The Ghostly Trio
Encyclopedia
The Ghostly Trio are fictional character
s in the Casper the Friendly Ghost
series. Their first animated appearance was in Fright from Wrong, a cartoon of Paramount Pictures
' Famous Studios
theatrical series from the 1950s. They have also made numerous Harvey Comics
appearances and were featured in the Harvey Comic title Casper and the Ghostly Trio. Versions of the Ghostly Trio have remained prominent in subsequent adaptations/spin-offs.
, the Ghostly Trio, although also brothers, were depicted very differently. Like his later incarnation, Fatso was overweight and gluttonous (although since ghosts were capable of eating food in these stories, this trait was not as odd as it later seemed), but he was the Trio's leader by virtue of being the toughest and (marginally) smartest of the three. His second-in-command, Fusso, was of average height and build and characterized by exceptional fussiness and attention to detail. The third ghost, Lazo, was the tallest, laziest, and least intelligent of the brothers. Fatso's brashness and quick temper often led him into solo mishaps, as well as to occasionally share Casper's adventures, and the other two were sometimes called "the Ghostly Duo" in his absence.
Beginning with the 1995 Casper feature film
, the Ghostly Trio's names are Stretch, Stinky and Fatso. This line-up has largely remained consistent ever since. In most of their appearances, they are shown to (in contrast with Casper) love scaring people. They generally seem to treat Casper as their own personal slave and greatly mistreat him. There are rare times that they look out for Casper, though this is sometimes out of pure self-interest. Notably, though, the 2006 TV-movie Casper's Scare School
depicts the Ghostly Trio being uncharacteristically nice to Casper and caring a great deal for him. In fact, when Casper leaves for Scare School, they spend most of the time he's gone crying.
Also most of the time, the Ghostly Trio have a general hatred of humans. The only thing they usually like about them is scaring them. The 1995 film and spin-off cartoon series
, however, show them achieving a friendship with Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman
). At first, they demand he vacate their home and make his quest to learn about the afterlife exceedingly difficult. However, they eventually grow to like him and even consider expanding their group to a Ghostly Quartet(or Quad Dead in Stretch's terms) for him. Of course, that would require killing him, but they ultimately prove unable to do it themselves. (Harvey later dies in an accident, but this proves temporary.) They also keep a promise they made to him by briefly reuniting him with his dead wife. The spin-off cartoon would depict them in a similar light, where they often harass the doctor, but out of mischievousness rather than hatred.
" of the group. Stinkie's special talent involves supernatural halitosis and body odor, which he prefers to use as his means of frightening "fleshies" (humans) that dare cross his path. He has a penchant for puns and comedy, and comes off as the more sarcastic jokester of the three, which Stretch tires of more often than not. Casper's Haunted Christmas
shows he has an interest in modern technology. Although just as nasty as his brothers, Stinky will be given on Cinema posters normaly a "friendly" face.
Fatso's appearance, voice, and his love for food makes him comparable to Slimer
, a ghost from the Ghostbusters
film series. In 1987 Harvey Comics sued Columbia Pictures
(Ghostbusters' distributor) for $50 million, claiming that the iconic Ghostbusters logo was too reminiscent of Fatso. The court, however, ruled in Columbia's favor, due to Harvey's failure to renew the copyrights on early Casper stories and the "limited ways to draw a figure of a cartoon ghost."
In the PlayStation video game Casper
, Fatso was supposedly legendary baseball player Babe Ruth
(revealed when Casper observed the portrait in the main hall). This has not established in the universe of the comic book or film series (in Reality, Babe Ruth never had brothers).
In the 1995 film and spin-off cartoon, they are said to be his uncles. In fact, the movie specifically states that they are all blood relatives sharing the last name of McFadden. This source comes from one of the books based on the film, and a deleted scene that never made it into the "attic" when they discussed Casper's inventor father. It could be possible they could be the brothers or cousins of Casper's father, J.T. McFadden, who all died under unknown circumstances.
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
, though, clearly shows Casper is not related to the Ghostly Trio. Instead, they lie to Kibosh about being Casper's uncles so that he can remain in their care. The succeeding movie, Casper Meets Wendy
, has Casper telling Wendy that the other ghosts with him are his uncles.
Casper's Haunted Christmas
hints at a relationship of sorts. The Ghostly Trio refer to Spooky (Casper's cousin) as their nephew. Whether or not that makes them blood relatives, though, is unrevealed.
In Casper Meets Wendy the Ghostly Trio possess three human men (for hours) at a dance party and end up flirting with the three witches, Wendy's aunts. Michael McDonald as Spike (Human Stretch), Travis McKenna as Phil (Human Fatso) and Patrick Richwood as Vince (Human Stinky).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s in the Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
series. Their first animated appearance was in Fright from Wrong, a cartoon of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
' Famous Studios
Famous Studios
Famous Studios was the animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount acquired the aforementioned studio and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941...
theatrical series from the 1950s. They have also made numerous Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
appearances and were featured in the Harvey Comic title Casper and the Ghostly Trio. Versions of the Ghostly Trio have remained prominent in subsequent adaptations/spin-offs.
Description
Originally, Casper was on the show with countless ghost relatives, all apparently looked similar and usually quickly moved away to scare people. Except for the hilarious entertainment, these relatives did not appear to have special traits. Except in the school, where Casper's unwillingness to scare people negative noticed, most ghosts do not seem to interfere with their black sheep. In Casper's earlier appearances in animated cartoons and comic books by Harvey ComicsHarvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
, the Ghostly Trio, although also brothers, were depicted very differently. Like his later incarnation, Fatso was overweight and gluttonous (although since ghosts were capable of eating food in these stories, this trait was not as odd as it later seemed), but he was the Trio's leader by virtue of being the toughest and (marginally) smartest of the three. His second-in-command, Fusso, was of average height and build and characterized by exceptional fussiness and attention to detail. The third ghost, Lazo, was the tallest, laziest, and least intelligent of the brothers. Fatso's brashness and quick temper often led him into solo mishaps, as well as to occasionally share Casper's adventures, and the other two were sometimes called "the Ghostly Duo" in his absence.
Film versions
Casper (film)
Casper is a 1995 American comedy fantasy film starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci, based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost animated cartoons and comic books. The ghosts featured in the film were created through computer-generated imagery...
, the Ghostly Trio's names are Stretch, Stinky and Fatso. This line-up has largely remained consistent ever since. In most of their appearances, they are shown to (in contrast with Casper) love scaring people. They generally seem to treat Casper as their own personal slave and greatly mistreat him. There are rare times that they look out for Casper, though this is sometimes out of pure self-interest. Notably, though, the 2006 TV-movie Casper's Scare School
Casper's Scare School
Casper's Scare School is a computer animated TV film starring Casper the Friendly Ghost. It was produced by The Harvey Entertainment Company and released by Classic Media and premiered on October 20, 2006. It has a TV series of the same name in 2009...
depicts the Ghostly Trio being uncharacteristically nice to Casper and caring a great deal for him. In fact, when Casper leaves for Scare School, they spend most of the time he's gone crying.
Also most of the time, the Ghostly Trio have a general hatred of humans. The only thing they usually like about them is scaring them. The 1995 film and spin-off cartoon series
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper
The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper was an animated television spin-off of the feature film Casper, which, in turn, was based on the Harvey Comics character of Casper the Friendly Ghost....
, however, show them achieving a friendship with Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
). At first, they demand he vacate their home and make his quest to learn about the afterlife exceedingly difficult. However, they eventually grow to like him and even consider expanding their group to a Ghostly Quartet(or Quad Dead in Stretch's terms) for him. Of course, that would require killing him, but they ultimately prove unable to do it themselves. (Harvey later dies in an accident, but this proves temporary.) They also keep a promise they made to him by briefly reuniting him with his dead wife. The spin-off cartoon would depict them in a similar light, where they often harass the doctor, but out of mischievousness rather than hatred.
Stretch
Stretch is the lanky leader of the Trio with the "Joisey" accent. Stretch is the most aggressive of the three when it comes to scaring the living and pulls no punches in his attempts to frighten anyone (whether by possession, morphing or simply appearing in front of someone). Although he acts the harshest towards Casper and his two brothers, he is soon revealed to have somewhat of a soft spot, and is perhaps the most sensible one in making important decisions (that is if they are important enough to care about).Stinkie
Stinkie is the "middle child" and dubbed the "Larry FineLarry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
" of the group. Stinkie's special talent involves supernatural halitosis and body odor, which he prefers to use as his means of frightening "fleshies" (humans) that dare cross his path. He has a penchant for puns and comedy, and comes off as the more sarcastic jokester of the three, which Stretch tires of more often than not. Casper's Haunted Christmas
Casper's Haunted Christmas
Casper's Haunted Christmas is a 2000 direct-to-video film produced by Harvey Comics and Mainframe Entertainment and released by Universal Pictures on October 31, 2000. Unlike its direct-to-video predecessors, this video was completely computer animated. It stars Brendan Ryan Barrett as the voice of...
shows he has an interest in modern technology. Although just as nasty as his brothers, Stinky will be given on Cinema posters normaly a "friendly" face.
Fatso
Fatso is the obese and least intelligent of the three. He has a constant appetite for food, regardless of the fact that it literally passes through his body. He treats Casper the same as Stretch and Stinkie, but can easily be manipulated due to his lower IQ. When Stretch and Stinkie would ask about something relevant to a story, a running gag would have Fatso ask about something unrelated.Ghostbusters comparison
Fatso's appearance, voice, and his love for food makes him comparable to Slimer
Slimer
Slimer is a fictional green ghost featured in the 1984 supernatural comedy movie Ghostbusters , whose popularity soared from the subsequent spinoff animated television series The Real Ghostbusters. Slimer later starred in his own Slimer! cartoons when The Real Ghostbusters was extended to a...
, a ghost from the Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
film series. In 1987 Harvey Comics sued Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
(Ghostbusters
PlayStation version
In the PlayStation video game Casper
Casper (video game)
There have been different versions of video games based on the film Casper. Two of those games were released in 1996 and 1997 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, one different from each other, by different publishers, and released in different regions...
, Fatso was supposedly legendary baseball player Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
(revealed when Casper observed the portrait in the main hall). This has not established in the universe of the comic book or film series (in Reality, Babe Ruth never had brothers).
Relationship to Casper
Casper's exact relationship to the Ghostly Trio is varied in different media. In the early comic stories, the unfailingly polite Casper never addressed any of them as "Uncle," suggesting that they were instead his elder brothers.In the 1995 film and spin-off cartoon, they are said to be his uncles. In fact, the movie specifically states that they are all blood relatives sharing the last name of McFadden. This source comes from one of the books based on the film, and a deleted scene that never made it into the "attic" when they discussed Casper's inventor father. It could be possible they could be the brothers or cousins of Casper's father, J.T. McFadden, who all died under unknown circumstances.
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Casper: A Spirited Beginning
Casper: A Spirited Beginning is a direct-to-video spin-off prequel to the 1995 film Casper, produced by Harvey Comics and Saban Entertainment and released by 20th Century Fox on September 9, 1997...
, though, clearly shows Casper is not related to the Ghostly Trio. Instead, they lie to Kibosh about being Casper's uncles so that he can remain in their care. The succeeding movie, Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy is a direct-to-video and second spin-off to the 1995 film Casper. It was released by 20th Century Fox in 1998. The film is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning...
, has Casper telling Wendy that the other ghosts with him are his uncles.
Casper's Haunted Christmas
Casper's Haunted Christmas
Casper's Haunted Christmas is a 2000 direct-to-video film produced by Harvey Comics and Mainframe Entertainment and released by Universal Pictures on October 31, 2000. Unlike its direct-to-video predecessors, this video was completely computer animated. It stars Brendan Ryan Barrett as the voice of...
hints at a relationship of sorts. The Ghostly Trio refer to Spooky (Casper's cousin) as their nephew. Whether or not that makes them blood relatives, though, is unrevealed.
Blue or white?
There seems to be a slight disagreement whether Casper's uncles are really white in color. In the first movie all the spirits are transparent, but the Ghostly Trio has a slightly blue tone. As a result, in the following movies, of all the movies with live-actors, Stinkie, Stretch and Fatso become deep blue; other colorful ghosts are Kibosh (green) and Snivel (yellow).Powers and abilities
The Ghostly Trio itself is shown to be a very powerful and experienced group of ghosts, and the trio has vast supernatural powers, such as:- intangibility
- invisibility
- teleportation
- flight
- possession(which they hold the record for the longest possessions.)
- matter transmutation
- shapeshifting
- other forms of reality warpingReality warpingReality warping is a superpower in superhero fiction. It is the ability to reshape matter and energy, create or alter life forms, turn a person's thoughts or desires into reality, simulate any and all other powers and abilities, bend time and space, and possibly even rewrite the laws of physics.All...
.
Actors to play The Ghostly Trio
Joe Nipote voiced Stretch, Joe Alaskey voiced Stinky and Brad Garrett voiced Fatso in the 1995 movie Casper, and the many spin-off's Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy.In Casper Meets Wendy the Ghostly Trio possess three human men (for hours) at a dance party and end up flirting with the three witches, Wendy's aunts. Michael McDonald as Spike (Human Stretch), Travis McKenna as Phil (Human Fatso) and Patrick Richwood as Vince (Human Stinky).
Enemies
- Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy MoriartyCathy Moriarty-Career:Her first film credit was Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull in 1980, as Vikki LaMotta, the wife of Robert De Niro's lead character. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared opposite Andrew Dice Clay in the short-lived CBS...
) - Paul 'Dibs' Plutzker (Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
) - Kibosh
- Snivel
Friends
- Casper (Their nephew)
- Dr. James Harvey
- Kat Harvey (Christina RicciChristina RicciChristina Ricci is an American actress. Ricci received initial recognition and praise as a child star for her performance as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values , and her role as Kat Harvey in Casper...
) - Ms. Banshee
Voice actors
| Character | Casper Casper (film) Casper is a 1995 American comedy fantasy film starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci, based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost animated cartoons and comic books. The ghosts featured in the film were created through computer-generated imagery... |
Casper: A Spirited Beginning Casper: A Spirited Beginning Casper: A Spirited Beginning is a direct-to-video spin-off prequel to the 1995 film Casper, produced by Harvey Comics and Saban Entertainment and released by 20th Century Fox on September 9, 1997... |
Casper Meets Wendy Casper Meets Wendy Casper Meets Wendy is a direct-to-video and second spin-off to the 1995 film Casper. It was released by 20th Century Fox in 1998. The film is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning... |
Casper's Haunted Christmas Casper's Haunted Christmas Casper's Haunted Christmas is a 2000 direct-to-video film produced by Harvey Comics and Mainframe Entertainment and released by Universal Pictures on October 31, 2000. Unlike its direct-to-video predecessors, this video was completely computer animated. It stars Brendan Ryan Barrett as the voice of... |
Casper's Scare School Casper's Scare School Casper's Scare School is a computer animated TV film starring Casper the Friendly Ghost. It was produced by The Harvey Entertainment Company and released by Classic Media and premiered on October 20, 2006. It has a TV series of the same name in 2009... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatso | Brad Garrett Brad Garrett Bradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles.... |
Jess Harnell Jess Harnell Jess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:... |
Jess Harnell Jess Harnell Jess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:... |
Graeme Kingston | Billy West Billy West William Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival... |
| Stinkie | Joe Alaskey Joe Alaskey Joseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices... |
Bill Farmer Bill Farmer William "Bill" Farmer is an American voice actor and comedian, best known for being the current voice of the Disney characters Goofy, Pluto and Horace Horsecollar.-Early life:... |
Bill Farmer Bill Farmer William "Bill" Farmer is an American voice actor and comedian, best known for being the current voice of the Disney characters Goofy, Pluto and Horace Horsecollar.-Early life:... |
Terry Klassen Terry Klassen Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor and voice director in Vancouver, British Columbia. He co-created Yvon of the Yukon. He is the voice director for shows including Martha Speaks, "Johnny Test", "George of the Jungle", "Ed, Edd n Eddy", several "Barbie" movies, "Transformers", "CardCaptors",... |
John DiMaggio John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:... |
| Stretch | Joe Nipote | Jim Ward Jim Ward (voice actor) James Kevin "Jim" Ward is a voice actor who has contributed to a large number of video games and movies. He co-hosts The Stephanie Miller Show, a nationally-syndicated liberal radio talk show which features a number of his impersonations of political figures and other celebrities and newsmakers... |
Jim Ward Jim Ward (voice actor) James Kevin "Jim" Ward is a voice actor who has contributed to a large number of video games and movies. He co-hosts The Stephanie Miller Show, a nationally-syndicated liberal radio talk show which features a number of his impersonations of political figures and other celebrities and newsmakers... |
Scott McNeil Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is a Canadian actor and voice actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada... |
Dan Castellaneta Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,... |