the Lost Care Bears Video Game
Did you know that the Care Bears had an Atari 2600 video game in the works at the height of their popularity in the '80s? It was designed by female programmer Laura Nikolich, who'd previously worked on the very first Spider-Man video game. Laura's Care Bears game had the various Care Bears jumping down from the clouds, and the player had to collect each of their belly symbols and arrange them in a specific order before a timer reached zero. The game was pretty much finished, but the marketing department didn't believe there was a market for children's games and pulled the plug on it. To date, a ROM of the completed game hasn't surfaced, but it remains an interesting bit of gaming history and proof that women have always worked in the video game industry.
The Origins of Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Did you know that Cyndi Lauper's 1983 hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was originally written and performed by the late Robert Hazard in 1979? While the lyrics were almost identical, the original version was sung from the perspective of a Don Juan and included an additional verse that Cyndi Lauper scrapped when she reworked the song and its theme into her classic '80s feminist anthem. It's pretty interesting how one song with virtually the same lyrics can tell two entirely different stories and convey vastly different messages.
Real World History in TaleSpin
While it's always been known that TaleSpin was set during the 1930s, in one episode Baloo states that "The Great War ended 20 years ago!" (I heard it was also implied that Baloo was a veteran of the Great War). Not only does that mean TaleSpin was set in 1938, but that World War I, one of the bloodiest conflicts in history, occurred in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic talking animals (those cartoon critters experienced the horrors of war). It also means that World War II was just around the corner. Thus, Baloo's quote adds a dark element to an otherwise lighthearted cartoon.
Page created on Monday, May 12, 2025.