Dark Crystal Day – December 17th
When single shines the triple sun,
What was sundered and undone
Shall be whole, the two made one,
By Gelfling hand or else by none.
On this day in 1982, The Dark Crystal, a dark fantasy directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, opened across the U.S. to a hungry audience of twisted Muppet lovers. The film used groundbreaking animatronics that required up to four puppeteers to manipulate a character. The story involves two races, the evil Skeksis and the gentle urRU, in a struggle of good against evil, and the Gelfling heroes on a quest to heal an ancient crystal to restore balance to the world.
The Dark Crystal opened with mixed reviews. Rex Reed of the New York Post said, “the monsters and bizarre creatures…are so horrifying they just might give impressionable tots nightmares for days.” Many were expecting a more child-friendly story from those guys that did Sesame Street. The film quickly gathered a loyal cult following, nonetheless.
Cheryl Henson proclaimed herself the first fan of The Dark Crystal Universe. She was still a teenager when her father was working on the film. You can find her comments at darkcrystal.com, which shares insights on the original film and its sequel series, The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance.
Music Du Jour: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Soundtrack
Films Du Jour:
- The Dark Crystal (1982)
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019 Series)
Miscellaneous:
- Hilarious Drinking Game for watching The Dark Crystal
- The Dark Crystal Tarot Deck
- The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra
- Info on video games
- The Dark Crystal Comic collectables
Snacks du Jour: Carrots and sweetcakes may be the only transferable foods between Earth and Thra; Carrot cakes may be a good compromise. Here’s a list of foods from The Dark Crystal Universe.
Cocktail Du Jour – Draic Your Essence
This cocktail recipe is from Obandigo on r/DarkCrystal:
- 5 oz vodka
- 5 oz grape juice
- 25 oz grenadine
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass or coupe glass. Garnish with a white hibiscus or cherry blossom.
Mocktail Du Jour – Drain Your Essence Mocktail
- 5 oz non-alcohol vodka
- 5 oz grape juice
- 25 oz grenadine
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a martini glass or coupe glass. Garnish with a white hibiscus or cherry blossom.
Beer Du Jour
The Rewind Beer Co. in Port Moody, BC has a Dark Crystal Ale if you’re in town, otherwise a Labatt Crystal, Cerveza Cristal, Tiger Crytal, or a dark ale will suffice.
Wine Du Jour
Vlindleberry Wine from The Dark Crystal Universe is supposed to give the drinker a burst of inspiration. Stella Rosa Berry Wine or another berry wine may get you close. Also, Apothic Dark Red.
Use freshly squeezed citrus in your cocktails and mocktails when called for – It makes such a difference! Here’s a reliable and inexpensive juicer.
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Photo credit: “Puppet from ‘The Dark Crystal’” by A.M. Kuchling is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
