Monster of the Day #1136

Updated on April 10, 2015 By Ken Begg 21 Comments

Some of these are so good they seem a waste to have them only used in one half-hour TV show. This one certainly qualifies.

Pin It

By Ken Begg

http://jabootu.net

Beckoning Chasm

Man, the Space Kook had that unnerving laugh. (Daws Butler or Don Messick I think.) Imagine hearing that coming from outside the house some night…
Gamera977

I have to admit the second photo makes me think of ‘Plan Nine From Outer Space’ although the cockpit is much more detailed! But the Space Kook isn’t quite as scary as Tor Johnson. ;)
bgbear_rnh

Dog is my co-pilot.
bgbear_rnh

Will Shaggy ask Velma to ball it up in Albuquerque?
Eric Hinkle

Heh, looking at this, I still remember how some people said that the Scooby-Doo cartoons and movies committed ‘betrayal’ when they started to use real monsters and ghosts in place of some guy in a costume. Because it became ‘unrealistic’ then. As compared to, you know, the whole talking intelligent dog part apparently.

And this was a great week. I’d forgotten some of the gloriously goofy monsters the Scooby gang faced.
bgbear_rnh

Funny how people get used to the internal logic of fictional worlds. We get used to Roadrunner always being a step ahead of Wile Coyote but, if he suddenly had the power of invisibility, it would be totally wrong in a world that has rocket powered roller skates.
Gamera977

Funny, even as a kid I felt that the ‘monster’ being someone in a costume was a big cop-out. Esp. when it’s 30 feet tall, breathes fire, flies or something totally beyond the normal it’s still quickly explained away as some guy or gal in a cheap Halloween get-up.
bgbear_rnh

b-but, there is no such thing as monsters, right? /nervous

My mommy always said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are
Gamera977

Yeah, but it’s a CARTOON- anything can happen!
Rodford Smith

Yeah, this was my favorite of all the episodes, with the carnival robot the second.
Ken_Begg

Bah, if I wanted that sort of action I’d watch Goober and the Ghost Chasers.
Gamera977

The more I think about it you do have a point. It’s not like the censors would have allowed Velma to pound a stake into a vampire’s heart or Fred to go after the Space Kook with a shotgun. So I guess it would have to end either with the monster being exposed and hauled away by the cops or else an entire show of just running around with no plot.
bgbear_rnh

Didn’t Velma break many young boys’ hearts?
Eric Hinkle

I keep hearing this about Velma. Nice lady and all, but I always had a crush on Daphne.
Eric Hinkle

Dear heavens, and I actually can remember that show. Barely.

Myself, when I wanted real animated ghosts, I went for the Funky Phantom or the Real Ghostbusters.
Cullen Waters

Wow. The name almost rings a bell, but none of the character design do. Beyond the typical H-B 70’s style, that is.
Flangepart

Not in American kids shows…in Japan, human life is trivial, so…yeah.
Beckoning Chasm

Remember, Scooby Doo came about because some busybodies thought that cool cartoons like the Herculoids, Space Ghost, Fantastic Four et al were too violent. It was specifically designed to pull the scariness quotient to the bottom of the meter.
Eric Hinkle

Wow, that’s the real reason? Reminds me of the people who insisted that Three Stooges comedies on TV had to sliced to ribbons so Junior wouldn’t gouge someone’s eyes out. At least H-B made a half decent cartoon out of it.
bgbear_rnh

You lust after a Daphne but, a Velma is a more approachable an pragmatic choice.
Gamera977

Well, when you find out you’re not really a Fred, or even a Shaggy but more of a Scooby…

Related Posts