Fungus the Bogeyman

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And even considering that many children do seem to massively relish and cherish humour based on bodily functions and liquid excretions, I do have to wonder whether the massive amounts of the latter occurring in Fungus the Bogeyman might well end up being potentially distracting and even too much of a "good thing" (so much so as to even jade and feel dragging for children who usually enjoy this type of humour, these types of jokes). For while Fungus' world and his daily life are indeed often minutely, engagingly and even in a strange way beautifully described and depicted (and the accompanying illustrations are gorgeously drawn and actually, amazingly sparkle with their very and often intense general ugliness), really and truly, for and to me, the constant and ever-present referrals to farting, vomiting, grottiness, slime, mould and the like does tend to become rather frustratingly dragging.

Mix-and-Match Critter: Bogeys are humanoid but have horns, cat-like whiskers in their ears, frog-like tongues, spinal fins, scales, webbed hands and feet, and four-chambered stomachs like cattle. Either Fungus's skunk or his cat is named Mucus. Probably his skunk, since "Pus" sounds like a play on "puss". The essence of being able to draw from memory (is) to be a mini actor. If the figure is to walk jauntily with its nose in the air, you have to imagine what that feels like.' Raymond Briggs is one of the foremost creators of illustrated books for adults and children, including the unforgettable The Snowman and Father Christmas. He was born in Wimbledon Park on the 18th of January 1934 and currently lives in Sussex. Call a Human a "Meatbag": Bogeys call humans "drycleaners" or "DCs" for short, likely because we're much dryer than them and we clean ourselves and our belongings.Most of my ideas seem to be based on a simple premise: let's assume that something imaginary - a snowman, a Bogeyman, a Father Christmas - is wholly real and then proceed logically from there.' Repulsive but none the less compulsive'. This classic Raymond Briggs book hasn't got a real storyline. It's more like an comic strip encyclopedia on the life of bogeymen (Fungus) and bogeywomen (wife Mildew) and their bogeychildren (son Mould). The book just charts a day in the life of a bogeyman, who it seems, exists merely to torment us 'Drycleaners'. This clever study of bogeydom revels in all things revolting, slimy, putrid, and lavatorial, and even raises deep questions on the meaning of Bogeydom life. Theme Naming: The characters are all named after gross things (Fungus, Mildew, Mould, Fester, Mucus, Pus). Lazy Bum: All Bogeypeople are quite lazy and the only things they really make an effort about are keeping damp and dirty and their work. Oh, My Gods!: Fungus exclaims, "For slime's sake!", which is quite strange because slime is what Bogeys drink.

The dwine is doing very well. Fungus is proud of it. Everything is dying nicely. There is not a bloom to be seen. The air is full of the scent of decay. The acid soil smells, the rotting vegetation smells. It is a real Bogeydwine.” Experience a day in the life of a Bogeyman in this brilliantly gross picture book for older children. Suddenly Shouting: By the end of the night, Fungus is so frustrated at the futility of Bogey life that he shouts "WHY?" at his wife. Bogeys never shout at each other.The book follows a typical day for Fungus the Bogeyman, starting when he wakes up and ending just before he falls asleep. As his day progresses, he undergoes a mild existential crisis, pondering what his seemingly pointless job of scaring surface people is really for. He is a member of the Bogey society, which is very similar to British society, but Bogeymen enjoy things which humans (called Drycleaners because of their contrasting environmental preferences) would not be comfortable around; for example darkness, damp, cold and over-ripe food. The book depicts the mundane details of Bogey life in loving detail, with definitions of Bogey slang and numerous annotations concerning the myths, pets, hobbies, literature, clothing and food of the Bogeys. Mind Screwdriver: The book asserts that the poem about the Man in the Moon makes sense if the man was a Bogeyman because he went south to avoid the heat and he burnt his mouth on cold plum porridge because Bogeys burn themselves easily. It is about creatures called Bogeymen (i.e. "boogeymen" in US English; "bogeys" is also UK English for the US "boogers", as in lumps of snot): humanoid creatures with green skin and large ears that live underground. Notable characteristics of Bogey people is that they are lazy and like to be slow, like the cold (and conversely hate the heat), like to be dirty and hate to be clean, and like to be wet. Life under ground in Bogeydom is full of snot, smells, slime, scum and other unspeakable things. The Bogeymen that live there revel in every kind of nastiness imaginable - especially their day-job of scaring human beings. But there's one Bogeyman who isn't so sure he wants to be part of Bogeydom after all . . .