Welcome to Monsters in the Spotlight where I look at some of the biggest scariest, hairiest lairyest monsters in history.  Apart from me I mean.

Monster Munch Monsters!

• Monster Munch are monster shaped crisps and as you would expect are my favourite crisps of all.
• The Monster Munch Monsters are nearly as famous as the crisps – you used to be able to spot them in the telly adverts all the time and were a really scary looking bunch!
• They included Pink Monster who was tall and gangly and who went mad for the Roast Beef flavour, Red Monster (a tall monster with one eye bigger than the other), Orange Monster, Blue Monster, (who wore a hat and had floppy ears and four arms) Yellow Monster (a one-eyed, red-nosed creature) and last but not least Green Monster.
• What a weird bunch!  But they are experts when it comes to crisps so thanks to the Monster Munch Monsters for stopping my tummy from rumbling!

Listen again Monster Munch Monsters

Sulley From Monsters Inc!

• Monsters, Inc is a hilarious animated film about a town full of monsters.  Sounds like a great film to me already!  Hee hee!  You might have seen it yourself, its out on DVD and its well worth a watch.
• Anyway in the film the monsters collect the screams from children to power their town and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan, a large, furry blue monster with purple spots, is Monsters, Inc.’s top scarer.
• Although he’s got a ferocious growl his heart is melted by the little girl who finds her way into the town, and in the end he… well I won’t spoil the ending for you but he’s not half as scary as he might look.

Listen again Sully from Monsters Inc

Sea Monsters!

• Sea monsters have been reported by sailors for centuries.
• They come in many shapes and sizes, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts; they can be slimy or scaly, often spouting jets of water. Often they are thought to want to attack ships.
• In the past many sailors thought they’d seen monsters but all they’d seen were giant squid, octopus or giant whales, perfectly harmless creatures who just looked a bit scary!
• What a bunch of wimps getting all scared by a lovely wiggly Octopus – wouldn’t scare me – hee hee!
• Other monsters aren’t so easy to explain – like the Loch Ness monster in Scotland or Morgawr in Cornwall – many people have seen these beasts, which are said to look more like dinosaurs than any normal sort of fish, but they’re good at stopping people from getting a proper look so the mystery about what they really are remains!

Listen again Sea Monsters

The Abominable Snowman!

• The “Abominable Snowman” was first sighted in 1921, when Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury climbed Everest in the snowy mountains of Nepal.  He found footprints that he said were like a those of a bare-footed man.
• His Sherpa guides said that the tracks must be that of “The Wild Man of the Snows”, to which they gave the name “metoh-kangmi”. “Metoh” translates as “man-bear” and “Kang-mi” translates as “snowman”.
• So they called the mysterious figure The Man Bear Snowman for ages but that is a bit of a mouthful so they changed it to the Ambonibal… Anobilal… tchoh the ABOMINABLE snowman!  Not sure that’s any simpler really!  Tee hee!
• He is said to look like a giant ape or orang-utan – part of a giant monkey skull was even found which they thought could have been one of his friends.  Or maybe it was an enemy!

Listen again Abominable Snowman

Cookie Monster!

• Cookie Monster is a character from the kids TV show Sesame Street and is probably the least scary monster in the world.
• He’s got blue fur and googly eyes and his most famous phrase is “me eat cookie!” which pretty much explains how he got his name.  Hee hee!
• It’s not all about the cookies though he eats anything and everything including Danish pastries, doughnuts, lettuce, apples, bananas, and then there’s things that aren’t really food like salt and pepper shakers, signs, napkins, pencils, typewriters, telephones, motorcycles, trucks, a safe and even a VW Beetle…..  but what he likes best is a cookie.
• Can you imagine  eating a truck – that would give you a serious tummy ache!  Owwww!!!!

Cyclops

Listen again Cyclops

King Kong

Listen again King Kong