Hardrock, Coco, and Joe, The Three Little Dwarfs

On December 18, 1956, WGN-TV's "Garfield Goose and Friends" introduced Chicago area children to Santa Claus' three favorite elves, Hardrock, Coco and Joe. At two-feet-high, Hardrock drove Santa's sleigh while Coco navigated and Joe tagged along for fun. To create the animated short or "song cartoonette", Hill & Range Songs hired Centaur Productions. The company was established in the early 1950s by Wah Ming Chang, a sculptor in Walt Disney's Effects and Model Department who created the model of Pinocchio; and George Pal, a producer and Academy Award nominee. The shorts were produced in black-and-white using stop-motion animation, a cinematic process that brings figures or puppets to life by minutely reposing and photographing them frame-by-frame, resulting as fluid movement on screen. To purchase this DVD in a digitally remastered format, visit The Museum of Broadcast Communications at http://www.tvondvdshop.com/rel/v2_viewupc.php?storenr=193&upc=837101444576

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• christmast
• hardrock
• coco
• joe
• dwarfs
• dwarves
• santa
• claus
• cartoon
• stop-motion
• animation

[SeattleOrganMan]

Sorry you found it lame, wyvernsc. And yeah...with all the computer graphics and sensory overload kids are subject to nowadays...it's little wonder they disliked it. But for those of us who grew-up with it...it's a priceless and nostalgic memory. So how about a little tolerance and respect for other people's past and for their right to like it?

[801arctic]

This is AWESOME ! Reminds me of my days as a kid living near Chicago. They played this every year on WGN Channel 9 around Thanksgiving and Christmas, on the Garfield Goose show as I remember. I have been looking for this on DVD forever. My daughters just love it !! It was a time of innocence in this country before all the crap we deal with now. Didn't worry about stupid terrorists then as we shouldn't now. Live FREE and LOVE it !!

[F1315NJ]

@wyvernsc You have no heart and soul for nostalgia...

[melikeymakemusic]

The happier they get, the more oriental they get.

[50zcarsman]

I can't help but think that if this were remade today everything would move at lightning speed, no scene would last more than 3 seconds, a loud techno soundtrack would play throughout, Santa would fling a rope tied to a batarang-type thing down the chimney, the elves would all be wearing muscled outfits that showed them real buff, and multi-camera perspectives would be everywhere -- a shot up the chimney, pan-out from Blitzen's eye, a 360-deg. shot, and the simple, heartwarming narrative lost.

[Christheatheist1]

OMG! I was a kid in the 50s an this took me all the way back. Thanks!

[buttonguy76]

@normbreyfogle If you read the description under the video..a Japenese artist designed the characters and worked for Disney..that's my guess.

[snarkus63]

I 've gotta admit,I'm curious about how the creators of this came up with the elfin name "Hardrock"....which,in 1956,didn't have the same connotation it has today.

[terrio777]

Seattle you are so correct. Only our generation can enjoy this and it brings back such fond memories.

[parkman35]

Santa looks like he's on an acid trip...

[normbreyfogle]

I remember this one from 40 years ago, and how I thought it strange that Santa appears oriental. : )

[timstv75]

@rcarmes1941 so true. this took work. those images are real unlike computer animation