October 29, 2023

Title: BOP TO THE TOP

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

BO PEEP (10D: "Toy Story" character with pet sheep)

JOB OPENINGS (20D: Employment opportunities)

JUMBO PENCIL (26D: Oversized writing utensil)

COWBOY BEBOP (24D: 2021 sci-fi series based on an anime space Western)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer - BO PEEP, JOB OPENINGS, JUMBO PENCIL, COWBOY BEBOP - contains the word BOP. Looking at the grid from left to right, the word BOP is rising TO THE TOP.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• STAR ANISE (16A: Spice in an eight-pointed pod) STAR ANISE is part of the fruit from a particular species of evergreen tree. Its pod resembles an eight-pointed STAR. The flavor of STAR ANISE closely resembles the flavor of ANISE, which is the seed of a flowering plant that tastes similar to black licorice. STAR ANISE is a common ingredient in five-spice powder.
• DJS (19A: Dance party playlist curators) It seems fitting to find DJS in a puzzle titled BOP TO THE TOP.
• SONNETS (27A: Some Gwendolyn Brooks poems) Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. She was the first Black person to receive a Pulitzer Prize. A SONNET is a poem with 14 lines that follows a specific rhyme scheme and structure. One SONNET written by Gwendolyn Brooks is titled "The SONNET-Ballad." If you'd like to learn more about Gwendolyn Brooks, I've written about her previously.
• EMPLOYS (33A: Hires) and JOB OPENINGS (20D: Employment opportunities) Fun to see these two answers crossing.
• BOOP (38A: Soft pat on a pet's nose) and LIONS (54D: Big cats with manes) I tried to get a photo of me booping Willow's nose, but when I BOOP her nose, she just wants to

  

  Willow

  
  lick my finger! So instead I opted to share a picture of her "mane." Although she isn't a LION, Willow does have a bit of a mane (particularly a beard) like her big cat cousins. 
• NATIVE (50A: "You are on ___ land") If you would like to learn more about the NATIVE land you are on, check out this interactive map.
• BABES (58A: "___ in Arms" (1937 musical)) BABES in Arms is a musical by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. Set in a small town on Long Island, BABES in Arms is about a group of teenagers putting on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm while their actor parents are on the road. The musical was adapted into a 1939 movie starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
• MEME (61A: Crying Barbie, e.g.) The Crying Barbie MEME is based on a scene from the 2023 Barbie movie.
• TERI (4D: Actress Hatcher) TERI Hatcher played the role of Susan Mayer on the TV series Desperate Housewives (2004-2012). She also portrayed Lois Lane in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997).
• DISNEY (15D: "Mulan" studio) Mulan is a 1998 animated DISNEY movie. In 2020, DISNEY produced a live-action version of Mulan. Appropriately for this puzzle, DISNEY is also the High School Musical studio.
• COWBOY BEBOP (24D: 2021 sci-fi series based on an anime space Western) COWBOY BEBOP is a TV series that has been described as "space opera meets noir, meets comedy, meets cyberpunk." I first learned about COWBOY BEBOP when it was a theme answer in the October 25, 2021 puzzle.
• JUMBO PENCIL (26D: Oversized writing utensil) I used to have a JUMBO PENCIL; I wonder what happened to it?
• HERA (37D: Mount Olympus matriarch) In Greek mythology, HERA is the goddess of marriage, women, and family. She is also considered the Queen of the Gods.
• END (63D: Fitting place for this answer) It's always fun when the last word in a puzzle is something like stop or END. 

"BOP TO THE TOP" is a song from the 2006 DISNEY movie High School Musical. It's sung by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, in their roles of twin siblings, Sharpay and Ryan Evans. Yes, this means that this puzzle is the latest installment of Matthew Stock puzzles based on High School Musical song titles. Thank you, Matthew, for this puzzle that was a great way to start my Sunday.