''Gooflumps'' is a two-part

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

book series written in 1995 by Tom Hughes under the pseudonym of R. U. Slime. The books are parodies of the ''

Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually i ...

'' series by

R. L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943), sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. Stine has been referred to as the "St ...

. Both books were released simultaneously in 1995 by

Random House, Inc Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

. Each book had a tongue-in-cheek author's photo of Hughes upside down with wild, unkempt hair as "R.U. Slime".

The books

*''Stay Out of the Bathroom'' *''Eat Cheese and Barf!'' The books are completely unlinked in their storylines, but both books featured three taglines on their covers: *'' Buy 2 - that's it!'' *'' This spoof is just a goof!'' *''Warning! Not a ''Goosebumps'' book'' Despite the similarity in writing and the title spoofs, the books were not actual parodies of any particular ''

'' books, only parodying the writing style of

''Stay Out of the Bathroom (Gooflumps Book 2 ½)''

This book's title is a parody of '' Stay Out of the Basement'', although the book itself is more similar to '' Let's Get Invisible!''. ''Stay out of the Bathroom'' centers on a young boy named Joe

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

, a self-proclaimed "toilet king" who begins to experience strange things going on with his toilet, such as the lid slamming down on his head while he is vomiting, the toilet refusing to flush, and a trail of missing people leading directly to his bathroom. He soon discovers that the toilet is a

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction literature and in other popular culture. Teleportation is oft ...

device for sinister

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

s visiting the Earth.

''Eat Cheese and Barf! (Gooflumps Book 4 ½)''

This book has a title which is a parody of '' Say Cheese and Die!'', although the plot is more similar to '' Monster Blood''. ''Eat Cheese and Barf!'' involves a young

lactose-intolerant Lactose intolerance is a common condition caused by a decreased ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Those affected vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. Symptoms may include abdominal pai ...

boy named Billy Fudder whose family has moved from

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

to the rural town of Bledsoe, New York after inheriting a farm from his grandfather. The town thrives on the production of

dairy product Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food items in th ...

s, which irritates Billy, as he is the only lactose-intolerant boy in the city. However, this boring town has a secret: beneath his home is a creature made entirely of

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...

created by his grandfather, who was actually

insane Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

. His sister's one-armed boyfriend Armand the

farmhand A farmworker, farmhand or agricultural worker is someone employed for labor in agriculture. In labor law, the term "farmworker" is sometimes used more narrowly, applying only to a hired worker involved in agricultural production, including harv ...

and his talking dairy cow Martha try to help them find a way to stop the monster while he and his friend Fannie arrive at the local

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

where it has been released.

References

1995 American novels Parody novels Works published under a pseudonym Goosebumps {{1990s-parody-novel-stub