| BOGLEECH.COM'S TOP TEN MUCK MONSTERS |
Not to be confused with more conventional slimes, blobs and jelly creatures, muck monsters (an
admittedly convenient term coined by the spare-time-sucking parasite, TVtropes) are those
monsters whose very bodies are made up of decaying trash, raw sewage, toxic sludge or any
other filthy, messy, unmentionable waste. They are pollution itself brought to life, often to teach
the audience a valuable lesson about conservation or just provide our hero with a nauseating
new adversary. These messy mutants are always a favorite of mine, and there's probably more
of them mucking about in pop culture than you thought - enough that I left out at least a few to
keep a proper top ten.
admittedly convenient term coined by the spare-time-sucking parasite, TVtropes) are those
monsters whose very bodies are made up of decaying trash, raw sewage, toxic sludge or any
other filthy, messy, unmentionable waste. They are pollution itself brought to life, often to teach
the audience a valuable lesson about conservation or just provide our hero with a nauseating
new adversary. These messy mutants are always a favorite of mine, and there's probably more
of them mucking about in pop culture than you thought - enough that I left out at least a few to
keep a proper top ten.
| #10 - THE FILTH |
The criminally insane but fearlessly valiant superhero The Tick shares his Fox Kids animated
series with a host of other oddball heroes, but one of the oddest (and most lovable) is the dopey
Sewer Urchin or "stinky" to his friends, whose duty as "defender of the sewers" seems like a
joke until the Tick and Arthur actually join him on one of his missions.
series with a host of other oddball heroes, but one of the oddest (and most lovable) is the dopey
Sewer Urchin or "stinky" to his friends, whose duty as "defender of the sewers" seems like a
joke until the Tick and Arthur actually join him on one of his missions.
Down in the sewers, our heroes discover the Urchin's impressive high-tech headquarters,
monsters like the dreaded Wallet Angler and a formidable villain, the Sewer Czar, who plots to
destroy the surface world with his army of walking, talking sewage or simply "Filth."
Unfortunately, he gives his disturbingly tapered, googly-eyed creations a little too much
intelligence, and it's not long before the Filth begin to ask inconvenient questions about why they
should destroy the people whose refuse is their very existence. By the end of the episode, the
Czar is defeated by his own mushy minions, and the Filth vow to live in peace with humanity.
monsters like the dreaded Wallet Angler and a formidable villain, the Sewer Czar, who plots to
destroy the surface world with his army of walking, talking sewage or simply "Filth."
Unfortunately, he gives his disturbingly tapered, googly-eyed creations a little too much
intelligence, and it's not long before the Filth begin to ask inconvenient questions about why they
should destroy the people whose refuse is their very existence. By the end of the episode, the
Czar is defeated by his own mushy minions, and the Filth vow to live in peace with humanity.
| #9 - MASTER BELCH |
One of the most beloved console RPG titles of all time, Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan) is an
epic and dramatic adventure contrasted by its simplistic, crudely drawn style and quirky humor.
Ness, a boy not even in his teens, battles hordes of unusual foes in his quest to defeat the
horrific entity known as Giygas, but the foulest of all are the "slimy little piles" and their ruler,
Master Belch, a living mass of vomit and one of Giygas's highest ranking servants. Addicted to
"fly honey," Belch enslaves an entire race of peaceful aliens to mass produce the
unpleasant-sounding substance, and threatens our heroes with "the pain of true nausea" when
they arrive to stop him.
epic and dramatic adventure contrasted by its simplistic, crudely drawn style and quirky humor.
Ness, a boy not even in his teens, battles hordes of unusual foes in his quest to defeat the
horrific entity known as Giygas, but the foulest of all are the "slimy little piles" and their ruler,
Master Belch, a living mass of vomit and one of Giygas's highest ranking servants. Addicted to
"fly honey," Belch enslaves an entire race of peaceful aliens to mass produce the
unpleasant-sounding substance, and threatens our heroes with "the pain of true nausea" when
they arrive to stop him.
Later in the game, Belch attempts revenge under the new name Master Barf, claiming that he
has grown far stronger through rigorous training and boasting the wonderful new battle cry,
"drown to death in puke!" - which he believes is a more "masculine" thing to say to his enemies.
has grown far stronger through rigorous training and boasting the wonderful new battle cry,
"drown to death in puke!" - which he believes is a more "masculine" thing to say to his enemies.
To the delight of all (me) Earthbound features two additional muck monsters formed from the
contents of garbage cans, the "Stinky Ghost" and my favorite design in the game, the bug-eyed
"Putrid Moldy Man!"
contents of garbage cans, the "Stinky Ghost" and my favorite design in the game, the bug-eyed
"Putrid Moldy Man!"
| #8 - THE GARBAGE DIGIMON |
The "Digimon" franchise began as a more violent answer to other "virtual pet" toys, capable of
"digivolving" into higher forms and doing battle with one another. Many different evolutions were
available to each Digimon, but not all of them were necessarily improvements. Should you
neglect to clean up your monster's virtual droppings, you would be punished (or from my
perspective, rewarded) with a lowly, slimy "garbage" Digimon, the first and most famous of
which is the slug-like Numemon, whose only method of defense is to throw you-know-what at
his opponents. Sukamon, on the other hand, is slightly more fitting for this list, as his body is
actually composed of the substance that spawned him. Always ridden by a symbiotic
Chuumon, it's said that both monsters share a single small brain between them.
"digivolving" into higher forms and doing battle with one another. Many different evolutions were
available to each Digimon, but not all of them were necessarily improvements. Should you
neglect to clean up your monster's virtual droppings, you would be punished (or from my
perspective, rewarded) with a lowly, slimy "garbage" Digimon, the first and most famous of
which is the slug-like Numemon, whose only method of defense is to throw you-know-what at
his opponents. Sukamon, on the other hand, is slightly more fitting for this list, as his body is
actually composed of the substance that spawned him. Always ridden by a symbiotic
Chuumon, it's said that both monsters share a single small brain between them.
| #6 - THE GREEDY |
In later editions of the Digimon pets, the awesomely horrific Raremon was introduced. Largest
of the garbage types, Raremon represents an organic Digimon who attempted - and failed - to
evolve into a machine-type Digimon, becoming a malformed, puking heap of rotten flesh held
together by crude cybernetics. My personal favorite Digimon, I just love those ghastly eyeballs
of his.
of the garbage types, Raremon represents an organic Digimon who attempted - and failed - to
evolve into a machine-type Digimon, becoming a malformed, puking heap of rotten flesh held
together by crude cybernetics. My personal favorite Digimon, I just love those ghastly eyeballs
of his.
In a bizarre twist, garbage digimon traditionally evolve into strikingly powerful stuffed animal
monsters, like the teddy bear Monzaemon (Numemon's usual evolution) or spooky Barney-like
Extyrannomon (former Raremon), though they also have the option of evolving into
Garbagemon here, the ultimate digital trash monster. The cockroach tattoo is a nice touch.
monsters, like the teddy bear Monzaemon (Numemon's usual evolution) or spooky Barney-like
Extyrannomon (former Raremon), though they also have the option of evolving into
Garbagemon here, the ultimate digital trash monster. The cockroach tattoo is a nice touch.
| #7 - CRUD |
One exceptionally strange episode of Disney's Winnie the Pooh preaches the values of tidying
up in the most dramatic manner possible, as Christopher Robin and his stuffed animal pals
journey under the boy's bed (and into his imagination) to find a whole fantastical world of dust,
garbage and clutter.
up in the most dramatic manner possible, as Christopher Robin and his stuffed animal pals
journey under the boy's bed (and into his imagination) to find a whole fantastical world of dust,
garbage and clutter.
This filthy kingdom is ruled by Crud, a gooey green mass who orders around an army of
discarded toys from a vat-like throne. Along with his cute, sniveling dust-bunny sidekick,
Smudge, the villainous heap plans to build a reverse vacuum cleaner that will spread his filthy
ooze throughout the world. As you might have guessed, our heroes eventually reverse the
reverse vacuum, trapping the filthy monsters where they belong and snapping back to reality
where they're straightening up the last of the kid's bedroom.
discarded toys from a vat-like throne. Along with his cute, sniveling dust-bunny sidekick,
Smudge, the villainous heap plans to build a reverse vacuum cleaner that will spread his filthy
ooze throughout the world. As you might have guessed, our heroes eventually reverse the
reverse vacuum, trapping the filthy monsters where they belong and snapping back to reality
where they're straightening up the last of the kid's bedroom.
I watched Pooh bear religiously as a small child, but this episode had such an uncharacteristic
fantasy adventure tone that for the longest time, I wasn't even certain it existed. I thought
perhaps I'd dreamed the whole thing, or that I was confusing it with an episode of the generally
weirder Muppet Babies, but no, our little dopey honey-eating Pooh Bear really did go on an
imaginary adventure with a maniacal pile of scum with a giant vacuum and an army of crayon
soldiers. Awesome.
fantasy adventure tone that for the longest time, I wasn't even certain it existed. I thought
perhaps I'd dreamed the whole thing, or that I was confusing it with an episode of the generally
weirder Muppet Babies, but no, our little dopey honey-eating Pooh Bear really did go on an
imaginary adventure with a maniacal pile of scum with a giant vacuum and an army of crayon
soldiers. Awesome.
Mr. Greedy here is one of many creative characters featured in Fleischer studio's beautiful
Raggedy Ann and Andy: a Musical Adventure. This gigantic, liquid mass of taffy, ice cream,
caramel, cake and other junk food spends his existence perpetually (and grotesquely) eating
himself to drown his own loneliness, twisting and churning into so many bizarre shapes that no
two frames look like the same creature.
Raggedy Ann and Andy: a Musical Adventure. This gigantic, liquid mass of taffy, ice cream,
caramel, cake and other junk food spends his existence perpetually (and grotesquely) eating
himself to drown his own loneliness, twisting and churning into so many bizarre shapes that no
two frames look like the same creature.
Now, you might be thinking that this guy doesn't belong on the same list as monsters made from
diseased sewage or atomic runoff, but in the long run, you have to admit that the Greedy's
composition is every bit as toxic as half the other monsters here, and he's clearly intended to
turn us off from polluting our bodies just as many of our other examples vilify pollution of the
Earth.
diseased sewage or atomic runoff, but in the long run, you have to admit that the Greedy's
composition is every bit as toxic as half the other monsters here, and he's clearly intended to
turn us off from polluting our bodies just as many of our other examples vilify pollution of the
Earth.
After the Greedy's song about his longing for a "sweetheart," Raggedy Ann has the poor
judgment to mention that her own heart is literally made of candy, and the Greedy believes he'll
find happiness if he cuts it out of her and eats it, which is pretty horrifying even when we're
talking about animated plush toys. You can watch his full sequence here, or start watching the
film in its entirety here, but be warned: the animation quality may spoil you. Your average
cookie-cutter anime has nothing on this 70's masterpiece.
judgment to mention that her own heart is literally made of candy, and the Greedy believes he'll
find happiness if he cuts it out of her and eats it, which is pretty horrifying even when we're
talking about animated plush toys. You can watch his full sequence here, or start watching the
film in its entirety here, but be warned: the animation quality may spoil you. Your average
cookie-cutter anime has nothing on this 70's masterpiece.
