They’re television’s version of misfit toys: Perfectly sound, high-quality shows that, for some reason or another, get shunned by way too many viewers. If only some bloated, bearded guy could whoosh in on his sleigh and rescue them from obscurity.

Few shows are more deserving of fervent aid than “Community,” NBC’s sophomore sitcom about the oddball students who form a study group at fictional Greendale Community College. Led by Joel McHale, as cocky Jeff Winger, the cast is brilliant. Toss in a barrage of sharp one-liners, zany pop-culture references and satire galore, and you’ve got a 30-minute course that should be enjoying high enrollment figures.

Tonight, “Community” outdoes itself with a half-hour in which the gang morphs into stop-motion animated characters like the ones we’ve watched for years in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and other yuletide chestnuts. It’s a cleverly conceived classic that rates up there with other “Community” gems like last season’s paint ball war and this fall’s zombie-studded Halloween offering.

It’s also a fun showcase for scene-stealer supreme, Danny Pudi, who plays Abed, Greendale’s speed-talking, trivia-spewing geek. Abed, it turns out, is a Muslim who loves Christmas. But as the holiday nears, he’s dealing with an emotional scar that inexplicably causes him to see things in claymation.

Of course, he draws his classmates into the winter wonderland in his head. So Jeff becomes Jeff-in-the-Box, Britta (Gillian Jacobs) turns into a BrittaBot, Troy (Donald Glover) a Troy Soldier, Pierce (Chevy Chase) a teddy bear, Annie (Allison Brie) a ballerina and Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) a Christmas baby. With globby cheeks and unruly eyebrows, they look like a PlayDough experiment gone wrong.

Abed takes his visions as a sign that he and the group must rediscover the meaning of Christmas, so he leads them on a magical journey down Gumdrop Road, with stops at “Pine Tree Station” and the “Cave of Frozen Memories.” As his pals become increasingly concerned about Abed’s mental health, they enlist the help of Professor Duncan (John Oliver) who strives to get to the bottom of these “delusions.”

A major strength of “Community” is its ability to deftly blend snarkiness with sweetness. And this episode is a fine example of that.

Yes, it comes packaged with some healthy doses of cynicism, but there is also a heartfelt respect for the holiday TV specials we adore — along with a reminder that the best of them (“Rudolph,” “Charlie Brown,” etc.) contain touches of melancholy.

It even manages to sneak in a couple of original Christmas tunes. You probably won’t be humming them at work Friday, but you’ll certainly have a newfound respect for the creative minds behind this under-loved show.

‘Community’

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays

Where: NBC

‘Community’

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays

Where: NBC