Cartoons and ghosts go way back, from spooky magic lantern shows to Disney's first spooky-scary Silly Symphony. In this episode, we talk about the relationship between scary and funny, as well as the roles ghosts play in contemporary cartoons, particularly select episodes of Spongebob Squarepants and Adventure Time.

Episodes Discussed

• Spongebob Squarepants, “Scaredy Pants” (S1E13a)
• Spongebob Squarepants, “Graveyard Shift” (S2E16a)
• Spongebob Squarepants, “The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom” (S11E5)
• Adventure Time, “Heat Signature” (S2, E26)
• Adventure Time, “Ghost Fly” (S6E17)
• Adventure Time, “Blank-Eyed Girl” (S7E19)

Also Mentioned

• Spongebob Squarepants, "Shanghaied" (S2E13a)
• Spongebob Squarepants, "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost" (S1E11b)

Make contact:

@ghostswerepeopletoo

[email protected]

Bibliography

Dark Places by Barry Curtis

“Horror and Humor” by Noël Carroll. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Vol. 57, No. 2, Aesthetics and Popular Culture (Spring, 1999), pp. 145-160 (16 pages)