Filed under: News
11/30/2006

The 12 Days of Christmas, Day 1

XLR8R's Ken Taylor wants to add the Kids In The Hall DVD Megaset to his holiday wish list.

Hey folks, we deserve Christmas (or Hanukkah) presents, too. So peep our 12 Days of Christmas special for the next, um, 12 days, and see what the XLR8R staff is asking Santa for this year.

Today, add a slice of Canadiana to your shopping list with this DVD series of the original Kids, back with all their snarkiness in full force.

Kids in the Hall DVD Megaset

When I was growing up in Canada, Kids in the Hall was a guiding light for any hip high-schooler or college kid (University kid, as we called ourselves). We didn’t do the Ministry of Silly Walks or Dead Parrot skits à la Monty Python; we imitated the Chicken Lady and Gavin, or the rather effeminate artist Darryl (pronounced “deh-RILL”). So, when the show went off the air in 1994 (long before the advent of DVD reissues or YouTube), we all mourned the loss, scooped up whatever tickets were left for their live tours, and watched every minute of their new roles on SNL and News Radio, or in the feature-length film Brain Candy. (And yes, we repeated those lines incessantly, too.)

Now, the original Kids are back in all their glory with this series-long set of DVDs, which includes every last bit of their snarky brand of humor. (I still try to imagine US public broadcasters supporting a show this subversive.) As if compiling every episode weren’t enough, the Kids in the Hall megaset also boasts an extra 90 minutes of live performance from Toronto’s Rivoli Theatre, fan-favorite best-of compilations, and an oral history documentary with interviews from all the Kids and producer Lorne Michaels. Get your fill of Cabbage Head, the Head Crusher, and Buddy Cole, while reminiscing and ruminating on one of the funniest television series of the past 30 years.

I often pine for Canada’s strange cultural riches, living so far away from home now, but this Christmas I’ll have this amazingly hilarious slice of Canadiana to warm up to on Boxing Day.

Kids in the Hall DVD Megaset is available from A&E Home Video for $239.95 (USD).

Ken Taylor

The Other Days Of Christmas
Day 2, Eye of the Hawk Beer
Day 3, Sad Ghost salt & pepper shakers
Day 4, This Heat's Out of Cold Storage Boxed Set
Day 5, Dustin Dollin's Project 8 No Skool Vans
Day 6, Toys from Kid Robot
Day 7, Gama bird satchel and wallet
Day 8, Official Tourist Rave Hoods
Day 9, M-Audio IE-10 earphones
Day 10, King Jammy's Selector Choice Boxed Set
Day 11, Madvillain action figure
Day 12, XLR8R Subscription