Anyone that either knows me or has been reading this blog knows that I have a, shall we say, different sense of humor. Offbeat is probably the more appropriate term. Think Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive – that’s a fine example of where my humor goes (best exchange in that film: “Your mother ate my dog!” “… not all of it.”). That being said, some will undoubtedly be put off by my first offering in this series. A classic story of a little girl that wants to know how her favorite doll became wheelchair-bound. Ladies and gents, I present to you Wheelchair Rebecca:

Claymation: check. Doll sex: check. Alien anal probe gone wrong: check. Funny running gag of a twitching arm: check.

This one has the element of surprise going for it. The first time I watched it, I was expecting to hear the mother’s answer as “car accident” or “illness” with some sort of weird twist. Nope. I love how the first jump that the mom makes is rough sex. The funny part is that this gets a curious reaction from the kid. It’s the drug abuse and alien abduction that causes the horrified reaction. It’s okay if she has sex, but it’s not okay if she’s accidentally disabled by aliens. This is a flip from the usual formula of female sexual activity: we’re normally viewed as being punished for the act outside of certain norms. While in theory Rebecca does get punished, there’s an expression of a lack of social stigma. Go figure, there’s a hint of depth in the inappropriate joke.

The best part for me is the calm, nostalgic tone of the mother’s voice. “Or horse, as we used to call it” always manages to make me laugh. It doesn’t matter how out-there her theories are: mom kind of gets lost in her own thoughts and trails off. She’s like June Cleaver on Quaaludes. It’s almost endearing. Almost.

This one gets funnier after multiple viewings. I’m always surprised at how many people have not heard of this one. So, this is my gift to you. Happy Saturday.