Post 6: Ghosts: Casper, the fiendly ghost

 Ghosts are not only popular to movies and games but was also portrayed in animation or cartoons. One of the most popular cartoon ghost icon was Casper also known as “Casper Mcfadden” a ghost who is quite personable. Casper was introduced to the public on 1939 in a movie called “The Friendly Ghost” and when became popular was then made into a cartoon and introduced in childrens books and comics. Is there really a friendly ghost like Casper?

Stretch(left), Stinkie(right), and fatso(middle)

In my experiences I never see ghosts who are happy or friendly they always look so sad and depressed. Upon watching the movie “Casper” a film released in 1995 starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman, I have learned the cause of Casper’s death. According to the film, Casper was a young adolescent who went sledding all day and died of pneumonia. Casper was not alone in this movie he was with three other ghosts uncles who are Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso who were ghosts who likes to prank and scare people but Casper was different he was kind and he sacrifices for others.

A scene from the movie "Casper, the friendly ghost"

In an article called Casper, more than a friendly ghost by Berit Kjos, Casper is a lonely ghost who befriends a motherless girl in the movie “Casper, the friendly ghost”. He models the ultimate selflessness, the willingness to give his life in the movie. He sacrificed his father’s potion (a potion that can revive the deceased) instead of using it for himself, He resurrected Kat’s father for them to reunite and for her to be happy.

“A supernatural being who is not one of God’s angels . Since the dead have no power to participate in human activities, the bible leaves no option other than to call him a demon and there are no good demons.” Kjos also added. Ghosts that doesn’t go to heaven or be with god are not considered as Demons to me because some ghosts who stays in the human world are not ready to move on to the next place because they are worried about their loved ones and or they have not accepted yet the fact that they are dead.

In relation to that is an article called Is Casper McFadden Really a ghost? By Ken Roberts, Casper is the most famous ghost on earth, he was unlike his spooky brethren, he doesn’t haunt or scare and he was described as a lonely ghost looking for friends that is why he became popular for children in the 1930’s to 1940’s which made children in this era less scared about ghosts.

Roberts also added, “The overall acceptance of ghosts was considerably different than it is today” Nowadays only few people in this generation are familiar with Casper the ghost’s character  because of the disturbing ways of representing ghosts such as ghosts hurting people and exorcism. These factors made them think a lot worst about ghosts. And because of entertainment nowadays doesn’t make movies about ghosts being good and they are only mistaken as trouble makers and petrifying characters.

Ghost can be scary and horrific when it comes to movies and shows but they are only made exaggerated to chills for the viewers. They can be bad, they can be good. Who knows what they really are? But think of it that all ghosts are like Casper it will help you overcome your fear of ghosts. If ghosts can be friendly to us then why can’t we be friendly to them?