The horror animated series, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, debuted in 1994, during an era some might consider the golden years of Nickelodeon Cartoons. Rocko’s Modern Life, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and Rugrats were all on air. Hey Arnold!, CatDog and Rocket Power would follow soon after. As a result, it comes as no surprise that one or two shows would fall under the radar. Sadly, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was one of them. Though the show offered unique entertainment, following three monster buddies on their adventures, it may have been too unique, some may even say weird.
With the shift of audience tastes from generally wholesome to quirky and original, now seems like the right time for the show to make a comeback. While a revival or remake might be ideal to introduce it to a new audience, it wouldn’t be surprising if the original show gained new life with the growth of streaming platforms and the internet’s persistent tendency to give cult classics new life. With the show’s importance on friendship, learning, and growth, and accepting one’s uniqueness, we can all agree its only fault was being released ahead of its time.
‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters’ A Horror Show? I Think Not! More Like Weird and Wacky
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was created as a horror animated series during Nickelodeon’s renaissance of the ‘90s. The TV series had all it took to cause fright with the weird-looking characters created by Klasky Csupo. The inventive idea of having a school for monsters is applaudable and sets the right tone for the design of the TV show. With its creepy undertone and many nasty scenes terrifying enough to send one screaming and hiding under the bed, Klasky did so much justice that the likes of Monsters Inc. drew some inspiration from the show.
Vision and aim aside, people who watched the show can attest to the fact that it wasn’t as frightening as it sounds, though. The school of monsters headed by The Gromble was meant to train monsters to be able to scare humans. In this assignment, the main characters of the show, Ickis (Charles Adler), Oblina (Christine Cavanaugh), and Krumm (David Eccles) failed terribly. Instead of causing fright, going unnoticed, and being terrifying monsters, the three friends succeeded in exposing themselves, getting into trouble, and becoming friends with the humans. That doesn’t seem scary at all.
What is even more interesting is the not-so-subtle message the show passed. It gave lessons bordering on the importance of school, friendships, growth, and acceptance. Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm weren’t portrayed as the ‘normal’ scary images. They were made in weird imagery – Ickis resembling a rabbit with long ears, Oblina, a candy stick with big red lips, and Krumm, a figure with mobile eyes which he mostly held in his hands. Given their weird looks, the friends were self-loving and accepted their uniqueness. Their penchant for getting into trouble and ruining their assignments also showed how wacky and unserious their personalities were. So rather than being an all-round horror TV show, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was just a playful show with a dark undertone and humor.
‘Aaahh!!! Real Monsters’ Remains a Nickelodeon Classic Despite Falling Off The Radar
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters‘ only crime may have been sharing the stage with other epic children’s TV shows on Nickelodeon. Or perhaps, simply bad timing. Judging by the production also responsible for Rugrats – one of the best shows of that era, this horror animated series was set out to be an epic release as well. The characters were perfect – wacky, weird, and full of lessons to teach, too (one of the grails of animated shows for kids). The show however fell behind because the competition was just too much and intense. Admittedly, it was a great show with a great vision but placing its ridiculous, almost-gory scenes side by side with the likes of Doug, The Ren and Stimpy Show, CatDog, and the other award-winning shows saw it being swallowed up. Denying the greatness of this show back then would be telling a grave lie, though. Winning first prize for Film Animation Producer for Television at both the Houston Film Festival and Ottawa Film Festival the very year it premiered, is proof of its eminence. So why exactly did it get lost in the plethora of Nick toons albeit having great production and being unique?
Maybe its uniqueness was the bane. Maybe, just being a different type of kiddies show was enough to get it overlooked. Right now, people enjoy more original and quirky shows, so it would make so much sense. Back then, most kids just wanted something they could play laugh, and dance along to, not a show with gory scenes. The TV show’s darkness and tilt toward adult themes and humor may have been too much for the era to handle. Being a show kids and adults could enjoy, now seems to be the best time to revisit or rejuvenate Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. It definitely would be a good watch and escape for adults. Kids these days certainly have wilder minds and imaginations too so it could appeal to most of them now.
Ready to meet the monsters, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is now streaming on Prime Video.
