A Very Retail Christmas is a made-for-TV movie that originally aired on NBC on Christmas Eve of 1990. It was directed and produced Paul Fusco, best known for his puppetry and the voice of ALF.
Synopsis[]
Santa's elves are discouraged that their traditional toys have been rejected in this day and age, as kids favor more disgusting toys, such as "Baby Upchuck". A junior elf sees it is made by "Crandall Industries" and sees what the hoopla is about.
Meanwhile, Crandall Industries is owned by an unscrupulous man named Max Crandall. One of his executives is glad that the sales of Baby Upchuck have been high, to which Crandall is also pleased and orders the executive to raise prices as Christmas is coming. A flame-throwing robot is also introduced, which says "I serve Max Crandall, supreme executive and denture wearer". Crandall likes it, but tells his executive to change the voice box. Crandall also hopes that he makes Consumer Reports for having an unsafe toy, as "that'll make the kids want it even more!". The executive wonders if flamethrowing is dangerous, to which Crandall says yes, and he also sells fireproof vests for parents, which he will charge an arm and a leg for.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Ed O'Neill | Max Crandall |
| Christopher Hewett | Ghost of Christmas Past |
| Sam Whipple | Percival Osgood III |
| Chuck McCann | Santa Claus |
| Paul Fusco Robert Fappiano Tim Laurence Lisa Buckley Alan Trautman Phil Baron |
Puppeteers |
| June Foray Hal Smith |
Additional voices |