Alf: A great American

Who would you list as some of the all-time greatest Americans? George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Franklin Delano Roosevelt? What about Alf? Yes, you read correctly. Alf, the alien puppet who charmed America from 1986-90 in four memorable seasons, is truly one of the greatest Americans and should join the ranks alongside the others.

1986 was an interesting year for the United States. It was the era of Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union. Reaganomics was being pushed forward with policies like the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Hands Across America was making headlines and the first computer virus, “Brain,” began to spread. The Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch, killing the six crewmembers and schoolteacher. It was also the year that the first federal Martin Luther King Day was observed. Despite the tragedies, by and large, it was a great time to be alive.

In the fall of 1986, NBC unveiled a television show about a friendly extraterrestrial named Gordon Shumway who hailed from the planet Melmac. This show would permanently infect the imagination of millions of youths, myself included, across the nation. Soon, Alf dolls, comic books and other merchandising followed and Alf’s popularity has since spread to all four corners of the globe.

Some of my earliest memories are of Alf. I remember cozying up in my parents’ bed, sandwiched between them in my pajamas, to watch the next episode of Alf. As I have traveled this wonderful country of ours throughout the years I have found, to my surprise, that many of my peers share similar memories.

Alf (short for Alien Life Form) is not only classic entertainment but was also very socially important to the progression of our country. Though Alf would regularly find himself falling into amusing squabbles with his adopted family, the Tanners, the message that seeped into my impressionable little mind above all was one of tolerance and acceptance of difference. Yes, Alf did try to eat their cat Lucky near-weekly and Mr. Tanner was perpetually exacerbated by Alf’s antics, but deep down they cared deeply for one another and that was very important to us, the viewers.

What sets Alf apart from other television personalities that were just as influential on the younger generation in their own time, like Andy Griffith, was that Alf didn’t continue his career and thusly tarnish the memories of his young viewers. There has been no Alf: The Later Years and Alf has not yet been portrayed in the role of an aging detective. We haven’t seen Alf committed into rehab and he hasn’t driven across several states in a diaper as a jilted lover to assault someone. What few appearances there have been since the end of the Alf sitcom have solidified his legacy.

Alf did, however, star once again in a made-for-TV movie, which aired on ABC in 1996, titled Project: Alf. This project was intended to conclude the cliffhanger ending left by the end of the television series. The lack of any of the original cast of the television show except Alf left many critical of the movie. But the movie had such a low viewership that it was certainly not a detractor to the young fans, and Alf’s reign still lives on in our hearts. It is worth mentioning, though, that the opening 10 or so minutes of Project: Alf are quite hilarious, should you ever run across it.

What is interesting about our modern world is that though we are still, every day, affected by the actions and influence of our traditional “greatest Americans,” we don’t know them like we do the influential characters of the media from our youth. Because of Abe Lincoln, the slaves are free. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Social Security, though it may be going down the drain, supports millions of Americans today. The gains in the civil rights movement through Dr. King’s influence and leadership can still be felt in our communities. But we don’t know them. We do know Alf.

“Isn’t it sad that you’re holding Alf up next to pioneers like George Washington and Martin Luther King?” my friend asked me today. “I suppose so,” I said, “but Alf was a part of my life growing up.” Is it really fair to diminish his influence because he was a puppet? Does holding Alf up degrade the legacies of anyone else? If anything, it adds some character and sorely needed comic relief to our list of greats.

You may not agree, and that’s fair. This isn’t a piece intended to drag you kicking and screaming onto the side of Alf worship or even intended to present him as a golden god. When it comes down to it, he was a puppet and a character on a short-lived television program. But despite all of that, he was influential and important to some of us and that, though silly, is still important.