It’s Halloween in the Pickles household, so the adults have setup a haunted house for trick or treaters, and the babies don’t understand what’s going on! Angelica then boasts to the little tykes about getting Reptar bars, telling them that they won’t receive any, but Tommy realises that older kids are going into the haunted house, and are coming out screaming while holding Reptar bars, so he knows what to do!

The endearing charm to this Rugrats episode is seeing how the babies react to Halloween traditions, each wondering what is going on, while none of the adults are explaining the reasons behind the spooky decorations or why they’re dressing up as monsters. Throwing Halloween into the Rugrats formula makes for a fascinating dynamic, because it’s the weirdest holiday to introduce to babies.

The grown ups ponder whether the babies are ready for their first haunted house, because it might give them nightmares. The Protective Deedee is being against them coming in, and old fashioned Lou insists that kids their age are brave enough. It did make me think, when SHOULD you introduce Halloween to infants? But I guess it depends on the child; only their parent will know them well enough to decide.

Angelica’s bratty boasting makes us root for the babies, because her mean spirited “You can’t have this” attitude is so harsh, and we also know much the babies love the Reptar bars. We cheer them on in hopes that they’ll get to have green tongues too, putting Angelica’s selfishness to shame.

The grown ups seem to be having lots of fun building their haunted house (which is really just a tent in the garden), each adult being very proud of their contributions. It’s cute seeing people this age getting so into the Halloween spirit – especially for the sake of making many kids’ Halloweens special. They could have just waited at the door with a bowl of candy, but the Pickles went the extra mile, taking creative pleasure in pulling it all off.

Although, I do wish that someone made sure an adult was looking after the kids, seeing as everyone is outside distracted with the haunted house gimmicks, particularly if Deedee doesn’t want the kids to come into the haunted house. Heck, the garden is open to the public, all the adults are busy scaring kids, AND it’s obvious that the backdoor isn’t locked, doesn’t that seem risky? Even if they are close. However, maybe I’m being overcautious after watching creepy true story videos on Youtube all week haha!

I get that the episode wants to setup a chance for the babies to get out, but why make it so easy? It takes away tension, and portrays the adults as irresponsible. Here’s my idea for how this could have been done better:

Grandpa Lou seemed to have the least input for the haunted house, so surely he could have babysat the babies? He could have accidentally fallen asleep, the babies would have then crawled towards the backdoor, noticed it was locked, and inspiring Tommy to make a tower to reach the keys on a hook, giving Tommy and friends a chance to get into the garden. Yeah, it would have made Lou look a little bad, but at least it could have showed that the grown ups at least tried.

Putting all that aside though, the haunted house itself is really fun. You can tell that a lot of imagination went into it, and I would have loved if my parents had a tent like this in our back yard at Halloween. Things take a comical turn too, when the babies’ antics in the haunted house create scary illusions for everyone, making Grandpa claim that the haunted house is REALLY haunted. After all the talk of the babies being too afraid of the adults’ tent project, it’s the rugrats themselves that end up scaring the adults. That’s pretty funny!

As far as I know too, this episode was the debut of the Reptar bar, a candy that became synonymous with this show, to the point where a company recently tried to sell them as real products, even including the novelty of it being able to turn your tongue green. I’ll confess, the episode does make Reptar bars look great, so maybe I’ll order a pack someday haha!

To Conclude, this is a cute Halloween special, with the heart of it’s charm coming from the babies’ reactions to spooky traditions, surprisingly To Conclude, this is a cute Halloween special, with the heart of it’s charm coming from the babies’ reactions to spooky traditions, surprisingly sparking me to think about the ethics of introducing Halloween to babies. Not to mention, it makes a dinosaur shaped chocolate bar look like the coolest thing ever, helping us to see WHY the babies want one so much.

However, the adults’ lack of precaution for protecting the babies, doesn’t make them look very responsible, and the show already has common criticism against it’s adult characters’ poor parenting. This maybe a childrens’ show, but mums and dads will sometimes watch it with their kids, and the grown ups are the characters they are going to relate to.
Despite that setback, it’s still an adorable wholesome take on Halloween – one that’s perfect for kids that are too young for scary movies in October!

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IIt’s Halloween for Charlie Brown and his friends, but while most kids want to celebrate with the usual traditions, Linus decides to wait for “The Great Pumpkin” in a pumpkin patch, with only Sally willing to keep him company. Meanwhile, Snoopy is getting into his Halloween fancy dress costume of “The Flying Ace”, by imagining he is in a dog fight.

This is a Halloween special that doesn’t aim for scares or spectacles, but simple dry humour and the spirit of spooky festivities. It’s a slice of life cartoon that perfectly illustrates the mood of Fall. You can really feel the atmosphere of the season, from the fallen crisp brown leaves to the gorgeous watercolour backdrops. The kids’ discussions about varied topics are highly amusing, each dead pan setup penned with clever wit by Charles M. Schulz himself; it’s a delightful script.

But this is also a special about one kids’ loyalty towards what he believes in: The Legend of the Great Pumpkin! Did Linus make up this character? Or does he truly exist? That doesn’t really matter, because it’s own belief that makes this running plot endearing, as Linus refuses to give up waiting, even while Sally grumbles about missing out on trick or treating. On the one hand, we understand why Sally might feel betrayed, but on the other hand, it’s hard to get mad at Linus’ sheer faith.

Watching these children going trick or treating is simple enough, but little things make it kind of funny, like the fact that most of them are dressed in the same ghost costume, or how Charlie Brown keeps getting rocks instead of candy at each house. I’d even say that all this trick or treating made me suddenly crave sweet confectionery myself, even though the candy doesn’t even look that appealing, and I guess that’s because the kids themselves made the candy sound fun.

I’ll admit that Snoopy’s subplot does slightly detract from the main focus, as the I’ll admit that Snoopy’s subplot does slightly detract from the main focus, as the short suddenly centres on his imaginary war game. It’s quite a stretch to say how relevant this gag is to the Halloween atmosphere, but it’s still cute seeing the Beagle playing soldier. Not to mention, Snoopy does later end up at the Halloween party, plus he fools Linus and Sally into thinking that he’s the Great Pumpkin too. So he has his purpose in the special.

To Conclude, this is a lovely relaxing Halloween cartoon, a charming special that will get you into the spirit of the season without needing to frighten, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a laid back Halloween atmosphere this month.

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Spongebob has gained a reputation for being easily scared, which has coined him the nickname “Spongebob Scaredypants”, but Spongebob wants to prove that he can be frightening this Halloween, and so he dresses as a ghost of the Flying Dutchman with Patrick’s help. However, Spongebob’s costume is so tacky, that it offends the Flying Dutchman himself, who threatens to steal the souls of everyone at Mr. Krabs’ Halloween party.

The strength of the best Spongebob episodes is their ability to take a simple setup in fun directions, by treating the premise as a spring board for lots of creative gags, and this Halloween special is no exception. We go from Spongebob feeling insecure about his skills as a trick or treater, to finding ways to make him scary, and all this sparks the attention of a supernatural entity.

The comedy comes from Spongebob assuming that he’s genuinely scary, when really, he’s just running away in a fit of giggles before seeing people’s reThe comedy comes from Spongebob assuming that he’s genuinely scary, when really, he’s just running away in a fit of giggles before seeing people’s reactions, with Patrick naively assuring him that he was spooky. I do like how much Patrick cares about Spongebob’s need to scare too, doing everything he can to support his friend, and going as far as shaving his spongey flesh to make him rounder for a ghostly shape.

The episode does have a great Halloween theme too! There’s pumpkins everywhere, kids are trick or treating, Krabs is having a fun Halloween party with guests in fancy dress, and the episode is set entirely at night. The Flying Dutchman himself is also quite an imposing villain, being a misty green spirit towering over Bikini Bottom residents, with Brian Doyle Murray’s gravelly booming voice adding to his menace perfectly, but he’s got enough self aware charm to prevent him from being too horrifying for kids.

I’d have to say that the creepiest part of the episode, isn’t actually the Flying Dutchman, but what’s underneath Spongebob’s costume, because it’s revealed that Patrick has shaved him down to his insides. It’s quite unsettling actually, and Spongebob’s nonchalant reaction makes it all the more disturbing haha. I remember being pretty grossed out by this episode’s ending, because it’s just really weird seeing Spongebob’s brain being exposed like this, and I still find it kind of repulsive to this day haha!

To conclude, Scaredy Pants is a terrific Halloween special cartoon, one of the best even, a basic setup that inspires a string of funny gags and eTo conclude, Scaredy Pants is a terrific Halloween special cartoon (one of the best even), it’s a basic setup that inspires a string of funny gags and entertaining child friendly horror. If you’re after a wholesome take on Halloween, with scares that don’t go too far (minus maybe Spongebob’s brain being exposed), then pick this episode of Spongebob, because you won’t be let down.

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Written by Jambareeqi

When the grown ups don’t let Arnold and Gerald join their Halloween party meeting, the two boys hatch a plan for revenge, by pranking the adults into thinking that aliens have invaded, by creating a fake radio broadcast, and they rely on the other kids’ coincidental alien costumes to play into their trick. However, the radio transmission was caught by UFO investigator Douglas Cain, who reports what he hears on his TV show, causing the whole city to go into a panic, and an angry mob chases after Arnold’s costumed friends.

This episode is an obvious tribute to Orson Welles’ radio reading of “The This episode is an obvious tribute to Orson Welles’ radio reading of “The War of the Worlds”, which sparked the public into thinking that a real alien invasion was happening. Even Douglas Cain has an Orson Welles inspired voice, provided by Maurice LaMarche – who frequently voices Orson in movies & cartoons. A similar incident happened in the UK, in which a staged ghost hunting show tried to trick British viewers, resulting in an effective prank that offended folks.

What makes this Halloween special unique is that it’s going down a sci-fi route, an underexplored aspect of Hallow’s eve, even though this is a genre renowned for its horror stories. That’s not to say that the aliens cloud over any seasonal atmosphere, because that’s not the case. There’s still a trick or treat spirit throughout the episode, and I did get that fun Halloween feeling from it.

The episode’s conflict and humour, mainly derives from the adult cThe episode’s conflict and humour, mainly derives from the adult characters’ reactions to the alien invasion prank! Some consider themselves soldiers in a war against invaders, others are ready to surrender to a supposed leader, and some just want to stay indoors. It’s a great way to develop the grown ups, demonstrating their instincts in a dangerous situation, even though we know that this is all fake.

I did also find some charm to Arnold’s and Gerald’s radio broadcast, as they clearly put a lot of work into preparing it, fueled by a determination to get back at the grown ups for condescending them. Gerald’s charismatic personality helps him pull off the reporter act (he’s aided by a deep pitch filter), Arnold’s sound effects are endearingly creative, and the technical setup is pretty clever for something put together by kids. I can imagine this episode inspiring kids to make their own radio productions maybe? They might want to try their hand at foley art or voice announcing, because Gerald and Arnold are having such a blast.

If you want to see this episode for some scares, you maybe disappointed, as this isn’t meant to be a story to curdle your blood. It’s more of a comical hi jink, but there are episodes of this show that are about creepy ghost stories. Although, there is something kind of unsettling about trick or treaters being chased by an angry mob, a fear that may tap into children’s imagination at Halloween, even though it’s mainly played for laughs.

To Conclude, this is a very enjoyable Halloween special, one that captures the spirit of the season while telling a funny plot. If you want a harmless spooky cartoon this month, then this is the one for you, because it mainly plays things safe, with an emphasis on comedy more than horror. Adults will also enjoy the reference to the Orson Welles radio controversy, as well as the episode’s commentary on media influence on the public, so consider making this episode into a family viewing.

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