Yeah! THAT Goosebumps! We're going 90's here!
There were a few things a 90's kid could trade like currency during childhood:
- Pogs.
- Gigapets.
- And Goosebumps paperbacks!
I've spent non-stop hours delving into these books by R.L. Stine. Looking back, they were horribly cheesy and as predictable as a Scooby Doo episode, but for some reason I just loved them (also the "Monster Blood" book came with my own little cup o' slime! YEAH BUDDY)!
Part of the allure, I'm sure, just had to be the covers! So colorful! So shiny! And that delightful logo?
Let's delve into the first five re-published "Classic Goosebumps", and find out what made this 90's "Monster in the House" series so beloved!
#1 - "Night of the Living Dummy" (Click links to get your own Goosebumps!)
Okay, hands down, this one actually does still scare me. But in my defense - LOOK AT IT! It looks like
a Pennywise larvae (#NOPE!). And true to most Monster tales, the cover of "Night of the Living Dummy" shows the nigh unstoppable creature stalking the hero - A ventriloquism dummy. Complete with a big red bow-tie that matches the logo, and for some reason, it just makes it all that much scarier to me!
What's particularly fascinating regarding this book is that despite not being the first Goosebumps to come out, it always seems to be the first book people think about when the series is brought up. Then again, when I look at that cover... (#STILLNOPE!)
Anyhow, this popularity may have led to "Night of the Living Dummy" being rebranded as #1 in the "Classic Goosebumps" series.
Now this particular installment, and cover, to me are odd ones out in the Goosebump series. But maybe it's because it's not a true Monster in the House tale!
Unlike the other Goosebump series, the real monster in this story is mankind itself!? More specifically, a team of thugs who violently assault a family and steal the imprisoned mermaid specimen they have locked up! Which seems to me to place this under more of a Kid with a Problem genre than anything.
A mermaid you say? Is that the monster you ask? Does the mermaid perhaps turn in to this fine aquatic horror on the cover seen here? Well, no actually. The random monster on the cover is some hapless hammerhead shark who eventually gets his "Nom" on in the end when he lunches the hero on the last page (... Except I don't remember that part!).
But the cover does match a Bingo Beat anyway, because it's specifically a shark attack incident that brings the mermaid to the rescue, thus starting the adventure anyways, and it still matches our theory that the best covers sync up to a Bingo Beat, one way or another! Even if it's not what I would call the optimum beat for that story, anyways.
This was actually the Goosebumps novels that started it all for me, and even then, I admit I was bribed with
my very own canister of "Monster Blood" if I bought the book (a kid's dream! Besides Pogs, anyways). Just like in the novel, my Monster Blood made a mess everywhere, and my mother was pretty angry. But at least her brainiac was reading! Right?
Overall it's a great marketing scheme by Goosebumps who already had a colorful set of novels they hooked kids with. And everybody knows what happens if you get one piece of a set right? Then you want to finish the whole collection!
"Monster Blood" is pretty much just a"Kiddie" version of every single "Slime" monster movie ever told, and so it's no shock to see it slime all over the cover of this book.
(Pssst! If you're still a fan of slime like I am, you can order some for yourself! Go on! You're an adult now!)
Also a classic, and surprisingly, a lot of people's favorite installment in the Goosebumps series! Rightly so,
because this particular Goosebumps book goes a little deeper than just a typical "scare em'" strategy. In "The Haunted Mask", the main character unwittingly steals a possessed mask with the intention of staking vengeance on some bullies. What kid wouldn't want such a super power?
But the Mask has a will of it's own and begins feeding on this dark intent, giving the hero character more of an "Out of the Bottle" experience that teaches her to be careful what she wishes for.
Brilliantly enough, this cover weaves in both the Monster element, as well as the "Bingo Beat" moment when the Out of Bottle hero is about to get everything they think they want! When you think about it, it's not too different than Coraline's infamous poster!
One of the other fun things about this book, and a testament to Goosebumps' staying power, is that people are still making the TV show version of the mask for you to wear! Check it out!
This one was also fun, and I always loved the colors on the cover! Plus, not many carnivals came through
my hometown, so it was a vicarious read for me!
One of the critical plot points of any Monster in the House tale, is that the heroes have to be somehow trapped in with the monster. To that end, a hapless family of four gets trapped into what they think is a normal, run-down theme park, only to come face to face with a sign that says "NO ONE ESCAPES HORROR LAND ALIVE!" (You can just hear me cackling, can't you?)
Out of all the covers examined in this short read, I think this one has to be my favorite. It has fun atmosphere and a lot of colors. I remember spending hours just staring into the cover's background too.
But let's face it; they were all delightfully cheesy!
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