The story begins when Santa Claus falls through a hole in the ozone layer and ends up in the wrecking yard. His sled is broken, his reindeer have run off and he's suffering from a small memory loss. The car wreckers must help Santa build a new sled, and find the magical wheels needed to power the sled. Said wheels have been left in the past, so the wreckers have to use a magical time-traveling glove to retrieve them. Charging the glove and using it correctly turns out to be easier said than done.
They must also deal with Blazerfjell Panorama Apartments, who wish to get rid of the wrecking yard because it ruins the view from the hotel.
Tropes present in Vazelina Hjulkalender:
- Accidental Hug: Between Høgger'n and Inga when they finally got the sled to work.
- Analogy Backfire: Invoked by Santa:Høgger'n: I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Santa: It's probably an oncoming train that you see. - Artistic License – History: After his time travels, Høgger'n describes what time period he visited and tells something about it. Normally, this is fine, but he once got burned and explained that he had landed on Ra, the boat that Thor Heyerdahl set fire to. Actually, he set fire to Tigris.
- Artistic License – Statistics: The wheels and the steering wheel of the sled have to be placed correctly, otherwise the sled won't work. One of the wreckers claims that there are "several thousand combinations", and that this makes trying them all an extremely time-consuming process. Actually, there are only 120 (5!) of them - still time-consuming, but not nearly as bad as what's shown. *
- Book Ends: The song "Hjul-jul i jul" is played in the first episode and the last part of the finale.
- Captain Obvious: At one point, Guri and Ola point out that car batteries can provide electricity.
- Catchphrase:
- Høgger'n: "Kvinnfolk og tomflasker er det verste je veit."* and "Kyss meg midt på kardangen!" *
- Johnsen: Detta går bra aldri i væla." * By far the most repeated catch-phrase in the series.
- Exaggerated with Cloud Cuckoo Lander Hans-Preben. When he says something, it's "Hva?" * , "Ja, selvfølgelig" * , a Parrot Exposition of something Hans-Fredrik just said, or an announcement on changes in the stock market. This is subverted in the final episode, when it's revealed that he can understand the wreckers' dialect and repeat a phrase in it, unlike Hans-Fredrik and Hans-Kristian.
- Child Prodigy: Downplayed with Guri and Ola. Most of the time, they come up with solutions that the adults were just too stupid to think of, like "car batteries contain electricity". However, some of their suggestions actually show quite a bit of knowledge and intelligence.
- Comically Missing the Point: When the wreckers discover that Inga has broken into Synnøve's barn, where Eldar was sleeping, Eldar's first worry is the fact that he may have snored.
- Deadpan Snarker: Of the wreckers, Viggo makes the most sarcastic quips, sometimes based on some terrible pun or other.
- Dumb Muscle: Aspic and Ruslebiffen are strong, but not particularly bright. One of them tries to hide a glove from Inga by keeping it behind his back, only to turn his back to Inga, showing her the glove. Immediately afterwards, Inga lampshades their stupidity by telling them that they don't need to pretend to be idiots.
- Easily Forgiven:
- Even though Aspic and Ruslebiffen attack the wreckers repeatedly, try to steal the magical glove, kidnap Santa Claus and try to extort him into telling the world that the wreckers are the true bad guys, and set fire to Guri and Ola's booth* , they hardly get punished except for some revenge by the wreckers. They're even allowed to join the wreckers' party in the end. The same applies to everyone at Blazerfjell, but Aspic and Ruslebiffen are the biggest offenders of them. Bruspulverguttene get to own Blazerfjell after the events of the series.
- Høgger'n breaks Inga's car in a fit of rage. As correctly pointed out by another wrecker, it doesn't improve the relation between Blazerfjell and the wreckers, but Høgger'n is never really punished. It's implied that Inga had an expensive car, too.
- Easy Amnesia: When Santa hurts his head in the sledge crash, he forgets where he left the wheels he needs to run his sled. Johnsen tried to cure him by hitting in the head, but it doesn't work. Later, a Tap on the Head restores Santa's memories.
- Edible Theme Naming: The torpedoes Aspic and Ruslebiffen (literally: "the wandering steak"). Lampshaded when Inga calls for them and Eldar says that he has already had breakfast.
- The Eeyore: Not the most extreme of examples, but Johnsen is definitely the wreckers' resident pessimist, and the quickest to insist that things will go wrong. It's even his catch-phrase.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Inga wants the car wreckers gone, and is willing to go outside the law to get rid of them, but already early in the series she balks at the idea of getting them seriously hurt. This of course foreshadows her eventual Heel–Face Turn.
- Evil Laugh: When Inga realizes that they can extort Santa Claus into saying that he was kidnapped by the wreckers, she laughs.
- Face–Heel Turn: When Inga learns that Eldar is in love with her, she tries to invoke this by turning Eldar against the other wreckers and encouraging him to buy them out. It almost works, but she ends up changing sides instead.
- Fiery Redhead: Viggo, though his bursts of temper are relatively mild and short-lived. He's quick to promise violence on the antagonists, but never follows up on it.
- Forgot About His Powers: You'd think that four grown-up wreckers would understand that car batteries can contain electricity, but they needed Guri and Ola to point it out for them.
- Frothy Mugs of Water: The show makes few attempts at hiding the fact that the so-called "soda" that Bruspulverguttene drink is actually liquor.
- George Jetson Job Security: Inga fires Synnøve because Synnøve could have forced the wreckers to move, but refused to.
- Growling Gut: Discussed. When the wreckers hear a crash, Viggo is asked if he has a stomachache.
- High-Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed. Inga Toppen turns good a while before Bruspulverguttene and their torpedoes do. Her love for Eldar plays a role in her decision, but isn't the sole reason, and her brother Sølve changes sides early as well.
- Heel–Face Turn: In the end, all of the antagonists admit that they've made a mistake and that the wreckers did the right thing all along.
- Hidden Depths: Hans-Preben spends most of the show being a Cloud Cuckoo Lander whose dialogue is limited to "What?", "Yes, of course", a Parrot Exposition of something Hans-Fredrik just said, or an announcement on changes in the stock market. However, the final episode suggests that he's more knowledgeable and/or down-to-earth than his peers, as he's the only one of them to know the wreckers' dialect.
- Hilarious Outtakes: The DVD release features this.
- Hypocrite: Inga Toppen argues that the wreckers need to go away because they pollute by using tires as firewood. As Synnøve points out, they're not the biggest polluters around — Inga and her company loves wasting energy on stuff like heating bushes to "ensure that the birds don't freeze".
- I Can Explain: Sølve claims that he can explain why his car is registered at Blazerfjell, but Synnøve doesn't give him the chance until later.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Played for Laughs.Sølve: One of [the wreckers] is even in love with you.
Inga: [laughs] Has Eldar said he's in love?
Sølve: Have I said it was Eldar? - I Resemble That Remark!: In the final episode, Santa criticizes the Blazerfjell leadership for putting their stock value above all else. When they hear the criticism, the owners' immediate response amounts to "oh no, people hearing this would cause our stock value to plummet".
- Knockout Gas: When Aspic and Ruslebiffen try to steal the glove and need to take care of Eldar first, they spray a gas at him, which knocks him out in a matter of seconds.
- Last-Name Basis: Johnsen is usually referred to with his last name, in contrast to the First-Name Basis for everyone else.
- Leitmotif: Bruspulverguttene have a song that represents them, and so do the torpedoes.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: Høgger'n's launches are accompanied with a theme. When someone's phone calls and the launch is interrupted, the music slows to a stop.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to Vazelina's songs and live shows, the series is more inherently wholesome and kid-friendly, with fewer overt references to alcohol and sex. A couple of the songs that the wreckers sing in the series have had the more "questionable" verses cut compared to their original versions.
- Mood Whiplash: At the end of the 11th episode, the wreckers find out that they can get free electricity and celebrate it with a mellow song. Then Viggo is informed that Aspic and Ruslebiffen have set fire to the children's sales booth.
- Motor Mouth: Nissemor (Mrs Claus) talks really fast when she calls Santa to yell at him.
- The Mole: Sølve spies on the wreckers for Inga because he's her brother. He pulls a Heel–Face Turn later.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Aspic and Ruslebiffen give Santa a Tap on the Head, thus curing his Easy Amnesia.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Arnulf Paulsen is usually referred to as "Høgger'n" ("the wrecker").
- Porky Pig Pronunciation: Guri and Santa are the only characters capable of saying "electromagnetic field". The others who try it have to give up, sometimes substituting an easier term, e.g. "that awful stuff".
- Pun-Based Title: Directly translated, the title means "Vazelina Wheel Calendar". Its pronunciation is one unstressed e away from the pronunciation of "Vazelina julekalender".
- Punny Name: Inga Toppen. "Toppen" means "the top" and the phrase "du er toppen" means something like "you're the best". It's impossible to hear the difference between "You're the best, Inga" and simply "You're Toppen, Inga". The series uses this as a Running Gag.
- Rule of Drama: On the 23rd of December, they stop testing combinations of the wheels' placements after having tested every single combination but one which obviously turns out to be the right one.
- Running Gag:
- The wreckers and Santa all have the same ringtone and check their phones simultaneously.
- When Høgger'n launches, something may happen at Blazerfjell, for instance glass breaking.
- There are many failed attempts at one kicksledge scene in the Hilarious Outtakes.
- Guri and Santa are the only ones who can say "electromagnetic field". The other characters' mispronunciations and Porky Pig Pronunciation are used as a Running Gag.
- Santa Claus: He's one of the main characters.
- Saving Christmas: If the wreckers can't make his sled run again, Santa won't be able to deliver gifts, which will ruin Christmas for the children.
- Saw "Star Wars" Twenty-Seven Times: According to Viggo, Eldar has watched The Sound of Music 50 times.
- Screw the Money, I Have Rules!:
- Inga tries to bribe Synnøve with a larger salary if she kicks the wreckers out of their house. Synnøve refuses and doesn't change her mind when Inga threatens to fire her. She does get fired.
- After her High-Heel–Face Turn, Inga leaves her presumably well-paid job at Blazerfjell to help Santa and the wreckers. The trope is ultimately subverted at the end, when it's revealed that she had a plan for getting her job back all along.
- Straw Hypocrite: The people of Blazerfjell complain that the wreckers pollute, even though they brag about how many facilities they have. These facilities have to use quite a lot of electricity. For instance, Eldar points out that they heat branches so that birds don't freeze.
- Tap on the Head: Aspic and Ruslebiffen knock Santa on the head to make him unconscious. One of the times, it cures his Easy Amnesia.
- Theme Naming: The names of "Bruspulverguttene" are Hans-Kristian, Hans-Fredrik and Hans-Preben.
- Time Travel: Høgger'n uses the magical glove to travel in time, but it's only shown when he launches into space to visit the past, and when he lands.
- Trademark Favorite Food: All Norwegian children know that Santa loves rice porridge, and this series definitely follows up on that.
- Triumphant Reprise: "Hjul-jul i hjul" was pretty bright in the first place, but it gets even better when it's played during the celebration after they got the sled to work. Even Bruspulverguttene join the song.
- Try Everything: The sled has four ordinary wheels, and a steering wheel that looks just like the other four. Unfortunately, they are unmarked and must be placed correctly in order for the sled to work. The only way to find the right combination is just trying different ones until they find the only one that works.
- Would Hurt a Child: Discussed and exploited when Aspic and Ruslebiffen threaten to hurt Guri and Ola if Santa refuses to claim that he was kidnapped by the wreckers. He agrees because he believes the torpedoes are capable of harming innocent children. However, Santa doesn't know that the children got away and the torpedoes lied.
- You Don't Look Like You: A plot point with Santa. The long white beard and the big belly are actually just a disguise he adopts so that he'll look more like the public image of him — in reality he's skinny and is unable to grow a proper beard. Anyone who sees him without his disguise initially refuses to believe he's really Santa Claus.
- You Need a Breath Mint: Discussed when one of the torpedoes says that he just said "boo" and the children ran away. The other torpedo says, "It's no wonder with that breath of yours".
