Broken Promises & Burger King Puppets: The Crazy History of ALF - The Sitcom, Cartoon & Talk Show!

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  • čas přidán 5. 01. 2022
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    Gordon "ALF" Shumway is the protagonist and title character of the 80's NBC TV series ALF and its animated spin-offs, ALF: The Animated Series, and ALF Tales.
    At the height of ALF's popularity he was a merchandising machine with dolls, stickers, the ALF telephone and, of course, ALF Burger King puppets.
    Due to some broken promises ALF also starred in the poorly received television film Project ALF for ABC, and eventually hosted the short lived talk show ALF's Hit Talk Show for TV Land.
    ALF was created and has been performed for his entire existence by Paul Fusco.
    To see the episode of VCR Party Live with the Burger King ALF puppet coat: • VCR Party Live! Episod...
    Muppet Show promo originally uploaded to archive.org by FlemishDog
    The promo: archive.org/details/Muppet_Sh...
    The FlemishDog Collection: archive.org/details/flemishdog
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Komentáře • 1,2K

  • @ChristianHansard
    @ChristianHansard Před 2 lety +830

    Remember ALF? He's back, in POG form.

  • @mydjsobad
    @mydjsobad Před 2 lety +203

    Paul Fusco: Alf is NOT a puppet.
    Dan Larson: *calls Alf a puppet as many times as possible in a 26 minute timespan*

    • @glennsimpson_aka_bobbysaccaro
      @glennsimpson_aka_bobbysaccaro Před 2 lety +13

      Dan Larson isn't beholden to Paul Fusco.

    • @SynopsisGrim
      @SynopsisGrim Před 2 lety +32

      Well, Larson IS one of ALF's villains after all.

    • @comettamer
      @comettamer Před 2 lety +7

      I mean, to Fusco he was no doubt as real as Hobbes was to Calvin. That said, Larson isn't Fusco or Calvin. Plus, that's just darn good entertainment.

    • @mistermaestersirthomas9164
      @mistermaestersirthomas9164 Před 2 lety +2

      Kinda… I dunno… petty…

    • @Domarius64
      @Domarius64 Před 2 lety +4

      Hah! You killed him.

  • @shenloken2
    @shenloken2 Před 2 lety +308

    Paul Fusco as Alf and Lorenzo Music as Garfield were some of the most prominent voices of my childhood.

    • @MentalLiberation
      @MentalLiberation Před 2 lety +17

      And thanks to Cartoon All Stars to the rescue, they got to crossover that one time

    • @CommodoreFan64
      @CommodoreFan64 Před 2 lety +6

      @@MentalLiberation It was cringe looking back at it, but at least it happened.

    • @shenloken2
      @shenloken2 Před 2 lety +6

      There is a reanimated version of the song “A Million Ways to Say No” that’s actually very entertaining though.
      Lookit up.

    • @xxOS1R1Sxx
      @xxOS1R1Sxx Před 2 lety +14

      Add Petter Cullen, Frank Welker, Larry Kenney and the great Mel Blanc and we have the best childhoods. Hahahaha

    • @JohnDoe-wq5eu
      @JohnDoe-wq5eu Před 2 lety +7

      @@xxOS1R1Sxx
      The '80s for all its problems was a magical decade for being a kid.
      The '90s were all so incredibly good but the '80s just seem so special.

  • @Larry
    @Larry Před 2 lety +250

    ALF's rise and fall is eeriely simialr to a pupet character we had in the UK called Roland Rat. A character who pretty much saved Breakfast television in the '80s.

    • @IsiahTomas
      @IsiahTomas Před 2 lety +8

      Was he an Avenger or a member of Excalibur?

    • @angelbangtana9885
      @angelbangtana9885 Před 2 lety +12

      @@IsiahTomas roland rat was a rat. who had a car. and was a puppet. with a car. it was a crazy time

    • @capnmo6718
      @capnmo6718 Před 2 lety +13

      'POG form' is mentioned at the end of the show.

    • @tigerbread78
      @tigerbread78 Před 2 lety +9

      Thanks, Millhouse

    • @JoseJoseC626
      @JoseJoseC626 Před 2 lety +1

      I hear his worth in that form is quite substantial

  • @LoneTiger
    @LoneTiger Před 2 lety +33

    Willie: _"ALF, what are you doing?"_
    ALF: _"Hammering."_
    Wilie: _"Can you be more specific?"_
    ALF: _"Hammering nails"_

  • @LNSLateNightSaturday
    @LNSLateNightSaturday Před 2 lety +167

    One other, more personal story: when I was about six I had surgery which required me to stay in the hospital for a time, and I took my Burger King Alf Puppet with me. This led to some interesting back-and-forth's when they sent a volunteer with a puppet up to the pediatric wing; I refused to talk to the puppet, and Alf did all the talking! It's a neat memory for me...

  • @alexpayne5914
    @alexpayne5914 Před 2 lety +30

    Willie - Brian, no soda before bed!
    Brian - don't worry Dad, it's beer.
    ALF - You're about out of Coors.

  • @williamcrowe2576
    @williamcrowe2576 Před 2 lety +27

    As with most sitcoms of the time, ALF had an episode that tackled the subject of drug abuse. The episode featured ALF getting addicted to the cotton balls that are placed in medicine bottles.

    • @1pcfred
      @1pcfred Před 2 lety

      They could have just had Max Wright smoke some crack.

  • @grantpark9093
    @grantpark9093 Před 2 lety +138

    One of the creepier aspects of this show for me as a kid was that you rarely, if ever, saw ALF's legs... I can recall in the intro when he runs into frame after setting up the timer on the camera for the family portrait and thinking "that ain't right" even at age 7... a full size ALF (with visible legs) is the stuff of my nightmares

    • @singaporesammy
      @singaporesammy Před 2 lety +26

      I had the same reaction when Kermit rode a bike and when Elmo was showing off his new shoes.

    • @JohnDoe-wq5eu
      @JohnDoe-wq5eu Před 2 lety +17

      Yeah seeing puppet/muppet legs is just some uncanny weird stuff. They try their best to not make it super weird but especially with Alf it just felt like it poked that part of my brain that found the way he ran to be just super weird and creepy.

    • @brandonpage7087
      @brandonpage7087 Před 2 lety +7

      Grant Park, you're not alone. I found the full body shots of ALF to be pretty darn creepy, as well. Even though, thanks to my mom telling me, I knew that it was a little person in a suit, it was still creepy to me.

    • @lydias376
      @lydias376 Před 2 lety +5

      Yeah that always freaked me out, puppets should not have legs!

    • @peterwong8028
      @peterwong8028 Před 2 lety +3

      Yup also at the end when they're all posing for a photo at a bque

  • @christophersummers1939
    @christophersummers1939 Před 2 lety +22

    remember alf? he's back! in toy galaxy form!

  • @beardedbubba7628
    @beardedbubba7628 Před 2 lety +7

    I’m 43 years old and I love ALF as much today as I did in 1986 when I was 8.

  • @mothersbasement
    @mothersbasement Před 2 lety +91

    How many takes did it take to say "Alf himsalf" without breaking?

  • @RazorFoxDV
    @RazorFoxDV Před 2 lety +23

    I loved my ALF Burger King puppet. I had the one with the Hawaiian-style shirt. Years later, I figured I'd outgrown it and gave it to charity, but then I really came to miss it as puppets are just so much fun. When a faraway friend of mine on Facebook was looking to clear out a few items, among them was that same ALF puppet. I notified her, she graciously sent it on over, and I'm so happy to have my ALF puppet back!

  • @ExtremeWreck
    @ExtremeWreck Před 2 lety +9

    All I can think of now is Paul Fusco making Space Cats with Marvel Productions lol. That was aired on NBC's last season of Saturday Morning cartoons from 1991 to 1992.

  • @everything80spodcast68
    @everything80spodcast68 Před 2 lety +75

    I just want to know if the story of Max Wright attacking the ALF puppet is real, because that takes this show to a new level

    • @OldManTheseDays
      @OldManTheseDays Před 2 lety +13

      I really do hope that story is real, and I really wish I'd seen it happen.

    • @johnpenguinthe3rd13
      @johnpenguinthe3rd13 Před 2 lety +26

      It appears to be very real. I remember reading interviews long ago where at least one cast member confirmed it happened for real. Long story short, by season 4 of ALF, Max Wright (Willie Tanner) and Paul Fusco (the English voice actor of ALF, one of the puppeteers and also the creator of ALF) were NOT getting along. Max HATED him by season 4 and Max was miserable as hell and with a nasty attitude. If you ever rewatch season 4 you will notice that Willie is a lot more aggravated towards ALF than usual in some episodes. That's REAL aggravation coming through. Anyway, IF Alf had returned for a fifth season, there is a high chance either Willie Tanner's character would have been completely written off the show since Max Wright didn't want to return and wanted out of his contract and Paul and some of the cast were NOT comfortable around Wright during season 4 and entirely replaced him with Jim J. Bullock (who played Willie's younger brother Neal in season 4) or if Max wanted to stay because of the huge paycheck (and he was still under contract), Willie's role would have been drastically reduced (probably only interacting with the human characters and NOT so much with ALF... mainly because I don't think Paul Fusco wanted Max Wright legit destroying the ALF puppet, or Paul himself, out of anger since Max was already on the edge of insanity during season 4, so there is no telling how insane he would have gotten throughout an entire season 5 shooting schedule) and increasing Willie's brother, Neal, role on the show (if you noticed, during the later part of season 4, Jim J. Bullock as Willie's brother, Neal Tanner, was starting to show up more and longer. They were already toying around with that idea by the later half of season 4).

    • @feck2594
      @feck2594 Před 2 lety +6

      Cocaine is a hell of a drug , so I'm guessing it's true.

    • @Jose-se9pu
      @Jose-se9pu Před 2 lety +2

      @@johnpenguinthe3rd13 you can tell they already had Neil as a back-up plan.

    • @jessragan6714
      @jessragan6714 Před 2 lety +6

      @@johnpenguinthe3rd13 See, Jm J Bullock has no shame, so he probably would have been up for permanently joining the cast. Like how David Spade slithered into Eight Rules after John Ritter died.

  • @108Stars
    @108Stars Před 2 lety +71

    Alf was so HUGE in Germany when I was growing up.
    Back then I heard it was even more popular here than in the US. He was everywhere like Pokémon would be a decade later. The number of different Alf toys of all sizes I have alone is staggering. I didn't exactly collect them but I must still have about 15 variants with fur, plus some more all plastic ones.
    That cliffhanger in the final episode scarred me. My mom was shocked too how they would end a show kids loved with an unhappy ending. Back then there was no internet, and when it was aired here it was already clear it was the final episode, not a "to be continued".
    When the movie came out (it came to cinemas here) I was older but still went to see it. But even there... They put in that throwaway joke about the Tanners having been sent to antarctica or something? I haven't watched it since but it was something like that... And I thought to myself, really? After all those years you now show Alf to be okay but the Tanners have been punished so still no happy end? XD
    I love Alf, he is a big part of my childhood. But at this point I think it is better to just let him retire for good.

    • @VorpalDerringer
      @VorpalDerringer Před 2 lety +13

      Pretty sure the Tanners were witness protected to Iceland....for some reason.

    • @brandonpage7087
      @brandonpage7087 Před 2 lety +5

      I disagree, ALF doesn't need to retire yet. I propose a new series, or a new movie. Do it while Paul Fusco is still alive & well, cause he's getting old. Oh, & in Project: ALF, the Tanner's were said to be put into witness protection.

    • @johnpenguinthe3rd13
      @johnpenguinthe3rd13 Před 2 lety +4

      I traveled a bit back and fourth between Germany and the United States when I was younger. Two shows that I noticed were popular during the late 80's in both countries were ALF and this other show called Out of This World (but in Germany that show was called "My father is an Alien: Mein Vater ist ein Außerirdischer). Anyway, during the Project: Alf movie (which takes place years after the 4th and final season of ALF), the Tanners were put into the witness protection program and relocated to Iceland and you couldn't see the actors.
      One of the behind the scenes reasons for that had to do with the actor who played Willie Tanner. Behind the scenes of season 4 they had A LOT of huge problems between him and Paul Fusco (creator of ALF and the American voice and puppeteer of ALF). By season 4, Willie Tanner's actor (Max Wright) legit hated Paul Fusco. It got so bad Max legit attacked the ALF puppet on set for real out of real anger one time and people had to restrain him. If you ever watch season 4 again and you notice that Willie is far more aggravated than usual in some of those episodes, it's because he really is aggravated for real. Anyway, he was not interested in coming back (if a season 5 had happened, his character most likely would have disappeared while Willie Tanner's younger brother, who showed up in season 4 and was played by Jim J. Bullock, would have had a larger role in a season 5 if it had happened) and they didn't want him back either. Also, the daughter Lynn Tanner, while she was on good terms with everyone, she had some personal stuff she was dealing with so she couldn't come back for Project ALF. They most likely could have had the son show up since he was on good terms with everyone, but he was significantly older at that time and not recognizable since he was a teen by the time Project ALF was made. I do believe the mom was available and she definitely was on good terms with everyone, but with only 2 out of the 4 Tanners available (and from the 2 that were available one of them was older and looked very different) I guess they decided to do the relocated to Iceland joke.

    • @tartrazine5
      @tartrazine5 Před 2 lety +2

      So a show about an oppressed minority (whose people have lost their homeland, and have strange dietary customs) hiding from the military with a family that takes them in was very popular in Germany? I can't imagine why.

    • @yanikkunitsin1466
      @yanikkunitsin1466 Před 2 lety +1

      That and Harry and Hendersons. Furophilia of some sorts...

  • @wstine79
    @wstine79 Před 2 lety +81

    I remember getting the Surfing ALF puppet at Burger King. This was an interesting show. The dad was my favorite non-puppet character on the show.

    • @ironmaster6496
      @ironmaster6496 Před 2 lety +5

      yeah Willy was ironically really funny and had a great dynamic with Alf

    • @edrose2772
      @edrose2772 Před 2 lety +1

      I had the same puppet, I put it on the transfer case shifter in my jeep! Awesome show, I was a sarcastic obnoxious 20 year old when the show came out and I totally related to ALF!

    • @bigdaddyroy5382
      @bigdaddyroy5382 Před 2 lety +2

      I ended up with a 4 puppets. But I remembered getting the last one on the day I ended up going camping. Kinda like 1 big happy memory. Man I miss being a kid

    • @zimmerlicker
      @zimmerlicker Před 2 lety +1

      that guy was awesome as Mr. Denby on The Norm Show too🙂

  • @thetechn1que518
    @thetechn1que518 Před 2 lety +27

    I loved Alf as a kid, but had no idea how much darkness was behind the scenes, which this only barely touched on. Everyone hated working on the show because of the difficult production. Fusco was said to be verbally abusive. Max Wright’s struggles with crack addiction are well known. Writer Jerry Stahl wrote an autobiography about his heroin addiction, Permanent Midnight, which was turned into a movie starring Ben Stiller. Alf is called “Mr Chompers” in the movie adaptation.

    • @spenserbeckerszs
      @spenserbeckerszs Před 2 lety +4

      Ok I need to look this up now. I had no idea the behind the scenes struggle of this show was turned into a movie. Not mention one starring Ben Stiller no less. Where was the last time you saw it? I wonder if it’s streaming on any of the services. How old is the movie?

    • @thetechn1que518
      @thetechn1que518 Před 2 lety +4

      @@spenserbeckerszs The book and the movie are both called Permanent Midnight, and the movie came out in 1998. It’s unusual to see Ben Stiller in a dramatic role. Not sure if any streaming services carry it. Also, to clarify, the movie is about television writer Jerry Stahl’s drug addiction and not about Alf, though it does include the part where he started writing for Alf. Some names are changed, probably due to legal concerns. Alf is “Mr. Chompers” in the movie.

    • @DaisyPusher
      @DaisyPusher Před 8 měsíci

      Jfc! No wonder I never enjoyed watching this show. Loved the merchandise but the energy showed.

    • @Joecbg100
      @Joecbg100 Před 5 měsíci +1

      You're telling me the dad was hooked on crack????😮
      Holy fuck. No idea.

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 Před 3 měsíci

      @@Joecbg100 He was also Closeted. And couldn't deal with his Sexuality. So he was heavily addicted to Crack and often made Homosexual Amateur Porn. Even more tragic, his Wife completely kicked him out of the house in 2003 and divorced him. He spent his tragic final years reclusive, almost homeless and practically broke.

  • @wimvanderstraeten6521
    @wimvanderstraeten6521 Před 2 lety +8

    I remember Alf saying that his planet exploded because the inhabitants all turned on their hairdryers at the same moment.

  • @Jayk129
    @Jayk129 Před 2 lety +15

    If I am ever able to send a message through time to my 11 year old self it will be this: In the future you’ll be able to sit down with a computer the size of your social studies notebook and watch a half hour documentary about ALF anytime you want anywhere on Earth. But, uh, we still haven’t cured cancer. Have fun kid!

  • @melasn9836
    @melasn9836 Před 2 lety +45

    1. Man, it feels like ages since HBO made all-ages programming. And not just for streaming like now.
    2. Everything about making ALF sounds intensely frustrating for everyone but Fusco, who sounds more & more bizarre the more I hear about him.
    3. Wait, the Simpsons' composer did the theme song?!
    4. Fun fact - while watching this at lunch, my cat stopped begging for my food & sprinted from the room when Alf appeared on screen. I'm not saying that they instinctively know but...

    • @comettamer
      @comettamer Před 2 lety +4

      If Alf is evil, then I for one welcome our new, fuzzy, overlord.

    • @michiganscythian2445
      @michiganscythian2445 Před 2 lety +4

      Also, ALF writers Mike Reis and Al Jean later went on to be Simpsons Show runners and writers.

    • @paulforester6996
      @paulforester6996 Před 2 lety +4

      That would be a funny detail, if they put a sound only sensitive to cats when alf entered the frame, scaring cats with his presence.

    • @Attmay
      @Attmay Před 2 lety +1

      @@michiganscythian2445 If they ever cancel *The Simpsons* they can always get their old job back.

  • @snukastyle
    @snukastyle Před 2 lety +34

    I think I had the full run of the ALF comics. But to find out Gordon never joined the X-Melmen during the Dark Kleenex Saga has broken my heart. Nor the time he ran a D&D game for the Tanners as "Danny the Elfman".

  • @nicholashurst780
    @nicholashurst780 Před 2 lety +10

    I grew up in the carnival business my mother worked in what is called a balloon store which is the game where you pop a lot of balloons to win a bigger and bigger teddy bear, and the one stuffed animal display that was not available to be given away because it was hers personally was Alf. She kept it up on display until basically the turn of the millennium

  • @lukedufour
    @lukedufour Před 2 lety +54

    Love to see people talking about ALF. So awesome! Great video! I would say 1 notable highlight he had was he was on Hollywood Squares for a while. While it seems like a weird thing to mention, he was on there fairly regularly I believe.

    • @orenkiyama6860
      @orenkiyama6860 Před 10 měsíci +1

      I remember that, he was usually the middle square.

  • @grapeshot
    @grapeshot Před 2 lety +22

    Yes I remember that miniature Chewbacca looking cat eating alien. Nothing says 1980s like ALF.

    • @jeremybrooks7415
      @jeremybrooks7415 Před 2 lety +1

      The last Renaissance Fair I went to there was somebody in a Chewbacca suit complete with bandolier. When he turned around, he was wearing an Alf mask.

    • @Jose-se9pu
      @Jose-se9pu Před 2 lety

      Probably the reason why the movie was so bad is because Alf made in thr '90s felt...wrong

  • @RichRetr0
    @RichRetr0 Před 2 lety +10

    I always imagined Willie Tanner from ALF and Danny Tanner from Full House were related somehow (brothers, cousins, etc) and hoped we would get a crossover at some point...
    That would've blew my young mind lol

  • @mpettengill1981
    @mpettengill1981 Před 2 lety +59

    When I was a kid I remember watching that cliffhanger episode. I tuned in next week for what I assumed would be the final episode. It clearly said 'to be continued', right? We would find out about Alf and his friends, right? NO! What's on instead? A HOCKEY GAME!
    Well, thank you for solving that mystery for me for all these years later 🤣

    • @brodriguez11000
      @brodriguez11000 Před 2 lety +4

      Mine too.

    • @machupikachu1085
      @machupikachu1085 Před 2 lety +5

      I hate hockey to this day...

    • @Jose-se9pu
      @Jose-se9pu Před 2 lety +6

      In my country, they edited the episode so it ended before the military arrived...I learned about this years later...wish I never had.

  • @jeremymenning56
    @jeremymenning56 Před 2 lety +10

    Gordon Shumway is my favorite pop culture reference.

  • @comettamer
    @comettamer Před 2 lety +7

    ALF is a classic from before my time. I did grow up watching reruns hither and thither, but it is only recently I have found myself finally cracking into the series as a whole. Such a sweet, mostly wholesome series that really does make one smile at the simpler times. Remember when Alf phoned the President to insist upon nuclear disarmament?

    • @liwojenkins
      @liwojenkins Před 9 měsíci

      Tons of great shows from that decade and the one before. Unfortunately I can't watch any of them anymore, except Sci-fi or Westerns, due to the ever present laugh track. If you know anyone selling AIs that remove laugh tracks from shows, I would pay money for that.

  • @jy285
    @jy285 Před 2 lety +120

    I will never understand Magic Spoon’s business model. Too adult to eat Lucky Charms, too childish to eat a real breakfast? Magic Spoon! It tastes bad and costs a lot, but you can eat it while watching reruns of the Real Ghostbusters!

    • @mikekz4489
      @mikekz4489 Před 2 lety +9

      👏

    • @chrisbaker8533
      @chrisbaker8533 Před 2 lety +13

      I made the mistake of looking this stuff up, and nopped right out.
      about $20 a pound, ah hell no.

    • @JohnDoe-wq5eu
      @JohnDoe-wq5eu Před 2 lety +8

      I mean basically yes all of that.
      Nothing like exploiting nostalgia.

    • @scotthardie5141
      @scotthardie5141 Před 2 lety +8

      Was making a comment dumping on the company paying for the video you're watching an effective use of your time?

    • @amandapike2477
      @amandapike2477 Před 2 lety +29

      @@scotthardie5141 They have a right to comment on the quality or cost of the product, just as we do for commercials on actual TV.

  • @carjamlaw753
    @carjamlaw753 Před 2 lety +7

    Damn ALF. I drove my parents crazy with a constant, "No problem!", all day.

  • @malikot63
    @malikot63 Před 2 lety +4

    The Burger King commercial managed to get "Take Me, ALF, To The Ballgame" stuck in my head. I'm not mad.

  • @christopherwaldrop5293
    @christopherwaldrop5293 Před 2 lety +17

    For secondary characters the Ochmoneks, played by John LaMotta and Liz "Lady Seinfeld" Sheridan really brought a lot to the show. They were supposed to be obnoxious, nosy neighbors but often came across as much nicer than the Tanners. As a kid I was genuinely upset when Mrs. Ochmonek sees Alf, gets made fun of on a local talk show, and has a breakdown. I even hoped it would mark the beginning of the Tanners and Ochmoneks working together. I still hope for an alternate version where Alf lands on the Ochmoneks' garage.

    • @AlexReynard
      @AlexReynard Před 2 lety +6

      "I still hope for an alternate version where Alf lands on the Ochmoneks' garage."
      They did that in the comics one issue! Alf used his ship's Wotif machine on occasion to show alternate versions of events.

    • @Attmay
      @Attmay Před 2 lety +3

      That's why I was disappointed that *Project: ALF* disregarded them completely.

  • @gonzolowars
    @gonzolowars Před 2 lety +11

    Last month, watching Alf's Christmas Special was one of the highlights of my holiday's binge watching. That episode brought me to tears again.

  • @starwarsunfiltered7848
    @starwarsunfiltered7848 Před 2 lety +6

    My mom handed out gift packs of ALF trading cards to everybody who attended my 9th birthday. It was awesome.

  • @ravager48
    @ravager48 Před 2 lety +51

    Fun fact: Melmac exploded because everyone plugged in their hair dryers at the same time.

    • @CartoonMitchell
      @CartoonMitchell Před 2 lety +1

      I could think of even more embarrassing scenarios!

    • @ryan489
      @ryan489 Před 2 lety +1

      Another Fun Fact: Melmac is the name of the planet but also what it was made out of.

    • @Optimegatrongodzilla
      @Optimegatrongodzilla Před 2 lety +2

      The actual reason is nuclear warfare.

    • @daniiel1495
      @daniiel1495 Před rokem

      Hahahahaha

  • @honkylips9072
    @honkylips9072 Před 2 lety +20

    I still have my ALF plush from the 1980s. It’s still a big hit when people see it. He often makes appearances at holidays and family functions. Great video 👍🏻

    • @davidm4566
      @davidm4566 Před 2 lety

      All of a sudden I just had a clear memory of getting the large ALF stuffed animal when I was in 3rd grade for Christmas.
      I had a large box that I was playing with inside it with ALF and think I was pretending it was his spaceship.

    • @HisNameWasCrazy
      @HisNameWasCrazy Před 2 lety +1

      @@davidm4566 the box it came in looked like a spaceship, I remember cos it was half the reason I wanted it so bad - drove my poor dad crazy bugging him about that Alf toy before Christmas that year!

    • @davidm4566
      @davidm4566 Před 2 lety

      @@HisNameWasCrazy I forgot about that! I think I still have the ALF puppets at my Dad's house.

  • @doublecreeptheater376
    @doublecreeptheater376 Před 2 lety +4

    On my family’s Christmas 1987 vhs my dads cousin asks my dad if he had watched ALF yet and then they go into talking about ALF for about a minute. People loved ALF!

  • @philippkemptner4604
    @philippkemptner4604 Před 2 lety +3

    Alf was a curse for his german voice talent Tommi Piper. His voice became so very much related to that role he had little job offers after voicing Alf.

  • @burntmarshwigglestudio597
    @burntmarshwigglestudio597 Před 2 lety +20

    Alf was on on Monday nights for me. Bath time and then run out of the bathroom in a towel as fast as possible so I didn't miss the show. Picked up two of the puppets in the drive thru and remember playing the paper records. We used to torment the dog with one of the puppets (he loved it and tore it up). I have a couple of the puppets and stuffed animal. The later special was fun, but dang it I really wish they'd bring Alf back

    • @rickybryan1759
      @rickybryan1759 Před 2 lety

      Rushing out of the bath towel around my waist! That was my Mork and Mindy memory. Also cracking it cos Mum said bath-time right before!!

    • @spenserbeckerszs
      @spenserbeckerszs Před 2 lety +1

      I seem to remember he got the Teddy Ruxpin treatment too as a toy. You could put a tape in his back and his mout and ears would move up and down to make it look like he was talking along with the audio tape.

  • @OldManTheseDays
    @OldManTheseDays Před 2 lety +8

    I wanted that big ALF plush SO BAD. Kinda still do.

  • @darktoylord
    @darktoylord Před 2 lety +28

    Randomly picked up the first issue of that ALF comic in the past few weeks. I was content with leaving it at that but now that you have informed me that it ran for 50 issues, well the collector in me has taken over and I need to find every one 😆

    • @ericturczynowsky3243
      @ericturczynowsky3243 Před 2 lety +1

      Or just hold out hope for an ALF Omnibus

    • @tigerbread78
      @tigerbread78 Před 2 lety

      Or just find it digitally

    • @Ravenfellblade
      @Ravenfellblade Před 2 lety +1

      Dude... There's an issue where ALF has to fight a sentient aloe vera plant. It was bonkers! Loved that comic.

    • @PeterTarkulich
      @PeterTarkulich Před 2 lety +1

      The comics are totally worth getting if you can find them. I have maybe 2/3 of the collection (maybe more? Been a while since I pulled them out of their hiding spot), and it's been a goal of mine to try to fill in the gaps one of these days.

    • @VengefulNonsense
      @VengefulNonsense Před 2 lety

      A comic shop I lived near a while ago had all 50 issues that they were selling for like $30. They where there the entire I lived there. Apparently people weren't crazy about the Alf comic.

  • @RabidChild82
    @RabidChild82 Před 2 lety +3

    What a shock that a man who refuses to admit his puppet is a puppet is, in reality, a huge creep. Didn’t see that one coming.

  • @johnsensebe3153
    @johnsensebe3153 Před 2 lety +8

    The idea of the cartoon being a prequel was genius. The only problem is knowing that most of the characters are destined to die horribly.

    • @CommodoreFan64
      @CommodoreFan64 Před 2 lety +1

      Yes, but we as kids did not care, as we were getting more ALF, and that's all that mattered.

    • @creativeconsciousness7392
      @creativeconsciousness7392 Před 2 lety +2

      That's pretty dark for a kid's show...

    • @salruotolo5754
      @salruotolo5754 Před 2 lety +2

      Rhonda alf's girlfriend and a few friends one named skip survived.. they made a cameo in an episode of the original TV show.

  • @Belgand
    @Belgand Před 2 lety +4

    ALF followed by The Hogan Family was such a big part of my childhood. NBC had an absolute lock on Mondays with those two.

    • @orenkiyama6860
      @orenkiyama6860 Před 10 měsíci

      I loved the Hogan Family. Though the show started off as Valarie's Family with Valarie Bertinellii, I vaguely remember those earlier episodes. It was always Sandy Duncan that was Mother figure as far as I was concerned.

  • @DJsleng06
    @DJsleng06 Před 2 lety +44

    Wow, Paul Fusco was so committed to maintaining Alf as kayfabe that he should have transitioned to pro wrestling.

    • @salruotolo5754
      @salruotolo5754 Před 2 lety +2

      Lol

    • @budsak7771
      @budsak7771 Před 2 lety +5

      I could see myself as an Alfaholic

    • @Joecbg100
      @Joecbg100 Před 5 měsíci +1

      That it is, he took it as seriously as if Alf was his own child

  • @Slayerthecrow
    @Slayerthecrow Před 2 lety +38

    Alf has one of the most disturbing Christmas Specials for sitcom standards.

    • @behindthescenesphotos5133
      @behindthescenesphotos5133 Před 2 lety +2

      I've gotten used to it, but that first viewing is jarring compared to what we were used to.

    • @Slayerthecrow
      @Slayerthecrow Před 2 lety +5

      @@behindthescenesphotos5133 Is a great episode indeed but man, the first time you see it is a total kick in the nuts when you weren't prepared.

    • @JustinEmlay
      @JustinEmlay Před 2 lety +1

      I just watched it last night. I though it was pretty good! For some reason I have no memory of that one.

    • @JustinEmlay
      @JustinEmlay Před 2 lety

      Ah, got ya!

    • @hadara69
      @hadara69 Před 2 lety +1

      I remember this! Was a teen fan so the daughter’s ‘rebelliousness’ WAS jarring, especially since my family has always had good Latin “Christmas Spirit”.
      I guess they were going for an “It’s a wonderful life” homage. I’ll have to watch it again.
      Miss 80s tv.

  • @Dr.Quarex
    @Dr.Quarex Před 2 lety +4

    My greatest personal relationship with ALF was that I lived for a while in Thailand when it was on, and as a result there are surely episodes I have only seen dubbed in Thai without subtitles, and I still to this day know what it sounds like to say "Willie" with a Thai accent

  • @Rockhead84
    @Rockhead84 Před 2 lety +10

    I definitely had an ALF sleeping bag as a kid, and was totally heartbroken by the cliffhanger ending. Hard as a kid to understand that the show wasn't coming back on air the next week

  • @theslimjames
    @theslimjames Před 2 lety +4

    Remember Alf? He's back, in vlog form.

  • @Hyde_Hill
    @Hyde_Hill Před 2 lety +8

    He is as real as Max Headroom, Kermit the Frog and Hulk Hogan. Wait a minute........

    • @ramenkingcruz
      @ramenkingcruz Před 2 lety +1

      Well yeah man.... you're going to have to face it but... Kermit was always just a puppet.

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 Před 2 lety

      I NEVER thought as ALF as Real. In the 80s as a Young Child, I saw him as a Kid's Mascot.

  • @0errab0
    @0errab0 Před 2 lety +2

    I loved watching ALF on Monday nights right after homework and dinner at 8PM and NBC.

  • @sevenpastmidnight9542
    @sevenpastmidnight9542 Před 2 lety +7

    Been waiting for this, I had a talking ALF doll when I was little.. kept it in the closet cuz it freaked me out.

    • @TheBronyBraeburn
      @TheBronyBraeburn Před 2 lety +1

      I had that same doll. I liked it a lot but I buried it under blankets at night. If I saw it in the dark, it would freak me out.

  • @maplejames6992
    @maplejames6992 Před 2 lety +4

    ALF is the Hulk Hogan of television. He's recognizable in every country, my girls even knew who he was before I introduced him. I sleep every night on an ALF pillowcase, and have all the stuffies. What can I say, I'm a fan, and this breakdown from Dan is awesome :)

  • @Legendsneverdie519
    @Legendsneverdie519 Před 2 lety +2

    My nickname as a kid was ALF, my dad said I reminded him of ALF because I was always into everything lol. I have fond memories of watching the show as a little kid.

    • @salruotolo5754
      @salruotolo5754 Před 2 lety

      Awesome 👍

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 Před 2 lety

      I had two Storybooks with Cassettes AND a Poster back during 1987-88!

  • @timvanboening9432
    @timvanboening9432 Před 2 lety +2

    I had the baseball Alf puppet. I wanted the surfer one, because it made more sense to me as a kid that he’d be wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

  • @Naterz_
    @Naterz_ Před 2 lety +3

    You totally should have mentioned ALF's appearance in Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue!

  • @hjames78
    @hjames78 Před 2 lety +3

    Bring back ALF! Good memories that ALF was. He fit perfect perfectly in the 80s

  • @3DJapan
    @3DJapan Před 2 lety +1

    One of my favorite shows when it was on. I still remember it was on Mondays at 8pm.

  • @Dreadjaws
    @Dreadjaws Před 2 lety +1

    Remember Alf? He's back! In Toy Galaxy video form!
    You know, I hope if the Alf reboot ever gets made someone uses a variation of that line in the promotional material.

  • @GearsinMotionGraphics
    @GearsinMotionGraphics Před 2 lety +4

    Lol.... So funny you would bring this TV icon back to life because I did have a Burger King puppet

  • @AaronLitz
    @AaronLitz Před 2 lety +3

    I was also 10 when ALF premiered. I still remember the countdown "ALF lands in X days!" and I was really excited to see what it was.

  • @skree_fpv436
    @skree_fpv436 Před 2 lety +2

    I remember when I was a kid my Aunt had large talking ALF doll. I was similar to a Teddy Ruxpin where you put a cassette tape in him. I liked the show, I thought ALF was funny and I liked getting to stay up past my 8 o'clock bedtime to watch it even more

  • @waffensuperninja
    @waffensuperninja Před 2 lety +3

    Warm memories of my father and I rushing home from Cub scouts just to catch Alf on night time TV

  • @ecnayonnA
    @ecnayonnA Před 2 lety +7

    I loved the cartoon. The theme song was awesome.
    As for the show. I still remember the giant cockroach episode. Bug spray just made it bigger.

    • @orenkiyama6860
      @orenkiyama6860 Před 10 měsíci

      Ah yes and Kate's anniversary gift , some cheap perfume finally killed it.

  • @kerdnerl
    @kerdnerl Před 2 lety +1

    alf was by far my favorite tv show growing up. growing up poor in the twin citys area, i didnt have access to many channels. no disney, no nickelodeon, and no cartoon network, but i did have meTV. i grew up with alf, batman, mash, and svengoolie, and now that im an adult i got box sets for alf and batman

  • @forkgod
    @forkgod Před 2 lety +2

    I was obsessed with ALF as a youngling. Apparently I insisted my parents call me 'BALF', Brother of ALF.

  • @aputridpileofb-movies6542

    The live action show's final episode is one of the darkest family friendly sitcom episodes ever. You should give it a look.

  • @-C.S.R
    @-C.S.R Před 2 lety +4

    *ALF* was always one of my favorites!
    He was so funny and I would love to see him back on earth! 🙏

  • @PaulSpurgeon
    @PaulSpurgeon Před 2 lety +2

    Solid Thew Adams reference. A+

  • @jordanhoughton1948
    @jordanhoughton1948 Před 2 lety +1

    ALF was great! I remember having ALF pajamas, ALF coloring books, and an ALF puzzle. ALF! ALF! ALF!

  • @CantankerousDave
    @CantankerousDave Před 2 lety +33

    The cartoon’s writing was definitely not aimed at kids. It was more like The Critic.

    • @user-hc9qv9yb9m
      @user-hc9qv9yb9m Před 2 lety

      or SNL

    • @ColdHighway7
      @ColdHighway7 Před 2 lety +17

      I wouldnt mind seeing Toy Galaxy do a video on The Critic (along with Duckman for that matter)

    • @jimmyju76
      @jimmyju76 Před 2 lety +3

      Loved Alf Tales, combining tall tales with Hitchcock 😂, Favorite was John Henry

    • @Trevor-08
      @Trevor-08 Před 2 lety +1

      @@ColdHighway7 yes

    • @JohnDoe-wq5eu
      @JohnDoe-wq5eu Před 2 lety +2

      @@ColdHighway7
      Duckman was basically George Costanza in animated form.
      Although I feel like they did a much better job of humanizing and giving the character pathos then you would think.

  • @jaredduncan6604
    @jaredduncan6604 Před 2 lety +3

    There's already an ALF feature film. It's called Permanent Midnight.

  • @A_YouTube_Commenter
    @A_YouTube_Commenter Před 2 lety +2

    The daughter on Alf was a huge crush in my childhood. She was so cute.

  • @lp-xl9ld
    @lp-xl9ld Před 2 lety +2

    I got my first car in 1989 and the first accessory I got for it was an ALF sunscreen (the thing you put inside your front windshield in the summer to keep the interior from getting TOO hot). But what I don't get is that I didn't hear about the PROJECT ALF program when it happened...I remember the cliffhanger and would certainly have remembered seeing its resolution...

  • @Proximityillusions
    @Proximityillusions Před 2 lety +3

    I enjoyed ALF immensely, as I was a young teenager when it came on. I had an ALF doll, taped the show every week, loved every cameo appearance especially the Hollywood Squares. Great TV.

  • @Cyberrat629
    @Cyberrat629 Před 2 lety +3

    I had that 22” Alf doll as a kid and also an AlF Halloween costume. That thing could’ve been worn as a snowsuit it was so warm. The mask was a full sized, head that was also fur covered. I remember getting so warm in that thing I had to a top wearing the mask trick r treating. The rest of thr night, people asked if I was supposed to be Chewbacca lol.
    Great video as always, and thanks for thr nostalgia hit, Dan.

  • @just_a_carl
    @just_a_carl Před 2 lety +1

    The guy in the ALF coat at the 14:05 mark is Nick Prueher. He did a whole ALF retrospective series on TY called "Willie's Garage"!

  •  Před 2 lety +2

    Even though I was born late after Alf’s popularity had long worn out, I was fortunate enough to discover the show at Nick At Night during my childhood and I absolutely loved it.

  • @GSidoti
    @GSidoti Před 2 lety +4

    Didn't expect to see the premier Melmacian as a topic, but certainly not unwelcome. I always enjoy 'Is It Canon?' as well- great ep!

  • @paulfisher9926
    @paulfisher9926 Před 2 lety +5

    I liked the Saturday morning cartoon version of Alf.

  • @RobotDowneyJr
    @RobotDowneyJr Před 2 lety +1

    The only non-yearbook childhood photo I have of myself, I'm wearing an ALF shirt!

  • @thebigchimpanski4783
    @thebigchimpanski4783 Před 2 lety +1

    I too became quite popular in 6th grade because my ALF impersonation was pretty on point. "HEY WILLIE!!!"

  • @zamhar
    @zamhar Před 2 lety +3

    I collected ALF comics when i was in boarding school. They tried to bring the puns, wordplay and overall sense of humour of the show to the comics, but it is a different genre and it did not always work. But overall, it was still ALF and reading the comics was great escape from mundane boarding school life.

  • @SangreTarasco
    @SangreTarasco Před 2 lety +4

    Alf finally got to work with Garfield on Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue.

    • @neocelestia
      @neocelestia Před 2 lety +2

      And Kermit, albeit in Muppet Babies form. :)

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 Před 2 lety +1

      1989. I love the Chipmunks song "There's a Million Wonderful Ways to Say No".

  • @IanJones942
    @IanJones942 Před 2 lety +1

    Thank you for reminding me of the Crown of Bogg. It's been stuck in my memory without a name for decades.

  • @DamonNomad82
    @DamonNomad82 Před 2 lety +1

    I was a preschooler when the Alf sitcom launched. While my TV watching was extremely limited, Alf was one of my favorite TV characters. I had a refrigerator magnet with a picture of Alf saying "No Problem!"

  • @AlexReynard
    @AlexReynard Před 2 lety +3

    I think I could only be okay with CGI Alf if he's an actual puppet, and they just do things like painting over cables or puppeteers so he can walk around and shoot hoops 'n stuff.

  • @elpegaso
    @elpegaso Před 2 lety +7

    Hello Melinda!
    Alf was one of the first shows I made sure to watch every week. My parents didn't like him but I did because he was kinda sad all the time and covered it up by being a smartass. I loved the worldbuilding of the show and the first season of the cartoon. Melmac always got a little crazier every time.
    I hope you revisit Alf for the copious amounts of merch it spawned. There is some really weird stuff out there.

  • @GastonMorales
    @GastonMorales Před 2 lety +1

    Growing up in the 90's in LATAM means that Alf is part of my childhood and forevermore, my life. Will I be interested in a new project? Don't know but Alf will forever be unique.

  • @brentparker7359
    @brentparker7359 Před 2 lety +2

    The idea of pretending Alf was real while on set reminds me of the premise of Disney's movie "Bolt," (albeit with a superpowered dog instead.) Imagine if Alf WAS a real alien and he had to be convinced this fake TV family had really adopted him in order to make a sitcom out of it :D.

  • @federicorobles3032
    @federicorobles3032 Před 2 lety +4

    I def loved that episode when ALF made a music video for Andrea Elson's character in which he performed as different rock stars.
    Also, ALF inspired women hairdos at the end of the 80s.

    • @freddyvidz
      @freddyvidz Před 2 lety +3

      "You're the one who's out of this world"

    • @RobCamp-rmc_0
      @RobCamp-rmc_0 Před 2 lety +1

      @@freddyvidz sweet baby! you’re one who’s out of this world
      i’m spinnin’ in an orbit, something something… aw screw it i don’t remember any more off the top of my head

    • @freddyvidz
      @freddyvidz Před 2 lety

      @@RobCamp-rmc_0 I ain't ever been in, but you're the one who's out of this world

    • @RobCamp-rmc_0
      @RobCamp-rmc_0 Před 2 lety +1

      @@freddyvidz I thought that might have been it but I figured I was just misremembering, thanks for confirming

  • @dinomonzon7493
    @dinomonzon7493 Před 2 lety +5

    Happy New Year!
    Thanks for the ALF video. This was one of my fave sitcoms. Loved his interaction with Willie; and the way he exchanged barbs with Willie’s mother-in-law. The Marvel Comics series via their Star Comics imprint.

  • @democrabots
    @democrabots Před 2 lety +2

    Alf is alright, First knew of him from Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue!
    Never Forget January 6!

  • @smeagollumartin
    @smeagollumartin Před 2 lety +2

    Loving the constant 'thewisms,' when we getting that crossover event...

  • @JLvatron
    @JLvatron Před 2 lety +10

    Paul Fusco made an amazing decision to hold onto the rights and not sell to Disney. This allowed him to keep the integrity of Alf, as well as his maintaining the illusion.

    • @Joecbg100
      @Joecbg100 Před 5 měsíci +1

      I didn't know much about the man behind it but that's got some guts to not sell out and keep Alf special in his eyes.
      It was like his son, I like that

  • @CourtneyVarner
    @CourtneyVarner Před 2 lety +9

    I unashamedly love ALF. Finding it was on Amazon Prime and binged all of it. My kids loved it and was talking to my friend who works at a comic shop, suddenly I have a near complete run of the comics.

  • @tryan715
    @tryan715 Před 2 lety +2

    I got an Alf stuffed animal for Christmas. The best gift I could have asked for. Soon after that they came out with a talking Alf stuffed animal. The first of many FML moments in my life 😁

  • @bmbougie
    @bmbougie Před 2 lety +2

    Remember ALF? He's back, in pog form!

  • @mightyfilm
    @mightyfilm Před 2 lety +9

    The thing that never fails to impress me about ALF is that it could have been tossed off as a gimmicky sitcom and it still would have had a big pop culture impact, but the fact that the character and his dead homeworld has so damn much lore behind it. Most of it outside the series, weirdest of all on the backs of the trading cards. I love the sitcom enough, it's the only 80's family sitcom that doesn't make me retch, but the cartoon series was amazing. I greatly prefer that to the sitcom. And then there's ALFtales. So much more than just ALF characters reenacting fairy tales, they actually changed the genre of the show for every episode. Aladdin was done in the style of a Hope and Crosby Road picture, Cinderella as a 1950's teenybopper with Prince Charming being a rock musician, and of course Rap-unzel.

    • @warrmalaski8570
      @warrmalaski8570 Před 2 lety +1

      🎶Mel-mac is really no place for cats but Gorden your the only one who can make us sing. 🎶

    • @Tornado1994
      @Tornado1994 Před 11 měsíci

      @@warrmalaski8570 "Gordon Sent into Outer Space. Cause they ain't no one like you in the Melmacian Race".