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Slappy the Dummy is a fictional character and major
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the p ...
''
children's A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
novel series by R. L. Stine. He is the main antagonist of the ''Night of the Living Dummy'' series and one of the series' most popular villains, as well as its mascot. He is also the main antagonist of the franchise's
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
and its sequel, described by their interpretation of Stine as having a "serious Napoleonic complex" in the former. He comes alive when the words, "Karru Marri Odonna Loma Molonu Karrano," which roughly translates to "You and I are one now" (meaning he and whoever brings him to life will become inseparable) and can be found on a sheet of paper in the coat pocket of Slappy's jacket, are read aloud. After being brought to life, Slappy will try to make the person who did so serve him as a slave, to the point of framing them for his misdeeds.


Inspiration

According to R. L. Stine, Slappy took inspiration from
Carlo Collodi Carlo Lorenzini (; 24 November 1826 – 26 October 1890), better known by the pen name Carlo Collodi ( ; ), was an Italian author, humourist, and journalist, widely known for his fairy tale novel '' The Adventures of Pinocchio''. Early lif ...
's ''
The Adventures of Pinocchio ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' ( ; , i.e. "The Adventures of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet"), commonly shortened to ''Pinocchio'', is an 1883 Children's literature, children's fantasy novel by Italian author Carlo Collodi. It is about the mischi ...
''. He liked the book's idea of a wooden puppet coming to life, so he created Slappy. ''
Magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
'', a 1978 horror film where a dummy is thought to commit evil acts, was another one of R. L. Stine's inspirations for Slappy. In the television adaptation of the books, Slappy has the same sounding voice as Fats, the dummy from ''Magic'' with the voice of
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
.


Notable appearances in novels

He also appears in his own series '' Goosebumps SlappyWorld'', where he serves as the narrator.


Appearances beyond the books

Slappy has also been made into an actual ventriloquist doll available from major retailers. He was first manufactured by Goldberger Doll corporation after a nine-year-old boy from Long Island sent them a letter suggesting the idea in 1998. There is also a mask and a full costume available for sale. ''Night of the Living Dummy III'' and ''Bride of the Living Dummy'' have also been adapted for VHS and DVD; the second on DVD includes ''Bride of the Living Dummy''. Authors
Douglas Preston Douglas Jerome Preston (born May 31, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Although he is best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child (including the '' Agent Pendergast'' series and ''Gideon Crew'' series), he has als ...
and
Lincoln Child Lincoln Child (born October 13, 1957) is an American author of techno-thriller and horror novels. Though he is most well known for his collaborations with Douglas Preston (including the Agent Pendergast series and the Gideon Crew series, among ...
posted an announcement via their Facebook status: This was published on September 30, 2014, as ''Gaslighted: Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy vs. Aloysius Pendergast'' in the anthology ''Face Off'' edited by
David Baldacci David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers. His novels are published in over 45 languages and published in over 80 countries, having sold ove ...
.


In other media


Television

*
Cal Dodd Cathal J. Dodd is an Irish-born voice actor based in Canada. He is best known for his portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine in '' X-Men: The Animated Series'', its revival ''X-Men '97'', and the '' Marvel vs. Capcom'' series of vide ...
(Cathal J. Dodd) was the voice of Slappy in the original
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
. Cal voiced the theme song for the series as well as on several DVDs. Slappy was performed on set and voiced by puppeteer Ron Stefaniuk, who appeared in four episodes ("Night of the Living Dummy II", "Night of the Living Dummy III Part I", "Night of the Living Dummy III Part II", and "Bride of the Living Dummy"). The original ''Night of the Living Dummy'' story was never adapted to television, nor were the six post-''Bride'' stories. * Kanduu, better known as Slappy, appears as the main antagonist in the 2023 ''
Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the p ...
'' series on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, voiced by
Chris Geere Christopher William Geere (born 18 March 1981) is an English actor. He is known for playing the lead role of Jimmy Shive-Overly in the FX and FXX dark comedy series ''You're the Worst'' (2014), Roger Clifford in the 2019 film '' Detective Pik ...
. In "Night of the Living Dummy", Slappy was bought in a magic shop by Ephraim, in an effort to revitalize his failed career as a magician. Ephraim found a spell in Slappy's pocket that gave him life, and with its help, he became a successful ventriloquist, but at the cost being left by his family for only focusing on the puppet. Eventually, Slappy had Ephraim retrieve the coffin of someone named Kanduu and urged him to read the spell hidden inside. However Ephraim had a vision of people dying in a large burning tower and rejected the doll's influence and locked him in a briefcase, Ephraim buys a house in Port Lawrence and hid Slappy behind a wall in the basement. In 1993, ten years after Ephraim's death, his estranged descendants, the Biddles, inherited the house. Slappy was found by Ephraim's great-grandson Harold, who was bullied at his previous school, having a hard time adjusting to the new town. He had complete influence over Harold, further isolating him and causing him to get rid of his parents by turning them into wooden puppets. After Slappy and Harold humiliate Sarah and her friends Ben, Victoria, Eliza and Nora, at a school show, Nora finds out about Slappy acting alone, and she convinced the others to take him away from Harold, in going to his house that night and stole Slappy. After Harold's death in his basement fire, Slappy is broken into pieces by Ben, who along with his friends hide his remains and keep the events of that night a secret. In present day, Harold Biddle returns from the afterlife and possessed the school teacher Nathan Bratt in order to search for Slappy and get revenge on his supposed murderers' children through the use of his personal possessions. In "You Can't Scare Me", Slappy's remains are taken by Nora to a snowy mountain until recovered by Bratt/Biddle. Slappy and Harold trying to get rid of Isaiah, the friends and parents tell Harold the whole truth, he saves Isaiah and throws Slappy off the cliff, and by forgiving them, he reunites with his parents in the afterlife. Down the cliff, Slappy, though broken again, opens his eyes. In "Night of the Living Dummy Part 2", Slappy is found again now by Mr. Bratt, who has writer's block and under pressure from his financial problems, he is resurrected, as is Bratt's deceased pet, Fifi, now as a vampire poodle. After Bratt finds Kanduu's coffin and reads the spell hidden inside, Slappy's spirit is released and restores his human body, and turns Ben into a puppet. In "Welcome to Horrorland", Kanduu's story sees how his soul was transferred to the Slappy doll by Mahar, a puppet maker. He was a soldier who was wounded while fighting in trenches during an unknown war. Under the trenches he found a hidden temple filled with magic spells, which he used to heal himself. He eventually became a famous magician using the spells he learned. Mahar, the owner of the circus he worked for learned he intended to sacrifice a thousand people to unleash hordes of monsters on humanity, so they would stop fighting petty wars and unite against a common enemy. His plan failed as Mahar trapped his soul in the Slappy dummy.


Film

* Slappy is the main antagonist of the ''Goosebumps'' film adaptation, in which he is voiced by
Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
, who also plays R.L. Stine and the Invisible Boy from ''My Best Friend Is Invisible'', with Avery Lee Jones doing the puppetry of the character (Jones also did the voice of Slappy for promotional material for the film), assisted by Ironhead Studio's Jake McKinnon.Comic-Con: Director Rob Letterman Talks GOOSEBUMPS
/ref> * Slappy is voiced by actor
Mick Wingert Mick Wingert (born July 4, 1974) is an American voice actor and voice-over coach. He has played the voice of Master Po and Zeng in '' Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness'', taking over the roles from actors Jack Black and Dan Fogler, respecti ...
and returns as the main antagonist of the film's sequel, ''Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween'', with Jones once again puppeteering him (this time assisted by technicians from
Legacy Effects Legacy Effects, LLC is an American visual effects studio specializing in creature design, prosthetic makeup, animatronics, and specialty suits. History Founding partners Lindsay Macgowan, Shane Mahan, John Rosengrant, and Alan Scott supervised p ...
) and voicing him for promotional material, as well as for a few lines of dialogue and all of his laughs in the final film.


Video games

* Slappy appears in the '' Goosebumps: Horror Town''
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
.


Print media

* Slappy appears in the comic book series made by IDW and the ''Goosebumps'' graphix. * The Bensons, a group of nonverbal ventriloquist's dummies who serve as the henchmen of Gabby Gabby in ''
Toy Story 4 ''Toy Story 4'' is a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in Pixar's ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 3'' (2010). It was dire ...
'', were inspired by Slappy.


See also

*"The Rival Dummy", a 1928 short story by
Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...
*''
The Great Gabbo ''The Great Gabbo'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code early sound musical drama film directed by James Cruze, based on Ben Hecht's 1928 short story "The Rival Dummy", and starring Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson. The film features songs by Lynn C ...
'', a 1929 film inspired by "The Rival Dummy" *''
Dead of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 British supernatural horror anthology film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Sally Ann Howes, and Michael Redgrave. Produ ...
'', a 1948 horror film with a ventriloquist's dummy sequence *'' Studio One'' episode 22 (season 2 episode 2) adapted "The Rival Dummy" on 19 September 1949 *"
The Dummy "The Dummy" is the 98th episode of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'' starring Cliff Robertson as a ventriloquist. It is not to be confused with a similar episode " Caesar and Me", in which Jackie Cooper plays a ve ...
", a 1962 episode of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...
'' *"
Caesar and Me "Caesar and Me" is episode 148 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone'' starring Jackie Cooper as a ventriloquist. It is not to be confused with a similar episode "The Dummy", starring Cliff Robertson as a ventriloquist ...
", a 1963 episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' about an evil ventriloquist dummy who can speak and walk on his own * Arnold Wesker a.k.a. the Ventriloquist, a comic book supervillain who unconsciously expresses aggression through his ventriloquist's dummy, Scarface * ''Magic'', a 1978 psychological horror movie starring
Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
as a ventriloquist. *
Toy Story 4 ''Toy Story 4'' is a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in Pixar's ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 3'' (2010). It was dire ...
, a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film, in which a group of ventriloquist dummies appear as supporting antagonists.


References


External links


Slappy the Dummy
- Official Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Slappy The Dummy Fictional dolls and dummies Fictional demons Fictional characters with superhuman strength Literary characters introduced in 1993 Male literary villains Fictional characters who can teleport Fictional characters who use magic Fictional monsters Fictional slave owners Horror film villains Male horror film villains Male characters in film Male characters in literature Male characters in television Video game bosses Male film villains