Disney: Top 10 Haunted Mansion Ghosts

Poster from 2003’s ‘The Haunted Mansion’. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite spooky things to dive into during Halloween. While the mansion is transformed into Haunted Mansion Holiday around this time of year, nothing is going to stop me from blasting “Grim Grinning Ghosts” for the entire month of October. (Although, Haunted Mansion Holiday is absolute perfection. Fight me Ryan Gosling.) So in honor of this spooky ride, let’s rank some of the 999 Happy Haunts! For this list I will only be counting Haunted Mansion characters. That means equivalent rides like Phantom Manor will not be included. That ride has it’s own entirely different story that deserves it’s own post. I also am not going to talk about the movie here. I’m still trying to forget that it happened. As a side note, because so many of these haunts belong to groups, like the Hitchhiking Ghosts, I’m not going to separate them in this list. Let’s get into this!

10. The Dread Family. This family is one of the newer additions. You can catch their busts in the line for The Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom in Florida. The members consist of Uncle Jacob Dread, Bertie Dread, Aunt Florence McGriffin Dread, Cousin Maude Dread, Wellington Dread, and Forsythia Dread. Every person in this family was murdered. If you’re standing by their busts long enough while in line, you have the opportunity to find out which of the family is responsible for the murders. I won’t spoil the riddle in case you want to look it up, but I will tell you that the inscriptions on their tombstones aren’t enough to solve the riddle. You will need to find pictures of the busts from various angles in order to solve the murders. (Unfortunately, the riddle works a bit better when you’re there in person.) This family makes it onto the list simply for how clever this idea is. Fans are often searching for stories within the mansion. This one is a fun murder mystery that guests get to solve themselves as they wait in long lines.

9. Victor Geist. Victor Geist is best recognized by the large pipe organ he sits at inside the mansion’s ballroom. You can’t really see him from the front, but his skills on the organ are undoubtedly haunting. Victor Geist rose in popularity for his use in some of the Disney comics. There his hooked nose and slender face were given more detail, and his personality was explored. Geist is poised and intimidating when playing his organ, but is quite kind and carefree when he steps away from the instrument. He also seems to have some sort of adorable interest in Sally Slater. He gets on this list for being a very wholesome member of the 999 Happy Haunts.

8. Sally Slater. Most people will know Sally Slater as the Tightrope Walker. She is probably the most recognizable of the characters featured in the Stretching Room. Her striking calm while hovering over a hungry alligator is hard to ignore while guests are trapped in a room with no windows and no doors. Her dress and parasol are also striking, which has resulted in quite a bit of merchandise. Her story has changed multiple times throughout the years. In one version she was the Ghost Host’s first wife, in another she was a villainous sorcerous who turned her lovers into alligators, and in yet another she was “Chief Spookswoman” for the mansion. I should also mention that each version of her story has also come with a different name. Regardless, she makes it on this list for having such an iconic look that fans are still trying to guess her true story.

7. Master Gracey. Master Gracey is the confirmed owner of the Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom and one of the many possible owners of the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. Master Gracey was initially only a name on one of the tombstones outside of the mansion, but after fans and cast members began to connect the name with the Aging Man portrait inside the mansion, as well as the voice of the Ghost Host, Master Gracey became an official character. Though it has been confirmed that Master Gracey isn’t the Ghost Host, the Aging Man portrait is now canonically a portrait of Master Gracey. In some comics he’s also portrayed as the hanged man in the Stretching Room. The Haunted Mansion is even referred to as Gracey Manor on some occasions. Master Gracey gets a place on this list for quickly becoming a main character amongst the 999 Happy Haunts.

6. Ghost Host. As you can see, we’re getting to some of the more iconic ghosts. I wish I could place our lovely host higher, but as we still have some really big hitters to go, he only gets to six on this list. The Ghost Host doesn’t really have an official story. His story has been speculated about, and he’s even been merged with Master Gracey on some occasions, but he has no official story of his own. Still, what would the Haunted Mansion be without our Ghost Host? The creepy voice guiding guests through the mansion makes for most of the experience. The mansion would be nothing if not for his delight in spooky puns and slightly threatening jokes.

5. Rolo Rumkin, Uncle Theodore, Cousin Algernon, Ned Nub, and Phineas Pock. These five are better known as the Singing Busts. They provide guests with most of “Grim Grinning Ghosts”, one of the best songs in all of the Disney parks. If you recognize their names, good! You probably should! These names are all featured on tombstones outside of the mansion, some with rhyming epitaphs on how they died. These five don’t have any sort of story. But who can resist singing along with them while passing by in a Doom Buggy? These five deserve a place on this list for being some of the most recognizable members of the mansion. Line up a few busts with one lopsided and broken, and most people could tell you exactly what it’s from. Those busts are even used as an Easter Egg in the “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” sequence in ‘Hercules’.

4. Ezra Beane, Professor Phineas Plump, and Gus. These three are the Hitchhiking Ghosts within the Haunted Mansion. These are their official names, but if you don’t know which is which, some of their other names might be of better use to you. Ezra has been called The Skeleton, Phineas is The Traveler, and Gus is The Prisoner. They are usually referred to as the outcasts of the mansion for varying reasons. Ezra is a prankster who died laughing at a prank pulled on himself. He’s known for pranking the mansion’s inhabitants. Phineas was a snake oil salesman who was killed by an angry mob. His charms didn’t inspire the already dead inhabitants of the mansion to buy his products. Gus was a shepherd who angered a ram into chasing him into a wedding, which he promptly ruined. Gus was arrested, escaped jail with some pirates, made it to a ship, and then fell overboard and drowned. He could have done with a little less excitement in his life. He’s the most tame of the three, but he still finds more comfort being part of this group. The group is definitely better for it.

3. The Hatbox Ghost. This is another more recent addition to the mansion, but by no means a new member. That Hatbox Ghost was an inhabitant early in the Haunted Mansion’s history, but he disappeared from the ride not long after his debut. There was a long debate over where this ghost had gone, but the story rose so far into infamy that he was brought back to inhabit the mansion. Since his reappearance (much like his head in his hatbox), he’s become one of the most popular inhabitants of the mansion. He’s easily recognizable and can be seen on most Haunted Mansion merchandise. His redesign is also one of the most impressive parts of the ride. No one knew what we were missing until we got to see his head disappear from his body up close.

2. Constance Hatchaway. Constance was not an original member of the Haunted Mansion, but she’s certainly one of the most memorable now. With an entire section of the ride dedicated to the husbands she’s beheaded, she’s hard to miss. Constance replaced the original heartbeat bride; a bride who’s main feature was the red heart inside her chest. When Constance took her place, the room was filled with the riches Constance had obtained after her husbands had “tragically” died. Portraits of the room switch between her pictured with each husband, first with a head, then without. And if you still weren’t convinced who was responsible, she’ll show you her hatchet with an accompanying wedding vow that sounds much more sinister coming from her mouth. It’s the closest we get to a full story in the mansion. You can also catch a picture of an older Constance in the Stretching Room, sitting on the tombstone of one of her husbands. She’s undoubtedly the most terrifying member of the Happy Haunts.

1. Madame Leota. You knew this was coming. Madame Leota is often portrayed as the leader of the Happy Haunts, and it isn’t hard to see why. She’s by far the most knowledgeable of the members. Which makes sense because she’s a psychic medium. She conducts seances to help haunts materialize as she floats herself, and other pieces of furniture, around the room. Her story has changed over the years as well, and is often different depending on where you look. In Disneyland she was a clairvoyant and street magician in New Orleans Square, where the mansion is located, while in Magic Kingdom she was a witch that caused the Salem Witch Trials. In the comics she fell in love with Master Gracey, and is killed by him after playing a hand in his bride’s death. Her tombstone outside is also the most impressive of all of them, though it’s only featured in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Hers has a face engraved onto it that can open and close it’s eyes. Madame Leota’s voice is easily recognizable, partly because it’s also the voice of Maleficent and Lady Tremaine. It’s a classic villain voice with just enough chill to it that you never doubt who’s in charge.

That’s my list! I hope you enjoyed this ranking of the most popular members of the 999 Happy Haunts. The Haunted Mansion has had it’s issues with storytelling. It was released without much of a story after a painstaking process to get the design of the mansion finalized. While story elements have been added, the backstories of the mansion and it’s inhabitants are constantly changing. Hopefully we’ll be able to explore more storylines and more haunts in the future. As of now, I just hope we get more information on the Hatbox Ghost!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Twins in Media: Poppet and Widget Murray

Image of Erin Morgenstern’s ‘The Night Circus’ front cover. Copyright goes to Erin Morgenstern and Doubleday.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Alright, I have to stop crying about the BTS concert and pull myself together. Here’s something else I can’t seem to shut up about! Have I ever mentioned how much I love ‘The Night Circus’? Obviously, it was only a matter of time before I had to talk about Poppet and Widget in one of these posts. Poppet is quite possibly my favorite book character of all time and was even listed in my introduction under characters that I kin. When I went into this book I honestly knew nothing about it. This book was given to me as a gift, so really the only thing I knew about it was what the back of the book described it to be. That’s my absolute favorite way to go into a book. The description of the book only covered the main plot with Marco and Celia and the competition, so I had absolutely no idea this book would feature a depiction of twins until I was introduced to the two characters. So, was I delighted at this depiction of twins or does this depiction leave a lot to be desired? (You can probably already guess the answer to this question.)

The Magical:

  • The anti circus freaks. In my last post about ‘Alice in Wonderland’ I talked about the absolutely awful circus freak trope. The fact that twins are often treated like freaks of nature or some sort of exhibit in a circus rather than actual people. Can I just say how amazing it is that this story is literally about a circus and features twins and never once uses the circus freak trope. There’s no twin telepathy, over synchronization, or some sort of giant finger pointing to the twins to declare how weird they are. The twins themselves are not a circus act. I have seen media use twins as freaks of nature so many times and was definitely expecting this book to be no exception. Especially with the circus setting. Instead, the closest you get to anything like that is one act that Poppet and Widget do together that doesn’t even focus on them but instead focuses on the cute kittens that they help train. When they grow up, because you do watch them grow up throughout the book, they leave that act and both develop their own acts within the circus. Poppet has the ability to gaze into the stars and see parts of the future in the constellations, so naturally she becomes the fortune teller for the circus. Widget has the ability to see the past on people’s clothing or on items that they carry. Through this he learns how to bottle memories and feelings and develops a tent to display these bottles and allow guests to try out different ones. Even though their powers are very similar in an opposite kind of way (I’ll get to that later), the acts themselves that they create are, at least nothing at all like each other. They aren’t even connected. If you went to this circus if it somehow really existed, you wouldn’t even know that twins worked there. I’ll say it again, that’s really rare to see in a story that uses twins in a circus-like environment.
  • Different lives. The main storyline involving Poppet and Widget also features another character; Bailey. Not only do the three separate often in their storylines, but it’s safe to say that Poppet and Widget have very different relationships to Bailey considering Poppet is romantically linked to him and Widget is not. It’s rare to see a twin, in a scenario like this, get a romantic storyline because authors seem to feel that it takes away from showing the audience how close the twins are for some reason. Or their just going with the detached-from-reality-and-in-a-world-of-their-own trope. Most of the time I see a character that is a twin in an actually focused on romantic relationship it’s because the other twin is incapacitated or died. Which is a very happy thought for me and my sister. That does not happen here, and you even get Widget teasing his sister about her feelings for Bailey. It’s not just Bailey though. Poppet and Widget pop up in Celia’s storyline as she helps teach them. Their relationships with Celia are also very different. When Celia is being unfair to them, Poppet usually notices that she’s going through a hard time and is very quick to hug her or try to comfort her. Widget is more likely to call her out on her unfairness. When dealing with business that has to do with the circus Poppet is kinder but prefers to be quieter and vague about her intentions or emotions if she deems it’s not necessary to share them. Widget is very to the point with business partners and says exactly what he’s feeling.
  • Best friends. Poppet and Widget are definitely best friends. They are constantly looking out for each other and hanging out with each other without relying too heavily on the other. Widget helps Poppet when she has a negative reaction to her fortune telling. Poppet tries to get Widget to greet people at parties and be polite so they both can go back to their introverted-ness in peace. They aren’t always together, which is good, but they hang out a lot.
  • Different but not opposites. Poppet and Widget aren’t opposites, they’re just different. I say this a lot, but that’s because it’s important. There is no evil twin here. Poppet is kinder, more polite, and a bit weirder (in a good way! I personally think weird is a compliment.) than her brother; but, in reality, keeps to herself more. Widget is less likely to talk to you, especially not without sarcasm, but when he does he says exactly what he feels. They work well off of each other without having personalities that are opposite or complementary.

The Un-magical:

  • Opposite powers. Told you I was going to get back to this. This is by far my biggest complaint about the two and actually one of the biggest complaints I have about the book. But, in reality, it’s a pretty small complaint. I really like Widget being a storyteller because of his knowledge of the past and Poppet’s stargazing is one of my favorite elements of her character. Their powers aren’t exact opposites when you look at them in detail. But without context; she can see into the future and he can see into the past. It’s a bit stereotypical. I wish there was something else that could have been done; but in the end the author pulls it off without drawing too much attention to this.

So, are Poppet and Widget good representations of twins in media?

I only wrote one flaw, so yes. There is still something that bugs me about their powers being complementary opposites; but the author did not extend this treatment into their actual character development. They have an incredible bond without it crossing bridges into creepy, too much, or twin telepathy. The author writes them realistically and presents them to the audience as nothing more or less than best friends. Poppet and Widget have meant more to me than most twins in media just by principle of how much I love this book. I could relate to Poppet because of her relationship with her brother as well as her stargazing weirdness, (I’m just talking about looking at stars, I am not into astrology. Sorry.), and her introverted-ness. There were times where it felt like I was reading about myself dancing around the absolute fantasy of the Night Circus, which connected me all the more to the book. There was something about Poppet being a twin that was presented in this way that made me feel understood. Poppet and Widget are not the type of twins that people would go around and mass compare every pair of twins to. They are too different of people for you to do that. The best twin depictions in media are like that.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Twins in Media: Annalise and Erika

Screenshot of Annalise and Erika from 2004’s ‘Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper’. Copyright goes to Mainframe Entertainment and Mattel Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

For this weeks twins in media we’re going a bit off the rails. There’s a lot of twins to explore with this series but, unfortunately, not enough spooky twins to give you until next week. So today we’re going to talk about what is basically my childhood. Why a Barbie movie? Am I running out of ideas? No. I just have a lot of nostalgic feelings. So let’s talk about Annalise and Erika! As a side note, I know they aren’t actually twins. This is yet another situation where the story functions around the fact that the two look alike. This is also another situation where audiences began to compare these two to real life twins when the movie came out. I’m going to address all of these things while I talk about them. Also, I’m not going to be taking myself too seriously with this one. This movie is campy. It’s good, (I’m accepting no arguments at this time,) but it’s got that Barbie cheese anyone who’s seen a Barbie movie is familiar with. Let’s get into this!

The Bad:

  • Separated at Birth. Annalise and Erika do not have the same parents, nor were they ever even distantly related, but the story really operates like a separated at birth storyline. Annalise just happens to be taken out to the village by her future husband, and no I absolutely don’t have a crush on Julian what are you talking about? Anyway. Annalise overhears Erika singing for extra money and is instantly surprised that Erika looks so much like her. They vent their issues out to each other in song form, because of course they do, and we get some of the most basic signs of the separated at birth trope. They are exact opposites that have grown up in opposite situations. Despite this they have one commonality that makes them think they’re very similar. In this Annalise is rich and Erika is poor and orphaned, but they both want to escape their lives. The problems they have seem kind of disproportionate. I don’t know about you, but if I was poor and constantly verbally abused by a dress maker, and some rich girl came into my life singing about how she gets breakfast in bed, I’d probably punch her in the face. Despite that, it sets up the switch, something that happens in the original ‘Prince and the Pauper’ story and something we see in twin movies such as ‘The Parent Trap’. Separated at birth storylines are the most extreme example of the idea that twins must be outrageously different for others to understand their differences. It goes so far as to give the twins completely different environments to grow up in. It just isn’t a realistic situation and audiences need to know that twins are separate people even if they don’t violently hit you over the head to point out the differences.
  • The Switch. I started talking about this above so I’m going to continue talking about it here. This switch is one of the best I’ve seen in any movie about twins. They give Annalise and Erika the opportunity to switch because of their problems, and then both girls kind of decide that the other persons life sucks too and go their separate ways. Which is an obvious change from most switch movies. In fact, I’d argue most movies with this trope would end about ten minutes in if the leads noticed how similar they looked, thought “cool”, and then left. But then, because we do in fact need a movie, Annalise gets kidnapped and Julian asks Erika to take her place in the castle while he tries to find her. And, surprise, surprise, all she needs is a blonde wig and no one can tell the difference. The switch, whether or not the trope means to, tells it’s audience that twins are interchangeable. That they could switch places or one could just disappear and no one would notice the difference. Even if my mother had terrible vision, like Annalise’s mother does in this movie, there is no way I could convincingly pretend to be my sister without her noticing. And that’s with me actually knowing my sister. We have very different personalities and even different sounding voices. Meanwhile, Erika doesn’t know anything about Annalise and only gets one (amazing) song montage to learn how to act like royalty. And most of the time she messes it up. The fact that she gets away with it is unrealistic and harmful, but I’m kind of torn because ‘To Be a Princess’ is a bop.
  • The Double Wedding. No thanks. Moving on.

The Good:

  • Different Goals. This isn’t a situation where the ‘twin’ characters want what the other has. Annalise and Erika switch places out of necessity. They don’t choose to. Part of the reason is because Erika doesn’t see being royalty as a solution to her problems, nor does Annalise see being poor as a solution to her problems. Erika wants to leave the kingdom to become a singer. Meanwhile, Annalise wants to provide for her mother and marry whoever she wants to. Annalise doesn’t see leaving her mother as a good thing, nor does Erika see being tied to the kingdom as a good thing. This isn’t a situation where they had separate lives up until the switch and then they never wanted to be apart again. They are individuals and prove themselves to be so. Erika actually leaves immediately after the story ends for her singing career. They have similar interests, such as breaking out into song for no reason, and they become very close friends, as many twins are, but that doesn’t mean that they suddenly don’t have separate lives to live. Annalise just happens to have the better life because she isn’t married to a himbo with no personality. I said what I said. I have nothing against himbos with personality, though.
  • Positive Role Models. My sister and I would actually compare ourselves to Annalise and Erika when we were younger, rather than others comparing us to them. As little girls, we were ecstatic to see two characters that looked alike but were actually completely different. Unfortunately, this was because these characters are treated like twin characters, but with the benefit of not being twins. So no, these two aren’t twins. But as a movie made for young girls that came out when I was five, I loved it. The movie validated myself and my sister by assuring us that our differences could be seen. Everyone treated these two like twins but it also felt like everyone could understand that they were different. Even little girls knew the difference. All of them bought the two-pack of Annalise and Erika and only played with Annalise. When my sister and I got the dolls I forced her to take Erika because I wanted the princess one. Jokes on me. I like Erika more now.

So are these two a good representation of twins? I’d say they’re kind of in the middle. They fall into a lot of tropes but they taught little girls that twins can, and often do, have different personalities. They also really focus on the independence of each girl, which also happens to highlight their different goals. If nothing else, it isn’t a bad look into twins for young children. It just isn’t the type of representation we should see in media regularly. We should be seeing actual twins on screen. Ones that have realistic similarities and differences. Hopefully those stories will eventually be the ones young girls get to see. We just have to make sure both twins are wearing princess dresses next time a doll company releases a two-pack.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-pop and K-dramas: Jimin’s Solo Songs

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE.) Jimin of BTS performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball 2019 Presented by Capital One at the Forum on December 6, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Hi! It’s Annie!

Still continuing with our BTS break because there’s nothing else to do after that concert. It broke me in the absolute best way. For the few of you who didn’t know, today is Jimin’s birthday! Well, technically for us it is tomorrow, but South Korea is sixteen hours ahead of us. Park Jimin has been an incredibly important presence in my life as well as the lives of many others. I have mentioned time and time again that I love Jimin’s vocals (it’s difficult though because I love all of their vocals so much; even the rap line) and it is not a stretch to say that Jimin has been a much needed light in my life. Especially now. I have listened to all of his solo songs on repeat, and thought that the best way to celebrate his birthday was to draw attention to them and show my appreciation for them. Please note that even though I do want to rank his individual songs for this post, there is no song of his that I dislike. Each one of these songs will be one of the best songs you’ve ever heard. Jimin’s voice is too incredible for this not to be true.

4. Serendipity

It hurts to put this here. Really, it hurts to put any one of these at anything other than a number one spot. This song is nothing short of gorgeous and even better to watch him perform. There’s just something so beautiful and pure about this song and, even better, each one of his solo pieces lets him showcase his absolutely beautiful dancing abilities. Any performance of this song would be beautiful not only for his vocals, but also for his incredible skill in dance. There’s also a sense of peace in this song that makes it calming just to listen to. It’s difficult to not feel as though everything will be ok while listening to this song, and that is such a gift. Jimin has been a comforting presence with comforting words to ARMY as long as he’s been in the limelight. This song perfectly expresses that and really how much he means to all of us.

3. Lie

Lie is really nothing short of incredible. The song is intense but flows beautifully at the same time. There’s also immense pain that you feel while listening to this song because the song contains so many expressions of pain. It is beautiful lyrically, vocally, and musically; but you can hear the pain through every note. While there is a sense of peace in the song above, this one is the storm before that calm. The elements of this song are very personal to Jimin and deal with difficult things he was dealing with in his own life. Jimin even admitted that this song could be difficult for him to perform because of it’s themes. Knowing that this song has such a profound effect on him makes me appreciate the song even more while also making me slightly sad listening to it. It’s difficult to see or hear Jimin in any pain whatsoever. (I sobbed after seeing footage from day one of their ‘Map of the Soul On:e’ concert.) But even with that it’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. It’s raw and completely radiant.

2. Promise

Of all of the songs on this list, this is probably the one that makes me cry the most. The song is so calm and innocent sounding, but holds such a profound message. Here, Jimin asks ARMY to promise him that no matter how lonely or awful we feel, we will never throw ourselves away. This song makes me cry because it’s really what Jimin does best. Whenever another member of BTS is feeling down, Jimin is one of the first people there with a hug and words of comfort. This is Jimin doing that to ARMY. It is, essentially, a giant hug from Jimin. It is his reminder to us that, as he’s recently said, there is always someone in South Korea who understands what we’re feeling. If you’re ever feeling awful, this is an incredible song to listen to. It is full of understanding and comfort and I know I have used this song as comfort before. Seriously, just go listen to this song and get your figurative hug from Jimin. Let’s be honest, we all need one.

  1. Filter

I couldn’t not put this one in the number one spot after their virtual concert. Firstly, how dare he look so good! He absolutely killed me with that black fedora and purple suit. Did you see his belt?! Did you see his hair with that side shave?! Sorry, anyways…even without the performance being too much for anyone to handle, the song itself was one I was listening to on repeat since it came out. Before I ever saw it performed, I was probably listening to this solo song more that his other ones just because I loved the sound of it. This one feels a little more dance-y but not too much if that makes sense. It is different from his other solo songs, but works just as much as the other ones do. Not to mention his range in this song! This is one of those songs that you listen to and you just feel like the vocalist is having fun. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I love it so much. He was certainly having so much fun during the concert. (Did you see his smile?!) This song will forever have meaning for me after seeing that concert.

Jimin, and every single member of BTS, is such a bright light for all of us. They all have become a massive comfort to us all and a light at the end of this very dark tunnel. It’s difficult to write how much Jimin means to me because it’s difficult to write how much this group means to me. It goes beyond words. I just feel lucky that these men have sought out to be there for all of us and make us all feel understood. When everything feels too dark, we hear their voices and find hope again. A lot of people say that they feel unreal, or it feels like they’re from another planet. I think that’s missing the point. They are human, which is incredibly important because it proves that humans with that much compassion do exist. Jimin was not acting when he saw the faces of ARMY during the virtual concert and burst into tears. They are not acting when they tell us to love ourselves and to speak for ourselves. I have never been more proud to be a part of something as big as ARMY. Their message of kindness has radiated to every part of the world, and as ARMY we do everything we can to hand them the megaphone. I’m proud to be a fan of all of them, and of course, this includes our adorable baby mochi. Happy Birthday Jimin! Thank you for everything!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop and K-Dramas: Map of The Soul ON:E Concert

The ‘Map of The Soul ON:E’ concert promotional image. (From left) Min Yoongi (Suga), Kim Seokjin (Jin), Kim Namjoon (RM), Jeon Jungkook (Jungkook), Park Jimin (Jimin), Kim Taehyung (V), and Jung Hoseok (J-Hope). All rights go to BTS’ social media and ‘Big Hit Entertainment’.

Hey! Hallie here!

So we’re going to have to take a break from some of our Fall and Halloween posts to talk about BTS for a while. There are a few reasons for that, but the reason for this specific post is the BTS virtual concerts that occurred over the last two days. While I can’t say anything about the first day of the concert, mainly because I wasn’t attending, I have so much to say about the entire concert experience from day two of this amazing concert. And it was amazing. I’m going to go song by song and they performed quite a few of them, so let’s just jump into this.

‘ON’, ‘NO’, and ‘We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2’: The concert started with, unsurprisingly, ‘ON’. This seems to be the focus song of the album. In fact, when the initial planned tour for ‘Map of The Soul’ was cancelled, every member of BTS was very publicly disappointed that the fans couldn’t see their performance of this song. Seeing this performed makes it incredibly easy to see why. Firstly, the set is large. They started out the song standing on an actual replica of the cliffside from the ‘ON’ music video. They also were wearing robes reminiscent of the ones they are seen wearing in the music video, which allowed for a very epic face reveal for all of them. Which leads to yet another thing I want to gush about. THE HAIR. All of the boys are currently rocking natural hair colors, and about half of them have very clean and flattering undercuts. Jimin has a full on side shave which left me breathless for a moment. There was also a large amount of dancers for the boys to make their way through as they sung. One thing I very much respected about this entire concert was that all of the dancers were wearing masks. Regardless of which costumes they were wearing, some sort of mask was incorporated into each outfit. ‘ON’ featured it’s own small dance breaks that highlighted each members skills. The night I attended Yoongi later apologized for not dancing well because of his shoulder. Honestly, he did so well I didn’t notice. After ‘ON’ was over they moved to an emptier section of the stage to transition directly into ‘NO’. For this song the dancers left the boys alone to absolutely own the choreography. Then they transitioned into ‘We Are Bulletproof Pt.2’, which I was pleasantly surprised by. For this the marching band that opened the show was back with the dancers, and DAMN the dance break into this was good. It’s one of their older songs, but they, of course, killed this one too. After that we had a few interval videos so we could stare at how epic every single member of BTS looks before we went into the next group of songs.

‘Intro: Persona’, ‘Boy in Luv’, and ‘Dionysus’: When we came back to the stage we were greeted with President Namjoon rising out of the floor on a podium to murder us all with ‘Intro: Persona’. He literally lit his microphone on fire. Needless to say, it was incredible. All of the members joined Namjoon for ‘Boy in Luv’ in their new outfits for this particular set of songs. After that song finished, all of the boys took a moment to give opening statements. Everyone was quick to tell ARMY that they were happy to see those on camera and missed us all very much. Jimin assured everyone he was much happier than he was during the first concert. During the first concert Jimin was very emotional, mostly out of frustration for not being able to see ARMY in person. He was, as he said, a bit more chipper, though he was slightly embarrassed from being made fun of for his tears the previous night. One of the best moments was Jin’s attempt to blow a kiss at the audience being thwarted by a slap from Jungkook. After the introductions they moved on to a ‘Dionysus’ remix. ‘Dionysus’ is my favorite BTS song and the remix was amazing. The remix didn’t change much of the song, but it gave it an edge I appreciated. I always enjoy the choreography for ‘Dionysus’ and the boys didn’t disappoint, as usual. After that we had another costume change!

‘Interlude: Shadow’ and ‘Black Swan’: This was a smaller group of songs that opened with Yoongi walking through a very creepy hallway as he performed ‘Interlude: Shadow’. This performance was powerful. He hit every word so perfectly it was impossible not to feel the emotion. I was so enamored I hardly noticed the baggy clothing he was wearing until the dancers covered him and he revealed the black costume underneath. Cue the seamless transition into ‘Black Swan’. This song is yet another of my favorites when it comes to choreography. It’s less fast paced and more flowing, which was, of course, perfectly delivered. Afterwards the boys left Jimin behind for a lyrical dance piece. Jimin specializes in lyrical dance and I always love watching him perform. The music was heartbreakingly gorgeous and his floor work was equally beautiful. After that we were on to the next section!

‘UGH’ and ‘Zero O’Clock’: This time we got two songs that separated the rap line from the vocal line. We started with ‘UGH’ which was one of my favorite songs of the night. The stage was made up to be a boxing ring. Yoongi entered the ring first via elevator, wearing an accommodating robe and looking awesome. Namjoon and J-Hope entered one by one once their pieces of the song began, both looking similarly intimidating. They rapped at each other rather than with each other, even taking opportunities to physically push each other around. At moments they came together, and each time it was so seamless you couldn’t help but admire how in synch they are with each other. Afterwards the camera panned to a different part of the stage where all members of the vocal line were lined up in white suits for ‘Zero O’Clock’. The angelic harmonization these four can accomplish is unbelievable. And, as always, their individual voices were easy to appreciate as well. Onto the next part!

‘My Time’, Filter’, ‘Moon’, and ‘Inner Child’: The interval videos that led up to this group were all of the vocal line, so it wasn’t surprising that this group of songs was each of the vocal line members individual songs. Jungkook opened it with a stunning performance of ‘My Time’. He looked impossibly relaxed while both singing and dancing perfectly. That, plus his gorgeous red suit, made the entire performance difficult to look away from. After that Jimin took over for ‘Filter’. This was another of my favorite performances of the night. Part of the choreography involved Jimin trying on various pieces of clothing and I would just like to say, Jimin needs to dance with a hat over his eyes for more songs. There was also an entire costume change that happened within a second during the song that left my jaw on the floor. Partly because of how fast it was and partly because of how good the purple suit looked on Jimin. Then we got Jin singing ‘Moon’. The pink suit Jin wore was absolutely stunning, which was good because the fox masks the dancers were wearing were kind of frightening me. Still, there isn’t much that can completely distract me from Jin’s gorgeous voice. After the song was over, a small globe came down towards Jin, which he promptly hugged with the most adorable smile I have seen in my life. ‘Inner Child’ was last. This one got me emotional. For one, the giant carousel Tae and a very adorable small boy were riding, was stunning. Tae’s voice is always calming to me, which somehow made me emotional while I was hearing it. Plus, the small face scrunch he gave the little boy was too cute for me to handle. Then we moved on.

‘Outro: Ego’ and The Rest: ‘Outro: Ego’ was the last of the larger staged songs. J-Hope is always an energetic guy and a REALLY good performer. I had heard that he was born to be on stage from fans who had attended in person concerts before the pandemic, but this song convinced me of it. From the red car he entered in to the hardcore choreography he did in between each verse, J-Hope proved himself the perfect showman. The rest of the boys joined him to just dance around and have a good time as his song finished. Then they moved on to some of their bigger songs. ‘Boy With Luv’ was first, which involved some adorable umbrellas. Afterwards was ‘DNA’, and here we got to more of the songs where the boys started to let loose. There was choreography and plenty of background effects that were visually appealing, but it was fun to just watch the boys sing and enjoy themselves. ‘Dope’ was next, which involved a cool elevator background. All the boys responded to the movements of the elevator in their own goofy ways. Then we had ‘No More Dream’ to honor the first release of BTS. It was a remixed version where the background sounded like a score from an action movie. So yeah, it was badass.

Encore: And we finally came to the end. Some of these songs were different from the first concert. The boys performed ‘Spring Day’, IDOL’, and ‘Dynamite’. There was significantly less choreography for these and no more background effects. These songs were purely for interacting with the fans that were on screen and the cameras. There was plenty of chaos. Namjoon wore some awesome sunglasses and Yoongi tried his best to make ARMY dizzy by messing with the camera. Then we had closing statements. Hobi reassured us there was more content coming. Several of the boys expressed how happy they were to perform on a stage again. Jin expressed intense frustration that ARMY couldn’t be there in person. Tae nearly cried with how much he missed ARMY. And Namjoon, ever the president, reassured everyone that circumstances were no one’s fault. He thanked God, despite not having a religion, that all of this was happening during 2020 where the technology was available to allow them to do a concert at all. They walked out singing ‘We are Bulletproof: the Eternal’, a song written for ARMY. I missed them as soon as they were gone, but I’m forever grateful for the work they put into the concert despite their frustrations. ARMY won’t forget that night. Neither will I.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: Best and Worst Couples

Screenshot from ‘Jane Eyre’ 2011 featuring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. Copyright goes to Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Again, I have to go back to books since I feel this time of the year is the best for reading. You can finally snuggle under a blanket without practically dying from the heat! In my last post I did sort of hint at not liking Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester as a couple, and it made me think about romances in books that I liked versus ones that I don’t. So this is a list of good couples in books and, in contrast, couples in books that just don’t work. Please note that this post will have light SPOILERS for the books that I mention. With that out of the way, let’s get started! (I’m not going to include any couples from books I haven’t read, like ‘Twilight’.)

Worst:

Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre):

Of course, I had to mention these two first. No matter how hard I try, I can’t like this couple. Mr. Rochester is kind of a douchebag and Jane feels like such a strong character by the end of the book that you hate seeing her drawn back towards him. Or at least, I hate it. Mr. Rochester is never all that nice to Jane or really anyone and their relationship is completely built on lies. A lot of people have pointed to the fact that he was sort of tricked into the mistakes that he makes in the book, but that is no excuse for the way he treats Jane and how he leads her on for a good chunk of the book. The worst part? Mr. Rochester never really changes. This book feels more like Jane learning to deal with his toxic behavior than it feels like Mr. Rochester attempting to become kinder towards Jane. I wish this couple wasn’t held up quite to the standard that it is, because it isn’t really an example of a healthy relationship.

Westley and Buttercup (The Princess Bride):

Please note that I am, in fact, talking about this couple from the book and not from the movie. The portrayal of them in the movie is much much better and absolutely loveable. I should also note that this couple being bad was absolutely purposeful by the author who did write this couple entirely in parody. So, I’ll start this off by noting that Westley actually does hit Buttercup in the book. In the book they both come off as being brats, though still likeable enough to read about. But you definitely don’t believe the entire ‘true love’ thing because there are several parts in the book where it feels like they don’t even like each other. Buttercup is extremely dumb and Westley isn’t exactly a stereotypical hero. They are fun to read about, but not so great as a couple.

Christine and Raoul (The Phantom of the Opera):

Please also note that I’m talking about this from the standpoint of the book (though I don’t like Christine with either guy in the musical too, but I digress). Obviously, you shouldn’t like Christine with the Phantom especially in the book for many reasons. Namely the murder. The issue is, Raoul isn’t necessarily great either. He doesn’t really care about what Christine thinks, constantly ignores her thoughts and feelings, and views her as being too naïve and emotional even though he’s the one who’s generally naïve and emotional. This is also almost taken for parody in the book and is not meant to be a very good depiction of a couple. I will admit that the two as a couple is better in the musical, but it does seem to be at the expense of much of Christine’s intelligence from the book.

Pheobus and Esmerelda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame):

If you’ve read the book you might think that this is a no brainer. They were written to be a bad couple. But, I put this on the list for Disney fans. As much as I really like Disney, Pheobus should have never been depicted as a love interest for Esmerelda in any media ever. Pheobus was an awful man who considered sexually assaulting Esmerelda to get what he wanted, took advantage of her kindness, and eventually said nothing when she was executed (even though he knew she was innocent) because he didn’t want his fiancée to know he was being unfaithful. Pheobus was written to be an awful man and there is actually a character they could have easily used to be an love interest to Esmerelda that they didn’t even include in the movie. Making Pheobus the love interest for Esmerelda in the Disney movie was… a strange choice.

Best:

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice):

Obviously. They begin the novel at each other’s throats and eventually figure out how mistaken they were about each other. Through the process they also realize their own faults and work to become better for each other. By the time the novel ends they have both become better people and there is no doubt in your mind that they are absolutely perfect for each other. This novel also features Jane and Mr. Bingley who are an absolutely adorable couple and almost equally amazing as the main couple. Though I do feel that a bit of these romances are…well…romanticized… I do think that they are amazing and incredibly healthy.

Fire and Brigan (Fire):

I’m not always a big fan of young adult novels, so I don’t read a lot of them. I was honestly surprised at how much I liked this one, especially because romance as a main plot point isn’t necessarily my favorite either. Fire and Brigan are another couple that begin the book at each other’s throats, again because of a misunderstanding rather than an actual thing that either of them did. Instead of a sudden realization that they were wrong because of a dramatic action, they actually discover their first impressions were incorrect by spending time with each other. In the end, this couple isn’t exactly as passionate as you would expect most young adult couples to be. Which is what I liked! Their version of love is just being there for each other. They show their love by comforting each other and giving each other strength in important situations instead of by staring at each other for long periods of time or making out. Their love feels so much more real and tangible and warm than most of the couples I’ve read about.

Poppet and Bailey (The Night Circus):

I have to add these two in here, of course, because I love this book. You are probably wondering why I didn’t say Marco and Celia as they are the main romance in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love that couple as well, but I just love the warmth and innocence of Poppet and Bailey. They are both pretty introverted in comparison to most of the other characters in the book, but they both find comfort around each other. As great as is it is read about the angst of Marco and Celia; I much preferred reading about Bailey and Poppet running through the ice forest circus tent or going to buy hot chocolate together. Away from other people, but still together. (I’m an introvert, can you tell?) It felt so natural and innocent and you can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be in the Night Circus with someone special.

Linus and Arthur (The House in the Cerulean Sea):

If you liked the couple of Crowley and Aziraphale in ‘Good Omens’, you’ll love these two! It’s basically like them, but if the show didn’t shy away from actually portraying them as a couple. This book was written by a gay author to help promote LGBTQ+ representation and it does just that. These two aren’t overly passionate, but also show their love by supporting each other and basically co-parenting the children in this book. In the end everyone, including the children, ships it. You will cheer at their small adorable dances together and when they finally get together. This is one of the healthiest couples you will ever see in anything ever.

There you have it! Some of my favorite and least favorite couples in books! Hopefully this list has included some book you’re interested in reading now! I made sure to only include books that I really like, even for the couples that I don’t like. Once again, happy reading!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Halloween: Morticia and Gomez Addams Are One of the Best Relationships in Media

Screenshot of Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez (Raul Julia) from the 1991 ‘The Addams Family’. Copyright of Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

Every year, when October rolls around, I get the sudden reminder that I’ve been neglecting my favorite fictional couple all year. There are some nice fictional couples out there, but none so healthy and devoted as Morticia and Gomez Addams. Regardless of which adaptation you watch, Morticia and Gomez’s love for each other stands out. This especially surprised me coming back to the movies a few years ago as an adult. As a kid, Wednesday Addams was the character that stood out the most to me. But rewatching it, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Morticia and Gomez. Every Halloween it’s incredibly important to point out what exactly Morticia and Gomez do right that other couples in media don’t. Here’s my list of the most admirable things about this amazing relationship.

They Actually Like Each Other: This might seem obvious, but I would like to point out that it really, really, isn’t. It’s really common in media to see two people who have been married for a long time start to dislike each other. In fact, it’s a common joke in media for spouses to be annoyed with each other on a constant basis. This is especially true of spouses who are shown to have kids they are taking care of. This is absolutely untrue of Morticia and Gomez. They enjoy being in each others presence, so much so that they sometimes forget other people are present. They are never insulting towards one another, even if they don’t fully agree with what the other is doing. They often try to find time alone as well, as they both know how important alone time with one another is to their relationship. Regardless of what version you watch, they constantly speak about when they met or the day of their wedding as if it barely passed. It’s obvious that their feelings for each other have never waned and they have taken steps to ensure they both stay happy.

They’re Still Attracted to One Another: This specific thing blows a lot of people’s minds when they watch ‘The Addams Family’ movies. Gomez can’t stop kissing Morticia, and Morticia isn’t afraid to call Gomez “Mon Cherie” in public. This specific thing was even included in the black and white television show that aired in 1964. It was a controversial piece of the show at the time. It wasn’t very common to see a married couple act so affectionately in public, and was definitely not accepted enough to be commonly seen on television. Still, ‘The Addams Family’ has never been about portraying a conventional family. Fortunately, the creators of the show were less concerned about what couples in everyday society would do as much as they were concerned about creating interesting characters with a strong relationship. Not enough married couples in media are allowed to be so affectionate, even more than fifty years later. Morticia and Gomez deserve praise for being shameless in their attraction for one another.

They’re Good Parents: Morticia and Gomez love being around one another, but they always make time for their kids as well. They both are supportive, eager to guide their children and cheer them on. At Wednesday and Pugsley’s Shakespearean performance they are the only ones cheering, but that doesn’t affect how eager they are to show their pride. They can be strict with their children, but they rarely, if ever, raise their voices at them. Gomez and Morticia show just as much love and care raising their children as they do in their relationship. Often times media treats this balance as an impossibility. Couples can either care for their children or care for each other. The very act of a couple being devoted to one another seems to imply that they are bad parents. Just think of how many movies present parents going off on a date night and leaving their children with a babysitter as an irresponsible move. Gomez and Morticia prove that devotion in both areas of their lives is far from impossible.

They’re Equals: Morticia and Gomez have never, even in 1964, been portrayed as unequal in their relationship. There is no situation where Morticia’s views have ever been treated as less important than Gomez’s. In fact, Gomez is fully aware of how intelligent and strong Morticia is. He relies on her for both emotional support and advice. Likewise, Morticia knows that Gomez is much more social than she is and can be trusted in social situations Morticia isn’t knowledgeable in. On occasion Morticia will act as a damsel in distress, but Gomez never doubts that she is fully capable of saving herself. Gomez, also, can be very dramatic and easily depressed, but Morticia doesn’t doubt that he can bounce back from his slumps. They both know each others strengths and weaknesses, and admire one another for them. Neither would be caught dead (pun intended) taking advantage of their significant other in a vulnerable moment.

Morticia and Gomez’s relationship never fails to make me aware of just how single I am. Their love for each other is absolutely undeniable. Most importantly, they lack all of the unhealthy traits I see in other popular relationships. There’s no unbalanced power dynamic. There isn’t an unhealthy amount of bickering that is somehow portrayed as “quirky”. They aren’t expected to avoid one another just because they’re parents. They share interests but they don’t like all of the same things. They spend time together but they don’t shut other people out. They are probably the closest Hollywood has come to portraying a perfect couple. Their love of everything spooky is just an added bonus.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: Fall Recommendations

Image of Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’ featuring illustrations by Chris Riddell.

Hi! It’s Annie!

This might sound kind of odd, but colder weather is definitely my favorite time to read. There is nothing better than a warm blanket, a cup of tea, and a good book. This also means there’s no better time to share some of my fall book recommendations! These are books I prefer to pick up during the colder season just because they give that feeling of fall. Whether it’s because the book also features it’s characters in colder weather or because it’s a book that lends itself well to the spooky (not scary) feeling of the season; these are hopefully all books that will help you get a little more in the fall spirit. We all sort of need someplace to go, at least in our imaginations, away from the world as it is right now; so I will only be recommending books that take you away to another world in some sense. You’ll probably find that those are my favorite types of books anyways.

‘The Graveyard Book’ by Neil Gaiman:

This is one of those books that is perfect for getting into the spooky season. After his family is murdered, a toddler wanders into the local graveyard where the orphan is adopted by the ghosts he meets. Nobody Owens is raised in the graveyard until he becomes a young teenager, when he becomes wrapped up in the mystery of his parents’ murder. Despite the dark themes of this book, I can guarantee you it’s really not scary. The ghosts are very much friendly figures and the book takes a decidedly lighthearted approach to many of it’s subjects that could have been much darker. Still, between the ghouls and a murderer on the loose, there’s plenty of spooks to get you into the spooky season. If this is too lighthearted of a story for you, I highly recommend checking out another one of Neil Gaiman’s famous spooky stories: ‘Coraline’. I still can’t watch that movie because the ending used to give me nightmares. Yes, I am, in fact, a wuss. But the book was something I did much better with. Still, if you’re anything like me, this book will be slightly more your speed. This is also the type of book you can read to kids if that’s what you’re looking for (this will be the only book like that on this list), but it’s a great book for all ages.

‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte:

If you’re looking at this book and wondering why it’s fall themed or spooky, you probably aren’t too familiar with the ending of this book. In that case, give it a shot! This book follows the life of Jane Eyre as she goes from school to becoming a governess in the household of a rich man. I will warn you that it can be painful getting past the beginning chapters of her school life. I found those chapters to be pretty boring. But once you get past that part you begin an incredibly complicated storyline with twists at every turn. I find that this book is often advertised to people as some sort of romance, in which case I will tell you that the romance is not the purpose of this story. If you are looking for a romantic book with amazing chemistry between the main characters, turn someplace else. What begins as a sweet romance suddenly becomes all the more disturbing as Jane finds out more and more secrets regarding the man she is falling in love with. By the end of the book you’re almost hoping she doesn’t get together with him. It is not the romance but really the ending of this book that makes this read worth it.

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by Gaston Leroux:

This one pretty much speaks for itself, but I will warn you that it is very different from the musical you are probably familiar with. This books uncovers the mysterious identity of a man who haunts the Paris Opera House and his obsession with Christine, one of the singers. This book features a more capable Christine, better characters over-all, and is probably less spooky than you were expecting. The Phantom is much more like a child in this, but he’s also a bit more murderous. Even though this isn’t as creepy, there are still murders, kidnappings, and the regular stalking you expect from this story. It’s very different from the musical, but it’s just as good.

‘The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton:

Looking for a good murder mystery to read? I’ve got you covered! This book is one of my favorites that I’ve read and it’s probably because of my absolute love of a good murder mystery. This book follows Aiden Bishop, a man caught in a time loop who’s only objective is to stop the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle at the end of each day. Each day he will be placed into a different body belonging to one of the people in the Hardcastle mansion so that he may use their individual strengths to help find the killer and stop the murder. An excellent murder mystery with a supernatural twist and so many twists in the story you will never guess who the murderer is. But you also begin to discover that the identity of the murderer is not the most important of the mysteries you should be trying to solve. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is even mildly interested in murder mysteries and, trust me, it’s plenty creepy without being too scary.

‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern:

It’s really difficult for me to not put this on any list of recommendations I ever give. You might have recognized it from my favorite books section in my intro post. This book follows a couple of different storylines all intertwined into a mysterious circus that turns up unannounced only at night. This book is quite possibly my favorite that I’ve ever read, so you will undoubtedly see this pop up several times throughout my posts. I’m justifying this addition to this list by saying that most of the book happens during colder weather and one of the characters lives near an apple orchard; which is very fall aesthetics. But really, the reason to read this book is the escapism. I have never had the wording in a book be so detailed that it literally transported me into another world. This is the type of book where you scream “No!” once you finish it because you just want to stay in the circus forever. I can almost guarantee you that you will come away from this book absolutely in love with some aspect of the book. My favorite story line in the book follows Bailey, Poppet, and Widget; but there’s a bigger and equally as lovely competition/romance in this story that you will also fall in love with. Read it all and the read it again, because I know you’ll want to. Warning; it will also make you crave churros and hot chocolate and you will most definitely want to dance in an ice garden after reading this.

There you go! My fall reading recommendations! Obviously, if nothing else I strongly recommend ‘The Night Circus’; but all of these are more than great options. Hopefully these will provide an escape and make you feel just as cozy as these books make me feel! Happy fall reading!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Twins in Media: Thing 1 and Thing 2

Art of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Suess’ “Cat in the Hat”. Copyright goes to the Dr. Seuss estate.

Hey! Hallie here!

Let’s carry on this classics week with another representation of twins! This one is one my sister and I have been compared to more than any other set of twins in media. It’s a normal thing to refer to twins as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sometimes even regular siblings get called Thing 1 and Thing 2. The reason why we’re counting this pair as a representation of twins is because these two look exactly alike and helped normalize many tropes regularly used for twins. You can probably already tell what my opinion of these two will end up being, but let’s go more into depth and see just how problematic they are. Also, just to keep it in the Halloween theme, I’d highly recommend checking out the Cat in the Hat ride at Universal Studios Florida on YouTube. There are very few things more terrifying than Thing 1 and Thing 2 looking a lot like Chucky as they try to push a piano on top of you.

The Good:

  • They’re cute? I guess? I mean their smiles are kind of adorable. Their dimples are hard to resist. Unless you’re talking about ‘The Cat in the Hat’ 2003 film starring Mike Myers. They are outrageously terrifying in that movie. Dr. Seuss’ original art style makes Thing 1 and Thing 2 almost huggable, though. Plus they’re wearing what looks like pajamas, which makes them seem cuddly. I wish there was more I could say here.

The Bad:

  • Synchronization: These two do literally everything in unison. They don’t speak, but they’re constantly side by side and act as a unit. And what’s to be surprised about there? Their names are literally Thing 1 and Thing 2. They wear the same outfit. It isn’t like there’s any sort of attempt at making them individuals in any adaptation of this story. This is exactly why these two are constantly used as a comparison to twins. Nothing they do is separate from each other. It isn’t surprising that they act as if they’re operating with one brain.
  • Mischievous Twins: This is what Thing 1 and Thing 2 do in any adaptation of the story. They’re brought out by The Cat to help everyone have more fun and instead absolutely wreck everything in the house. This trope is really commonly used for twins and I can’t help but point to these two as one of the reasons it’s so popular. If my sister and I looked like we were doing something even slightly mischievous when we were younger, it was always grounds to compare us to Thing 1 and Thing 2. It’s a weird thing to expect of twins and still it’s been carried on through most forms of media since.
  • Abnormal: These two are presented as being different from the human characters, and even different from The Cat. They’re drawn differently with tufts of blue hair, white skin, and shorter heights than everyone else. And yet, what’s stuck with audiences hasn’t been these features, but the fact that they look the same. They’re a constant when it comes to mentioning pairs of any kind, especially twins, because they look so similar. Whether of not Seuss intended for them to be a representation of twins or not, audiences have since made them popular twins in media. So, regardless, it’s important to acknowledge that these characters are shown to be nothing more than entertainment and trouble for the lead characters without true characteristics of their own. This has been common in the representation of twins in media. Twins are used as nothing more than an interesting thing to observe for personal entertainment. It’s definitely a harmful stereotype that these two characters contributed to.
  • Same Story: It’s not like you get much of these characters in the story at all, but it should be mentioned that they have the same storyline. They create trouble with The Cat, ruin various things, and then clean their mess up at the end. They both do all of these things together. They serve the same purpose in the story. The only thing that alludes to any sort of difference between them is a number. So why were there two of them anyway? I couldn’t tell you. Maybe for rhyming purposes? Who knows? All I know is that the lack of differentiation made them more harmful than helpful. Two different people acting as one unit is a common view of twins and it simply isn’t accurate.

You know what I’m going to say here. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are bad examples of twins in media. Also, most twins don’t really like it when you constantly compare them to this duo. However, these two are an interesting case. There’s no clear evidence that these two were originally intended to be twins. They just happened to fit many people’s view of twins. It’s less because of Dr. Seuss and more because of the audience’s misconceptions about twins that made Thing 1 and Thing 2 so harmful to twins in the long run. This week of classics was kind of a downer, so I’m going to close with at least one positive thing we can take out of this look into Thing 1 and Thing 2. If there weren’t two of them, you wouldn’t get to hear both of their terrifying laughter on either side of you as you ride the ride in Universal Studios Orlando. Ok less positive, more entertainingly horrific.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Twins in Media: Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Screenshot from Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Productions and RKO Radio Pictures.

Hi! It’s Annie!

This week for twins in media, we’re really going for the classics. These are the twin portrayals that paved the way for many other twins in media, and also popularized harmful stereotypes. It’s really difficult to talk about twins in media without a mention of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Alice meets this pair of twins on her adventures through Wonderland and is almost immediately annoyed by their presence in almost every version of this tale. What’s not to be annoyed about? They hop around, insult her, and talk in nothing but riddles much like most of the other people she meets in Wonderland. If you’re talking about the Tim Burton version, which I should mention purely for the purpose of name-dropping Burton during spooky season, they are some of the most useless characters in Wonderland. But do these things necessarily make them a bad representation of twins in media?

The Insane: (Wonderland’s definition of good.)

  • Their outfits? The flag hats are cute I guess. Right? I mean the color palate hurts my head a little bit. Maybe they aren’t as good. The longer I look at them the less I like them. But I had to put something in this category. I like their blue bowties. That’s something at least! Maybe I should have said their blue bowties instead of their entire outfits. Anyways…

The Sane:

  • Synchronicity. They are either speaking at the same time or finishing each other’s sentences. They can’t say anything without an interruption or continuation from the other, fueling this awful idea that twins somehow share a brain. It’s dumb, and let’s be honest, it would be annoying to hear a story be told in this way. Could you imagine someone sitting down to tell you a story and someone else constantly cutting them off and continuing parts of the story for them? It would totally ruin the flow. This trope isn’t just unrealistic, it’s also annoying!
  • Same lives. It’s not like there’s really any portrayal of these two where they have relationships with any other character. Never mind interacting with characters in different ways. They are their own two-headed entity that live in their own little world. This has fueled people into believing that twins only really like each other and live in their own personal worlds. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they were intimidated by me when they first met me; not because of how I looked, but because they thought my sister and I wouldn’t want to be bothered by people outside of the two of us. We are, in fact, people who live in the same world as everyone else and want relationships with other people. We aren’t some kind of alien race estranged from reality. We are siblings and best friends who want other friends and different relationships with different people. We aren’t going to bite your head off for daring to talk to us when we’re hanging out together… unless you say something really creepy.
  • Circus freaks. Here’s a good trope we haven’t talked too much about before! This is when a portrayal of twins treat twins more like something interesting to ogle than anything else. I mean, I would say most portrayals of twins actually do this, but there is an extent that exceeds what most other portrayals do. The fact that these two are in Wonderland along with the other weird creatures of Wonderland means the author is presenting twins as a weird creature. And yes, “a” , as in one singular creature instead of two. Twins are present in this story because Lewis Carroll deemed them inherently weird. He, like many people, looked at twins like a weird consumable object rather than two separate actual human beings. Their presence in the story is Carroll essentially asking the audience: “Wouldn’t it be weird to meet a pair of twins?” No. No, it wouldn’t. Twins are regular human beings and siblings. The fact that my sister and I were born on the same day is not something we could control. It wasn’t a result of experimental testing. It is not an uncommon occurrence. We are not aliens or weird creatures from another planet or an alternate dimension. The more you treat twins like circus freaks, the less you treat them like human beings. I am not an animal in a cage here for your amusement. If that’s how you want to see me or my sister… go away.
  • Paving the way. This is what’s most depressing about these two. They are some of the most popular portrayals of twins and also one of the first popularized portrayal of twins. People loved these characters, and still do, without seeing or acknowledging the issues with them. They are part of the reason why many twin characters in media are still way, way, way off the mark. People think treating twins like this and portraying them like this in media is ok. How many twins have been used for horror purposes because of their apparent “weirdness”?(We’ll come back to that later this month.) It is because twins have been portrayed like this for so long that my sister and I have been treated like aliens by people several times in our lives. They helped start it all for the portrayal of twins in media, and that sucks.

So are they good representation of twins in media?

No. I really like ‘Alice in Wonderland’! A lot of my room is actually Wonderland themed because it fits so well with my love of pastels! I’ve always liked the creation of full worlds that allow the audience to easily escape into them, which has fueled my love of fictional places like Wonderland and Neverland. I grew up reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It was my go to book at my Grandfather’s house when I forgot to bring my own books from home. Curling up on the couch and reading it all in one sitting is a prominent memory from my childhood. But I can still say that the book has a lot of problems. (Don’t even get me started on the fact that it’s creation is really messed up considering Lewis Carroll was a pedophile and Alice was a real little girl.) Clearly, the portrayal of twins in this book is, though bad, not the worst problem present. We need to start normalizing the acknowledgement of bad things in the works that we like. It doesn’t mean you have to stop liking those things, but you should be able to look at aspects of it and determine that they aren’t right or moral. Critiquing media is part of consuming it. And the Tweedles should not have ever been a standard to which twins in media were held. But they were, and there’s no changing that. We need to look at them as bad examples so we can be better.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie