#livesies research

[jack-kellys]

the reason bway javid got that subtle somethin somethin is because jeremy jordan and ben fankhauser were both in theatre college at the same school at i believe the same time… for a year i think.. and as someone who’s witnessed what a BFA acting program does to men who r not in a relationship, and the production casts them as best friends, well. let’s just say. they got somethin somethin.

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

The Jacobs Family is Jewish full stop.

This is not a headcanon.

Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, the authors of the original newsies script Hard Promises, were very intentional in the naming of their characters. Many, if not all, of the newsie characters they created were named after or inspired by real newsboys from the 1899 strike. The entire project was heavily researched.

"I am a history buff and I also don’t trust secondary sources. After we decided to work on it (Newsies); it came from a single small paragraph in the New York Times we then started checking primary sources." -Noni White [source]

So when the Jacobs family was created, you better believe that their names were meant to be read as Jewish.

The Jacobs surname is Jewish.

"The Hebrew Yaakov and the Biblical Jacob are the sources for the surname Jacobs and its variants.  The Jewish surnames from Yaakov include Yakov, Jacob, Jacoby and Jacobowitz, as well as Jacobs."[source]

David, Sarah, and Esther are likewise all names that are Hebrew in origin. They are also the names of important figures in the Bible or Tanakh.

"The name Mayer is a Jewish Ashkenazic name that was originally derived from the Yiddish male given name Meyer. This personal name was in turn derived from the Hebrew name Meir, which means enlightener." [source]

I could not find anything for Les, likely because 'Les' is a shorted version of his real name.

The Jacobs family is further confirmed to be Jewish in the Newsies novelization:

page 11 of the Newsies novel by Jonathan Fast

The original Hard Promises script adds further confirmation. In the original scene where David buys his papers, Weasel calls David a Jewish racial slur. Later on, as David, Jack, and Les go back to the Jacobses, the script indicates that the Jacobs family lives off of Baker Street (possibly misspelt Baxter Street) in "Jewtown":

Hard Promises (Original Newsies Story)

Additionally, David Moscow (1992 David Jacobs) has a Jewish father [source] and both of Ben Fankhauser's (OBC Davey) parents are Jewish. [source]

The Jacobs family is and always has been Jewish.

On a related note, Esther Jacobs is confirmed to be Polish. This makes the Jacobs children canonically at least half-polish.

Hard Promises (Original Newsies Story)

In researching this, I also found that, In addition to the name Mayer being an Ashkenazic Jewish name, the surname Jacobs "was often given to Jewish people as a surname in Ashkenazi Jewish communities." [source]

Therefore, I think it's safe to say that Mayer Jacobs (and the Jacobs family by extension) is Ashkenazi Jewish in heritage.

Mayer being Ashkenazi Jewish also makes it likely that he too is Polish, as a vast majority of Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to Poland from Germany in the Medieval period. [source]

This would then make the Jacobs some of 2.5 million Ashkenazi Jews who came to the United States from from the Russian Empire (which at the time included Poland), the Kingdom of Romania, and Austria-Hungary between 1880 and 1924 and took up residence on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. [source]

The Jacobs are Jewish.

(If there was ever any doubt.)

___

inspired by this post

[wekiaam]

"When you're famous, the world is ya erster!"

Here's the result of last week's poll🎉 I had so much fun making it I really missed doing this a little <3

[nyx-thedragon]

okay, here's the post about my thoughts on Newsies 1992 that I promised, because I just remembered that I was gonna do that.

First of all, I didn't realize that Kenny Ortega directed the movie until the credits (I did like, zero research on the cast or crew, I just knew that Christian Bale played Jack Kelly) and I think that explains why it was so fucking good (and why Jack and Davey were so gay lmao)

Number 2: this one is just a thought about the story of Newsies in general, but I do not see the need for a romance subplot at all. especially in the movie, because Jack and Sarah barely interact with each other, and the "oooh they like each other he he he" little subplot start the first time they meet ? at least in the musical, Jack and Katherine interact a lot and they're friends before the romance stuff starts. idk. it just kind of irks me when media has a romance subplot for no reason.

Number 2.5: following up on the romance subplot; it could be completely taken out and the story would be exactly the same. "but what about at the end when Jack decides to stay in New York because of his love interest?" you may be asking. simple: he realizes that he has a family already in New York with the newsies and he doesn't want to leave them and be alone. this ending emphasizes the importance of familial and platonic relationships and bonds, which I think we just need more of in general.

Number 3: I love how the movie has the time and means to go more in-depth with Davey and how he reacts to Jack's betrayal and how he keeps the strike going without Jack and everything. I know that the live version is a musical, and therefore has more music, but still they kind of glossed over all that if I'm remembering correctly (I haven't watched livesies in a while and may be misremembering things oops)

Number 4: the scene where the rest of the workers join the crowd for the children's crusade is so much more powerful in the movie, because they were able to have a ton of extra people, as it is a movie and not a stage production with a smaller cast. I genuinely got some chills when I watched that scene it was awesome.

Number 5: all of these guys have beautiful voices. I didn't know that Christian Bale could sing (if it is him singing and not someone else because I know sometimes movies do that; have someone else sing for a character instead of their actor or voice actor). The songs are different than what I'm used to with the musical soundtrack, but I enjoyed them a lot. and the choreography was great too.

Number 6: I like Denton. he's awesome. it's great that the newsies have an actual adult that helps them instead of someone who is assumed to be close to Jack's age (Katherine).

Number 7: the scene in Medda's theater when Snyder and the police showed up was so- I don't even know, I just really like it. I was on the edge of my seat watching it. also, Davey kicking Snyder in the face on the swing was so badass. I love you movie Davey you're so cool

Number 8: there was way more romantic tension between Jack and Davey than between Jack and Sarah. I'm just saying. the scene where Jack was being carried away by the police after getting punched by Snyder, when Davey reaches for him and tries to get the police to let go of him? oh he wants that cookie so effing bad. Davey going after Jack by himself when he was taken to Pulitzer's from the Refuge? Gay. (also how did no one see him??) the alley scene? they should've kissed. Davey confronting Jack after he sold out to Pulitzer? they should've angry-kissed there. the scene at the end after Jack comes back on the governor's carriage and the way they stare at each other?? my homo-alarm was going off so loud. idk they just had so much tension and I thank Kenny Ortega for that, because I know damn well that he had everything to do with that.

Number 9: THE FUCKING HARMONIES HELLO. I feel the same way about the harmonies in livesies, but the ones in 92sies are different from those, which I'm used to, and it was just so fun listening to them. god, I love music, can you tell?

Number 10: Spot Conlon. that's it, really. I like him, he's funny, "on the grounds of Brooklyn, your honor". I just love him. so much.

Number 10.5: Racetrack Higgins. he does so much more in the movie than in the stage production, and I love that. he's also very funny and has incredibly witty lines and I love it.

Number 11: I love getting to see more of the other newsies, and especially Davey's interactions with them. I don't remember getting to see much of that in livesies, and I think it really helps the viewer to connect with the characters and story more.

ummm, I think that's all I can think of that I wanted to share. if I think of more things, I will come back to share them. I think I'm probably gonna watch it like ten more times in the coming week and try to get my younger brother to watch it cause he's only seen the stage production so far (my town's high school is doing Newsies for their musical this year and he's gonna audition !!!!).

alrighty chat, that'll wrap up this tumblr post. have a great day and keep being cool :3

[baura-bear]

been doing some research for my final in my historical study class and have some angst to supply for you.

Stumbled across something called the Italian Padrone system which was essentially a system of slavery during the end of the 19th century. Italian "padrones" would pitch immigration opportunities to poor Italian families under the guise that they would send their kid to America and give them training for a musical instrument (there were multiple tactics not always involving instruments, but this was a common one). The kid would go to America and learn to play an instrument, but the Padrone would send them out onto the street to perform for money which all went to the Padrone. If the kid didn't make enough they would often be beaten for incompetence or disobedience.

Now. It's widely agreed that Race is Italian and in multiple productions we see him playing instruments (harmonica in 92sies, spoons in livesies). So, what if he wasn't orphaned because his parents died. Maybe he was taken to America thinking he would have a better life and be able to maintain correspondence with his family but instead was exploited in this system until he eventually escaped and became a newsie

[piedoesnotequalpi]

Hmmmmm well we’ve already spoken At Legnth abt my boy racer, so how about crutchie for the character thing 👀

(Character ask game!)

Hi <3 I was going to answer this earlier but first I was driving the truck all day at work and then I apparently needed to sit in my bed not answering asks for several hours. Anyway!

First impression: I watched 92sies before Livesies, so my first impression was that I appreciated his menace-like tendencies but did not appreciate his characterization in some of the Refuge scenes (which in retrospect I should've discussed more in the research paper I wrote)

Impression now: My favorite menace <3 King of hitting unsuspecting people with slingshots <3 A lot stronger than the other characters probably give him credit for <3

Favorite moment: This is UKsies-specific, but I love that he's the designated obnoxiously loud whistler in the group, so the moment right before Carrying the Banner and also when Jack kisses Katherine at the end

Idea for a story: I was going to say I don't currently have any ideas, but then I thought it would be entertaining to write something where he tries to figure out a way to cheat at a game of dreidel (since dreidel is 100% chance)

There are a couple docs I have for future one-shots involving Crutchie, but they're tied to HIWB so I will keep those quiet for now >:)

Unpopular opinion: I'm not...sure if I have one?

Favorite relationship: I love his interactions with Davey in UKsies!

Favorite headcanon: That he knows Everything that happens in the lodging house lol

[literalgrill]

The Animated History of Treasure Island: Shin Takarajima - 1965

I have been on a journey to watch every animated adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. (I pick cool hyperfixations right?) I wanted to share my thoughts and research on them as they were compiled before hopefully making a long video about the entire topic.

So today I want to share a bit about Osamu Tezuka, "the father of manga," and his own history with the classic sailing tale — Shin Takarajima. If that catches your interest, read on!

It would take an entirely different essay to list Osamu Tezuka's works, influences on animation across the world, and other achievements. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; in Tezuka's case, that was Shin Takarajima. It was his first manga published way back in 1947. New Treasure Island as it's known in English-speaking markets has little in common with the similarly named classic novel from 1883. Minus a young boy, a pirate, and an island full of treasure, the two share nothing else in common.

Osamu Tezuka famously adored Disney, not only supposedly watching Bambi over eighty times but even drawing his own manga version of the story. Looking to make his own version of the anthology series that would come to be known as The Wonderful World of Disney, he set out to create Mushi Pro World.

He would go on to create Japan's first-ever sixty-minute animated television program, confusingly titled Shin Takarajima. It had nothing to do with his previous work, instead retelling Robert Louis Stevenson's story with his own unique anthropomorphic twist. Sadly, this would be the first and only episode of Mushi Pro World as none of the others ever materialized. Thankfully, that one episode is one of the strongest animated adaptations Treasure Island would ever receive.

Part of this is because of what Tezuka decided to do with the anthropomorphic animal cast. It was just as common then as it is today to simply slap some talking animals onto a story for kids simply because, well, kids love talking animals. Tezuka not only gave us adorable bunny Jim Hawkins but also ran with the kind of story that we'd see fifty years later in Beastars. Dr. Livesy walked so that Louis could run.

No seriously, that joke has quite a bit of truth to it. Sure, it's a children's film so there's plenty of slapstick (some of which I'd argue is on par with early Looney Tunes) but it also manages to get a lot of smaller details of the original story down to the letter. The most important part of the movie is where it decides to stray from the original narrative.

When looking at the pirates and brigands aboard the Hispaniola, it's easy to see just how many carnivores are among them vs the herbivore "good guys" on the side of Jim Hawkins. This is a classic trope within anthropomorphic stories. What punches it up a notch is how whenever they are particularly rowdy, they start to literally lose some of their human features and become full animals. Especially when they get horribly obsessed with the treasure, even some of the "good guy" herbivores join in, losing their clothes and running on all fours, with their hands turning into paws and hooves.

The idea of literally losing one's humanity in pursuit of riches is an extremely powerful theme, masterfully executed in a way simple enough for children to pick up on and the adults in the room to be able to latch onto strongly. The only one to resist is the best of them all — Jim Hawkins.

This movie also decided to make Jim and Long John Silver's relationship much stronger than it was in the books. For those without extensive knowledge of the original book, Jim wasn't exactly mad when Long John left the crew. As the book says, "I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him."

In this case however, they find the "wild dog" that Flint is described as the entire time was also a bit literal as his treasure is just tons of different kinds of bones from all over the world, no real money of any kind. It's a strong moral lesson, not only did those who tossed away humanity not actually get anything from it, but it shows that people should strive to find what is truly valuable to them instead.

In the end, Long John completely gives up on hunting for treasure ever again and even denounces those who would continue to seek it. He instead chooses to leave Jim with a collection of shells that the buccaneer had collected over all his travels, something Jim had noticed and appreciated earlier in the film. Long John is not only trying to make up for not being able to actually split what he assumed was a massive haul with the young boy, but making sure Jim is truly rewarded for being the only one to keep their sights on what was most important for the entire journey.

Also, the movie has a sexy pin-up bee girl in it, which is probably the most important thing here so ignore the rest of that sappy stuff about the theme or whatever I just was going off about.

All kidding aside, this idea of animals losing their humanity is something we can obviously see used in huge successful animations today, everything from Zootopia to the aforementioned Beastars. The idea of the inner animalistic nature of people would be something Tezuka himself continued exploring in works like Vampires for years to come.

While it's now considered a literary classic, it's impossible to deny that Treasure Island is a story that comes with plenty of flaws. Still, Tezuka did a lot to try and patch up some of its issues by adding an even deeper theme than that of a boy just trying to be good and learning how to be courageous on a formative adventure away from home. Sadly, not all of the animated adaptations of the story would get remotely close to matching this achievement. Speaking of, if you enjoyed this, stay tuned for when I discuss the first-ever animated adaptation of Treasure Island from Mel-O-Toons back in 1960. Or if you've been bitten by the Treasure Island bug as bad as I've been, why not go learn about an adaptation with way more historical significance than you might imagine — Mr. Magoo's Treasure Island.

[regina-cordium]

literally nobody asked for this, but if i’m not bringing half-baked daemon aus to every fandom i’m vaguely in, literally what is the point of me

things to keep in mind:

I literally have the daemon forum open in another tab. this is essentially stream of consciousness. virginia woolf who?

mostly based on livesies if only because that’s the one i’ve seen the most, but there’s some touches of 92sies (aka Sarah Jacobs is here because I love her and it’s pride month, this is my lesbian agenda)

Literally only two characters have canon ages (Jack at 17 and Les at 9). The actors in livesies are obviously a lot older than the actors in 92sies so i’m kinda like. averaging the ages out lmao

that being said, a lot of the kids’ daemons wouldn’t be settled so i think this will just focus on the ones whose would be

also i don’t know the name of all the newsies i didnt get sucked TOO deep into the fandom in 2012 or 2017, so i’m playing catch up like a full decade later, pls be gentle with me

OH ALSO probably no daemon names bc i tend to put a fair amount of research into the names and i don’t have the brain cells for that right now lol

ANYWAY

JACK -- francis “jack kelly” sullivan. loyal, warm, welcoming, protective, friendly, flirty, desperately wants to be selfish but knows in his heart of hearts he can’t. street smart but maybe not too book smart. clever, quick thinker, dreamer (”i can’t spend my whole life dreaming/even thought that’s all i seem inclined to do”)

His daemon’s a blue jay, for sure. look at those core traits:

socially flexible extrovert -- out going, loyal to his boys but still open to new friendships/connections (he looked at davey and went “oh im gonna be his best friend.” was ready and willing to work with the other boroughs during the strike. the charismatic leader who makes everyone feel welcome and listened to

aggressive/confrontational -- my man started a strike. duh.

bold/adventurous -- his whole santa fe thing, wants to DO THINGS. i had more words to say here but they have abandoned me.

resourceful/innovative -- decided to start a strike after, like, 10 seconds of thinking. after flirting with katherine, his whole “today we stopped the scabbers, tomorrow we stop the wagons” speech (i definitely misremembered the first half). though he Does have to be bullied into it, he does know each step the strike needs to take, and knows how to do it even after plan a fails. the whole once and for all/using pulitzer’s own fucking printing press to print the children’s crusade?? c’mon man, who would’ve thought of it

shrewd -- observant!! sees what’s place in front of him and immediately knows how to work with it. looks at his boys and knows immediately what they need!

communicative -- okay, he has A Little trouble with this, but he’s also a 17 year old boy. they’d rather die than communicate. HOWEVER. he goes himself to speak with spot conlon and the brooklyn newsies, aka the most important allies they’ve got. turns davey’s big/expressive words into those the other newsies would understand (jack would’ve explained what auspicious meant. i know he would’ve)

status-orientated -- i’m interpreting this differently than i’m probably meant to. i think he’s more status AWARE. he knows who to go after for the biggest impact. he knows the leaders of the other boroughs and how to sweet talk them. he knows that going after weasel and the delanceys ultimately accomplishes nothing and he has to go straight to the top, etc etc

DAVID -- davey jacobs. one strong breeze away from a panic attack. SO good at hiding it. yknow the song razzle dazzle from chicago, that’s essentially “if you’re really good at making people think you know what you’re doing, they won’t stop to consider you’re full of shit” that’s kinda davey. he’s the most educated of the newsies and uses that to his advantage. talks himself out of trouble, which would be better if he hadn’t talked himself INTO the trouble in the first place. one day, like, 2 years into him being a newsie, race stops and is like “hey. do we even know davey’s favorite color?” is so good at letting people think they know all about him without actually giving away the actual deep knowledge of himself. he’s so tired. he’s not the group mom, he’s the exhausted uncle who was asked to babysit for a day that turned into him adopting the fucking kids.

okay, i’m torn between two, but I think caracal is my ultimate decision (the giant otter shrew was my other choice, if anyone cares)

socially tolerant introvert -- he’ll step forward as the co-leader of the manhattan boys during the strike, but by god is gonna have a panic attack about it later. he understands it’s important, though, that he put the idea in jack’s head and that jack relies on him to be the brains to his brawn. besides, it’s not hard to stand up for the newsies when he genuinely likes the kids (yes, even albert. it surprised him, too). after the strike, he’s perfectly content to let jack go back to sole leader and race back to second-in-command

adaptable -- went from schoolboy to newsie to strike leader in less than 24 hours. he showed up for his first day of selling papes. went to bed. showed up for his second day. saw the prices went up. made the mistake of saying the word “strike” around jack. suddenly is running a strike. and my man Did Not Falter

sensing/aware -- knows exactly what to say to boost the newsies (”seize the day”, anyone?). he can take stock of a situation in, like, .02 seconds and know how to move from there

communicative/expressive -- he’s called the walking mouth. need i say more.

confident/assertive -- during “world will know” he joins jack up on the scaffolding to get the chalk from the guy who writes out the headlines. when jack’s aggressiveness didn’t work, davey stepped up and talked the guy into stepping aside. just because he’s anxious doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to project confidence (it helps that the newsies all have his back and hype him up)

opportunistic -- like. literally everything that happens. something or someone stumbles, he steps right up and takes over. jack scabs? well, fuck him i’m the leader now. also during “watch what happens (reprise)” when jack is like “joe’s a jerk/he’s a rattlesnake” davey is IMMEDIATE with the “you’re right!/and you know why a snake starts to rattle?” like “oop jackie said something i can use against him! haha!”

focused/patient -- literally wwhr again!! jack is being bitter and refusing to help and davey’s like “well, i’m gonna go win a strike soooo”

a lot of the implied/negotiable traits fit really well too

KATHERINE -- katherine pulitzer plumber. could’ve let her father pave the way to her future, but went and got it for herself. refused to let herself stay in the social pages. hell, she decided she wanted a CAREER and WENT OUT AND GOT IT despite it being 1899!! (”a girl? it’s a girl! how the hell? is that even legal???”). smart as a whip (davey fully believes she’s smarter than him, and he’s right!)

i do kinda like the idea of her having one of those prissy-looking white cats with the long hair, mostly because the kat/kitty jokes would be hilarious. however, katherine herself isn’t prissy, so i ultimately don’t think it’d work.

she would be a black-billed magpie (although i think an argument could be made for black-winged kite)

extroverted/socially flexible -- she’s a reporter, she’s gotta be out there making friends and shaking hands. she’s literally friends with other children of newspaper tycoons AND the newsies. nobody is wrong as a friend

opportunistic/adaptable -- it’s not said How she first hears about the strike, but it’s safe to assume it’s her father. she bursts into jacobi’s deli and is like “hi i’m covering your strike now, good luck getting rid of me.” she saw an opportunity to FINALLY get out of the social pages, and by god is gonna grab it with both hands

confident -- i mean, look at her. katherine knows who she is and what she wants, and she doesn’t really give a shit what everyone else thinks

proactive/short-term planner -- listen. she’s confident, she knows what she wants. i NEVER said she thought out all the steps before hand. she’s just VERY good at making people believe she’s got it all figured out (much like davey)

manipulative -- okay, this is another one where i’m definitely not taking it the way i should. BUT. i mean. she’s a reporter. what reporter hasn’t twisted some words (”a little hyperbole never hurt anyone”)

cooperative -- literally working with a small army of newsies to spread their cause

perceptive -- again. reporter. She Sees All. yknow how moms always convince their kids they have eyes on the back of their head? that’s katherine. mush is convinced she knows when he’s lying. she doesn’t, but he overcompensates for it that it becomes obvious

again, a lot of the inferred and negotiable traits also fit

RACETRACK -- racetrack higgins. this lanky motherfucker.  he’s jack’s second in command so i do think he’s one of the older newsies, mayyyybe 16? i think he was only like 13 in 92sies, but meh. canon is a toy box and i’m a destructive toddler. i really like the headcanon going around that he’s a wiz with numbers and just assumes everyone else is too. he’s a bitch (affectionate) and sarcastic and literally doesn’t even sell in manhattan, but he’s ride or die for his boys.

his daemon is a raccoon, and he was furious when he settled (i. did not mean to type he, been having a lot of trouble typing today, but yknow what fuck it race has a male daemon. fuck you thats why) like. “people already see us as literaly garbage, why the fuck did you have to settle as a raccoon are you fucking kidding me?”

independent -- again. his second-in-command of the manhattan newsies, yet sells every day in brooklyn.i cannot for the life of me find it, or even remember Which actor it was, but one of the guys who played race said that he does his own thing and doesn’t keep himself stuck in manhattan (really takes “we goes were we wishes/we as free as fishes” literally)

socially flexible -- again, will make friends with kids from other boroughs (fully unrelated but i have not spelled boroughs correctly once in this post, shoutout to spell check lmao), while still being loyal to manhattan. might be a little in love with a newsie from brooklyn, who knows! not him! definitely doesn’t know that for sure!

conflict-avoidant -- look. he’ll roughhouse with the guys and get in stupid squabbles with other newsies and throw a punch or two when he absolutely has to, but he’s not a fighter. much like davey, he prefers to talk his way out of the trouble he talked himself into. he wasn’t immediately on board with the strike, seemed like a lot of trouble for AT BEST no change

intuitive/curious -- look, a man doesn’t walk across an entire bridge every day because he’s not curious about what’s going on in other places. he’s jack’s eyes and ears, because he’s just a fucking nosy little shit who wants to know everybody’s business

adaptable/opportunistic -- yall sensing a theme here? (”got a feeling ‘bout a headline/i’ll make up a headline/and i’ll say anything i hafta”). after jack scabs and fucks off, he has to step up with davey. really wish there was time in the movie OR musical for a scene about it, but davey needed support and race was right there to help

unambitious -- look. he’s pretty sure he’s only jack’s second because he’s been there the longest. he doesn’t know why jack picked him otherwise. he’s not gunning for leadership, he’s perfectly happy with where he is and what he’s go

SPOT -- sean “spot” conlon (yes i know sean is kinda a fanon name. i like it). the man, the myth, the legend. the reason everyone’s so scared of brooklyn. abrasive, rude, violent, looks out for his boys first and himself second, didn’t beat the shit out of race for selling in his borough.

i typically give assholes with hearts of gold pitbull daemons bc i think it’s funny, but like. pitbulls weren’t considered “bully” breeds in 1899 (i have a rant abt dogs being called “bully” breeds but i’ll keep my mouth shut) and idk what would’ve been. he definitely has a canine though.

this is a bit of a different analysis, because i’m using both the daemon forum AND wikipedia to get the time-appropriate facts, but i’m feeling english bulldog

in historical record, bulldogs were used for bull-baiting (which is insane. these small ass dogs baiting LITERAL BULLS. they really just did Whatever in the past, huh). they were athletic, with powerful jaws, high stamina, and short fuses. modern bulldogs are, uh. a little goofier and decidedly less athletic. poor spot. at least a lot of traditional domestic dog traits still apply

playing fast and loose with the core traits from tdf here, but self-assured/confident -- did yall see “brooklyn’s here”? my man has the cockiest grin i’ve ever seen in my LIFE

stubborn/determined -- sticks to his word of waiting to see if jack would fold before getting brooklyn involved in the strike (and he was right!! jack fucking folded!!). once he makes a decision, he sticks to it. it’s fucking impossible to change his mind (race finds it charming; hotspot finds it makes him wanna bash his head against a wall)

under the overview section on tdf, the “social” and “stress” sections fit very well. while spot has the WORST rb and comes off as cold towards others, he cares DEEPLY abt brooklyn and puts their needs first, no matter what. he’s loyal and caring to those who he claims as His

he’s thick-skinned, adaptable, and willing to forgive jack once jack comes back with a plan and a new fire under his ass

i just processed giving the kid named SPOT a dog daemon. god i’m hilarious.

CRUTCHIE -- Charles “Crutchie” Morris. i honestly don’t know what daemon he’d have!! he’s kind, loyal, understanding, an eternal optimist. he also lets himself get stepped over, lets others take advantage of that kindness. stands up for everybody but his damn self.

WAIT okay actually, i think an african wild dog would be perfect

social extrovert -- he’s so friendly!! he likes making other people smile, he’s always there to hype his friends up, he’ll do whatever and talk to whomever he has to to help his friends

conflict avoidant/passive/tolerant -- look. he talks a big game (”y’see this mister pulitzer?!”) but he knows he’s not a fighter. jack’s the brawn. he’s willing to let bygones be bygones. maybe roughhouse with the guys a bit, but nothing intense or serious

determined/hardworking/ambitious -- people look and talk down to him because of his disability, but he doesn’t let that stop him. he’s out selling every day with jack, he’s right out there with everyone during the strike. he doesn’t let anyone stop him from whatever he sets his mind to

cooperative/caring -- i’m putting these two together because i think, for him, they’re hand in hand. he has a massive heart; he cares SO MUCH and wants his friends -- his family -- to be safe and happy. like i said, he’ll work with whomever he has to in order to insure that happens

people pleaser/doormat -- let crutchie be mean 2023!!!! he’s always looking out for the others, he doesn’t have any left to look out for himself!!!!

uh. this got longer than i thought it would it’s 5 am so i hope this all makes sense and also it’s not gonna get buried away because i’m posting at such an awkward time lmao

F U C K i just realized i didn’t even get to sarah. augh. i’ll inevitably end up making another post abt this bc of what i’m like as a person, so i’ll talk abt her then sorrrrryyyyyyy

[not-just-air]

Welcome to my Newsies Blog!

First things to know: 

I follow and ask from my main blog: vintageburnham

My Newsies Aesthetic blog is: newsies-jackie

My name is Bryn (she/her), and I am so happy to have you here! Go ahead and click ‘keep reading’ to learn more about me and this blog. If you’re not interested no worries, but please at least read the ‘parting words’ section at the very end. Welcome!

About Me: The Basics

My name is Bryn and I use she/her/hers pronouns!

I am a 22 year old college graduate in Political Science with a minor in Psychology.

I love movies. You will find me to be very active on Letterboxd.

One of my favorite hobbies is making video edits of the things I love the most. I work inconsistently and am not incredibly skilled, but it is a hobby I really enjoy and you can find my video editing account on instagram at vintageburnham.

I love making friends and talking about my favorite things! Please never hesitate to send me a message, an ask, or just say hi! I also love writing so writing prompts about 92sies about short fics or head-canons about characters in my ask box as of right now are welcome.

I do struggle with anxiety and at times social media can be a little overwhelming. Please don’t be offended if I disappear for a while, if I don’t reply quickly, or come off as a little awkward at times. My hyper-fixations completely take over my life haha, and I can ask a lot of questions about the things I care about to learn as much as I can! I am really doing my best and I really just strive for kindness and patience in all I do! I don’t really need any trigger warnings, so we are all good there.

About Me: Newsies

Newsies (1992) is my favorite film of all time, and just about my favorite thing in the world. I first watched Newsies on VHS when I was 7 years old and it has been my life ever since. It gives me great comfort and makes me very, very happy. It truly means everything to me. If you’d like, you can read my official Newsies film review on Letterboxd. I think I explained my feeling for the film pretty well there!

Although I love all the newsies with my whole heart, Jack Kelly is my favorite. He really means everything to me. Ever since I was a kid I felt very connected to him and looked up to him a lot. He is my all time favorite character and ultimate comfort character. You will see me talking about him a lot! Other favorite characters include Davey, Race, Skittery, Kid Blink, and Spot.

I do enjoy Newsies on Broadway. My Dad was able to see it and told me it was beyond incredible. I saw it in theaters in 2017 and really enjoyed it, but not as much as 92sies, and this blog will primarily focus on 92sies with only the occasional livesies post. It is really hard for me to think of them as the same project, and I largely view them as separate works which allows me to appreciate them more anyway!

I seriously just love to talk about 92sies. I love Newsies. So much. The hours I have poured into collecting Newsies memorabilia, learning about the film, the cast, the scripts, finding photos, researching the actual 1899 strike and the 1890′s... countless hours. Most of my personal posts will just be thoughts about the movie which you can find at my hashtag ‘my 92sies thoughts’ which will be the first tag on this post. 

About Me: Other Loves

Wow, where to even start. I love many things! I go through phases of hyper-fixation that are so intense. I enjoy them because I find things I love so much, and I spend so much time researching and learning and obtaining everything I possibly can about that thing which is great! But it is also exhausting haha. I am part of many other fandoms, though none as sincere as Newsies. I believe my knowledge of Newsies, the Lord of the Rings, and Bo Burnham is the most advanced I have of all the things I love. 

I am a huge fan of the musical comedian Bo Burnham. He is my person, he helps me sort out my mental health, and I think he is an absolute genius. I won’t talk much about him on this blog, but I do talk about him all the time on instagram where I run an update page called burnhambo, and on my main tumblr blog which is linked at the very beginning of this post. 

I also really love:

The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock, Dear Evan Hansen and other musical theater, The Big Bang Theory, Stranger Things, Avatar the Last Airbender, The Office and Parks and Rec, Derry Girls, Downton Abbey, and much, much more.

I love music. My favorite artists are AJR, Imagine Dragons, Elton John, Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra, and movie soundtracks.

About Me: Where to find me

I yell a lot about the things I love all over the internet! I have already linked several, but I will list again all the other places you can find me (also listed on my carrd which is still under construction). Rest assured my main social media presence is Tumblr, you’ve found it!

Letterboxd, Instagram One and Two, Pinterest, Twitter, and Reddit.

Types of tags I use to organize this blog: (these hashtags will be explained here and will all be used to tag this post, so feel free to click on any of them and scroll away!)

Newsies 1992: My primary hashtag which keeps track of posts where I talk about my thoughts about 92sies is (mine, my 92sies thoughts, about me, old pins, for me).  

For Fun: I use miscellaneous “just for fun”hashtags to keep track of things that make me laugh or make me smile. These include (newsies text posts, newsies humor, I just like this gif). 

Others’ creations: I really love seeing what others have thought about and created out of newsies, so I have hashtags that keep track of my favorite work from other blogs. These hashtags include (newsies headcanons, newsies art, newsies fic, newsies details, newsies politics, every day newsies, newsies au). 

Information: I use informational hashtags to organize all posts that offer history or technical information. These hashtags include (newsies research, livesies research, news boys research). Essentially they are just informational posts that I like to reference or refer to to learn more about my favorite thing in the world! Newsies research holds 92sies information, news boys research holds actual 1890′s historical information, and livesies research holds information about the Broadway musical. 

Misc: Just other misc tags that are kind of a catch-all for things that don’t fit into any of the previous hashtags, along with some specific hashtags of characters and ships (newsies misc, newsies 1992, livesies, Jack Kelly, Davey Jacobs, Spot Conlon, Racetrack Higgins, Javey, Skittery, my actual heart, the literal love of my life, park newsies, found family, roundhouse).

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

If you have made it this far, wow! Thanks :) I am sure this is more than you ever wanted to know, but oh well. This post I am sure will be edited from time to time, but for now, here it is.

Quick disclaimer: I do not own any of these gifs!

Some parting words: 

Please do not follow me if you fit the basic criteria of an unkind or hateful person. I don’t appreciate people who are just mean and belittle others. I love making friends, but I have very little patience for aggressive unkindness and deliberate bigotry. 

This blog is a SAFE SPACE for people of all races, religion, sexual orientation; whoever you are, you are safe here! I love you! I accept you! Please reach out to me if you are in need of help! 

I seldom to never swear or talk about anything that meets basic trigger criteria, so I don’t use trigger hashtags because this blog genuinely to the best of my knowledge does not contain any kind of that material. This is largely a safe, predictable, neutral zone. 

I am always learning. If I misstep please correct me and I will do and become better. Thanks for your patience, thanks for your kindness, and thanks for reading!

I look forward to becoming friends! See you out there :)

- Bryn 

[what-goesaround-comesaround]

List of newsies resources masterpost:

Hi! So I made out a list of general resources and information I usually use while researching newsies that I thought I would share. If anyone would like to send me any more videos, essays or information of importance to add to this list, do!! Please note, this list is constantly updating.

Newsies scripts

Newsies 1992 script

Newsies stage script & sheet music

Newsies jr. edition script

Newsies 1991 revised script

The original "Hard Promises" script (the original when newsies wasn't going to be a musical. A LOT was changed in the rewrites)

Newsies books, merch and info

Newsies production handbook

Newsies 1992 novelization by Jonathan Fast

Newsies promotional paper (1992) collected and posted by @queenofbrooklyn

The original North American VHS cover of Newsies

Newsies press kit booklet collected and posted by @queenofbrooklyn

2011 Papermill Playhouse Program by @letter-from-the-refuge

2011 Papermill Playhouse audience guide by @letter-from-the-refuge

The Big Bad Book of Newsies by the Bryan Denton Worshipers

A UK version of one of the Newsies theatrical posters, where it was originally released as “The Newsboys” posted by @queenofbrooklyn

Newsies posters different eras by @brooklynbadboys

Listing of characters

List of Newsies characters (both movie and stage) by @newsiepedia

A list of "who's whosies" from the film made by @letter-from-the-refuge

A guide to the stage characters

A guide to the film characters

Trading cards photos and their bios

An intro to the newsies by @ask-newsies

Newsies historical research

"Kids on strike!" novel by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Some things we know about the real Kid Blink, part one by @newsieshistory

"Mapping out newsies" essay made by @letter-from-the-refuge

Notes on the Refuge made by @newsiesquare

Newsboys information Google drive made by @newsboys-of-1899

How the Newsboy’s Strike of 1899 Was Reported on in Cities Other Than New York by @musicalhistory

The women of the newsboy strike by @newsboys-of-1899 and The Girlsies by @pioneergirlsie

Jewish Immigration and the Jacobs Family in Turn of the Century New York by @newsiesquare

Names/list of real life newsies found on @newsieshistory blog

"Kid Blink beats The World" picture book by Don Brown

Information about Jack's dime novel by @letter-from-the-refuge

Essays via The Newsboys Of 1899 website

A historical recount of The New York House of Refuge by @lousy-old-shrimp

Some great blogs to look at if you want a historical point of view! @newsboys-of-1899 @newsieshistory @newsiesquare @newsiesandhistory-blog

This is just a list of historical essays I find important however if anyone would like me to add anything, please add it/link it!

Interviews with the casts

Masterpost of newsies videos, particularly of the stage cast and tour interviews made by @lizzy88musicalsblog

Newsies Minute (Podcast) Interview with Michael Goorjan (Skittery) which focuses on the behind the scenes spoof horror movie they made, BDHONS

Newsies Minute (Podcast) Interview with Kevin Smets (Ten Pin)

Newsies, The Ultimate Broadway Fan Film on YouTube.

Newsies 1992 interview with Aaron Lohr (Mush), Max Casella (Racetrack), and David Moscow (David Jacobs)

D23's from the vaults: Newsies at Walt Disney studio

Max Casella - "Betting on Racetrack"

Newsies—An Oral History: How It All Happened

Deleted scenes and songs

List of deleted scenes (1992)

Cut songs from Newsies Paper Mill Playhouse production (2011)

"The Truth About The Moon" a cut song for Sarah sang by Dan DeLuca & Joey Barreiro

Carrying the banner deleted scene

Bloopers and observations 1992 Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

Jack's cut rope trick (1992)

Newsies gag reel

Newsies gag reel (without the age restriction) Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 from @lousy-old-shrimp

David being kicked while selling - deleted scene

Behind the scenes

Blood Drips Heavily on Newsies Square on YouTube Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 which is a spoof horror movie made behind the scenes by the cast of newsies 1992

Newsies The Ultimate Broadway Fan Film again, I really recommend this!!

Behind the scenes (1992) videos here and here

Newsies backstage Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 on Kevin Stea's Youtube Channel (Swifty the Rake)

The map of the Newsies set on the Universal backlot by @annihilatedthenightstalker

Other newsies videos & audios

West end cast audio boot by @waterfaery

Newsies Drug PSA VHS Tape

Second released Newsies Trailer

Newsies Broadway Reunion charity stream

92sies vs livesies comparison video

Santa Fe vs Bet On It choreo comparison

"Finding the appeal of Newsies" video essay on YouTube.

"Newsies | Based on a true story" on YouTubube

Newsies websites

My masterpost on newsies fan websites

Link to the infamous newsiesfreak.com (updated as the original URL was changed) and another link just in case things get changed or lost again.

The brief history of newsiesfreak.com by @queenofbrooklyn

Newsies fanlore

Explanation to why people call Spot and Race "Anthony" and "Seán" in fics, art, fanon ect by @letter-from-the-refuge

Screencaps of every frame of the film

How Boots got his name

Understanding "Juck" by @undercover-vampire

The story with Jack's brother by @letter-from-the-refuge

Newsies findings & essays

A transcript of The Banner by @lousy-old-shrimp

Irish Newsies essay made by me (hi!)

Jack Kelly as the canonical My Little Pony character, "Fine Print"

All of my newsies playlists

An article quoting that David and Les' surname is "Baum" in the Papermill Playhouse production

"Spot Conlon Makes Us A Little Nervous" by Honest Iago

Timon as Racetrack by gooseberry007 on Devianart

La Pandilla - Newsies promotional pictures Part 1 and Part 2

Newsies accounts you should look at!

@ask-newsies

@jackkellystories

@newsiesstocking

@newsiesgiftexchange

@santafejackkelly

[elmer-kasprzak]

in honor of my post abt not every newsie being a wasp becoming my most popular post, here’s some fun hcs about the newsies nationalities and a sprinkle of religion (not much)

david jacobs - we’ll start with the most popular i suppose. he’s ethnically and religiously jewish, and i’m thinking his family is from a german-speaking country. austria is probably likely (there were a lot of jewish people in austria in the late 1800s), but germany is also a likely option. his parents probably emigrated to america before he can remember, and at the very least les was born in new york. all three siblings can speak german fluently, though they don’t have much of an accent. they were raised in new york.

elmer kasprzak - not to be biased or anything, but i’ve done quite a few thinks about elmer and his family history. he’s from poland, and moved to new york with his mom and dad sometime after his 5th birthday. because he grew up with english as a second language, he most likely had to attempt to learn a “proper” new york accent. he was born in a village close to the german-polish boarder, and so he probably also could speak some german. he could understand more than he could speak.

racetrack higgins - okay this is specifically talking about livesies racetrack (because 92sies racer is so very italian /pos). points. that man is irish, through and through. i want to say first or second generation american, but the idea that he has an irish accent is fucking hilarious so maybe he was born in ireland. either way, he’s catholic. a HUGE majority of irish people who moved to america were catholic, so it would make sense that he was, too.

york - okay, okay. i know he’s not technically a livesies or 92sies newsie, but i think he deserves to be talked about more. originally, this hc was a joke, but then i thought about it and suddenly i decided it was no longer a joke. york is from york. old york. britain. he’s a british little fuck and he has the accent and it’s so good. granted, because he moved to new york when he was 10, it’s a bit faded, but it’s DEFINITELY still noticeable. he’s proud of it, so good for him. actually, he’s probably the most wasp you can get.

graves - okay so this is something i’ve affectionately dubbed the anthony zas effect. basically, any newsie he plays is polish. graves is second generation american, although he doesn’t have much connection to his polish heritage. it’s most prominent in his surname (i hc it to be dudek, but that’s just me), but only spot really knows that. he’s also not one specific denomination of christian, and so he avoids any shit based off of that. he kinda flies under the radar.

buttons - okay i lied about york. this is the most wasp-like newsie. his last name is davenport. do i need to say more? he doesn’t really know much about his heritage. his family has been in america since before the civil war, and so it doesn’t really matter to him where he’s from. (hint: he’s british. that man is just english and it’s really funny).

okay… i’m so very exhausted so this list is short but if you have anyone else you want me to yell about when it comes to nationality hcs, lmk because i absolutely will. i’m vaguely thinking about more poc newsies, but i need to do more research on immigration policies before i do anything for them. until then, enjoy, gay people.

[robronpositivity2020]

fanfic writer appreciation

this fandom is lucky to have so many talented fic writers. Today we will highlight one of them, @robron-til-the-end. She has written 167 fics for the fandom. each one of them well thought out and researched. She spends a lot of time and effort writing these fics for us to enjoy and we truly appreciate it. Down below are some of her favourite fics that she has written. 

Thank you so much for writing these fics ❤️❤️🙏🏼💖

Love At First Touch by  robron_til_the_end/ @robron-til-the-end https://archiveofourown.org/works/19964812/chapters/47261398

Status: Complete

summary:  Robert's blind. He's come back home to Emmerdale, very much changed from the teenager he was, less cocky, more unsure. Enter a dirty little grease monkey who might make Robert realise everything he was ever looking for, was right back at home all along.

Read All About It by  robron_til_the_end/ @robron-til-the-end

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11225169/chapters/25081806

status: complete

summary:  Robert's just been promoted for the paper he works for, one of the youngest music editors the paper's had. One of his first jobs is to interview Aaron Livesy, a famous musician who's notoriously difficult to get an interview with.

Yorkshire FC by  robron_til_the_end/ @robron-til-the-end​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488804/chapters/30932160

status: complete

summary:  Robert is a famous footballer, the darling of the premiership and the England squad. He can do no wrong. He comes back to Emmerdale, resting due to an injury, where he meets Aaron. And we go from there...

[artfish2099]

Dynamics, research

Fireball 

When an idea of a fireball came to my mind in the process of iterations for Bouncing ball with a secondary action task I research for some references and came across of a meteor information. It looked exactly how I imagined my ‘fireball’ for this task.

This image is taken from LiveSience magazine

[what-goesaround-comesaround]

Let's talk about some Irish newsies-

Hey! So I thought it'd be cool to look into the research I've found indicationg that some of the newsies might have Irish ties! (I'm Irish so that might explain my interest) I'm not an expert at all or anything, this is just the research I've collminated while scouring through newsies facts.

Oh course this isn't set in stone, this is just information I've found so if I've got anything wrong, please tell me! I was inspired by this post to do my own research. (A lot of my research has to do with the original movie but stick around for some fun facts about surnames?)

And now, onto Jack Kelly :

^This is David's description of Jack in Newsies : a novel by Jonathan Fast which can be found here on pg 9. Both surnames "Kelly" and "Sullivan" have their roots in Irish history.

^on pg 27 of the same book David describes Jack again as "an Irish boy". I just thought this would be worth noting, seeing how David wants to make it obvious to us, the reader that Jack appears to be Irish or of Irish descent.

"Kelly", originally anglicized from the Gaelic "Ó Ceallaigh" meaning 'descendant of Ceallach', an ancient Irish personal name, originally a byname meaning 'bright-headed' or 'troublesome' (fitting huh?) Source found here.

Fun fact for you livesies fans, the reigning chieftain of Ui Maine (mid Galway, South Roscommon, sometimes referred to as "O'Kelly's Country") O'Ceallaigh (c1351), was a renowned patron of the arts. Source found here.

Another fun fact : Jack means Seán in Irish.

Bet you weren't expecting that. Or maybe you were. Anyway, source is found here. I also remember it being a topic of conversation in 3rd class Irish class. Wonder how Spot and Jack would feel about that.

^On pg 23 of the original 1992 movie script found here Jack describes himself as a "mick" which was a commonly used derogatory term used against those of Irish decent/Irish immigrants at the time. However this line was not included in the movie. Source found here.

Now for "Sullivan". The original Irish for the surname Sullivan is O'Suileabhain, however the actual derivation of the name is debated. There is no doubt that the root word is 'suil' meaning eye, but whether it is to be taken as 'one-eyed' or 'hawk-eyed' is usually left an open question. Sources found here and here.

The surname is associated with the southwestern part of Ireland and was originally found in County Tipperary before the Anglo-Norman invasion. Source found here

Also, in both movie and stage versions Jack tells us his father "taught me not to starve" indicating his father may have taught Jack about the horrors of the Famine/An Drochshaol/The Great Hunger that plagued Irish families for years after. Source is found here.

Okay! On to Spot Conlon :

^This is David's description of Spot Conlon from the same book, pg 51 (okay he may not outright say he's Irish but they really said "throw all the stereotypes at him like red hair". But seriously in the Hard Promises script and the Newsies script he's described the same way. I guess they really invisioned that red hair huh?)

Spot is interesting seeing as he is the leader of the Brooklyn newsies, Brooklyn being an infamously known place for Irish immigrants to live due to the Great Hunger/An Drochshaol (translated meaning "Hard Times") or as it's more commonly known as "the potato famine" between 1845-1852. Source found here. At least 1 million people died from this and another 1 million immigrated, a lot to America (although the exact numbers are disputed.) Around this time New York becoming the busiest port city in the world. There was labor work to be had in Brooklyn, in the manufacturing and loading and unloading of goods to be sent around the country and around the world. Irish immigrants who had been left poor and malnourished by the famine had no other option but to take on this manual labour to earn money. Many took jobs by the ports and settled by the Watershed i.e. near the ports. This could be a reason to why we're first introduced to Spot and his "cronies" at the port in the movie. Source is found here and here.

Supposing Spot was born between 1880-1886 (he's quoted to be 14 in real life in this article however it's stated in the Newsies Novel on pg 51 to "be around Jack's age" and it's stated in original script before Newsies was rewritten to be a musical and was still a drama, "Hard Promises" he's quoted to be 19 on pg 28. So take this with a grain of salt.) the U.S. census, which counted both place of birth and parents’ birth place as well, estimated that one-third of all New Yorkers were of Irish parentage. By 1890 as Brooklyn neighborhoods were expanding east and south, the amount of people with Irish stock is at 196,372. Source found here.

Also how people will usually use the name "Seán" or sometimes "Patrick" for Spot (one of the fandom wiki pages cites it as his real name here but admits to having no proof of it). Both of these are traditional Irish first names, Patrick being popularised by the patron saint of Ireland St. Patrick/Pádraig. Might have heard of it-

Now for his surname.

Conlon is an Irish family name, it being a variation of the anglicised version of Ó Connalláin. The name may be derived from two Irish Gaelic words "Con" (the genitive case of Cú, meaning "hound") and "Lón" meaning lion - thereby implying a person who has the characteristics of a lion born of a hound - strength and speed. Source found here.

Conlon had a Gaelic form of Ó Conallain or Ó Coinghiollan in Connacht however it's Ó Caoindealbhain in Munster and Leinster. Fun fact, Connal or Connall is claimed to be a pet name for a sprout or little sprout. Source found here.

The history regarding the Conlon surname is complicated to say the least- however it can be traced back to County Meath, where the Conlon descendants are from an important sept near Trim, which traces back to Laoghaire, King of Ireland circa 432. O'Coindealbhain was also anglicised 'Quinlivan' in Munster. Source is found here and here.

This post isn't letting me include the video of Jack, David and Boots going to Brooklyn to negotiate with Spot and the Irish traditional music in the background but I'll make a separate post about that.

Now, onto Racetrack Higgins.

I'm going to keep this kind of brief. We know Racetrack is described as "tall, skinny gambling Italian beanpole" in the Hard Promises script on pg 1 and he's described as "an Italian beanpole" on pg 5 of the Newsies Script. However the surname "Higgins" is Irish as far as my research has told me, not Italian.

The real Ed "Racetrack" Higgins lived in Brooklyn and is quoted to be the real leader of the Brooklyn union, and was elected vice-president of the general union after Kid Blink and David Simmons were accused of selling out. Source found here. I haven't been able to find much information about Racetrack Higgin's life after the strike or his family life which could connect him to Ireland however I thought it would be interesting. If anyone is curious about the real Racetrack Higgins this source has been really useful!

'Higgins" is an Irish family name with ancient royal connections. It is an anglicisation of O'hUigin, from the Irish word 'uiginn' meaning Viking. The original holder of the name was a grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, High King of Tara, and all of the O'Higgins claim a common descent from him. Ancient records show that several members of the O'Higgins claimed a hereditary right to be file or poet in the courts of the Irish Chiefs and Kings. Source is found here and here.

Because of their loyalty to Gaelic culture and religion, the Higgins suffered under the English Crown in Ireland and had lost all their lands in Sligo and Westmeath by 1654. Some of them remained in Ireland as tenants on their own lands, but many of them migrated to Spain where they achieved high office in the service of the King. Source is found here.

Fun fact, Racetrack has the same surname as the current (9th) President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins!

Lastly, on to Crutchy/ie Morris!

^This is from the 1991 original script of Newsies when it was called Hard Promises and was written to be a drama. Obviously this wasn't the movie that we have today but I thought this would be a cool add on. I couldn't find a lot of information about the real Crutch Morris, whom Crutchy/ie is based on. The surname Morris isn't strictly Irish, it's a popular surname throughout the British Isles however with this piece of information I thought it would make sense to research it anyway.

"Morris" (Ó Muiris in Irish) was introduced to Ireland by the Normans, along with the variant Firzmaurice (Mac Muiris). A branch of these Morrises moved to Galway in 1485 CE and later became one of the Tribes Of Galway. The name may also have been an abbreviation of Morrissey (Ó Muireasa), a branch of the Uí Fiachrach clan. Sources found here and here.

The ancient Irish name Ó Muirgheasa (variant Ó Muirghis), a personal name thought to derive from muir, meaning "sea" and geas, meaning "taboo" or "prohibition." Source found here.

The Morris family does have an Irish family crest/coat of arms which I'll post at a later date, further cementing themselves in Irish history.

This is most of the information I have regarding the origins of the characters and their surnames however I could go on about the music in Newsies, the family crests, the housing circumstances of poor Irish immigrants in New York at the turn of the 19th century ect.

If you want to learn more about what life was like for Irish immigrants in New York I recommend reading the non-fiction book The Gangs Of New York (or watching the movie. It isn't completely historically accurate but give a decent overview of what was life) or reading this article by the Irish Times.

I've barely scratched the surface of this topic and hope to go into it father in the future!

May I leave you with this gif of the boys doing some Irish (inspired) dancing and David with his twirl combo!

Ps. If the links aren't working for you I'd be happy to provide a list of the resources I’ve used throughout my research on a separate post if needs be.

pps. @maggs-is-a-muppet @annihilatedthenightstalker @newsies-bun @letter-from-the-refuge thanks for the motivation last night 😌