Casper’s First Christmas (1979) Review

Casper’s First Christmas (1979) Review

Casper the Friendly Ghost is a pretty well-known cartoon character, who had a life on television long before this Christmas special originally aired, but he had never before been paired with a stable of Hanna-Barbera’s most-popular characters. 

Casper lives in an old rundown house with his fellow ghost friend Hairy Scary, who has a big red nose and isn’t much scarier than Casper himself. The house is set to be demolished on Christmas Eve, which has Hairy Scary rattled and not in the best sprits (oof, sorry about the pun), so they go out to look for a new home. While they’re gone, an unlikely group of characters arrive. There’s Yogi Bear and Booboo, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddie. They are lost, but decide to spruce up the old house and celebrate Christmas just the same. When Casper and Hairy Scary come back, Casper is overjoyed, but Hairy Scary is not. 

It’s fun to see all of these characters come together in one half-hour program. Though it features one of those annoyingly over-the-top laugh tracks, it doesn’t do much to diminish the enjoyment. All of the characters get a moment to shine, but Casper’s part in the story sometimes feels a bit minimal, especially considering he’s in the title. Casper and Hairy Scary originally came from the series Casper and the Angels, which was on TV at the same time this special was released, but when I saw it for the first time as a kid, I didn’t yet know them from anything else. 

Casper’s First Christmas is pretty squarely aimed at kids, so if you’re watching it for the first time as a teen or adult, go in with that mindset, and you’ll likely enjoy it more. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is a Hanna-Barbera fan, and the way it tackles the Christmas theme is admirable, if not particularly original. It sort of feels like an excuse to have all these characters together, but it’s still fun regardless.