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The Prank Call of Cthulhu

Mister Nizz

The Cosmic Connection between Kid's Cartoons and H.P. Lovecraft


Billy, Mandy and Grim

Casual readers of this blog (and I know I have a few) might recognize that I like the works of oneMister Howard Phillips Lovecraft, e.g. "H.P." Lovecraft,the crafter of bombastic, turgid pulp fiction and the creator of the "Mythos" of Cthulhu and associated mythologies. H.P. wrote about many cosmic, zany critters, the most famous of which being "Cthulhu", the squid headed god that lies buried under the Pacific in the dead city of Rylyeh.

What's the connection with the animated figures? Well, one of the cartoon shows my kids watch (and I pay minimal attention to) is THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY, a very goth-like cartoon about a cynical wise cracking little girl and idiotic boy who somehow (I came into this thing late) have connived to have the Grim Reaper (replete with Jamaican accent) live with them as their bestest buddy.

Anyhoo, a recent episode that I'm trying to track down has clear Lovecraftian references!! Check out this plot summary to THE PRANK CALL OF CTHULHU!

Billy and Irwin are making prank calls. When they call Mandy, she tells them everybody has caller ID so they'll know who is calling on the phone. Billy wishes for a phone without caller ID. When he finds the phone of Cthulu, Billy and Irwin get sucked into another dimension. Grim and Mandy have to go into another universe to find Billy. After they find the two dorks, Billy undergoes a strange transformation on his face. When Billy finds a room with a phone, he makes a lot of prank calls. Anyone who falls for Billy's prank phone calls, they morph into mutants. What will be the outcome?


Some of my fellow Lovecraft geeks have seen this one and report that it's quite hysterical. Check it out if you see it on the schedule!