A few weeks back, I wondered where the parodies and mashups of Goodnight Moon were. I mean, millions of eager/exhausted new parents, with their defenses weakened by lack of sleep, have the original burned into their psyches. That's gotta come out somehow, no?
Except for a PowerPoint version of the story, the only parody that's surfaced so far is Sean Kelly's and Ron Hauge's Boom Baby Moon. I bought a copy on half.com for like $6, which was just about right. [Abebooks had copies for upwards of $25, a soaking that not even a nostalgia-crazed baby boomer deserves.]
Call me stupid, but I somehow glossed over the title's boomer reference at first, which was telling. It was only as the rhymes progressed--and revealed themselves as outdated artifacts of a lost generation--1993--that I made the connection.
Some of the cliches of overcompetitive parenting are present, like pre-school applications and French-speaking Swiss au pairs whispering bon soir. But after the initial amusement wore off, saying goodnight to VCR's and Nintendos and "space-age plastic pacifiers" really only served to highlight the staying power of the original.
"Goodnight Dora, Goodnight Internet Explorer" may be more realistic to a generation that never eats mush. ["Goodnight air-filled Bugaboo wheel, Goodnight bowl of steel-cut oatmeal." I see how this can be addictive.] But Boom Baby Moon shows that Boomers are soft, and a "gentle parody of a bedtime classic" ain't gonna cut it.
No, what is needed is either a shamelessly timeless, all-for-the-kids reinterpretation, a Goodnight Moon for our kids, OR a balls-out for-the-parents parody. You know, something like, "Goodnight bong, Goodnight Clement with Seuss hat on." It's the kind of book that reminds you you have a sense of humor, and possibly a life, somewhere. And it's probably the kind of book that you stop reading to the kids once they actually learn to speak.
And even then, it may be too late [says the guy whose daughter suddenly started singing "Strange balloonman too much fun" the other day in the store.}
Boom Baby Moon is available used from Amazon [amazon.com via dt reader shauna]
Previously: Goodnight Chick Lit Everywhere ; "What is Clement Hurd holding?" Photoshop contest
Have you seen Goodnight Gorilla? Not a parody but a less brain melting alternative.
[That covers the first category. -ed.]
I'd love to see some parodies and mashups of Goodnight Moon. It's too awesome for there not to be something more out there. Oh, and I too was disappointed by "Boom Baby Moon".