Johnny Hart’s “B.C.” was one of my favourite comic strips growing up in the 1970s-80s. I loved everything about it: the various cast of cavemen (and women), the non-human cast (dinosaurs, ants, snakes, turtles, wingless birds), the prehistoric landscapes (rolling mountains, volcanoes and the vast ocean) and how his clever humour and physical comedy came to life in the “world” he created.

I remember flipping around the dial in December of 1982(?) and stumbling upon “A Special Christmas,” the B.C. animated Christmas special. It was a big deal — comic strips from the newspaper were rarely put into animation and I instantly was overwhelmed at seeing everything I loved about the comic come to life on TV.

“A Special Christmas” has kind of been lost to history — that was the one and only time I ever watched it, until I began searching for it again on the interwebs a few years ago. Admittedly, the story is a bit weak: it’s a zany story of the two unscrupulous cavemen — Peter and Wiley — who think up a great scheme: create a legend about giving and then sell gifts so everyone can give their neighbours a present on Dec. 26th. But, to their great surprise they find that their myth has become a reality; a day earlier. It’s a loose premise, but if you’re a fan of comic strips — specifically “B.C.” — you won’t want to miss it. Visually, it’s a treat and I also thought they did a nice job applying voices to the various characters in the “B.C.” universe. Merry Christmas!