This would imply Casper is relaxing at his own gravesite, though his name doesn’t appear on the tombstone. The ghosts in the cemetery are referred to as his “neighbors” and appear to rise from their respective resting places when it’s time to go haunting. The short references his “brothers and sisters” who enjoy scaring people but offers no other details of his private life.Ī second short, 1948’s “There’s Good Boos To-Night,” shows Casper leaning on a tombstone while reading a book, with a “Love Thy Neighbor” sign hanging nearby. When Casper made his animated debut in the 1945 Famous Studios short “The Friendly Ghost,” he finally got a name, but no mention was made of his origins. The two sold Casper and other characters for a total of $200 to Paramount. When they returned, Fleischer Studios had been purchased by Paramount, renamed Famous Studios, and wanted complete control over the intellectual property of work created by employees. The two, who worked at Fleischer Studios on animated shorts, were both drafted to serve in World War II. Reit and Oriolo planned to have Casper-who did not yet have a name-be the star of an illustrated children’s book, with Reit writing and Oriolo illustrating it. When Casper was created back in 1940 by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo, the question apparently didn’t come up.

In the earliest shorts, he preferred to hang out by himself near a tombstone.ĭoes the tombstone belong to him? By virtue of being a ghost, doesn’t that mean Casper was once a real, live boy who suffered a tragic fate at a young age? The Ghost With No Name Unfortunately, people are consistently wary of his ethereal qualities. An affable spirit, the seemingly pre-adolescent blob of ectoplasm only wants to make friends. The star of dozens of animated shorts and specials, hundreds of comics, and one big-screen feature (which spawned a couple of straight-to-video follow-ups), Casper the Friendly Ghost has enjoyed a great deal of spooky success since he debuted in 1945.

Casper the friendly ghost fatso