PlaymoFriends
Creative => Photography & Graphics => Topic started by: Sylvia on December 12, 2008, 19:33:40
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It has been a while since I did anything creative with Playmobil (...as anyone visiting justforklicks in the past few months would surely have noticed). :toot:
I made some custom Aladdin and Jasmine figures last year and had completely forgotten about them until I came across them again by accident a few days ago.
In the UK, Christmastime is synonymous with the Pantomime season and "Aladdin" is one of the most popular story themes, so I thought I'd make some seasonal desktop wallpapers reflecting this tradition.
Makes a nice change from Santa, elves, and reindeer, right? <*) :elf: :rudy:
(http://www.justforklicks.com/j4k/gallery/klicked/papers/aladdin.jpg) (http://www.justforklicks.com/j4k/main.html)
Click on the above thumbnail for j4k's main page and then follow the links from there if you'd like to see the bigger versions.
If that doesn't work or you don't see the pic, just click this link instead:
http://www.justforklicks.com/j4k/main.html (http://www.justforklicks.com/j4k/main.html)
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In the UK, Christmastime is synonymous with the Pantomime season
Hi Sylvia, great customs.
Will you elaborate about the Pantomime season. In the US, we've lost most of our mumming traditions (the 1950s American movie "Return of the Cat People" is set around Christmas, and one of the characters mentions going mumming, but that's the only reference I've seen in the US).
Unless the "creche re-enactments" here fall under mummery.
Edit:
Our "new" American Christmas tradition is the gaudy light show that goes up in the suburbs. It's all quite tacky, but interesting enough to walk around and see. Oddly, the Christmas sounds that I remember most are the humming of the fan generators that keep the giant balloons inflated. Seriously, on a dark, quiet night, there's something intimate about it. A sort of bourgeois loneliness, distilled through the whirl of conspicuous spending.
-Tim
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During December (and I think it carries on through to January) theatres all around the country put on these Pantomime plays. They are well publicized on the telly and in other media so it's pretty impossible to ignore them.
I've never been to see a Panto so I can only tell you what I've heard from other people who have been. I've been told it's a very fun family experience. :)
The stories are always based on well-known fairytales which the kids love, but they add unusual twists to the plots and quite a bit of innuendo - the latter is probably more for the benefit of the adults. The other tradition in Panto is they almost always cast male actors in the female lead role and vice versa. In the more expensive productions they use TV celebrities - mostly soap opera stars because their names and faces are well-known.
The difference between a Pantomime and a normal play is the audience interaction. During the course of the play, the cast members regularly speak directly to the audience and also expect the audience to reply. I'd imagine there would be plenty of hissing and booing whenever the baddie is doing his thing and shouts of "He's behind you!" as a warning to the good guys. I think the actors may also venture into the audience at times, and I've heard it can be slightly dangerous to sit in the front rows as it puts you right in the line of fire, so to speak. ;)
I know that Pantomime as a tradition stretches back a long way in the UK, but I'm not sure when exactly it started or how much it has changed over the years.
Our "new" American Christmas tradition is the gaudy light show that goes up in the suburbs. It's all quite tacky, but interesting enough to walk around and see.
We live in an old suburb very close to the city centre. I think our neighbourhood fancies themselves as too posh to put up elaborate lighting displays like the ones you describe - around here it's limited to tastefully-decorated trees in front windows. It beats me how they always get them to look so perfect - not a needle out of place and all lights evenly distributed. Maybe they pay someone to come in and do it for them? :P These days I'm happy to let the kids decorate ours and it looks just fine to me. :)
When we travel down to see my in-laws in England, it's a different story. Decorations in their village are fairly subtle but the light show on the outskirts seems to be getting bigger and brighter each year. One house in particular has a large yard at the front which is always completely full of lit-up Christmas motifs. The house itself doesn't escape the gaudy treatment either. From memory, I think there is usually a flashing Santa's sled and reindeer positioned on the roof. Our kids always gaze in awe at this display as we drive past. :lol:
I don't venture to the outer suburbs of Inverness very often, but I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar there. There is certainly a large array of super-sized Christmas lighting decorations available to buy in the local DIY stores, so someone must be buying it.
Unless the "creche re-enactments" here fall under mummery.
That is a big part of Christmas tradition in schools here too. However, in recent times I've noticed a shift away from plays which portray the story of Jesus' birth - especially in the primary grades. Now that the body of students has become more multicultural, they try to avoid emphasising the importance of one religion over another and select more general themes for the Christmas play. There is always some moral content but it's presented in a light-hearted, non-religious way. On the other hand, there is still a firm emphasis on Christian religion at the schools my children attend. Not only is there a compulsory Christmas service held for the students, teachers (and parents, if they wish) at the church beside the school, there is also an end-of-term service (prize-giving mixed in with hymns and sermons) in the summer.
I think I rather strayed from my original topic, didn't I? :-[
Thanks for the feedback on the customs, Tim. Btw, I nicked part of the background in my montage from the end papers of a Disney story book. It was originally a day-time scene with cloudy blue sky until I edited it. I'm quite proud of the end result. ;D
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Nice work, Sylvia, on the customs and the wallpaper.
One or two bits more about pantomime. It has nothing to do with mime as such, as I think Tim may have been thinking with his references to mumming see further down. In fact, it's very noisy indeed. There are always references worked in to current events in the news and politics, so this year there will be lots of references to the credit crunch. As you say, Sylvia, audience participation is high on the list although in the theatre we go to regularly audience participation at any show is not unusual as the theatre is a Georgian one which seats just 213 and the front row is only about six feet from the stage and the rear boxes within an orange's throwing distance. It's quite common for actors to wander into or out of the audience or members of the audience to get involved on the stage. Scene changes often take place on the open stage in front of you, and you can run into the cast in the bar at the interval or the end of the evening. But I digress.
The hero of the panto is the principal boy, played by an attractive young woman in tights and jerkin. In the past the top principal boys such as Hy Hazell were established actresses/singers from the theatre and films (that's another thing panto has - songs, either written for the panto itself or adapted versions of popular songs). There is also a pantomime dame (usually the principal boy's mother in the panto) who is played by a man. Berwick Kayler is probably the foremost pantomime dame, whose pantomime in York runs from December to February and will sell 20,000 tickets. In Cinderella, you get two dames as the ugly sisters are always played by men.
As you say, Sylvia, the school nativity play is getting less common which seems to give offence to pretty well everyone, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, unbelievers included. All my teaching was in schools with a mixture of races and faiths, yet in one school with something like 20% Jewish pupils, very few opted out of the Christian general assembly from what I remember, even though there was an alternative assembly offered. In another school, the Sikh pupils thought Christmas was great and sent cards and went to Christmas parties, while many Muslims are quite confused why the religious element is being removed from Christmas.
Mumming dates back to before pantomime to the middle ages and is basically the retelling of folk tales such as St George and the Dragon in a stylised way, sometimes with words and music and sometimes without. Mummers can also double as carol singers, retelling the nativity story.
Sorry, went on a bit here. Very much a summary of gleaned knowledge and other stuff, so I'm not saying it's 100% accurate.
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i am wordless... :love: :wow:
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I think I rather strayed from my original topic, didn't I? :-[
I wouldn't let the thread Gestapo intimidate you... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I talked to my Grandfather today (b. 1920) and he remembers there being a lot of plays during the holidays (some which he acted in) but from his description these sounded "American style" (not pantomime).
He says in the 1920s he had Santa Claus and Christmas trees.
I've been researching Christmas traditions. The modern cries about "Christmas going to the wolves" is really quite modern. Christmas in the middle ages, and even on the American frontier in the 1800s, involved a lot of "good cheer"--heavy drinking and rambunctious behavior. It seems that Christmas has always been the "party holiday".
To drag the thread back to Playmobil--I'm having fun rebuilding my medieval set... trying to depict an old English Christmas... including the priest and his somewhat hopeless Christmas Eve morality play...
Crucial question
Does anyone have a favorite wine they like to drink during the holidays?
I'd really like to try a dry mead, but the only mead around here (from Augusta, Missouri) is super sweet.
-Tim
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Very nice customs and wallpaper Sylvia, thank you!
Gepeneezer
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Crucial question
Does anyone have a favorite wine they like to drink during the holidays?
I'd really like to try a dry mead, but the only mead around here (from Augusta, Missouri) is super sweet.
-Tim
My favourite wine at any time is port. There's a Dutchman called Dirk Nierpoort in Portugal who produces a fabulous LBV port, Nierpoort LBV 2004.
With it being brewed from honey, I've never come across a sweet mead. If you like something dry, try a dry Madeira.
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When we travel down to see my in-laws in England, it's a different story. Decorations in their village are fairly subtle but the light show on the outskirts seems to be getting bigger and brighter each year. One house in particular has a large yard at the front which is always completely full of lit-up Christmas motifs. The house itself doesn't escape the gaudy treatment either. From memory, I think there is usually a flashing Santa's sled and reindeer positioned on the roof. Our kids always gaze in awe at this display as we drive past. :lol:
In our family we refer to any decoration above the tasteful minimum as Griswaldry. My in-laws in Houston have electric power points under the eaves just to plug in Christmas lights, as do all the houses in their sub-division.
My mother, attempting to initiate my wife in British traditions, has taken us to a Panto several years running. The most boring part for most members of the audience is when they drag out a couple of girls and a couple of boys and have them sing. If you're not related to them, the amusement dulls rapidly.
The actors in a Pantomime really make the difference - some are great at the impromptu one-liners. We were due to see John Inman a few years ago, but he was ill the day of our performance, and has since died :'( . The tradition of girls playing the lead male part is dying out, though they look better in tights, but the pantomime dame (such as Aladdin's mother) is always played by a man.
Typicals Pantos - Aladdin of course, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Pan and Dick Whittington.
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For those who want to see what a traditional principal boy looks like, here's a photo of Hy Hazell (see earlier post) from the 1950s, I think.
http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/3403462.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=BD2794AE0B3E23ADFCF32FB72A588F41A55A1E4F32AD3138
Not a bad looker for a boy!
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Wonderful creation Sylvia :wow:
"Crucial question
Does anyone have a favorite wine they like to drink during the holidays?
I'd really like to try a dry mead, but the only mead around here (from Augusta, Missouri) is super sweet.
-Tim "
Tim, i like Scottish wines myself. The single malt type. :lol:
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This year I didn't make anything special,
but I'm waiting the orders ... Unfortunately, they'll come after the date ... I didn't intend to ask them for the date, but, when the seller mailed (automatically) saying "it'll arrive after Dec 24th", I thought with myself ... Oh, pity ... It could have been on the date ... But this coincidence already happened this year, on my birthday, so, a lightning to hit the same place twice? Don't think so.
Just for Klicks is amazing, Sylvia! :) I'm always inspired by it. Now I'll have a bit more of work with light effects, I hope, for I'll have windows ... ::) :evilplan:
Hope to show you ... Internet hasn't been much friendly, here. But, well, there's going to be a bunch of free days ahead (not to mention that I'm changing jobs ...), so, I hope to have chance to make the new episodes, either for Fletcher & Elmo as well as for the Pirates' Chronicles & The Map Story.
Lets see how it goes.
Thanks for the Aladin!
:yup:
Gus
:blackhair:
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Maybe mead isn't exactly wine...
but, seriously, Gordon, there are semi-dry meads! :lol:
I like trying Spanish wines. I guess because I liked my first Spanish wine, a Caceres de Rioja, so much; the reds at least are spicier without being as heavy as the Australian lineup... Argentine wines are hitting our shores at a decent price with different tasting grapes than the usual suspects.
My pet peeve, somewhat, is Napa Valley. My dad took a three day tour of Napa Valley a few years back, and though he never touches a drop, he's a super-fan of Napa. There will be a bottle of Napa wine on the table this Christmas of which I will be the sole drinker. I'm uncertain whether his tongue isn't firmly in cheek when he extolls the virtues of Napa, plants a bottle in front of me, and refuses to touch it....
To Gordon:
It's difficult to find good port around here without looking hard. There is a "generic" American brand that dominates the store shelves here which tastes very mediciney. What price range does decent port fall into?
I enjoy good Sake but that is also hard to find in the US outside of a major port city. Gekkeiken, which is bland is everywhere, unless you go to Chicago, San Fran, or LA. I mean, even the Japanese restaurants in St Louis stock nothing but Gekkekken...
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Well thank you for the Picture of Aladdin and the story behind it .
As for the Alcohol topic, I live in Sonoma County and wine flows in our ditches, so i I will just stay out of that topic :-X
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To Gordon:
It's difficult to find good port around here without looking hard. There is a "generic" American brand that dominates the store shelves here which tastes very mediciney. What price range does decent port fall into?
The supermarkets all carry a range of brands of port as well as their own brands. All the supermarket chains have own brand wines which are rated very highly by the experts. In a recent "50 best" in The Independent newspaper, 7 of the 50 were supermarket own brands and another 2 were a chain stores own brand.
A good, branded LBV port will be in the range of £9-£11 at the moment, though there is probably a bit of extra discounting now to boost Christmas sales. The port I mentioned in my earlier post, the Nierpoort 2004 LBV is £13.95 a bottle at a specialist wine shop and is much better than the usual branded port I buy from the supermarket for about £3 less. The quantity produced of this is too small for a supermarket to be interested in stocking it.
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Sylvia ... Your creations are always magnificent. However, Aladdin is definitely one of your best!
Thanks for letting us in on your background secret ... ;)
(but IMHO, your finished result is much better than the original) ... :wow:
Happy Holidays, Sylvia! :xholly: Too bad that we're all so far apart.
It would be very nice to sit down and sip some port with you, Gordon and our Playmofriends.
All the best to you and your family this holiday season and throughout the coming year,
Richard
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The supermarkets all carry a range of brands of port as well as their own brands. All the supermarket chains have own brand wines which are rated very highly by the experts. In a recent "50 best" in The Independent newspaper, 7 of the 50 were supermarket own brands and another 2 were a chain stores own brand.
A good, branded LBV port will be in the range of £9-£11 at the moment, though there is probably a bit of extra discounting now to boost Christmas sales. The port I mentioned in my earlier post, the Nierpoort 2004 LBV is £13.95 a bottle at a specialist wine shop and is much better than the usual branded port I buy from the supermarket for about £3 less. The quantity produced of this is too small for a supermarket to be interested in stocking it.
Thanks Gordon for the information. Sounds like I need to find a specialist liquor store.
I'm feeling "Victorian Theme" this weekend. On the way home from work, I stopped by St Charles' brewpub (Trailhead Brewery) and bought half-a-gallon of their Christmas ale straight from the tap in a take-home glass jug like people had to do before refrigeration.*
* Actually maybe you Brits still do this more than us. Anheiser-Busch in St Louis introduced refrigerated train cars to the US back in the early 1900s and became the country's first "national" beer. Thanks a large part to their clever marketing, we Americans are hooked on nearly-frozen beer that's been sitting on the shelves for a few seasons...
But as for so-called draft beer from a can--has anyone tried that "Guinness Draft" with the dumb plastic ball inside? That has got to be the most flavorless beer in the world. Judging by how rich Trailhead's day-old ale tastes, I can only imagine how Britain's famous stuff must taste fresh from the barrel.*
* Maybe I shouldn't include Guinness anymore in this list. Considering our Guinness was brewed in Canada... maybe I should go to Ontario for that true Irish flavor.
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Sylvia ... Your creations are always magnificent. However, Aladdin is definitely one of your best!
Sylvia has set a precedent for a rather high bar for herself.
But Aladdin definitely ranks at least a rock-solid B+ on the Sylvia scale.
-Tim
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But as for so-called draft beer from a can--has anyone tried that "Guinness Draft" with the dumb plastic ball inside? That has got to be the most flavorless beer in the world. Judging by how rich Trailhead's day-old ale tastes, I can only imagine how Britain's famous stuff must taste fresh from the barrel.*
-Well Tim, even then it would be a twist since Guinness has several 'varieties' of their stout depending on the country it is going to (alcohol level especially). Portland, Oregon is blessed with many fine breweries and several distilleries and like most things, once you have had it fresh at its point of origin there is no going back, sorry for the digression.
Sylvia, I agree with Richard in that your use of the book background was a vast improvement on the original.
Gepetto
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I think I rather strayed from my original topic, didn't I? :-[
sorry for the digression.
Does anyone truly prefer that threads cling monomaniacally, like nervous nannies, to the introductory topic? :lol: :lol: :lol:
I guess we could remain faithful and discuss Aladdin's role in the original Arabian knights.
Here goes:
While Disney portrays Aladdin as Mughal Indian or Persian, in the Arabian Knights, he is Chinese, from Chang-An (an old Chinese capital)(though there is nothing Chinese about the narrative's names or settings and Disney can't really be faulted for moving the location! 8} 8} 8} 8} 8})
The Arabic breakdown of "Aladdin" is "Allah ad-Din" and means something like "Allah is Noble" (or "Nobility of the Faith", according to Dickapedia). :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz: :zz:
Pretty exciting stuff, eh! Glad I stayed on topic, everybody????? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
-Tim
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For me staying close to topic helps when I want to go back to reference a comment or reread information someone posted. Trying to remember Gordon's comments on Port were in the Aladdin topic under the Photography heading can be quite taxing ( I do use the search function a lot).
Gepetto
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For me staying close to topic helps when I want to go back to reference a comment or reread information someone posted. Trying to remember Gordon's comments on Port were in the Aladdin topic under the Photography heading can be quite taxing ( I do use the search function a lot).
Gepetto
Staying on topic also helps me find subjects and conversations when i need to go research something and get back to commenting. There have been many times i find some relevant info only not able to find where to post it . There is a lot going on in here and it can be hard to keep track of it all 8} Also i find that some people might not like their original topic altered or hijacked ;)
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Thanks for all of the nice comments! :*)
But Aladdin definitely ranks at least a rock-solid B+ on the Sylvia scale.
;D
Only a B+?
I do like a challenge! ;)
Happy Holidays, Sylvia! :xholly: Too bad that we're all so far apart.
It would be very nice to sit down and sip some port with you, Gordon and our Playmofriends.
That sounds very civilized! ;D Thank you, Richard! :)
Oh, and as for tipples - I usually prefer a little Irish Cream liqueur for my nightcap. :xmascheer:
I also like to drink whiskey on occasion - neat, preferably (the Scots way! :)9) ... unless it's really cheap stuff - then it helps if it's mixed with something. :lol: