The Wilsons Get a Life (Sort of!)

Welcome back! Where we left off, we were taking a look at the Wilson family, and their existence in the MonkeeSim world prior to the existence of any of the Sims expansions. Well, that's all about to change. Today, we throw the "Superstar" and "Vacation" expansions into the mix, and see what results...hopefully something strange and unusual (because nice and normal is boring, you know).

The first thing the Wilsons did with their new found goodies and freedom was begin investigating the pre-made meal options. When you hate to cook, it's only natural that this would have a lot of appeal. Kitty bought a turkey, and no sooner was she getting ready to carve it than a bunch of neighbors showed up to help eat it. What a bunch of freeloaders!

Everyone is pretty excited about the turkey. You would think these people never ate or something, which is pretty much all they do.
The next exciting discovery the Wilsons made occured when Marty decided to put out some balloons and buy a cake for Kitty's birthday. Next thing you know, everyone was sporting party hats and noise makers and having a gay old time - and some guests showed up from the neighborhood...again...what boring lives they must lead (but we knew that already).

Matt and Bobby commit a fashion fau paux, while J.D. stands around in his speedo. Was he supposed to jump out of the cake for this party? He seems to be wondering that himself.
Well, it wasn't long before the family began to tire of the endless parties focused around food (alternating "turkey day" and "cake day" every other week day just to get guests to show up got old after a while, especially since the presents always sucked). Marty grabbed the phone, punched a few numbers, and agreed to try out one of the Vacation Island packages. At this point, leaving the neighborhood was an experience all in itself. The concept of going on vacation was pretty exciting to the family. After all, when you stay home all day long pursuing fun and excitement, every now and then you just need to get away from it all and take a break.

The first thing vacation spot they tried was a snowy resort. I personally hate the cold and snow, but the Wilsons seemed to take to it pretty well. There were some gratuitous displays of hot-dogging on the snowboard ramp, which was a surprise, since this was their first snowboarding experience as far as I know. There were also some sorry attempts at winning carnival games, but those apparently required some skill the family members did not yet have, and the prize tickets were slow in coming.

"We have got to get one of these back home!"
Well, as fun as the snow resort may or may not have been, the Wilsons were eager to try a little bit of everything, so off they went into the vacation-mobile to try out one of the rugged woodland resorts. As with the snow resort, the family quickly set to doing pretty much whatever they wanted, spending money however they pleased without each others' approval. It's a good thing they had a few bucks to blow. The metal detectors and fishing poles were pretty popular selections, especially since there were no carnival games or snowboarding ramps to be found this time around.

Some of the more athletic of the Wilsons (of which there are very few) took an interest in the volleyball net, in there pajamas for some odd reason. Archie the Archer, the costumed freak who everyone ignored, took an interest in the game, and seemed dangerously close to interfering a couple of times. Still, he was completely ignored. I'm glad he was amusing himself at least.

Kitty seems to be making a special effort to show her lack of interest in "Archie the Archer". Hey, Archie, go away...nobody likes you.
Well, ol' Archie just wouldn't quit. He would not be satisfied until he'd annoyed everyone at the resort, apparently. After dancing around on the sidelines until nobody could focus on the game any longer (it looks like he's kicking the ball in the picture below), everyone became disgusted and called the game on account of interference. Good one, Archie. Well, it just wouldn't be a rustic, natural outdoor setting without a guy in a costume with a huge head walking around bothering you, now would it?

Kitty: "Will you please go find a forest fire to play in or something?
Well, all good things must come to an end, and while the vacation provided a nice change from day to day "life", the Wilsons began to miss their "Dogs Playing Poker" murals and upstairs bar, and so they returned home. However, not everything returned to as it once was. While picking up the many newspapers and tabloids on the front lawn, Kitty actually read part of one, and noticed an ad for Studio Town agents. She decided that a career on the fame track sounded like more fun than pet grooming or working as a science test subject. Besides, given that she'd spent all that time playing the drums and piano at home, it only made sense to find a way to make money with those talents (what good is a talent if you're not making money with it?).

Before long, Kitty was whisked away to Studio Town for the first time, where she began her career as a lounge singer. It didn't go too well to begin with, mainly because nobody was in the room for her first couple of performances. Before long, though, she got a little recognition from some "fans", and thus her fame career officially began.

Sadly, there was nobody present with a camera in the earlier days of Kitty's career, but it's probably for the best - otherwise there would be picture after picture of karaoke performances, recording booth sessions, and other less exciting steps up the career ladder. However, it wasn't long before she was cast in a starring role in the popular sim soap, "As the World Burns".

"%@#& it, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a...oh, wait...never mind..."
While the acting bit was nice, Kitty decided to branch out a little bit and try some other avenues on the road to fame and fortune. She gave modeling a try, mostly so she could try out some outfits other than the same one she wore almost every day. Here she is doing a runway show with Cliff, one of her famous neighbors.

Kitty: "Cliff, baby, you look good enough to eat!"
That was all good and fine, but modeling turned out to be a little too strenuous and unpredictable for Kitty's liking, and so, she was left with no real idea what direction her career was heading. It didn't matter, though, since she was making money while trying to figure it out, which was still something that nobody else in the Wilson house could claim.

Kitty's success in Studio Town was an inspiration to the rest of the Wilson family, and they all decided to try to get into the act. Here, we see Marty torturing J.D. with his vocal stylings, while Kevin evokes constant booing from some guests, who apparently just stopped by to make fun of piano playing.

JD: "Dude, don't quit your day...oh, wait...never mind..."
Well, Marty apparently got the picture, but Kevin persisted. He attracted some more visitors, but it only resulted in a larger crowd standing around booing him. Oh, Kevin...give it up already.

"Well, we're all in the mood for a melody...just not from you, Kevin!"
At some point, Kitty decided that music was the way to go professionally. And so, she turned her attention toward producing music videos in earnest (or Studio Town, rather). She tried several different genres to help find her niche.

There was Rock n' Roll...

I think the last time big hair and leather was a cool look was about 20 years ago...
There was Pop music...

This must be the video for that love song, "I Love You, Baby, But Your Ability to Fly Freaks Me Out!"
And finally, there was the dance video...

Flying dudes in shiny silver suits...a big orange horse thingy...who cares what the song is about...this one has got to be a winner!
In the end, none proved to be more successful than the other, and so, she settled on just doing a mix of the three from time to time. It wasn't long before the silver awards started trickling in...albeit very slowly. Once again, it didn't matter, since she was actually making money, instead of just spending it like everyone else.

And so, thanks to the expansions, the Wilsons not only got out of the house for a bit and got some old boots and other oddities to grace their display shelves, but one of them actually got a career, and actually has a bit of a life now. Will fame go to Kitty's head, or will she continue to acknowledge the existence of her house mates and her boyfriend...uh...what's his name...oh, yeah. Marty! Well, we'll just have to wait and see! Be sure to check in next time!