ghosts main > ghosts in pop culture

Ghosts and spirits are a big part of pop culture.  Ghosts are so entrenched in our beliefs that they naturally appear in many of our creative endeavors. We can find ghosts friendly and some bad to the bone. From cereal boxes to cartoons, ghosts grace our "pop culture" world. Below are some well-known and beloved ghosts.

Pop icon #1 -

Casper first appeared in a cartoon called, "The Friendly Ghost"  written by Seymour V. Reit in 1945. Proved to be so endearing, Casper was soon to be featured in over 30 cartoons.

The underlying theme to most of the Casper cartoons is Casper trying to escape the "life" of a ghost. So he tries to make real live friends but scares almost everyone he meets because he's a ghost - the thing he's trying to escape. But because it is a cartoon, the endings are sure to end happy - Casper eventually  does find a friend.

Casper was also sometimes accompanied by his mean-spirited uncles, The Ghostly Trio. They enjoyed scaring humans were usually mean to sweet-natured Casper.

Casper was resuscitated in 1995, when he was brought back to life on the silver screen - this time computer animated! The movie also served as a springboard for a new cartoon series called The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, which ran from 1996-1998.

Who can not love Casper? He is the cutest and most non-threatening looking ghost ever to haunt the earthly realm of mass media.

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Pop icon #2 -

Boo Berry is one of the members of General Mills' monster-themed breakfast cereals. It is a rather delicious cereal containing blueberry-flavored corn cereal bits and marshmallows. Boo Berry is also the name of the cereal's mascot, a blue ghost with a red bow-tie and a red-striped yellow hat, with a voice that sounded a bit like Peter Lorre.  Boo Berry's  friends and fellow cereal mascots are Franken Berry and Count Chocula.

                         Boo Berry of Yesterday             Boo Berry of Today

Unfortunately it can be quite hard to find this once-popular cereal on the market shelves. The best time of the year to find Boo Berry and Franken Berry is around Halloween.

And for ultra-fanatics of Mr. Boo Berry, below are toys that will bring joy to your blue-stained heart. You can find these toys all over the internet.

For more information and a fun look at Boo Berry click:

http://www.i-mockery.com/booberry/

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Pop icon #3 -

The Headless Horseman is a ghost based on Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story explains that the Headless Horseman was a German fighting with the British in the Revolutionary War, who lost his head from a canon ball firing. Poor Ichabod Crane is the hapless victim, who did not heed the warning that a headless ghost was out there looking for a new head. Some believe that the Horseman is actually Brom Bones -  a rival of Ichabod's for the lovely Katrina - in guise as the legendary ghost.

The tale of the Headless Horseman has been recreated countless of times in movies and cartoons. From Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod Crane and Mr.Toad to Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow to Scooby Doo.

There is even an annual run in the Hudson valley area named after Washington Irving's ghost called The Headless Horseman Historic Run! Check it out:

http://www.horsemanrun.us/

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Pop icon #4 -

If you've ever been to Disneyland (or the others) you know who these three ghosts are. At the end of the Haunted Mansion ride, you pass by three hitchhiking ghosts. Next, the creepy "doombuggy" you're in lastly glides past in front of three large mirrors and you realize that one of the three hitchhiking ghosts has hitched a ride in your "doombuggy" with you!

During your trip through the mansion music is played in your personal "doombuggy." If you love it that much, you can actually buy the CD and play it . It's called "Grim Grinning Ghosts"

For more exhaustive information on all things Haunted Mansion-related check out the amazing links below:

http://www.betterhaunts.com/hmfaq/

http://www.doombuggies.com/

http://www.grimghosts.com/

The infamous and creepy "Doombuggies"

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Pop icon #5 -

The three spirits that come to haunt the infamous miser, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol are a familiar site during the Christmas season. The three ghosts come to Ebenezer in hopes to get him to see and change his scrooge-like ways. The three ghosts come to Ebenezer in the following order: The Ghost of Christmas, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Future).

Each ghost has a purpose: The Past comes to show the readers why and how Ebenezer became the man he is. Past comes to him in a white robe with light emanating from its head. Present comes to Ebenezer to show him what goes on around him that he is oblivious to: festivity and poverty. Present comes to him as a large man in a green suit and a red beard. Ghost of Yet to Come, or Christmas Future does not speak. He comes in a black, hooded robe and is the most scary of the ghosts. He shows Ebenezer a very frightening future, if he were not to change his ways.

Each three ghosts have been adapted into today's movies and television. And each ghost is portrayed differently from the original Dickens novel. Disney has even parodied the story in Mickey's Christmas Carol with Donald as Scrooge McDuck.

          Christmas Past                                Present                           Future

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Pop icon #6 -

The legend of the Flying Dutchman is actually a ghost ship doomed to live out in sea forever. It appears in the distance as a glowing ship, just like a glowing ghost. To see this ghost ship is considered by seafarers to be a portent of doom. This ghostly legend haunted people of years past and continues to capture the imagination today. 

It has been referenced in novels from the early 1900's - to an opera by Richard Wagner - to paintings by Albert Ryder - to a cartoon character in SpongeBob Squarepants. Recently, the Flying Dutchman was portrayed in The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest carrying the motley crew of Davy Jones.

Flying Dutchman as a Pirate Ghost         Carrying a ghostly crew in Dead Man's Chest

in SpongeBob Squarepants

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Pop icon #7 -

Bloody Mary is part folklore and urban legend. She is a ghost that can supposedly be summoned when you say her name three times while looking in the mirror... in the dark with a lit candle (of course!) She then appears in the mirror to either kill you or to scratch your eyes out. There are many variations to the ritual of summoning Bloody Mary.  

Why try summon her? Do you really want to face her? Probably to test the legend or because someone dared you. Does it actually work? Doubtful. But there are countless stories that claim they came face to face with Mary.

So who was Bloody Mary? Some believe she was Mary Worth, a woman who had killed her children. Some think she was Queen Mary I of England who reigned a short, but bloody five years. She persecuted the Protestants and was known to have killed over 500 people for heresy by burning them at the stake. Some consider Bloody Mary to actually be the Bell Witch! There are so many variations to this legendary ghost that no one know for sure.

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