Fuse 8 n’ Kate: There’s a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

Folks, I am shocked and appalled that none of you have ever yelled at me for never having done a Mercer Mayer book on this podcast. We’re onto episode #227 and in all this time, Mr. Mayer has never once graced our eyeballs. Today, we correct this longstanding ill. Take a listen to this if you would like to hear my off-the-cuff recounting of all the Mercer Mayer books that we haven’t done. I also go into tangents on the awfulness of feet in early 80s footie pajamas while Kate engages in The Great Tissue Box Theory.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

Here, I kid you not, is the entirely edible cake that Aunt Kate created for my son. Is It Cake?

Not sure how much credence to give to the working theory that this book is referenced in Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare. It’s a great idea, but the monsters in this don’t really resemble the one in the book. Just my two cents:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kum-q6RfPAw

Whereas this video of the book is most certainly narrated by Michael J. Fox. So that’s all good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpGPYXSPSxQ

I love that Kate is far more creeped out by the missing mirror on the cover than the monster itself.

Kate: This is an unrealistic children’s bedroom.

Betsy: Why do you say it’s unrealistic?

Kate: What do you see under that child’s bed, Betsy?

Betsy: I don’t see anything.

Kate: EXACTLY!

In spite of its 1968 publication date, these toys indeed are “something the Brontes could have played with”.

The Great Tissue Box Theory involves WHY this child’s bedroom has a wastepaper basket FULL to the brim. “My theory is that this isn’t the first monster this kid has made cry.”

Anti-war messaging this does not have:

Aaaaaand apparently Kate has created this entire alternate theory in which this guy is the monster’s disapproving father.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate