Fungus The Bogeyman

There’s no denying that it is good for kids to read from an early age but a lot of children’s books are too “cutesy-poo” to capture their imaginations. One book which you could never accuse of being overly cute is the classic graphic novel created by Raymond Briggs, Fungus the Bogeyman. I remember this fondly from my youth and it appealed to my childish interest in all things disgusting. It also managed to be extremely funny and poignant at the same time.

The book follows a typical Bogeyman as he goes about his job of scaring people and being generally revolting. Fungus is a working class bloke, he has a wife named Mildew and some Bogey children and he goes to work each day dreaming up ways to create disgusting, slimy and thoroughly revolting messes. The Bogey people live underground and they get up when we go to bed. They appreciate all things dirty and fetid, wearing wet, smelly clothing, drinking green slime and eating all manner of horrible food from golden waxy bits to snot pie and dead slugs.

Fungus is also undergoing an existential crisis about the meaning of his life and he gloomily wonders about the point of it all. The book is beautifully illustrated and fairly light on text and as we follow Fungus on a typical day in his life it serves as a kind of encyclopaedia for living in the Bogey world. Bogeymen are a grumpy bunch and they cause all sorts of mischief for sleeping humans mixing up socks and making creaking noises in the night.

The book was first published in 1977 and was created by the supremely talented Raymond Briggs who is perhaps most famous for The Snowman. His work is intelligent, witty, and incredibly imaginative. Fungus the Bogeyman is also quite philosophical in nature and it is much more than a simple rejoicing in all things disgusting, although there is plenty of humour which will appeal to young boys in particular, but it will also make them think. The word play is terrific and there are many great lines which will stick in your mind.

The book is suitable for young kids but perhaps best enjoyed by seven year olds and upwards. It is also great for reading to kids and there are plenty of terrific illustrations for them to enjoy although it quite rude so some parents may not approve.

There have been various attempts to realise alternative versions of Fungus the Bogeyman but the 2004 television mini-series made by the BBC somehow failed to capture the magic of the book. The audio CD works better and there was a pretty awful pantomime style stage version.

While The Snowman is an enchanting tale Fungus the Bogeyman has an entirely different aim. Briggs said "In Fungus the Bogeyman I wanted to show the petty nastiness of life - slime and snot and spit and dandruff, all this awful stuff which is slightly funny because it detracts from human dignity and our pretensions." Fungus is a terrific anti-hero and if you are looking for something a little bit different for your kids then I’d highly recommend it.