We Have Laughter: Speed Racer Mania

Mania has taken over the Moloko household. Thomas the Train, and Larry Boy, have not waivered from top toy status for the better part of three years. The Little Dudes have been extremely loyal to these beloved characters. That is until...

Little Dude B discovered the Speed Racer aisle on a sojourn to Target back in September. Not sure if it was the sleek design of the Mach 5 car or myriad of contraptions, tracks, cars, and gadgets that were capturing his attention. Every subsequent trip to Target, I was convinced that visiting the Speed Racer aisle was necessary. By browsing the aisle and then perusing the Speed Racer website, the Little Dudes became familiar with the characters and were well versed on the cars without ever laying eyes on a video.

Christmas morning was a glorious morning for the Little Dudes. Finally, a Speed Racer video, the old school version was under the tree along with many Speed Racer cars they has spent hours staring at over the past three months. Just when they seemed at the "happy place," Uncle Chuckster sent them a box of Speed Racer Hot Wheels which included some "hard to find" and "unique" character cars not yet discovered. This provided an immediate need to research and scour the Internet for more Speed Racer Info. What we discovered was that many of these cars were featured in the Speed Racer 2008 movie.

Friday afternoon, we headed to the local video store to see if we could find the Speed Racer 2008 video. The Little Dudes were thrilled as we found this video along with another newly animated Speed Racer video. Friday evening, the Moloko's gathered in the family room, bundled in blankets and sat down to watch Speed Racer. It was an action packed video, but our 19" screen just did not capture the racing scenes as intended. The Little Dudes crashed with 45 minutes remaining, but I was hooked and watched til the end. I now know the names of all the cars, characters, and much to my chagrin, I find myself constantly humming the Speed Racer theme song!