The Boogeyman, sometimes spelled as Bogeyman or Boogie Man, is a name applied to an enigmatic and terrifying being from English speaking countries that scares children into good behavior. It has appeared throughout various film and television productions with Disney being no exception. The Boogeyman is mainly portrayed in an antagonistic light.
Background[]
Origin[]
The name may have come from early Middle English words bugge or bogge, meaning "terrifying specter". As a matter of fact, its name origin is also the root word for "bug", which translates to "goblin" or "scarecrow", explaining why insects are shared in the field of terror. The concept of a horrifying being that comes in the night to scare children into behaving is shared all over the world. Due to the universal "appeal" of the creature, its description has always varied and is up to the imagination of children and adults.
Appearances[]
Lullaby Land[]
In this short, three Boogeymen are depicted. During the climax of the short after the Baby interacted with matches, which started chasing him, the matches began leap onto the water whose flames form into smokes, causing them to later morph into three Boogeymen. The Boogeymen sing and dance together, saying that they like to stalk disobedient children at night, especially the Baby who is at Lullaby Land. As they continue dancing, they chase the Baby and Toy Dog across Lullaby Land, realizing that the thing he did earlier at the Forbidden Garden was bad. However, all three Boogeymen suddenly disappear when the Sandman appears and gives the Baby magic sand, giving him good dreams with a good night sleep.
The Boogeymen are a group of dancing monsters who dance in an upbeat tune, often attempting to haunt disobedient children. When they became aware of the Baby's actions at the Forbidden Garden of doing things what a good boy wouldn't do, they started to haunt the Baby planning to catch him in a mischievous manner.
In the 1934 Christmas special on the NBC radio show The Hall of Fame, there was a sequence where Walt Disney clapped three times to summon the Boogeymen to scare Donald Duck away. The lyrics they sing are the same ones excerpted from Lullaby Land, albeit with Donald instead of the Baby from the short.
Don't Look Under the Bed[]
The Boogeyman is not a person, but a state of being that encompasses an imaginary friend when their owners willingly chooses to stop believing in them too soon. In the film, Francis McCausland's imaginary friend Zoey (Rachel Kimsey) becomes the Boogeyman (Steve Valentine) and begins to haunt her and her little brother Darwin. Here, the Boogeyman hails from the Boogeyworld dimension where, presumably, abandoned imaginary friends go. Larry Houdini (Ty Hodges) nearly undergoes a transformation into a Boogeyman when Darwin slowly begins to lose his belief in him. It is only through love and acceptance that can revert the Boogeyman back into their respective imaginary friend form.
The Boogeyman has a pale goblin-like appearance with pointed ears, sharp teeth, long, swept back, black hair, and long, sharp fingers. His attire resembles 18th century wear with an orange under coat and a black velvet coat that looks like it is covered in dust and cobwebs. He also apparently leaves behind "boogey goo", a strange purple substance.
The Boogeyman[]
The Boogeyman is the main antagonist of his self-titled film portrayed by an uncredited Daniel Hagen. Based on the Stephen King short story, the creature is depicted as a violent malicious being that actually kills children and feeds off the adults' misery, killing them as well. It can teleport via closet doors, move swiftly and quietly, has the ability to mimic voices, and simple gunfire only slows him down. It is weak against bright lights and fire and can easily be engulfed in the latter. The ending of the film leaves it ambiguous whether it can revive itself, though.
The Boogeyman has a skinny, boney appearance with a small noseless head and pale eyes. Its "teeth" are actually fingers with full arms attached that extend from its mouth and apparently has a second head as well.
Trivia[]
- The Boogeyman is mentioned in the Vampirina episode "The Monster Snore". According to Vampirina Hauntley, the Boogeyman is a dancing teacher, hence the "Boogie" man.
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Oogie Boogie - Nicknamed the Boogie Man
