Casper the Friendly Ghost is probably the most famous ghost of all time. At least the most famous animated ghost anyway. We doubt that there is anyone you could mention his name to who wouldn’t have some kind of recollection of this lovable little guy. Even 90’s kids will remember the movie with Cristina Ricci and Devon Sawa (who wasn’t even the voice before he appears in human form, but whatever). Plainly put? Casper the Friendly Ghost is a classic.
The First Haunting
Believe it or not, Casper was actually a book character before entertaining us in cartoon and comic form. First debuting in 1939, Casper appeared in the children’s book The Friendly Ghost. He was created by two fellas, Seymour Reit, and Joe Oriolo. The book itself didn’t get much traction and so when Joe was off fighting in WWII in the 40s, Seymour sold the rights to Paramount Pictures. Casper, our friendly ghost, debuted in 1945 as a seemingly young boy ghost with a New York accent. All he really wanted to do was make some friends but is not always successful, unfortunately. These cartoons sound as if they are pretty dark in material and not the Casper we are familiar with today.
How Did Casper Die?
You can get lost in a plethora of rabbit holes on Reddit with this one. Honestly? It depends on what time period you want to look into. In the beginning cartoons, Casper is shown sitting on his own grave. This means he did have a previous life and was possibly not born a ghost like in the comics of the 70s. At one point, Harvey Comics allegedly said that Casper’s parents were ghosts. However, there is no other talk of this and the only real mention of Casper’s death comes from the 1995 movie we mentioned earlier. In that, Casper seemingly died of pneumonia, saying the words, "It got late, it got dark, it got cold, and I got sick... I remember I didn't go where I was supposed to go. I just stayed behind so my dad wouldn't be lonely." Going by that scene in the movie, where a sled triggers Casper’s memory, it actually just might match up with the fandom theories out there that say he stayed around for his dad.
Our Friendly Ghost
In the late ’90s, Harvey Comics founder, Alfred Harvey, bought the rights to Casper the Friendly Ghost. During that time, Casper could be found haunting some illustrated shorts for Mattel Toys on ABC. Then in 1963, our friendly ghost got his own show. The New Casper Cartoon Show aired and continued to befriend kids until the mid-90s. After the live action movie brought him back into the forefront with kids, FOX created a new Casper series that ran for an additional two years.
Look, there’s a reason Casper is so memorable. He’s a sweet kid who only wants to be your friend. I think that’s something we can all understand, don’t you agree? Forever remembered as a lovable character from many a persons’ childhoods, we should all carry him around with us, letting him know he will always have a friend in us. To keep Casper close to you, check out our Casper gear here.