CBS has gone back to a famous story from 1897 for a new animated Christmas Special. “Yes, Virginia,” to air Friday, December 11th (8:00-8:30 pm ET/PT) is based on the true story of Virginia O’Hanlon, an eight-year-old girl who inspired the most famous newspaper editorial of all time by asking, “Is there a Santa Claus?”
In the new animated version, young Virginia O’Hanlon had always loved Christmas until the playground bully, Charlotte, told her and the other children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Not sure what to believe, Virginia and her friend, Ollie, venture into the streets of New York City to uncover the truth. Along the way, they encounter a Scraggly Santa who is trying to raise money for the less fortunate (he admits he’s not the real deal, but someone who sort of works for Santa Claus), an over-eager librarian with a shelf full of Christmas books, and interesting advice from Virginia’s quirky scientist father. Unable to find the answer, Virginia decides to write a letter to the New York Sun newspaper knowing that their reputation for reporting the facts is cemented by their motto “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so!” Virginia’s letter makes its way to the curmudgeonly editor, Francis Church, who feels he has better things to do than respond to a little girl’s question. But, with Virginia’s determination, and a little help from Scraggly Santa, Mr. Church is persuaded to write the answer that became the most famous newspaper editorial of all time: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!”
The real Virginia O’Hanlon lived 73 more years before her death in 1971.
“Yes, Virginia” was created and produced by Macy’s and JWT in conjunction with The Ebeling Group and MEC Entertainment, a division of Mediaedge:cia.
