PAUL COKER, JR.'s 2006 CHRISTMAS CARD!

Looks Like PAUL is a DEMOCRAT! His last several cards have had a similar theme. I booked some more radio shows: Friday 12-22-06 7:35am 1420 WACK in Newark, New York (Just outside of Rochester) "LIVE LINE" with Dr. Rus D. Jeffrey, 12-28-06 KEZV w/ Rick Crandall at 7:45am Central time in Denver, Colorado. 12-16 WJBC in Bloomington, Illinois at 3:10pm, I will be on the TIM E. D show in Raleigh, North Carolina 12-21-06 at 9pm est. Channel 10 RTN Raleigh Television Network via phone. TIM will be showing my book, TIME & SPACE TOYS' MISER ORNAMENT Set, etc.

www.timeandspacetoys.com

Kevin Kreiss posted some pics from all the RUDOLPH & SANTA Animagic figure appearances this year at his site: http://timespacetoys.store.yahoo.net/reruorrarusa.html Enjoy!

My MY SPACE schedule!

I have been trying to keep my schedule updated at www.myspace.com/rickgoldschmidt and posting appearances and media requests as they come in. Keep an eye on it. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

RANKIN/BASS DVDs!

Some people are asking: Where do I buy RANKIN/BASS DVDs? www.amazon.com has them all. Just search RANKIN/BASS (Even though some companies disguise them by removing the name RANKIN/BASS!?!) . The BEST RANKIN/BASS DVDs are the ones that were made for the collector by ANCHOR BAY. I helped with these and they have EXTRAS! The three I worked on are MAD MONSTER PARTY, THE DAYDREAMER and THE WACKY WORLD OF MOTHER GOOSE. They are all full length features restored from the 35mm negatives. MAD MONSTER PARTY even comes with a booklet! Now for those of you asking to buy an ANIMAGIC figure....those aren't so easy to come by BUT if any become available, YOU will hear about it here on this BLOG! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ARTHUR RANKIN, JR & JULES BASS c. 1965! The guys that did it all!

RUDOLPH & SANTA in Atlanta!

Here are some very nice pictures of the ANIMAGIC figures at the MUSEUM FOR PUPPETRY ARTS! THANKS to Clay at www.planbproductions.com for sharing them! Also, THANKS to KEVIN KREISS at www.timeandspacetoys.com for loaning them to the museum! Get your orders in soon to meet the CHRISTMAS dealine at www.timeandspacetoys.com !

Willy McBean & His Magic Machine (1965)

WILLY McBEAN & HIS MAGIC MACHINE is one of the RANKIN/BASS lost gems. It was released to the theaters in 1965 in wonderful ANIMAGIC! It was the first RANKIN/BASS full length feature film. It was shot at the same time RANKIN/BASS were in Production with RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER and features the same voice cast including BILLIE MAE RICHARDS and LARRY D. MANN. I still have a few copies left of the re-mastered version on DVD-R.

Some have asked where they can get original RANKIN/BASS artwork OR signed memorabillia... www.thedeeparchives.com is the place. My friend DAVID SCHEVE has even made his way to CANADA to get all of the voice actors to sign things for his gallery! He has some wonderful color PAUL COKER, JR. art there too! I was asked to be on a TV Show via the phone in North Carolina today! It will air on 12-21-06 and I will post more info later.

12-18-06 Deadline for CHRISTMAS Delivery!

In order to try to get book orders shipped to you by CHRISTMAS...I would need you to order by 12-18-06 through www.rankinbass.com or my EBAY accounts ANIMAGIC1 or MISER BROS. We have been swamped this year BUT I have managed to stay caught up even with some set backs. The book is also available at www.amazon.com and new to www.barnesandnoble.com this year! My NEW cd RICK GOLDSCHMIDT SINGS is available at I TUNES, www.amazon.com www.cdbaby.com and also at www.rankinbass.com THANKS for shopping with us! I will dedicate all book orders and draw the BUMBLE or whatever character you like.

NEW YORK TIMES 12-21-06

I did my part of an interview for an article that will be in the NEW YORK TIMES written by Brenda Goodman. She is in the Atlanta branch of the NY TIMES. She said the article may run 12-21-06 to coincide with the 2nd airing of RANKIN/BASS' RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER on CBS TV.

HAPPY the Baby New Year!

Here are a few pics from my first book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO, which very may well be in a 3rd printing in 2007! You may see one of these in TV GUIDE soon! Look for RUDOLPH'S SHINY NEW YEAR on ABC FAMILY and it is on DVD on THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS DVD along with NESTOR, THE LONG-EARED DONKEY!

BEAUTIFUL DAY!

The NEW YORK TIMES is doing an article on the restoration of the RANKIN/BASS ANIMAGIC RUDOLPH & SANTA puppets! They interviewed KEVIN KREISS www.timeandspacetoys.com, ALAN LOUIS from the CENTER OF PUPPETRY ARTS www.puppet.org and they will be interviewing me tomorrow. I am also assisting TV GUIDE with a BABY 'HAPPY' NEW YEAR picture! I heard from the JIMMY KIMMELL SHOW yesterday..they were doing a RUDOLPH & SANTA stop-motion fight for their show. I talked to BILLIE MAE RICHARDS (voice of RUDOLPH) today! She sounds GREAT and she is glad to be back home! She sends her love to all the fans! My day started out with a GREAT radio show on NPR (Local Grand Rapids, MI) and then another good one in Valparaiso, Indiana. We talked alot about my CD in INDIANA...BIG GIN BLOSSOMS fans! I was asked to do a DENVER, CO radio show tooday! We firmed up my Friday 12-15 interview on Wellsville, New York radio on WJQZ at 7:45am Central time. We also rescheduled my syndicated radio interview for METRO METWORKS-WESTWOOD ONE RADIO in Philadelphia for Monday am 8am. It may air at various times across the country. BEAUTIFUL DAY in Chicago!

A RANKIN/BASS Day!

First of all, I talked to ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. over the weekend and he sends HAPPY HOLIDAY GREETINGS to all the RANKIN/BASS fans! My Tuesday started out with a radio show in Lubbock, Texas (Home of BUDDY HOLLY) and it flowed very well! I did it as I was driving North on LAKE SHORE DRIVE. I mailed tons of packages from my EBAY accounts (ANIMAGIC1 and MISER BROS), so if you ordered something...it is on the way! I was asked to be on a RADIO show in Williamsburg, Virginia later this week on WXVA. I was also asked to do an on-line chat on 12-21-06 7pm at www.americanroad.com They will have my podcast interview up there in a few days! www.timeandspacetoys.com is also getting tons of RANKIN/BASS orders! If you want RANKIN/BASS items...they have them all! I have been informed by many that the LIVE-ACTION special of THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS laid a HUGE egg last night (I guess that is why they offered the DVD right away...before people saw it). All of the e-mails I got were negative (Not one positive). My friend PATRICK OWSLEY could only make it through about 20 minutes before turning it off. At least the focus will be on the classic RANKIN/BASS special!

BILLIE MAE RICHARDS is BACK!

Billie Mae Richards is the wonderful voice behind RUDOLPH! She worked on many RANKIN/BASS Projects over the years. We were all saddened to hear she had suffered a stroke in November of 2006! Billie and I had done many radio interviews together in 2004-05 and she was GREAT fun! I heard from her daughter Cyndi Richards-Jamieson and am happy to report that Billie is on the road to recovery! She is back in her apartment and getting around. She is not 100% BUT is definitely getting better. We couldn't be happier to hear this, especially this time of year. Cyndi said that a month before Billie's stroke, PAUL SOLES (HERMEY) and BILLIE performed "We're a couple of Misfits" for friends and sounded sensational! Our thoughts and prayers have been with Billie and her family and am very happy to report all of this!

'Rick Goldschmidt Sings' in COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO'S Slick DEMO4 Magazine! Fall/Winter 2006/2007

Click images to enlarge to read! Songs now available at ITUNES!

EDITORIAL #2

Another reason the companies that own the CLASSIC RANKIN/BASS TV Specials have decided to just call them "Christmas Classics" is so they can package the GREAT RANKIN/BASS specials with these lousy, inferior re-make specials like FROSTY RETURNS (Which was panned in the NEW YORK TIMES), THE LEGENDS OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL (In bad CGI), RUDOLPH & THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS, etc. These badly mis-guided specials are packaged together with the RANKIN/BASS specials that have built a following as a way to sell them for more $ as an extra value BUT fans hate them! I did an interview this AM on New York Radio and the DJ said he turned FROSTY RETURNS off in the first 3 minutes. ARTHUR RANKIN told me that his suggestions for the FROSTY re-makes, like hire PAUL COKER (Who designed the original look) fell on deaf ears. The only FROSTY sequel is FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND by RANKIN/BASS!

ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. & JULES BASS "In Charge Of Production"

Apparently after the airing of the ABC-TV Broadcast of SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN last week, it carried the credit of a name that had nothing to do with the actual Production of the RANKIN/BASS classic. This has become a serious problem over the last few years. While RANKIN/BASS no longer own the actual TV specials and series they Produced, this does not mean that they did not create them. Box sets of their series THUNDERCATS have been issued without the name of RANKIN/BASS on the front covers? Their Christmas specials are being called "Christmas Classics." Why? RANKIN/BASS is a recognized leader in Holiday entertainment and bringing these titles together under that title would only help sales! It is basic, common sense. It is ridiculous for an individual who runs the company that acquired the "Properties" to take a credit like "In Charge Of Production." ARTHUR RANKIN, JR. and JULES BASS deserve their proper credit and that is what I am here for. Perhaps the companies that own these shows need to hear from the fans of these classic RANKIN/BASS specials. They think we would rather see a badly animated video of a pop star singing a Christmas song, than to see a documentary about the MAKING OF the classic?

RUDOLPH & SANTA are in Atlanta, GA!

RUDOLPH & SANTA arrived in the CENTER FOR PUPPETRY ARTS on December 8th Thanks to KEVIN KREISS & www.timeandspacetoys.com I want to THANK Alan Louis from the museum for keeping me updated on all the press and the events at the museum www.puppet.org That is ALAN installing RUDOLPH & SANTA for the exhibit! This is a RARE opportunity for the public to see two TELEVISION ICONS! TIME & SPACE TOYS' Christmas present to you!