Big Crap Comes in Small Packages
VHS, 1992
It's a well known fact that kids love to collect stuff, and adding in a kid's natural love of monsters and all things heeby and jeeby is just an obvious addition that works to perfection. And thus in 1990, a series of small plastic figures made their debut. those figures were known as Monster in my pocket.
Heavily inspired by the success of M.U.S.C.L.E, a similar series, only featuring wrestlers from the Japanese Kinnikuman series, these were an instant hit with kids. The series lived on to see over 200 figures created in total in its initial series alone. It even lucked out in getting an NES game released by Konami. And since this is 80's-90's toys we're talking about, certainly a TV series had to be in the works right?
Well, by the induction we have for you this time around, that would partly be the case. Hanna-Barbara had their hands on a Monster in my Pocket cartoon. Like a prior induction, Battletoads, Monster in my Pocket only had one episode made. While referred to as a special, it was most likely an intended pilot that failed to garin enough interest and attention from any major channel to pick up a full series . The episode did get released as an ABC Halloween special in 1992, and eventually saw a home video release. It's funny that ABC had no interest in a Monster in my Pocket series, but were glad to have Hammerman gracing its Saturday morning lineup a year prior. And Free Willy a year later. But those are stories for another time.
So, why was Monster in my Pocket a dud? Why was it merely another failed pilot in the never ending series purgatory? Only one way to find out.
The intro to the show essentially gives the plot to the series, so no catchy theme tune. Not even an interesting one in the background during the explanation like in He-Man or She-Ra. Some guitar, but nothing your going to even tap your foot to. In a prison on mountain, all of the most sinister monsters were imprisoned. Henry Davenport, A.K.A The Invisible Man, along with The Mummy, Frankenstein (Named Big Ed for copyright reasons), and a Jamaican Werewolf (Named Wolf-Mon, get it?) are the jailers. However Vampire, one of the imprisoned, creates a shrinking formula to escape. Very piss poor security on Monster Mountain i take it if the prisoners can find ingredients to a shrinking formula. However Vampire's formula explodes, and somehow causes the entire Monster Mountain, and all inside to shrink as well. This also causes the mountain to fly to Los Angeles for some odd reason. Now the heroes have to find and capture...
Vampire,
Medusa
Oh, wait. Wrong one....
Medusa
and Swamp Beast
While dealing with the whole only being 1 inch tall deal.
Henry decides that Edgar Raven (Seriously?), a famous horror author (Seriously?), is the only person who could understand their predicament. Though, how an author of fictional horror stories can help a group of one inch monsters is beyond me. I guess they tried Billy Witch Doctor dot com, and when that didn't pan out, they said screw the magical route, let's see if that dude who writes those scary books knows what to do. I guess what i said about them being not too bright is right on the money so far. Too bad for them, he's away.
But his 10 year old daughter Carrie was still there. And now these once feared creatures are just monsters in her pocket. Just like the title. Clever. I think.
and that's the theme song. Let's move on to the episode itself, known as "The Big Scream".
So we start the episode with Davenport and his cohorts trying to create a formula to regrow them. Despite Carrie's intentions to help, Davenport pretty much treats her like shit. Because lord knows somebody who's like a good 1000 times larger than you is no help in moving some test tubes and stir a formula, both of which are also currently larger than yourself and your monster pals. So she leaves them be. He gets mummy to turn the heater on the burner (Mummy which for some silly reason is a neurotic Woody Allen type character), but he accidentally sets the heat too high, which causes the formula to splatter all over the place. Carrie laughs at them, which causes them to grow suddenly.
But before they can celebrate, Helga, the maid, and I guess the only person watching Carrie while her father is gone, comes downstairs to see what the racket was, and the foursome jump into a laundry pile. And they shrink again, causing them to be placed in the washing machine by Helga (Who has an over the top fake German accent. guess it fits with the wacky Jewish, and Jamaican accents.)
Carrie frees them, causing the clothes to fly everywhere, and Helga sends her out of the basement.
Cut to Vampire, who is in a Junkyard, hypnotizing a guard dog. However, that plan doesn't pan out too well either. The trio head to a drive in, where a Horror movie plays. The scream from the actress causes them to grow. So laughter makes the heroes grow, and screams for he villains. Makes some sense, I guess. With their reformed size, they set out to capture Carrie, and get revenge on the good guys. Surprisingly, Vampire doesn't have an over the top Dracula-esque voice. I guess only heroes can have the stereotypical voices.
So Vampire kidnaps Carrie, and flies away with her to end the first act of this "Special".
Using Wolf-Mon's sense of smell, they track down the baddies. Though considering their current Height, wouldn't that take forever? Unless the junkyard is close to Carrie's house, which would make zero sense because what world famous horror author would live by a junkyard?
Anyways, Vampire tries to hypnotize Carrie, when just at that moment, they shrink. Considering it only lasted like not even a minute for the good guys, it seems odd that would've lasted that long. Again, over analyzing, but it would've made more sense, and had been more funnier IMO, if Vampire shrunk while carrying Carrie in the air. So the baddies leave to head back to the Drive in, leaving Carrie alone in the car. Vampire hypnotizes the dog, which for some reason actually works this time, to make sure she doesn't leave. which is good timing for the heroes, who come to her aid. Well, technically just Big Ed, and Wolf Mon. Mummy gets his ass kicked like the clumsy Woody character he is, and of course Davenport hides like the pussy he is (And this guy was assigned to guard the most evil monsters imaginable?)
Carrie informs them of where the baddies went, and Davenprot decides that she can help them this time (She's done more than you so far, you faceless douche). they head to the theater to confront the baddies, only to find the projectionist tied up. Apparently, the baddies wanted to see the movie again, but the print was sent back to the actress Rae Faye (Seriously?) in Burbank. Rae Faye, who seems to not be phased at the sight of miniature monsters, tries to give the baddies her autograph, but Vamp tries to scare the scream out of her by biting her neck. which considering his size, doesn't work as planned. Boy, for a main villain, Ol' Vamp's pretty weak. Through some convincing by Medusa, and the fact that she may be a tad senile, she shows them the movie, as our heroes rush to the scene. And we get our first confrontation of the good and bad sides. too bad it took like 18 minutes. As Carrie swats at Vamp, it causes the movie to play, and the baddies to regrow. as Carrie and Rae try to escape, the hypnotized dog is at their door.
So Carrie fools the dog by wearing a cape and pretending to be Vampire. How would that work exactly?
As the villians plan to take the projector and the film to ensure their constant growth, Carrie sics the dog on the baddies, only to have Vampire confuse the dog, and Medusa to turn it to stone. While that happens, the heroes reverse the film on the projector, destroying the film, and shrinking the baddies. and they escape to fight another day (Which of course doesn't happen). Davenport finally admits Carrie is useful as they help clean up Rae's house.
Later they try the experiment again, and the same situation occurs as earlier they learn that Carrie's laugh is what makes them grow, and that's pretty much the whole Shebang.
So was this total Tooncrap? Not entirely. The animation was decent at best, and it does have some good voice actors, including Frank Welker and Rob Paulsen.
However, The good guys having ridiculous accents (Notably Wolf-mon's), the sorta weak plot, and the whole idea of needing screams and laughter to change size were the real nitpicks i could find from this.
Would this have worked as a series? Probably not. The main idea would pretty much have continued to be the villains trying to find a different way to grow (Mostly screams no doubt) every episode, and it would get tedious not too long after.
And that's Monster in my Pocket in a nutshell. Next time i promise a review that's a bit more "Cool".