Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

This article is about the 1994 animated television series. For the video game based on the show, see Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (video game).

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Genre	Comedy horror
Created by	Gábor Csupó Peter Gaffney
Voices of	Charlie Adler Christine Cavanaugh David Eccles Gregg Berger Jim Belushi Tim Curry
Composer(s)	Drew Neumann
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	52 (102 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Arlene Klasky Gabor Csupo Mary Harrington Peter Gaffney
Producer(s)	Sherry Gunther (Season 1) Geraldine Clarke (Season 3) Cella Nichols Duffy (Season 4) Mark Steen (Season 4)
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Klasky Csupo Games Animation
Distributor	MTV Networks
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Picture format	NTSC
Audio format	Stereo (Season 1) Dolby Surround (Season 2–4)
Original release	October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29) – December 6, 1997 (1997-12-06)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters is an American animated television series developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn to frighten humans. Many of the episodes revolve around them making it to the surface in order to perform "scares" as class assignments.

The series premiered on October 29, 1994, on Nickelodeon. Running a total of 52 episodes over 4 seasons, the final episode aired December 6, 1997.

Plot

The episodes follow the adventures of Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm, three young monster friends attending a monster school whose headmaster is The Gromble.

The show is set in New York City, demonstrated throughout the series by the presences of the Empire State Building and the IND Subway System, and in the episode "Monster Make-Over" when Ickis refers to himself as "the ugliest, slimiest, razor fanged, sharp clawed, monster menace this side of Newark!" The dump the monsters inhabit is implied to be Fresh Kills Landfill, but never explicitly named in the series. The monster community includes a working economic system using toenails as currency.

Episodes

Main article: List of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters episodes

Each episode is about 22–24 minutes in length. The series premiered on October 29, 1994 with "The Switching Hour". The first season concluded with the season finale "Simon Strikes Back / The Ickis Box" on January 21, 1995. The second season premiered on September 9, 1995 with "Spontaneously Combustible / Curse of Katana", and ended on December 2, 1995 with "The Five Faces of Ickis / Bigfoot, Don't Fail Me Now". The third season premiered on September 7, 1996 with "Festival of the Festering Moon / Simon's Big Score", and ended with "The Master Monster / Slumber Scare" on November 30, 1996. The fourth and final season premiered on September 13, 1997 with "Battle of the Century / A Perfect World", and ended on December 6, 1997 with the series finale "Laugh Krumm Laugh / Rookie Monsters". The Monsters made one last appearance in a 1999 crossover episode between them and Rugrats in Ghost Story (Season 6, Episode 11) (Episode 106 in series)

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired		DVD release date
			First aired	Last aired	Region 1
	1	13	October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)	January 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)	October 4, 2011 (2011-10-04)	October 8, 2013 (2013-10-08) (The Complete Series)
	2		September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)	December 2, 1995 (1995-12-02)	May 15, 2012 (2012-05-15)
	3		September 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)	November 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)	September 11, 2012 (2012-09-11)
	4		September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)	December 6, 1997 (1997-12-06)	June 10, 2014 (2014-06-10)

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Season 2 (1995)

Aaahh!!! Real Monstersseason 2 episodes

1	1	"The Switching Hour"	Jim Duffy	Marcy Gray Rubin & David Adam Silverman	October 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)	101
On Halloween, Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm go out after The Gromble told them not to. Little do they know, Nicky, the human that Ickis scared the night before, dressed up as Ickis for Halloween, resulting in Oblina and Krumm thinking that Nicky is the real Ickis.
2a	2a	"Monsters, Get Real"	Igor Kovalyov	Peter Gaffney, Steve Granat, Cydne Clark & Lawrence H. Levy	November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)	102a
Ickis, Oblina and Krumm pull off a good scare in Bradley's room, only to discover that Ickis has left his all-important monster manual on the surface.
2b	2b	"Snorched If You Do, Snorched If You Don't"	Jim Duffy	Lawrence H. Levy	November 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)	102b
In a continuation of Monsters, Get Real, Oblina and Krumm attempt to retrieve Ickis' monster manual before he is sent to the Snorch.
3a	3a	"Curse of the Krumm"	Andrei Svislotski	Bruce Kalish	November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)	103a
Odiferous Krumm, who put the stink in distinct, loses his stench and fears his monstering days are numbered.
3b	3b	"Krumm Goes Hollywood"	Jim Duffy	David Litt	November 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)	103b
A famous Hollywood director accidentally mistakes Krumm for his extra on his movie set, and turns him into a huge star.
4a	4a	"Monstrous Make-Over"	Igor Kovalyov	David Litt	November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)	104a
Due to having issues at school, Ickis leaves and talks to a guy at the Klasky Medical Center to perform makeovers on people (giving a girl 3 nostrils). Oblina and Krumm try to get him back.
4b	4b	"A Wing and a Scare"	Jim Duffy	Peter Gaffney	November 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)	104b
Willing to scare a little girl, Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina get folded and spindled when they get themselves trapped in a suitcase and are loaded onto a plane bound for Wisconsin.
5a	5a	"Krumm's Pimple"	Andrei Svislotski	Michael Price, Cydne Clark & Steve Granat	November 26, 1994 (1994-11-26)	105a
Krumm sprouts a gigantic pimple. The pimple has its own personality, and is a hit with the other monsters, putting the squeeze on Krumm's popularity.
5b	5b	"Monster Hunter"	Jim Duffy	Susan Meyers	November 26, 1994 (1994-11-26)	105b
Simon says there are real monsters in the world, But no one believes him. Simon says he'll prove it to the world.
6a	6a	"Monsters Don't Dance"	Igor Kovalyov	Eric Mintz	December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)	106a
Thinking Murray the Monster is betraying the idea of being a monster by putting on a charade to sell merchandise, Oblina, Krumm, and Ickis try to teach him to actually be scary. However, Oblina, Krumm, and Ickis are shocked when they realize that Murray is just wearing a costume and is actually a merchandise salesman pretending to be a monster for financial gain.
6b	6b	"Gone Shopp'n"	Jim Duffy	David Litt	December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)	106b
Tis the season to be scary, and Oblina, Ickis, and Krumm are happy to oblige. They terrorize shoppers in a mall celebrating Christmas in July, but the tables are turned when the trio find themselves locked inside, when they had discovered an object that seemed really special: a lava lamp.
7a	7a	"Old Monster"	Andrei Svislotski	Marcy Gray Rubin & David Adam Silverman	December 10, 1994 (1994-12-10)	107a
Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm are bored when Shroink, the Gromble's old teacher, lectures at the academy. But when they escort him back to the dump, they learn that old monsters are the best monsters.
7b	7b	"Mother, May I"	Jim Duffy	Michael Price	December 10, 1994 (1994-12-10)	107b
Every boy and monster's worst fear is realized for the Gromble -- his mom shows up at the academy unannounced. The Gromble leaves her in the care of Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm for the afternoon with alarming results.
8a	8a	"Don't Just Do It"	Jim Duffy	David Litt	December 17, 1994 (1994-12-17)	108a
Ickis gets a bad case of hero worship when he is befriended by an impulsive monster drop-out Puhg, who takes Ickis to the surface without adequate preparations.
8b	8b	"Joined at the Hip"	Igor Kovalyov	Michael Karnow & Lance Khazei	December 17, 1994 (1994-12-17)	108b
When the Gromble gets fed up with Ickis and Krumm, he merges them into a new monster called "Krickis". They're two, two, two monsters in one.
9a	9a	"Smile and Say Oblina"	Andrei Svislotski	Gary Clasberg	December 24, 1994 (1994-12-24)	109a
Even monsters get the blues, and Oblina proves it when she develops her first crush, on a monster named Gruge who starts noticing her after she got braces.
9b	9b	"The Great Wave"	Jim Duffy	Scott Kregor & David Pavoni	December 24, 1994 (1994-12-24)	109b
Life is no "day at the beach" for Ickis as his self-esteem hits a tide when he is chosen to be a contestant in the Annual Riding of the Great Wave Competition.
10a	10a	"Cold Hard Toenails"	Jim Duffy	Peter Gaffney	December 31, 1994 (1994-12-31)	110a
Ickis finds hundreds and hundreds of toenails (the most precious thing known to monsters) while trying to scare a human, and is now rich. But when he dumps his friends for toenails, brags about his wealth, and becomes a rude snob, he wants his old life back!
10b	10b	"Attack of the Blobs"	Igor Kovalyov	Lawrence H. Levy	December 31, 1994 (1994-12-31)	110b
Oblina has never blobsat before, but that was no problem, unless, of course, the little blob hatches into a bonsty and tries to eat everything in sight, including the blobsitter.
11a	11a	"Chip Off the Old Beast"	Andrei Svislotski	Richard Marcus	January 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)	111a
Ickis fears nobody will ever say, "like father, like son," when Slickis, his famous father, who is the best student ever graduated from The Academy, visits Ickis and dazzles the monster multitudes.
11b	11b	"The War's Over"	Jim Duffy	William Schifrin	January 7, 1995 (1995-01-07)	111b
The Gromble sends his three monster-students on a routine scare of an old house. But it appears the house is haunted. And they're not sure if ghosts can scare a monster. But, monsters don't believe in ghosts, or do they?
12	12	"Where Have All the Monsters Gone?"	Igor Kovalyov	David Litt, Marcy Gray Rubin & David Adam Silverman	January 14, 1995 (1995-01-14)	112
The Gromble's students think he's all wet when he tells them about their legacy--The Pool of Elders. But they realize it's descending, when they stop being scary, and the monsters start disappearing.
13a	13a	"Simon Strikes Back"	Jim Duffy	Susan Myers	January 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)	113a
The host of a talk show offers Bradley, Murray, and Simon (all previous scare victims) a brand new car and 1 million dollars if they bring a monster at the talk show within 1 week. This gets Ickis captured, and he has to help the first person he scared.
13b	13b	"The Ickis Box"	Andrei Svislotski	Peter Gaffney	January 21, 1995 (1995-01-21)	113b
No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
14a	1a	"Spontaneously Combustible"	Igor Kovalyov	Mark Steen & Mark Palmer	September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)	201a
Ickis is diagnosed as spontaneously combustible and the whole academy is afraid of him blowing them up, even though that is not the case.
14b	1b	"Curse of Katana"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	September 9, 1995 (1995-09-09)	201b
Krumm's eyes become attached to an ancient mummy during a routine scare, and now they must be retrieved.
15a	2a	"Monsters Are Real"	Igor Kovalyov	David Adam Silverman	September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)	202a
Ickis makes front page news when a photographer snaps his picture and now he must retrieve every copy before the Gromble finds out.
15b	2b	"This is Your Brain on Ickis"	Jim Duffy	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	September 16, 1995 (1995-09-16)	202b
Simon the monster hunter has Ickis on the brain, literally, when the monster becomes trapped in Simon's head.
16a	3a	"Into the Woods"	Jim Duffy	Marcy Gray Rubin, Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)	203a
Ickis has to rely on his human friend Bradly in order to complete an important group scare assignment or be expelled.
16b	3b	"Krumm Gets the Dreaded Nolox"	Igor Kovalvov	Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	September 23, 1995 (1995-09-23)	203b
Over exposure to air freshener gives Krumm a case of hiccups that will not go away until he is given a big scare.
17a	4a	"Mayberry UFO"	Jim Duffy	Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)	204a
The monsters become stranded in a rustic town with an angry mob that thinks they are aliens and only one working toilet.
17b	4b	"I Dream of Snorch with the Long Golden Hair"	Igor Kovalyov	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	September 30, 1995 (1995-09-30)	204b
Ickis and Krumm risk the Snorch's wrath when they steal his prized golden nose hair right from under his nose, literally.
18a	5a	"Garbage Ahoy"	Jim Duffy	Steve Skrovan & David Adam Silverman	October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)	205a
While frolicking in the dump, the monsters become stranded on a floating garbage barge with no way back.
18b	5b	"Goin' (Way) South"	Igor Kovalyov	Mark Steen	October 7, 1995 (1995-10-07)	205b
The monsters must journey to the South Pole to scare a hard to scare explorer.
19a	6a	"Monster Who Came in from the Cold"	Jim Duffy	Steve Skrovan, Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)	206a
Oblina goes native when an excursion into the human world, thanks to an experimental human suit, leads the young monster to think she's actually human.
19b	6b	"Puppy Ciao"	Jim Duffy	Steve Skrovan	October 14, 1995 (1995-10-14)	206b
A stray dog, whom he affectionately names Fungus, follows Ickis back to the dump and they quickly bond.
20a	7a	"The Rival"	Igor Kovalyov	Roger Eschbacher	October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)	207a
Oblina becomes a green eyed monster when a new student named Smelldra arrives and her achievements seemingly outshine her own.
20b	7b	"Hats Off"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	October 21, 1995 (1995-10-21)	207b
Ickis takes a magicians hat and finds himself in a wonderland of sorts when he falls in and is crowned Bunny King.
21a	8a	"Eau de Krumm"	Jim Duffy	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)	208a
A new perfume hits the stores and it causes quite a stink to the monsters who find the smell unbearable.
21b	8b	"O'Lucky Monster"	Igor Kovalyov	Mark Palmer & Marcy Gray Rubin	October 28, 1995 (1995-10-28)	208b
Oblina is convinced she's cursed when she steps on a slug, which is bad luck in the monster world, and it's up to a lucky fish head to convince her otherwise.
22a	9a	"Rosh-O-Monster"	Jim Duffy	Michael Palmer	November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)	209a
The viewfinder is down and now the monsters must tell the Gromble what took place during their last scare, but every one has a different version of the events.
22b	9b	"The Tree of Ickis"	Igor Kovalyov	Steve Skrovan	November 4, 1995 (1995-11-04)	209b
Ickis eats an acorn and slowly turns into a tree which is bad enough before loggers start coming around.
23a	10a	"History of the Monster World"	Igor Kovalyov	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)	210a
The Gromble relates to his students the highlights of monster history and how it related to human history.
23b	10b	"Fear Thy Name is Ickis"	Igor Kovalyov	Steve Skrovan	November 11, 1995 (1995-11-11)	210b
Ickis becomes popular after his newest scare lands him the praise he always wanted.
24a	11a	"Quest for the Holy Pail"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	November 18, 1995 (1995-11-18)	211a
Ickis must take a perilous journey to retrieve the fabled Holy Pail just as monsters before him have.
24b	11b	"Garbage In, Garbage Out"	Jim Duffy	Roger Eschbacher	November 18, 1995 (1995-11-18)	211b
A new human policy threatens the monsters food supply when humans stop throwing out their garbage.
25a	12a	"A Room with No Viewfinder"	Andrei Svislotski	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	November 25, 1995 (1995-11-25)	212a
Ickis accidentally frees the viewfinder and now must find it before the Gromble finds out.
25b	12b	"Krumm Rises to the Top"	Igor Kovalyov	Steve Skrovan, Lance Khazei & Michael Karnow	November 25, 1995 (1995-11-25)	212b
Krumm swallows a helium tank and now risks floating away unless Ickis can save him.
26a	13a	"The Five Faces of Ickis"	Jim Duffy	Michael Karnow, Lance Khazei & Steve Skrovan	December 2, 1995 (1995-12-02)	213a
Ickis is faced with an impossible assignment, complete five scares in one day, but can he do it alone?
26b	13b	"Bigfoot, Don't Fail Me Now"	Igor Kovalyov	Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	December 2, 1995 (1995-12-02)	213b
The Gromble and his students must venture into the wilderness to retrieve Bigfoot, who is a monster that allows himself to be seen by humans, before Simon the monster hunter.

Season 3 (1996)

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters season 3 episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
27a	1a	"Festival of the Festering Moon"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	September 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)	301a
The time has come for the students to shed their skins and Ickis shows no signs of the change, which is bad since the last to shed must leave the academy.
27b	1b	"Simon's Big Score"	Igor Kovalyov	Steve Skrovan (story) Carolyn Omine	September 7, 1996 (1996-09-07)	301b
Simon bugs the monsters literally with a bug shaped listening device and now his appearances lead to suspicion of a traitor in the academy.
28a	2a	"Who'll Stop the Brain?"	Andrei Svislotski	Mary Elizabeth Williams, Spencer Green & Mark Steen	September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)	302a
Oblina loses her mind, literally, when her nonstop studying causes her overheated brain to leave her head.
28b	2b	"Cement Heads"	Andrei Svislotski	Steve Skrovan	September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)	302b
Ickis frees three monsters from their cement gargoyle prisons, unaware they are ruthless robbers with a grudge against the Gromble.
29a	3a	"Ickis and the Red Zimbo"	Igor Kovalyov	Steve Skrovan	September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)	303a
Ickis starts relying on an R/C helicopter to do his scaring rousing the anger of Zimbo, the only flying monster in the academy.
29b	3b	"Oblina and the Three Humans"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	September 21, 1996 (1996-09-21)	303b
Oblina tells a monster version of the Three Billy Goats Gruff to the Gromble's nephew she is babysitting. In her version, a monster named Anilbo replaces the troll and three human brothers named Hans, Dieter, and Udo replace the goats.
30a	4a	"Baby It's You"	Jim Duffy	Michael Price, Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)	304a
A mix up a human hospital gives the monsters a human baby and new parents with the Gromble bonsty nephew.
30b	4b	"Monsters Are Fun"	Andrei Svislotski	Denise Donner, Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	September 28, 1996 (1996-09-28)	304b
The monsters work over time to scare the humans when an amusement park ride paints monsters as silly and friendly.
31a	5a	"Out of the Past"	Andrei Svislotski	Michael Price	October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)	305a
The Gromble decides to face his old fears when he sees the one human who did the one thing thought impossible, scared the Gromble.
31b	5b	"Ship of Fools"	Igor Kovalyov	Mark Palmer & Steve Skrovan	October 5, 1996 (1996-10-05)	305b
Oblina is left in charge with the Gromble absent and clashes with Ickis during the worst possible time, a flood in the dump.
32a	6a	"Eye Full of Wander"	Jim Duffy	Sib Ventress	October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)	306a
One of Krumm's eyes is swallowed by a snake which ends up in the hands of a heavy metal musician.
32b	6b	"Lifestyles of the Rich and Scary"	Jim Duffy	Roger Eschbacher & Mark Palmer	October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)	306b
Oblina receives an order from her overbearing mother, quit the academy and come home to her rich family.
33a	7a	"Krumm Gets Ahead"	Jim Duffy	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	October 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)	307a
Krumm gets a prosthetic head so he no longer has to carry his eyes, but the new appendage goes to his head.
33b	7b	"It's Only a Movie"	Andrei Svislotski	Mark Palmer	October 19, 1996 (1996-10-19)	307b
A cutesy cartoon bear has Ickis scared out of his mind, especially when it shows up at the dump when no one else is around.
34a	8a	"You Only Scare Twice"	Igor Kovalyov	William Schifrin	October 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)	308a
An important scare has the monsters after a secret agent who in turn is out to stop a mad scientist bent on world domination.
34b	8b	"Less Talk, More Monsters"	Andrei Svislotski	Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	October 26, 1996 (1996-10-26)	308b
A human contest threatens exposure of the monsters when $50,000 is hidden in the dump.
35a	9a	"Fistful of Toenails"	Zhenia Delioussine & Igor Kovalyov	Victor Wilson, Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)	309a
Old human westerns have the monsters behaving like the characters in them, despite the Gromble's stern objection to the behavior.
35b	9b	"Blind Love, Monster Love"	Zhenia Delioussine	Mark Palmer	November 2, 1996 (1996-11-02)	309b
Ickis becomes enamored with a Judy puppet from the Punch and Judy Show.
36a	10a	"Amulet of Enfarg"	Andrei Svislotski	Victor Wilson & Michael Price	November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)	310a
Ickis loses the Gromble's prized award when he brings it to a scare and it becomes a human fashion statement.
36b	10b	"Bad Hair Day"	Jim Duffy	Michael Price	November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)	310b
A series of pranks costs Krumm his pit hair, but a case of discarded hair tonic could bring it back.
37a	11a	"Monster Blues"	Zhenia Delioussine	Mark Palmer	November 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)	311a
Ickis meets a blind human Bluesman who teaches him all about the Blues.
37b	11b	"I Heard the Snorch Call My Name"	Andrei Svislotski	Mary Elizabeth Williams & Spencer Green	November 16, 1996 (1996-11-16)	311b
Tired of not being able to express his true intellect or talk to Oblina, the Snorch has a voice box implanted that allows him to speak.
38a	12a	"Wake Me When It's Over"	Jim Duffy	Ron Nelson, Spencer Green & Mary Elizabeth Williams	November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)	312a
Ickis's scares lately have all been first rate, but the only problem is that they were done in his sleep.
38b	12b	"Things That Go Bump in the Night"	Andrei Svislotski	David Regal	November 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)	312b
Ickis is paired with a new student for a pair scare, but the new student isn't scary or is he.
39a	13a	"The Master Monster"	Zhenia Delioussine	Michael Price	November 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)	313a
The Gromble's by the book superior takes over when he finds his not by the book teaching unacceptable.
39b	13b	"Slumber Scare"	Jim Duffy	Roger Eschbacher	November 30, 1996 (1996-11-30)	313b
Oblina hosts a girls only slumber party in the dorm room which the boy monsters crash.

Season 4 (1997)

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters season 4 episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
40a	1a	"Battle of the Century"	Norton Virgien	Mark Steen & Peter Hixson	September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)	401a
Simon unleashes his most brilliant plan to capture the monsters, a giant robot armed with anti-monster weaponry.
40b	1b	"A Perfect World"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	September 13, 1997 (1997-09-13)	401b
Feeling unnoticed, Krumm moves in with two monsters who show him nothing but attention that soon turns smothering.
41a	2a	"The Lips Have It"	Bob Hathcock & Andrei Svislotski	Michael Price & Peter Hickson	September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)	402a
Oblina loses her lips to a human girl looking to stand out in the modeling world.
41b	2b	"Escape Claws"	Igor Kovalyov	Kat Likkel	September 20, 1997 (1997-09-20)	402b
Ickis brings back a bunch of lobsters to the dump, thinking they were captured monsters, and can't decide what to do with them.
42a	3a	"Walk Like a Man"	Rick Bugental	Michael Price	September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)	403a
Ickis becomes stuck in a toilet and his only hope of getting back to the dump is to disguise himself as a human.
42b	3b	"A Friend in Need"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	September 27, 1997 (1997-09-27)	403b
Ickis meets a monster whose unusual even by monster standards, he has the face of a human.
43a	4a	"Watch the Watch"	Jeff McGrath	Michael Price	October 4, 1997 (1997-10-04)	404a
A routine scare end with Ickis hypnotized into believing he is Texas human.
43b	4b	"She Likes Me?"	Rick Bugental	Victor Wilson	October 4, 1997 (1997-10-04)	404b
Krumm is dumbfounded when he believes that Oblina likes him as more than a friend.
44a	5a	"Oblina Without a Cause"	Anthony Bell	Kat Likkel & Denise Downer	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)	405a
Tired of being seen as a stick in the mud, Oblina adopts a new rebel attitude which endangers her during a storm.
44b	5b	"Slick Ick"	Andrei Svislotski & Bob Hathcock	David Regal & Mark Steen	October 11, 1997 (1997-10-11)	405b
An accident leaves Ickis covered in slippery wax and unable to stay still.
45a	6a	"Nuclear and Present Danger"	Rick Bugental	Ron Nelson & Kat Likkel	October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)	406a
The monsters are mistaken for mutated humans at a nuclear plant and are being chased by scientists who want to study them.
45b	6b	"Loch Ness Mess"	Jim Duffy	Bill Braunstein	October 18, 1997 (1997-10-18)	406b
The Gromble's hero, the Loch Ness Monster, visits and he is thrilled, until he finds himself unable to keep up with his idol's pace.
46a	7a	"Super Ickis"	Jeff McGrath	Michael Price & Mitch Watson	October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)	407a
Ickis dons a cape to emulate his favorite comic book hero, but he may end up in way over his head.
46b	7b	"The Substitute"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	October 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)	407b
The Gromble is absent and Oblina finds his replacement's fun loving approach at teaching poor and his behavior suspicious.
47a	8a	"The Great Escape"	Zhenia Delioussine & Bob Hathcock	Bill Braunstein	November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)	408a
Ickis is taken to human jail when he is mistaken for an escaped convict in disguise.
47b	8b	"Beast With Four Eyes"	Anthony Bell	David Regal	November 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)	408b
Krumm begins losing his sight and must wear glasses that earn him teasing from the other students, until he is the only one able to help them.
48a	9a	"Side By Side"	Jeff McGrath	Kat Likkel	November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)	409a
Ickis must work with his least favorite monster, Zimbo, in order to pass an important class.
48b	9b	"Hooked On Phobics"	Rick Bugental	Steve Skrovan	November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)	409b
After being injured and humiliated during his last scare, Ickis purchases a phobia kit which gives him success, until he meets a human without a phobia.
49a	10a	"Spy vs. Monster"	Jim Duffy	Michael Price	November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)	410a
A drawing done by Ickis is switched with top secret plans sought by a secret agent.
49b	10b	"Misery Date"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	November 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)	410b
The gang set the Gromble up on a date with the Library Monster after seeing him swoon over her.
50a	11a	"Clockwise"	Rick Bugental	Michael Price	November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)	411a
The Gromble gives the perpetually late Ickis an unusual gift, a clock that can control time.
50b	11b	"Gromble Soup"	Anthony Bell	Denise Downer	November 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)	411b
The Gromble is sick and his substitute is horrible so the monsters try to cure him with an old remedy.
51a	12a	"Showdown"	Jim Duffy	Mark Palmer	November 29, 1997 (1997-11-29)	412a
Simon hires three of the best hunters to finally capture Ickis, but he must work with his enemy when the hunters decide to take Ickis as their own.
51b	12b	"Internal Affairs"	Jeff McGrath	Kat Likkel	November 29, 1997 (1997-11-29)	412b
Ickis and Krumm take a fantastic voyage inside Oblina to rid her of a parasite that gives her a monstrous appetite.
52a	13a	"Laugh Krumm Laugh"	Jim Duffy	Michael Price	December 7, 1997 (1997-12-07)	413a
Eating a feathered headdress makes Krumm laugh uncontrollably during a multi academy competition.
52b	13b	"Rookie Monsters"	Rick Bugental	Steve Skrovan	December 7, 1997 (1997-12-07)	413b
While trapped in a trash compactor, the monsters remember back to when they first met.

Characters

File:Aaahh!!! Real Monsters cast.jpeg

The four main characters in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Main

• Ickis (voiced by Charlie Adler) – A small red monster who is often mistaken for a rabbit due to his large ears. He is the son of Slickis, a famous scarer. He seems the most skittish of the monsters but is also a capable leader. Ickis looms grows in size to scare, and comes from a long line of loomers. Ickis's constant goofing off and blatant disregard for rules are usually the focal point and source of his group's troubles in most episodes. Another running gag in the series is that Ickis nearly exposes the Monster World to humans accidentally, which spells certain doom for monsterkind. His voice actor, Charlie Adler, has voiced other characters prior, such as with Buster Bunny in Tiny Toon Adventures, which may explain why he's mistaken for a rabbit, as well as Ed and Bev Bighead in Rocko's Modern Life. As an inside joke, Ickis sometimes say Ed's catchphrase "I hate my life."
• Oblina (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) – A black and white striped monster shaped like an upside-down candy cane who comes from a wealthy monster family, and is considered by The Gromble to be his best student. She is the daughter of an overbearing mother named Sublima whom she refers to as "mumsy dearest". One of her favorite methods of scaring humans is reaching within herself and pulling out her internal organs, and she has considerable talent for shapeshifting into various terrifying forms. She also has a talent for inducing nightmares in humans by sticking her finger in their ears and tickling their brains while they sleep. She also has big red lips and temporarily lost them to a coy young human girl who wanted to be a model. When voicing Oblina, Christine Cavanaugh attempted to make the voice sound like a British version of the actress Agnes Moorehead. Cavanaugh had also voiced Chuckie Finster in Rugrats.
• Krumm (voiced by David Eccles) – An orange hairy monster whose eyeballs are not attached to his body, and are usually carried in his hands, if he requires the use of both hands, he can carry them in his mouth. When he sleeps, he keeps his eyes in a glass of water next to his bed. His most valuable tool in scaring is his overwhelming armpit stench, as well as using his eyeballs. A running gag in the series is that Krumm sometimes loses his eyeballs and has to get them back, once going so far as to make a fake head to keep from losing them. Krumm was Eccles' only most notable voice acting role, and hasn't done much since 2007. Prior to voicing Krumm, Eccles had also voiced the monster under Chuckie's bed in an episode of Rugrats.
• The Gromble (voiced by Gregg Berger) – A green blue monster with two tufts of hair, a beard, and a tail. He wears a belt around his waist and a red pump on each of his four feet. He is known for his quick temper, harsh punishments and keen awareness of the misbehavior of his students. He speaks with a seemingly calm, falsetto voice until whomever he is speaking with feels safe only to yell at the top of his lungs when angered. While serving as the leader and principal of the dump, The Gromble teaches young monsters and evaluates them using the Viewfinder, a chair like projection device used to replay the scaring activities of students. Along with Ickis, he is one of the few monsters who can hear the Pool of Elders—the source of monster existence that is made of the very substance of fears. He was heavily influenced by the Chief Blue Meanie in Yellow Submarine. At the time of voicing the Gromble, Gregg Berger had also voiced Cornfed the Pig on Duckman, another Klasky Csupo show that premiered in 1994.
• The Snorch (voiced by David Eccles) – The disciplinarian of the Monster Academy who works for The Gromble and is often seen with Zimbo. Though he mostly does not speak and only makes vocal effects, he once wore a voicebox translator whose voice was provided by Brock Peters. He operates three chambers labeled "Something Bad" (a hissing boiler-like room), "Something Really Bad" (a mechanical cyclops with sharp teeth) and "You don't want to know" (a cheerful pink house with colorful flora). His main form of torture, aside from the chambers, is to sing opera, which he is quite bad at (hence the punishment).
• Zimbo (voiced by Tim Curry) – A monster who resembles a bee with one mammal-like leg and a humanoid face with green hair. He is The Gromble's assistant in his class and is always seen on the head of The Snorch. Zimbo appears to be petty and jealous of anyone becoming friends with The Snorch, although he too has been punished by him for misbehavior.
• Simon (voiced by Jim Belushi) – The main and recurring antagonist of the series, a human who wears a jacket and glasses, and is determined to prove that monsters exist and wants to exterminate them. Before becoming a monster hunter, he tried to capture Bigfoot and built a giant robot. Simon once had to save Ickis from three other hunters who attempted to take sole credit for exposing monsters to the human world, though he warned Ickis that he would go right back to trying to expose them. Belushi ad-libbed much of Simon's dialogue.
• Bradley (voiced by Brett Alexander) – A human friend of the monsters. He first appears in the second episode where he encounters Ickis and befriends him, appearing again in an episode with Simon the Monster Hunter. He goes on TV with Simon and two other monster victims and everybody laughs at him, not believing that monsters exist. Later, Bradley frees Ickis and the rest of the monsters when Ickis gains his sympathy, undermining Simon and protecting the secret that monsters are real. In a later episode, Bradley is worried about being picked on while camping in the woods until he agrees to help Ickis with a scare. After this, he becomes very popular with his peers.

Recurring

• Slickis (voiced by Billy Vera) – Ickis's father and one of The Gromble's favorite former students. This causes Ickis to have a rough relationship with his father Slickis in one episode.
• Horvak (voiced by David Eccles) – Krumm's father. He lost one of his eyes at the Battle of Concord and wears a black glove over that respective hand, similar to wearing an eyepatch. He was considered to be one of The Gromble's worst students and now works as a mold farmer because he lost his stench as a kid.
• Sal (voiced by Peter Bonerz) – A parasite who makes monsters hungry.
• Mama Gromble (voiced by Andrea Martin) – The Gromble's mother.
• Sublima (voiced by Charlie Adler) – Oblina's mother. Sublima comes from a rich family and strongly disapproves of Oblina scaring. She almost made her daughter quit school and come back home. Sublima even made fun of mold farmers (such as Horvak).
• Skeetch (voiced by Marvin Kaplan) – Oblina's father. Unlike her mother, Skeetch loves the fact that Oblina wants to be a scarer and supports her all the way. Skeetch refers to Oblina as "Stripes". Eventually, Skeetch gets rid of his and Sublima's toenail fortune.
• Nicky (voiced by Steven Hartman) – one of the monster's human friends. He is a 10-year-old boy who befriended Ickis.
• The Shroink (voiced by Michael Prince) – An elderly monster who was The Gromble's mentor when he was younger.
• Dizzle (voiced by Cynthia Mann) – A female monster student who likes Ickis.
• Dr. Buzz Kutt (voiced by Edward Winter) – A monster who is the residential doctor.
• Doc (voiced by Charlie Adler) – The monster doctor.
• Borl (voiced by Michael Dorn)
• Kriggle (voiced by Dorian Harewood)
• Exposia Vertov (voiced by Lisa Raggio)
• Snav (voiced by Xander Berkeley)
• Zooeuh (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)
• Phuepal (voiced by Victor Wilson)
• Marty (voiced by Thomas F. Wilson)
• Deitrich Duchamp (voiced by Bronson Pinchot) – A mincing fashion designer with an over-the-top fake French accent. His real name is Leonard and he is from Duluth, but the only one he has admitted this to is The Gromble in "Amulet of Enfarg". He reappears in "The Lips Have It" when he turns down a hopeful would-be model named Lucy until Oblina's lips accidentally land on her face and he takes Oblina's ranting as Lucy behaving like a typical spoiled supermodel with attitude.
• Don – A human traumatized by the monsters. He was perfectly normal until Oblina frightened him. His catchphrase is, "I really like rice." He also appeared on a talk show with Simon and two other characters. This character was scrapped after season 1.
• Murray The Monster – Murray is a human dressed as a monster who once had his own TV show. When Ickis, Oblina and Krumm saw him they thought he was a real monster betraying them. Tired of making them a laughing stock, Oblina caused him to have a nightmare. She, Krumm and Ickis threatened him but he woke up. Then they scared him for real during a stage show. Murray then retired and started working at a toy store. He also appeared on a talk show in another episode with Simon the monster hunter and two other characters and everyone laughed at him. This character was scrapped after season 1.
• Chomble (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui)

Production

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was created by Gábor Csupó and Peter Gaffney, and was the third animated series produced by Csupó's company Klasky Csupo, which also created the animated shows Rugrats and Duckman on USA Network. Before the final title was chosen, which took over 5 years, the series had the working titles Monsters and Real Monsters. The show was conceived after Csupó and his wife and creative partner Arlene Klasky were approached by the network Nickelodeon to create a follow-up series to Rugrats. Csupó was inspired to write a show about monsters because his own young children loved them. He also said he knew Nickelodeon would not want a series about human characters because everybody else was pitching shows about animals. Csupó drew some sketches of possible monsters on a piece of paper and successfully pitched the idea to the network: "I wanted them silly and not too skillful – and the idea worked."

Nickelodeon programming director Herb Scannell said the character design in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was partially inspired by Yellow Submarine, a 1968 animated film that was, in turn, inspired by The Beatles. The character Gromble, in particular, bears a close resemblance to the Blue Meanie characters from that film. Director of the series Igor Kovalyov said the style was inspired by his earlier Soviet film Investigation Held by Kolobki which he and Gábor Csupó showed to the producers who then gave Kovalyov's team a lot of creative freedom with the art direction and storyboarding. Csupó said some elements of the show have a look similar to the film noir genre, and called the city dump where the monster characters reside reminiscent of the visual style from the films Blade Runner (1982) and Brazil (1985). The characters guest-starred in the 1999 Rugrats episode "Ghost Story". Before that, David Eccles, the voice of Krumm, provided the monster voice coming from under Chuckie's bed.

Reception

Reviews

Reviews for Aaahh!!! Real Monsters were very positive. Josef Adalian of The Washington Times praised the show's animation and sense of humor, although it was not as "hip and witty" as The Ren & Stimpy Show or The Simpsons. Although he felt the show would appeal to children over nine as well as adults, he said it may not appeal to those who "react negatively to semi-scary sights and gags about body odor, physical punishment or abusive older siblings". USA Today writer Matt Roush called it "garish and blissfully silly" and praised the show's "outrageous characters have just enough Ren & Stimpy grodiness, but tempered with exceptional sweetness". Ginny Holbert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it a "cute and clever" series with "wit and inventive creatures", and compared the animation to the work of artist Peter Max. Gannett News Service writer Mike Hughes called it a "terrific cartoon series", and said the show's "wildly perverse humor" had a "distinctly European style" that reflected Gábor Csupó's Hungarian background.

The Plain Dealer writer Tom Feran called the show "good fun" and favorably compared the series' premise to that of the animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Boston Herald writer Frances Katz wrote, "If there was ever a great title for a cartoon, it has to be Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'." Not all reviews were positive. The November 1994 issue of Parenting magazine listed Aaahh!!! Real Monsters as #1 in its top ten list of the worst new shows of the television season, describing it as "Graphic and scatological; it's just plain gross." Some media outlets pointed out similarities between Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and The Brothers Grunt, an MTV animated television series created by Danny Antonucci about a group of grotesque humanoid characters. Gábor Csupó rejected these comparisons and claims his show was more story- and character-driven with a different visual style, while Antonucci's show was idea-driven. Csupó did not want Aaahh!!! Real Monsters to be lumped together with The Brothers Grunt, especially since that show received low ratings and negative reviews, lasting for 8 months, and that Danny Antonucci called it "MTV's dirty little secret".

Awards

The pilot episode of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters won first prize for film animation producer for television at both the Houston Film Festival and Ottawa Film Festival. The series was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation in 1995 alongside Rugrats, Animaniacs, Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? and 2 Stupid Dogs. The award ultimately went to Rugrats.

Merchandising

Mattel produced a series of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters action figures in 1995. They each stand approximately 4 inches (10 cm) tall and include an action feature. Other products based on the cartoon include Fleer trading cards, books, plush toys, pens, hats, backpacks, notepads, cups, gum, and videos. At one point, General Mills also included small promotional flip books of Ickis, Krumm, Oblina, and The Gromble in its Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast cereal.

Home media releases

In 1995, selected episodes of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters were released on VHS by Sony Wonder. Paramount Home Video re-released the tapes in 1997. The complete first and second seasons were released for PlayStation Network for viewing on the PlayStation 3 and PSP (PlayStation Portable) systems.

Nickelodeon and Amazon.com teamed up to release Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and other Nick shows on manufactured-on-demand DVD-R discs available exclusively through Amazon.com's CreateSpace arm.

CreateSpace Releases	Release Date	Discs	Episodes
Season 1	August 10, 2010	3	13
Season 2	December 1, 2010	3	13
Season 3	December 1, 2010	3	13
Season 4	December 1, 2010	3	13

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters sets, among others, were discontinued when Nick began releasing traditional DVDs of many of their series in association with Shout! Factory.

On March 22, 2011, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the home video rights to the series from Nickelodeon. They have subsequently released the first three seasons on DVD. The fourth and final season was released on June 10, 2014, as a Shout! Select title.

On October 8, 2013, Shout! Factory released the complete series set in Region 1.

Shout Factory Releases	Release Date	Discs	Episodes
Season 1	October 5, 2011	2	13
Season 2	May 15, 2012	2	13
Season 3	September 11, 2012	2	13
Season 4♦	June 10, 2014	2	13
Complete Series	October 8, 2013	8	52

♦ – Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store.

In the United Kingdom, 4 volumes are available as exclusive releases in Poundland stores. Volume 1 contains the first 9 episodes (5 half-hours) from Season 1. Volume 2 contains the first 8 episodes (4 half-hours) from Season 2, while the remaining 2 volumes make up the first 16 episodes from Season 3.

Video games

Main article: Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (video game)

A video game based on the TV series was released for the Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis developed by Realtime Associates and published by Viacom New Media in 1995. Ickis also appeared in Nicktoons Racing for the PlayStation, PC, and Game Boy Advance yet was missing from the Game Boy Color version. Oblina also has a cameo in all the versions of Nicktoons Racing, except the Game Boy Color version.

The characters were also created in full 3D for Microsoft's Nickelodeon 3D Movie Maker.

Krumm appears as a Master Model in the Wii, PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance versions of Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots, while The Gromble was a Master Model in the Nintendo DS version.

Oblina and Krumm make a cameo appearance in the video game Nicktoons MLB.

Oblina is a playable character in the 2021 fighting video game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, voiced by Alex Cazares.

Appearances in popular culture

File:Aaahh!!! Real Monsters in Rugrats.jpeg

A screenshot of Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm, all from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, along with the other monsters, taken from the Rugrats episode "Ghost Story".

In 1998, as part of the release of The Rugrats Movie, National Amusements released an animated policy trailer featuring characters from the series.

Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm have all made their final major appearance in the Rugrats episode "Ghost Story", becoming the first time a Nicktoon crossover would be produced.

They also appeared in the Robot Chicken episode "Ants on a Hamburger", where the cast of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters have a meeting about the best ways to scare people with the scary little girl from The Ring. Also, in another Robot Chicken episode "Blackout Window Heatstroke", Ickis gets rejected from Monsters University.

Ickis' ear appears as a cameo in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers.

Krumm also appears in Cartoon Network's Mad in the segment "How I Met Your Mummy", where he is seen at the restaurant.

External links

• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters at IMDb
• AAAHH!!! Real Monsters at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Aaahh!!! Real Monsters at Toonopedia Archived from the original on March 13, 2012.