One for everyone in the audience
November 30, 2018 12:12 PM Subscribe
Tonight's the night! The Irish equivalent of the Superbowl is The Late Late* Toy Show, an annual extravaganza that reaches far beyond it's usual fanbase and into the heart of a nation. Live international stream from 21.30 GMT. It's probably easiest if you just join in the drinking game
The format has moved from it's origins in the early seventies as a 25-minute segment of simple toy reviews to today's rather more frenetic two-hour showcase involving scores of precocious theater kids performing live in epic set pieces. Part pageant, part product placement, the toy show has ardent followers all over the world, and has spawned a number of articles on how to explain it to non-Irish friends or other http://badmammy.com/late-late-toy-show-beginners/. The twitters will be alive with snark and joy as the host himself gets more and more past his bedtime and the children's performances get more and more out there. The evening usually includes a couple of celeb sightings, from more historically ridiculous (UK MP George Galloway, Oliver Stone) to the more recently sublime.
*The Late Late show, on it's third presenter since 1962, is worlds next-longest running talk show after The Tonight show, is worth a post of it's own but for now, wikipedia has an excellent run-down of the various "incidents" fom lesbian nuns to Gerry Adams.
The format has moved from it's origins in the early seventies as a 25-minute segment of simple toy reviews to today's rather more frenetic two-hour showcase involving scores of precocious theater kids performing live in epic set pieces. Part pageant, part product placement, the toy show has ardent followers all over the world, and has spawned a number of articles on how to explain it to non-Irish friends or other http://badmammy.com/late-late-toy-show-beginners/. The twitters will be alive with snark and joy as the host himself gets more and more past his bedtime and the children's performances get more and more out there. The evening usually includes a couple of celeb sightings, from more historically ridiculous (UK MP George Galloway, Oliver Stone) to the more recently sublime.
*The Late Late show, on it's third presenter since 1962, is worlds next-longest running talk show after The Tonight show, is worth a post of it's own but for now, wikipedia has an excellent run-down of the various "incidents" fom lesbian nuns to Gerry Adams.
Oh man, I am in way over my head here. I spent a week in Ireland over the summer, but that was not enough time to prepare me for Fionn the rapping farmer.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:11 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:11 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Bit of trouble with the live player of course which has the twitterverse gone mad. Not bad to be trending worldwide already though #latelatetoyshow #toyshow
posted by Iteki at 1:57 PM on November 30, 2018
posted by Iteki at 1:57 PM on November 30, 2018
Favourite part so far is probably the child who brained himself with the pink hurley after having demoed a blue-slime-pooping unicorn toy. Also his brother's "rising thingamabob" lego diorama of the declaration of independance (Irish) which will now be displayed in the GPO. Unsure if that is with or without the nazi tank.
posted by Iteki at 2:33 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 2:33 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Live feed is working again", she whispered embarrassedly.
posted by Iteki at 3:10 PM on November 30, 2018
posted by Iteki at 3:10 PM on November 30, 2018
Will try pop by tomorrow when the clips come out. There were some really great acts by young people and some lovely moments with real little characters.
posted by Iteki at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Iteki at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
In the early 90s,* the Late Late Show was broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday afternoons. Monday being very late compared to Friday night, I suppose. I was so bad at doing holiday that I was encouraged to take off every Monday from about Frankfurt onwards,** so I ended up watching this in the spirit of perplexed bewilderment.
After watching all that Late Late Show, Father Ted made perfect sense.
*During the reign of Gay Byrne.
**In European publishing, "Frankfurt" is a measurement of time, a particular point of Autumn. In children's publishing, "Bologna" marks a similar point in the spring. The children's publishing calendar used to revolve around the four points of "Christmas", "Bologna", "Party" and "Frankfurt", but as time has worn on and budgets have dropped through the floor, Party has fallen by the wayside.
posted by Grangousier at 4:30 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
After watching all that Late Late Show, Father Ted made perfect sense.
*During the reign of Gay Byrne.
**In European publishing, "Frankfurt" is a measurement of time, a particular point of Autumn. In children's publishing, "Bologna" marks a similar point in the spring. The children's publishing calendar used to revolve around the four points of "Christmas", "Bologna", "Party" and "Frankfurt", but as time has worn on and budgets have dropped through the floor, Party has fallen by the wayside.
posted by Grangousier at 4:30 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here's a link to the archive for the show if you're watching after the fact like me.
posted by ob1quixote at 9:46 PM on November 30, 2018
posted by ob1quixote at 9:46 PM on November 30, 2018
Well I only just realized that link was last year's show, but I was very entertained by it nonetheless.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:42 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 10:42 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]
Couple of the highlights from last nights show which should be available for streaming now (but glad you enjoyed last years ob1quixote!).
Leo plays a bit of piano and tells a pretty killer joke. As the book review corner rolled around Twitter was losing it's mind over dapper as fuck Michael with his rose-tinted shades. Turns out Michael reads the braille versions of the books and is a ridiculously cool cucumber with a two-pack-a-day voice. He wasn't quite able to keep it together though when one of his heroes came out to say hi. Stella McGirl not only has the best name ever, but she went viral earlier in the week with her enthusiastic response to being picked for the show. She acquitted herself well on the night, but the segment's not up yet, worth it for her absolute horror when Ryan appeared to be about to reveal her nickname for her teacher at school. The theme of the night was The Greatest Showman and 15 year old Rachel Coyne did a great rendition of Never Enough, and then was super professional, nodding politely at Ryan as he talked about how the show would to send her to Windmill Studios in the UK to record a track and do a video and so on. The look on her face when she realises he's not kidding is pretty great.
posted by Iteki at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Leo plays a bit of piano and tells a pretty killer joke. As the book review corner rolled around Twitter was losing it's mind over dapper as fuck Michael with his rose-tinted shades. Turns out Michael reads the braille versions of the books and is a ridiculously cool cucumber with a two-pack-a-day voice. He wasn't quite able to keep it together though when one of his heroes came out to say hi. Stella McGirl not only has the best name ever, but she went viral earlier in the week with her enthusiastic response to being picked for the show. She acquitted herself well on the night, but the segment's not up yet, worth it for her absolute horror when Ryan appeared to be about to reveal her nickname for her teacher at school. The theme of the night was The Greatest Showman and 15 year old Rachel Coyne did a great rendition of Never Enough, and then was super professional, nodding politely at Ryan as he talked about how the show would to send her to Windmill Studios in the UK to record a track and do a video and so on. The look on her face when she realises he's not kidding is pretty great.
posted by Iteki at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2018 [2 favorites]
Thanks all. I've just got to the Rachel Coyne slot, and wow, she's got a voice. I never watch TV, so making it through an hour and a half is amazing enough.
posted by ambrosen at 12:54 PM on December 1, 2018
posted by ambrosen at 12:54 PM on December 1, 2018
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posted by Iteki at 12:25 PM on November 30, 2018