re: Let's Overanalyze "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2"

After all of the rubbish was strewn about the house, it was spotlessly cleaned by Kevin. What are the chances of Harry’s missing gold tooth being not only left behind, but then also found by his father after walking in the door?

The McAlisters most likely had the top of the line vacuum of the day. As we later see in HA2, at 8-9 years old, Kevin was knowledgeable in said cleaning apparati, as the bellhop mentions that Hoover stayed on the fourth floor of the Plaza Hotel to which Kevin responds, “the vacuum guy?”

This leads me to believe the McAlisters likely had a Hoover Dimension 1000 canister vacuum and here is why. Yes they have a maid service, but such that it is, the maid is not equipped to the standards of Kate McAlister. This is not a slight to the maid, as the maid likely has a Hoover 150 upright (yes, the maid is a connoisseur in her craft), which is much more manageable to take from home to home especially where 3 or more flights of stairs are routinely involved. It’s just that Kate McAlister is extremely anal regarding the cleanliness of her home, to the extent that she personally owns the best performing canister vacuum of the day, and possibly the finest model of any Hoover (canister or upright) to ever roll off the assembly line in North Canton. Thus, she stores this prized possession in the basement for when the maid performs her weekly cleaning.

The cleaning ability and suction of the Hoover Dimension 1000 canister vacuum was unmatched at the time, and possibly still is even to this day. As shown in this scientific demonstration from the era, this marvel of then-modern engineering is known to generate enough suction to overcome the force of gravity on a brick, as well as terrify the most ferocious of domesticated predators.

Demonstration of Hoover Dimension 1000 Suction Power

This is significant today, and possibly even more so in the 1990s before more lightweight additives were invented and more advanced processing methods were developed for the manufacture of bricks to improve the individual brick’s strength-to-weight ratio, which led to construction cost benefits and more efficient transportation and handling. It’s possible that the brick in this demonstration weighs up to 30% more than the average brick of today.

As an aside, I can see why Kate McAlister gravitates to the Hoover as I believe she does her best to emulate and channel their motto from their day in her home:



In conclusion, it’s impossible for the gold tooth to have been left behind on the floor when up against the power and ferocity of a Hoover Dimension 1000 canister vacuum.