Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the
Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...
theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent
ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
,
but often criticized by his three wicked uncles,
the Ghostly Trio
The Ghostly Trio (consisting of Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie, formerly Fatso, Fusso, and Lazo) are fictional characters appearing in Harvey Comics. They are well known for being the uncles of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Their first animated appearan ...
.
The character was featured in
55 theatrical cartoons titled ''The Friendly Ghost'' from 1945 to 1959. The character has been featured in comic books published by
Harvey Comics since 1952,
and Harvey purchased the character outright in 1959. Casper became one of Harvey's most popular characters, headlining
dozens of comic book titles.
Following Harvey's purchase of the character, he appeared in
five television series: ''
Matty's Funday Funnies'' (1959–1961), ''
The New Casper Cartoon Show'' (1963–1970), ''
Casper and the Angels'' (1979–1980), ''
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'' (1996–1998) and ''
Casper's Scare School
''Casper's Scare School'' (also known as ''Casper's Scare School: The Movie'') is a 2006 computer animated television film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. The film premiered on Cartoon Network on October 2 ...
'' (2009–2012). The character made a theatrical-film appearance in a live-action adaptation released by
Universal Pictures, ''
Casper'' (1995), becoming the first ever computer-generated character to star in a film, and he would later appear in four
direct-to-video and
made-for-TV follow-up films.
Creation of Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper was created by
Seymour Reit and
Joe Oriolo, the former devising the idea for the character and the latter providing illustrations.
Initially intended as the basis for a children's storybook, there was at first little interest in their idea. When Reit was away on military service during World War II before the book was released, Oriolo sold the rights to the book to
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
'
Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...
animation division for a total of $175. This one-time payment was all that he received, missing out on a share of the revenue earned from the films, comic books and merchandise to come.
''
The Friendly Ghost
''The Friendly Ghost'' is a Famous Studios cartoon released on 16 November 1945 as part of its ''Noveltoons'' series of animated short movies. It is the first cartoon to feature the character Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Plot
Casper is seen readin ...
'', the first
Noveltoon to feature Casper, was released by Paramount in 1945 with a few differences from the book. In the cartoon adaptation, Casper is a cute ghost-child with a
New York accent who inhabits a haunted house along with a community of adult ghosts who delight in scaring the living. Casper, however, is a nonconformist among ghosts: He would prefer to make friends with people. He packs up his belongings and goes out into the world, hoping to find friends. However, the animals that he meets (a rooster, a mole, a cat, a mouse named
Herman
Herman may refer to:
People
* Herman (name), list of people with this name
* Saint Herman (disambiguation)
* Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman
Places in the United States
* Herman, Arkansas
* Herman, Michigan
* Herman, Minne ...
, and a group of hens) take one horrified look at him, scream: "A ghost!" and run off in the other direction. Distraught, Casper unsuccessfully attempts to commit suicide (apparently forgetting that he is already dead) by lying down on a railway track before an oncoming train, before he meets two children named Bonnie and Johnny who become his friends. The children's mother, apparently widowed and impoverished, at first is frightened of Casper, but later welcomes him into the family after he unintentionally frightens off a greedy landlord, who, unwilling to own a "haunted" house, tears up the mortgage and gives her the house outright. The short ends with the mother kissing Bonnie, Johnny, and Casper as she sends them off to school, with Casper wearing clothing as if he were a living child.
Casper appeared in two more subsequent cartoons, ''
There's Good Boos To-Night'' and ''
A Haunting We Will Go''. ''There's Good Boos To-Night'' differs wildly from later Casper cartoons: although the theme of Casper trying to find a friend and failing in these attempts before succeeding also occurs in later cartoons, the tone of this short turns remarkably dark when a hunter and his dogs appear, chasing the little fox cub named Ferdie that Casper has befriended. Although Casper scares the hunter and dogs away, Casper discovers Ferdie dead after a harrowing chase scene. Happily, however, Ferdie returns as a ghost to join his friend Casper in the
afterlife
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
.
These were later adapted into
Noveltoons
''Noveltoons'' is a series of cartoons produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios from 1943 to the end of the studio during 1967. The series was known for bringing to life characters from Harvey Comics, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy ...
before Paramount started a ''Casper the Friendly Ghost'' series in 1950, and ran the theatrical releases until summer 1959. Although having much success, the series was later criticized by animation historians and viewers, mainly due to the story of each entry of the series as being largely the same: Casper (now slightly thinner than the pudgy figure that appeared in the earlier cartoons) escapes from the afterlife of a regular ghost because he finds that scaring people can be tiresome year after year, tries to find friends but inadvertently scares almost everyone, and finally finds a (cute little) friend, whom he saves from some sort of fate, leading to his acceptance by those initially scared of him. In 1955, composer
Winston Sharples composed an instrumental theme for Casper's cartoons.
Harvey Comics
Casper was first published in comics form in August 1949 by
St. John Publications
St. John Publications was an American publisher of magazines and comic books. During the 1947-1958 existence of its comic-book division, St. John established several industry firsts. Founded by Archer St. John, the firm was located in Manhattan a ...
, running for five issues until September 1951. In 1952,
Alfred Harvey
Alfred Harvey (born Alfred Harvey Wiernikoff; October 6, 1913 – July 4, 1994), was the founder of comic book publisher Harvey Comics and the creator of the comic book characters Little Dot, Richie Rich (comics), Richie Rich, and Adam Awards (com ...
, founder and publisher of
Harvey Comics began producing ''Casper'' comic books. Casper first appeared in ''Harvey Comics Hits'' #61 (Oct 1952), and then moved to a solo book with ''Casper the Friendly Ghost'' #7 (December 1952). In 1959, Harvey purchased the rights to the character outright.
Casper went on to headline a large number of comic book series, as well as appearing in back up stories and guest appearances in other titles. The ''Casper'' series inspired three popular spinoffs: ''
Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost'', ''
Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book character from Harvey Comics. Like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Wendy is an opposite-type character, a girl witch who does good deeds.
Publication history
Wend ...
'', and ''
The Ghostly Trio
The Ghostly Trio (consisting of Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie, formerly Fatso, Fusso, and Lazo) are fictional characters appearing in Harvey Comics. They are well known for being the uncles of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Their first animated appearan ...
''. Casper's titles include:
* ''Casper''
* ''Casper Adventure Digest''
* ''Casper and...''
* ''Casper and Friends''
* ''Casper and Friends Magazine''
* ''Casper and Nightmare''
* ''Casper and Spooky''
* ''Casper and The Ghostly Trio''
* ''
Casper: A Spirited Beginning'' (film adaptation)
* ''Casper Big Book''
* ''Casper Digest''
* ''Casper Digest Stories''
* ''Casper Digest Winners''
* ''Casper Enchanted Tales Digest''
* ''Casper Ghostland''
* ''Casper Giant Size''
* ''Casper Halloween Trick or Treat''
* ''Casper in Space''
* ''Casper in 3-D''
* ''Casper Magazine''
* ''Casper Movie Adaptation''
* ''Casper Space Ship''
* ''Casper's Ghostland''
* ''Casper's Scare School''
* ''Casper's Haunted Christmas''
* ''Casper Special''
* ''Casper Strange Ghost Stories''
* ''Casper, the Friendly Ghost''
* ''Casper TV Showtime''
* ''Famous TV Funday Funnies''
* ''The Friendly Ghost, Casper''
* ''Harvey Two-Pack''
* ''Nightmare and Casper''
* ''Richie Rich and Casper''
* ''Richie Rich, Casper, and Wendy''
* ''
TV Casper and Company
''TV Casper and Company'' is an American comic book series, published by Harvey Comics. The series ran from August 1963 to April 1974; in all, 46 issues were published.
''TV Casper and Company'' featured stories from Harvey Comics' stable of char ...
''
* ''
Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
''
In 2009, a new ''Casper'' comic was published, called ''
Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
'' by Arden Entertainment. Much like ''
The Man of Steel'' and ''
Batman: Year One'' did with their respective characters, it revamped Casper and several other Harvey characters for a new audience. After selling 6,400 copies of the first comic, the last two issues were published in 2010.
Television
Casper has starred in five television shows:
* ''
Matty's Funday Funnies'' (1959–1961)
* ''
The New Casper Cartoon Show'' (1963–1970)
* ''
Casper and the Angels'' (1979–1980)
* ''
The Harveytoons Show'' known in the UK as ''
Casper and Friends'' (1990 –1994)
* ''
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'' (1996–1998)
* ''
Casper's Scare School
''Casper's Scare School'' (also known as ''Casper's Scare School: The Movie'') is a 2006 computer animated television film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. The film premiered on Cartoon Network on October 2 ...
'' (2009–2012)
After Harvey bought the rights to Casper and many other Famous properties in 1959 (including
Herman and Katnip
''Herman and Katnip'' are a duo of cartoon characters, Herman the Mouse and Katnip the Cat, that starred in theatrical animated shorts produced by Famous Studios in the 1940s and 1950s. Arnold Stang and Allen Swift were the regular voices of Herma ...
,
Little Audrey
Little Audrey (full name: Audrey Smith) is a fictional character, appearing in early 20th century folklore prior to starring in a series of Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better- ...
, and
Baby Huey
Baby Huey is a gigantic and naïve duckling cartoon character. He was created by Martin Taras for Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios, and became a Paramount cartoon star during the 1950s. Huey first appeared in ''Quack-a-Doodle-Doo'', a ''Novel ...
), they began broadcasting the post-September 1950 theatrical Famous shorts on a television show sponsored by
Mattel Toys
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
titled ''
Matty's Funday Funnies'' on
ABC in 1959 which introduced the
Barbie doll to the public. The other Famous produced Casper cartoons had already been acquired by television distributor
U.M. & M. TV Corporation in 1956. U.M. & M. retitled just "A Haunting We Will Go", but credited "Featuring Casper The Friendly Ghost" as "Featuring Casper's Friendly Ghost".
New cartoons were created for ''
The New Casper Cartoon Show'' in 1963, also on ABC. The original Casper cartoons were syndicated under the title ''
Harveytoons ''The Harveytoons Show'' is a television series presenting theatrical animated cartoons produced by Famous Studios from 1950 until 1964, which were acquired by Harvey Entertainment.
History
This show features Harvey Comics characters and series inc ...
'' (initially repackaged as ''Casper and Company'') in 1963 and ran continuously until the mid-90s. Casper has remained popular in reruns and merchandising.
Hanna-Barbera Productions also gave Casper two holiday specials, ''
Casper's First Christmas'' (which also starred
Yogi Bear,
Huckleberry Hound,
Snagglepuss,
Quick Draw McGraw,
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters who debuted on ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' and appeared in their own segment. The segments centered on the misadventures of a dachshund father-and-son team. Doggie Daddy (vo ...
) and ''
Casper's Halloween Special'' (aka Casper Saves Halloween), and also the
Saturday morning cartoon
"Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...
series ''
Casper and the Angels'' (an animated takeoff on two live-action hit shows ''Charlie's Angels'' and ''CHiPS'') in the autumn of 1979, all on
NBC. Also featured on the NBC version was a big ghost named Hairy Scary (voiced by John Stephenson). None of Casper's original co-stars appeared in the show.
Between 1990 to 1994, Casper appeared in ''
The Harveytoons Show'' which was known as ''Casper and Friends'' in the UK.
This show featured other
Harvey Comics characters and series including:
Little Audrey
Little Audrey (full name: Audrey Smith) is a fictional character, appearing in early 20th century folklore prior to starring in a series of Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better- ...
,
Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare,
Baby Huey
Baby Huey is a gigantic and naïve duckling cartoon character. He was created by Martin Taras for Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios, and became a Paramount cartoon star during the 1950s. Huey first appeared in ''Quack-a-Doodle-Doo'', a ''Novel ...
,
Herman and Katnip
''Herman and Katnip'' are a duo of cartoon characters, Herman the Mouse and Katnip the Cat, that starred in theatrical animated shorts produced by Famous Studios in the 1940s and 1950s. Arnold Stang and Allen Swift were the regular voices of Herma ...
,
Buzzy the Crow
Buzzy the Funny Crow is an animated cartoon character that first appeared in the Famous/Paramount Noveltoons cartoon, "Stupidstitious Cat" (1947). He went on to appear in 13 cartoons from 1947 to 1954, including ''Sock-a-Bye Kitty'', ''As the Cro ...
,
Modern Madcaps, Possum Pearl, Professor Schmatlz, Jeeper and Creeper and others.
[ The show consisted of ]Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...
-produced cartoons from 1950 to 1964 and each episode of the series included three full cartoons and one "ToonTake" segment.[
In 1996, Amblin Entertainment and ]Universal Cartoon Studios
Universal Animation Studios (formerly known as Universal Cartoon Studios) is an American animation studio and a division of Universal Pictures, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. It has produced direct-to-video sequels to Un ...
created a new ''Casper'' series for Fox Kids
Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...
called '' The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'', based on the 1995 feature, that lasted two years and was never seen on television again after 1998. Two live-action direct-to-video follow-ups to the film, '' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'' and '' Casper Meets Wendy'' (which introduced Hilary Duff as fellow Harvey Comics character Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book character from Harvey Comics. Like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Wendy is an opposite-type character, a girl witch who does good deeds.
Publication history
Wend ...
), were made. They were followed by '' Casper's Haunted Christmas'' (starring Spooky and Poil from the comics and animated spin-off of the first movie), and ''Casper's Scare School
''Casper's Scare School'' (also known as ''Casper's Scare School: The Movie'') is a 2006 computer animated television film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. The film premiered on Cartoon Network on October 2 ...
'', which were done entirely in CGI with no live-action elements. These films are often referred to as being "prequels" to the 1995 feature despite the fact that they heartily contradict the feature and do not appear to even take place in the same universe.
In 2007, MoonScoop Group, in association with Classic Media, TF1
TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network.
TF1 is par ...
and DQ, produced a TV show of 52×12 named ''Casper's Scare School
''Casper's Scare School'' (also known as ''Casper's Scare School: The Movie'') is a 2006 computer animated television film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. The film premiered on Cartoon Network on October 2 ...
''.
In 2020, Casper appeared in a supporting role in the "Scare Bud" episode of ''Harvey Girls Forever!
''Harvey Girls Forever!'' (originally titled ''Harvey Street Kids'' in its first season, then retroactively retitled) is an American animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Televi ...
'', a series based on Harvey Comics characters.
A new live-action television series is in the works at Peacock. The project will be co-produced between Universal Content Productions and DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
with Wu Kai-yu writing and executive producing.
Films
The Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...
version of Casper was scheduled to appear as a cameo in the deleted scene "Acme's Funeral" from the 1988 film '' Who Framed Roger Rabbit''.
Numerous ''Casper'' cartoons were released on home video by Universal Studios (via MCA Inc.), which also adopted the friendly ghost into a live-action feature film titled '' Casper'' in 1995, where he and his wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio
The Ghostly Trio (consisting of Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie, formerly Fatso, Fusso, and Lazo) are fictional characters appearing in Harvey Comics. They are well known for being the uncles of Casper the Friendly Ghost. Their first animated appearan ...
, were rendered via computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...
, which initially created the first CGI lead character in a film. The film constructed a back-story for the character and is the only time in the series that the question of his death has been addressed. According to the film, Casper was a twelve-year-old boy living in Whipstaff Manor with his inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
father J.T. McFadden until he died from pneumonia after playing out in the cold until it was past nightfall.
In 2001, Harvey Entertainment was acquired by Classic Media which, until 2012, licensed the Harvey properties including Casper.
Casper made a cameo in a MetLife
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...
commercial along with several other cartoon characters in 2012. Later that same year, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
, which in turn would be acquired by NBCUniversal in 2016, and thus Universal Studios, the producer of the original live-action feature film, now manages the rights to the character and other related characters in addition to regaining the rights to ''Casper's Haunted Christmas'' (which Universal itself originally released in late 2000). The rights to '' Casper Meets Wendy'' however are owned by Disney through 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment
20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...
.
In 2019, Casper made an appearance in a GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is a private American auto insurance company with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly owne ...
commercial.
Actors who have voiced or portrayed Casper
* An unknown child actor voiced Casper in ''The Friendly Ghost
''The Friendly Ghost'' is a Famous Studios cartoon released on 16 November 1945 as part of its ''Noveltoons'' series of animated short movies. It is the first cartoon to feature the character Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Plot
Casper is seen readin ...
'' in 1945, ''There's Good Boos To-Night'' in 1948 and ''A Haunting We Will Go'' in 1949.
* Alan Shay and radio actress Cecil Roy voiced Casper in the majority of the Famous Studios cartoons.
* June Foray provided the voice for Mattel's Talking Casper the Friendly Ghost Doll in 1961.
* Mae Questel provided the voice in Golden Records
Golden Records was a Simon & Schuster record label based in New York City. It was conceived and founded in 1948 by the Grammy Award-winning children's music producer, Arthur Shimkin, then a new recruit in the S&S business department. Shimkin ...
' ''Casper the Friendly Ghost and Little Audrey Says'' in 1962.
* Norma MacMillan and Ginny Tyler provided the voice in '' The New Casper Cartoon Show''.
* Julie McWhirter provided the voice in '' Casper and the Angels''.
* Joanna Ruiz provided the voice for a British dub in 1991.
* Christopher Miron Allport voiced Casper in an early 1990s Target commercial.
* Malachi Pearson voiced the character in the 1995 movie '' Casper'' and '' The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'' (1996–1998).
* Devon Sawa is the only actor to ever have played the character in live-action, portraying him in a sequence from the 1995 film in which Casper was temporarily brought back to life.
* April Winchell
April Terri Winchell (born January 4, 1960) is an American actress, writer, and radio host. She is prehaps best known as the second and current voice of Clarabelle Cow, having voiced the character since 1996.
Early life
Winchell was born in 1 ...
voiced Casper as a baby in ''The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'' episode "Three Ghosts and a Baby".
* Lani Minella voiced Casper in ''Casper: The Interactive Adventure''.
* Jeremy Foley voiced the character in '' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'' and '' Casper Meets Wendy''.
* Brendon Ryan Barrett provided the voice in '' Casper's Haunted Christmas''.
* Devon Werkheiser voiced Casper in ''Casper's Scare School
''Casper's Scare School'' (also known as ''Casper's Scare School: The Movie'') is a 2006 computer animated television film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost. The film premiered on Cartoon Network on October 2 ...
''.
* Carolyn Hennesy voiced Casper in '' Casper: Friends Around the World''.
* Oliver Stern voiced Casper in a GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is a private American auto insurance company with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly owne ...
commercial in 2019.
* Bobby Moynihan voiced Casper in the fourth season of ''Harvey Girls Forever!
''Harvey Girls Forever!'' (originally titled ''Harvey Street Kids'' in its first season, then retroactively retitled) is an American animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Televi ...
''
Friends/Supporting characters
*Johnny and Bonnie (The Friendly Ghost)
* Ferdie Fox (There's Good Boo's Tonight)
*Dudley Duck (A Haunting We Will Go)
* Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book character from Harvey Comics. Like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Wendy is an opposite-type character, a girl witch who does good deeds.
Publication history
Wend ...
* Ghostly Trio (Casper's uncles): Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie
* The Witch Sisters (Wendy's aunties): Thelma, Velma and Zelma (sometimes)
* Archibald the Talking Wishing Well
* Hot Stuff the Little Devil
* Nightmare the Ghost Horse
* Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost
* Poil The Ghost, Spooky's Girlfriend
* Gned Gnome
* Gnewton Gnome
* Gnorman Gnome
* Sohini
* Arruda
* Richie Rich (occasionally)
* Little Audrey
Little Audrey (full name: Audrey Smith) is a fictional character, appearing in early 20th century folklore prior to starring in a series of Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better- ...
* Little Dot
Little Dot is a comic book character published by Harvey Comics about a little girl who is obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects. She was created in 1949 by writer Alfred Harvey and artist Vic Herman.
Publication history
Dot fi ...
(''Harvey Girls Forever!
''Harvey Girls Forever!'' (originally titled ''Harvey Street Kids'' in its first season, then retroactively retitled) is an American animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Televi ...
'')
* Little Lotta (''Harvey Girls Forever!
''Harvey Girls Forever!'' (originally titled ''Harvey Street Kids'' in its first season, then retroactively retitled) is an American animated comedy television series produced by Brendan Hay and Aliki Theofilopoulos for DreamWorks Animation Televi ...
'')
* Hairy Scary ('' Casper and the Angels'', '' Casper's Halloween Special'' and '' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Mini and Maxi ('' Casper and the Angels'')
* Nerdly and Fungo ('' Casper and the Angels'')
* The Commander ('' Casper and the Angels'')
* Yogi Bear ('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Boo-Boo Bear ('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Huckleberry Hound ('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Snagglepuss ('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Quick-Draw McGraw
Quick Draw McGraw is a fictional anthropomorphic horse and the protagonist and title character of ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show''. He is a white horse, wearing a red Stetson cowboy hat, a red holster belt, a light blue bandana, and occasionall ...
('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy
Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy are Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters who debuted on ''The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' and appeared in their own segment. The segments centered on the misadventures of a dachshund father-and-son team. Doggie Daddy (vo ...
('' Casper's First Christmas'')
* Kat Harvey ('' Casper'' and '' The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'')
* Dr. James Harvey ('' Casper'' and '' The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper'')
* Amelia Harvey ('' Casper'')
* Chris Carson ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Tim Carson ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Sheila Fistergraff ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Jennifer ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* The Oracle in the Mirror ('' Casper Meets Wendy'')
* Holly Jollimore ('' Casper's Haunted Christmas'')
* Jimmy Bradley ('' Casper's Scare School (film)'' and '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'')
* Ra ('' Casper's Scare School (film)'', ''Casper's Scare School (video game)
''Casper's Scare School'' (''Casper's Scare School: Classroom Capers'' for the Nintendo DS version) is an adventure video game developed by Data Design Interactive for the PlayStation 2 and Nikitova Games for the Nintendo DS. The game was relea ...
'', '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'' and ''Casper's Scare School (comics)'')
* Mantha the Zombie ('' Casper's Scare School (film)'', ''Casper's Scare School (video game)
''Casper's Scare School'' (''Casper's Scare School: Classroom Capers'' for the Nintendo DS version) is an adventure video game developed by Data Design Interactive for the PlayStation 2 and Nikitova Games for the Nintendo DS. The game was relea ...
'', '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'' and ''Casper's Scare School (comics)'')
* Professor Phinieas Field (''Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
'')
* Eloise "Ellie" Essex (''Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
'')
* Hot Stuff's family (nameless parents and brother, ''Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
'')
Enemies
* Unnamed Greedy Landlord (The Friendly Ghost)
* An unnamed fox and duck hunter and his two hunting dogs (There's Good Boo's Tonight and A Haunting We Will Go.)
* Winifred The Witch ('' Casper's Halloween Special'')
* Screech The Ghost ('' Casper's Halloween Special'')
* Kibosh The Ghost (arch-enemy, '' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'', ''Casper: Activity Center'', '' Casper's Haunted Christmas'', ''Casper: Friends Around the World'', '' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'', '' Casper's Scare School (film)'', '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'' and '' Casper's Scare School: Classroom Capers'')
* Snivel The Ghost ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'', ''Casper: Activity Center'' and '' Casper's Haunted Christmas'')
* The Wizard ('' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'')
* Four Dragons ('' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'')
* Krank ('' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'')
* Doctor Deranged ('' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'')
* Captain Pegleg Potbelly ('' Casper: Spirit Dimensions'')
* Ghostly Trio (Casper's uncles): Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie (sometimes)
* The Witch Sisters (Wendy's aunties): Thelma, Velma and Zelma (sometimes)"Wow! What a Whammy!", ''The Friendly Ghost, Casper'' #112 (December 1967), Harvey, 1958 Series
/ref>
* Catherine "Carrigan" Crittenden ('' Casper'')
* Paul "Dibs" Plutzker ('' Casper'')
* Bill Case ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Brock Lee ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Danny ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Leon ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'')
* Jennifer ('' Casper: A Spirited Beginning'') (sometimes)
* Desmond Spellman ('' Casper Meets Wendy'')
* Vincent and Jules ('' Casper Meets Wendy'')
* Josh Jackman and his unnamed friend ('' Casper Meets Wendy'')
* Alder and Dash ('' Casper's Scare School (film)'' and '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'')
* Thatch ('' Casper's Scare School (film)'', ''Casper's Scare School (video game)
''Casper's Scare School'' (''Casper's Scare School: Classroom Capers'' for the Nintendo DS version) is an adventure video game developed by Data Design Interactive for the PlayStation 2 and Nikitova Games for the Nintendo DS. The game was relea ...
'', '' Casper's Scare School (TV series)'' and ''Casper's Scare School (comics)'')
* Volbragg (''Casper and the Spectrals
''Casper and the Spectrals'' is a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Ardden Entertainment, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The series gives the characters a modernized look and design while living in a gr ...
'')
Home media
In 2011, Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released a DVD set titled ''Casper The Friendly Ghost: The Complete Collection 1945-1963'' which contains ''The Friendly Ghost'', ''There's Good Boos To-Night'', ''A Haunting We Will Go'', 55 theatrical cartoons, and all 26 episodes of ''The New Casper Cartoon Show''.
PC and video games
''Casper''
Several video games were based on the 1995 film for PC, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
, Game Boy, Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...
, 3DO, PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
, and Game Boy Color
The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
. In subsequent years Windows 95 and Game Boy Advance games were released serving as sequels to the film.
''Casper: A Spirited Beginning Activity Center''
Developed by Sound Source Interactive, published by WayForward Technologies and released in 1998 for PC, it is based on the film of the same name and is similar in format to Disney's Activity Center
''Disney's Activity Center'' is a series of PC and PlayStation games released by Disney Interactive with each title consisting of various activities and minigames to be completed, using aspects of their licensed property.
Development
Disney Int ...
. Set at Ghost Central Station, the player earns Casper coins by completing Casper's Spinning Squares, Stretch's Memory Game, Fatso's Kitchen, Stinkie's Goo Toss and Snivel's Mix & Match. The player must collect at least 15 Casper coins from these five games to unlock Kibosh's Magic Puzzle.
''Casper: Friends Around the World''
Developed by Realtime Associates, published by TDK Mediactive and released in 2000 on PlayStation. It is a mostly 2D side-scrolling
''
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
platform game with occasional forward and backward movements. The evil Kibosh has invented a device to send Casper's human friends to a place where they "would not have a ghost of a chance of being found" and has hypnotized the Ghostly Trio into doing his bidding. However Casper finds a page from a map of Hollywood giving him a clue on where to start his quest to find his friends and the three missing pieces for Kibosh's imprisoning device to get them back home safely. The game is played across ten levels set around the world with 40 friendship crystals on each level to collect in order to advance to the bonus level at the end.
''Casper: Spirit Dimensions''
Developed by Lucky Chicken Games
Lucky Chicken Games is an American video game developer founded in 1998 in Santa Monica, California by Jamie Ottilie, Matt Saia and Jonnathan Hilliard.
Luck Chicken Games was purchased by mobile game publisher AEGF in partnership with Abandon Mob ...
and published by TDK Mediactive, it was the first 3D game, to have a movable game camera, based on Casper. It was released in 2001 for PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
and in 2002 for Nintendo GameCube. The evil Kibosh has taken over the Spirit World and is intent on also taking over the mortal world. Meanwhile, Wendy the Good Little Witch
Wendy the Good Little Witch is a fictional comic book character from Harvey Comics. Like Casper the Friendly Ghost and Hot Stuff the Little Devil, Wendy is an opposite-type character, a girl witch who does good deeds.
Publication history
Wend ...
summons Casper, the only remaining free ghost, and opens the portals to the Spirit Dimensions to help in their only chance to defeat Kibosh.
''Casper and the Ghostly Trio''
Developed by Data Design Interactive and Published by Blast! Entertainment, it was released in 2007 on PlayStation 2. It is a 3D game in which Casper has legs and is affected by gravity though he can glide, unlike his flying ability in Spirit Dimensions. The Ghostly Trio have kidnapped Wendy the Good Little Witch in an attempt to use her magic to create a potion that would give them the power to rule Ghostland. Wendy manages to use her magic to get the message across to Casper who must find his way through six levels to rescue her. At the end of the first five levels is a bonus stage in which Casper must collect as many jewels as he can while avoiding the Trio's lightning which is chasing him.
''Casper's Scare School''
A series of three games, for PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and Wii, based on the computer animated film and TV series of the same name released in 2008 and 2009.
See also
* Ghost stories
* Homer the Happy Ghost
Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a ...
* Timmy the Timid Ghost
* List of ghosts
References
External links
*
*
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
''Casper's Scare School''
on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casper The Friendly Ghost
Animated characters
Child characters in animated films
Child characters in animated television series
Child characters in comics
Child characters in film
Child characters in television
Famous Studios series and characters
Literary characters introduced in 1939
Fictional characters who can turn intangible
Fictional ghosts
DreamWorks Classics
Fantasy film characters
Harvey Comics series and characters
Harvey Comics titles
Television series by U.M. & M. TV Corporation
American comics adapted into films
Comics characters in television
Humor comics
Children's comics
Comics adapted into television series
Television series by Universal Television
Ghost characters in video games
Casper characters