Since it was Halloween recently, I was thinking back on some
of my favorite Halloween/monster cartoons from when I was a kid. One that
immediately came to mind was Nickelodeon’s “Ahh!! Real Monsters!”, a cartoon
produced by Klasky Csupco (who also did “Rugrats” and “Wild Thornberrys,” to
name a few) that ran from 1994-1997. The show was about three kid monsters who
attend an institute under a city dump in New York (hidden from humans, who must
never know monsters truly exist) to learn how to frighten humans in a variety
of paranormal ways (including shape-shifting, growing to giant size, and
pulling their guts out of their mouths. Seriously.)
Wait a minute…three kids – two boys, one girl – who attend a
special school in a secret location apart from human society, to learn how to
use their extraordinary, arguably “magical” talents? Why does that sound
familiar?
Okay, so before you start telling me I’m seeing parallels
that aren’t really there*, keep in mind that themes and ideas often are
recycled in new, inventive ways. While both “Ahh!! Real Monsters!” and the Harry Potter series have their own
distinctive universes, some of the similarities are pretty uncanny.
*Remember, this theory
is just for fun. Not to be taken as a serious aspect about the Harry Potter
canon.
Ickis = Harry
So he may not sport a lightning-shaped scar or iconic round
glasses (although in the pilot episode and Monsters, Get Real!, he does wear glasses), Ickis shares a
couple things in common with the infamous boy wizard. For one, he comes from a
family line of great “scarers,” and his father Slickis was the greatest scarer
that Monster Academy ever had (hmm…kind of like the greatest “Seeker” Hogwarts
ever had?) So there’s a lot of pressure on Ickis to live up to the family name.
He also proves to be exceptional among his monster peers, being the only
student able to hear the Pool of Elders (just as Harry only hears the basilisk
in the Chamber of Secrets). Ickis most frequently faces the reoccurring
antagonist of the series, Simon, who routinely threatens all of monster society
(we’ll get to him later). There is even an episode where Ickis literally
becomes trapped in Simon’s head…not quite like a piece of Voldemort being
trapped inside of Harry, but the “protagonist and antagonist sharing the same
body” theme is eerie in both cases.
Oblina = Hermoine
The top of her class at Monster Academy, Oblina not only
shares Hermonie’s class status but several aspects of her personality as well.
She’s the brains of the group and a bit of a know-it-all, and doesn’t miss a
moment to point out when her fellow students are breaking the rules or being
inept. But she’s also kind to her friends,
playing a sort of big-sisterly role at times. Oblina’s specialty includes
shape-shifting, which is a factor that Hermoine brings into play in “Chamber of
Secrets” with the polyjuice potion. Both Oblina and Hermoine love to read, and
are the most practical of their friendship trios.
Krumm = Ron
At first glance, there doesn’t seem like a whole lot of
similarities between Ron Weasley and Krumm – Krumm is a monster who must carry
his eyeballs around in his hands as he has no head, and his signature scaring
method is his horrible stench. Ron doesn’t possess either of these traits (as
far as we know), however both are best friend to the main protagonist, as well
as having a tendency to bumble. Krumm routinely loses at least one of his eyes
in a mishap and has to retrieve it, while Ron has chronic wand-breaking
problems and trouble executing magic in the way he intends. But both are fiercely
loyal, no matter what trouble their friends get them into, and do their best to
cheer them up when they are down. And while he never ends up in a romantic
relationship with Oblina (as Hermoine does with Ron), in episode 43, “Krumm is dumbfounded when he believes that Oblina likes him as more than a friend.”
The Gromble =
Dumbledore / Prof. McGonagall
The Gromble seems to possess traits from both Hogwart’s
headmaster and its Transfiguration professor.
No, neither Dumbledore or McGonagall are as intimidating to their
students as The Gromble (nor have either of them eaten their students on occasion), but the Gromble does want the
best for his students and tries to keep his school safe from invasive forces in
the outside world (much like Dumbledore). His no-nonsense, tough-love attitude keeps
his students in line (like McGonagall) and he tends to target Ickis and Krumm
the most often to keep them from causing too much trouble.
In episode 50, the Gromble gives the perpetually late Ickis a
clock that can control time. Remember when McGonagall gave Hermoine the time
turner?
In Episode 39, the Gromble is threatened to be displaced as
headmaster of Monster Academy because his superior doesn’t find his teaching
acceptable – just as Dumbledore was going to be displaced as headmaster. But
both in the end retain their positions.
Also, doesn’t “Gromble” sound a bit like “Dumbeldore” and “McGonagall”
smushed together?
Simon actually looks like he could be a much older version
of Harry, having thick round black-rimmed glasses and gray-black hair (that you
could figure as a kid was black). However his intentions a truly more Lord Voldemort-worthy
– to expose the monster world for his own personal gain, and to gain control
over all monsters. Not a monster himself (not in the biological sense,
anyway),
his reasons for villainy are different from Voldemort, but he is the main
antagonist and often employs more naïve, weak-minded characters to do his
bidding, including other monster hunters and even children. He is also thwarted
most often by Ickis, and as mentioned before the two characters even shared
bodies for one episode. However Simon gets a much happier ending - meaning, not
dying – and is more of a comical villain than the spine-tinglingly wicked
Voldemort.
The Snorch = Hagrid / Argus Filch
The Snorch is a big guy, arguably the largest monster
working at the Monster Academy. He is also much smarter than he looks –
everyone underestimates the big guys, right, Hagrid? – as proven in an episode
where he learns that Oblina is tired of not having anyone to intellectually
converse with, so the Scorch reveals for the first time how eloquent he can be.
But the Snorch’s primary role is to “discipline” students who break the rules.
That’s a job that would seem a perfect fit for Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch –
“It's
just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from
the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em
well-oiled in case they're ever needed… “
Of course, the
Snorch resorts to more “monster-specific” forms of punishment, like
square-dancing and forcing students to frolic through a field of flowers. On
top of having pint-sized companions who acts as a second pair of “eyes” around
the school, Filch and the Snorch could be the best of buddies.
Zimbo = Miss Norris
The Snorch has a small assistant named Zimbo who sits on his
head most of the time, and because Zimbo can fly, he often darts around the
halls of the school spying on the monster students. Miss Norris likes to keep
an eye on students as well, drawing Filch to any misbehavior that might be
happening, although thankfully she
cannot talk. Zimbo likes to harass and
insult the students of Monster Academy, particularly Ickis and Krumm, figuring he
is untouchable because he is “protected” by those in superior positions– a touch
of Draco there, perhaps?
So what do you think? Do you think there’s a bit of
something more monstrous in Harry Potter than we first thought?
Stay tuned, as the official release date for Book Three, "The Scholar, the Sphinx and the Threads of Fate" should be announced soon!
