Casper the Friendly Ghost was much more than the 1995 movie starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci. Casper started out as a character in the 1930s before reaching the comic book world in the late ’40s. After the success of the comics, Casper began popping up in cartoons and later the live-action movie fans adore today.
Unlike other mystical ghosts, Casper isn’t scary or malicious. As his name describes, he’s a friendly ghost who craves human interaction. ’90s kids most likely aren’t familiar with the comics or the cartoon from the ’30s and ’40s, but they are very familiar with the movie, Casper. The movie and the comics reveal little details about his former life, but there are some lesser-known things fans weren’t aware of.
Updated On September 3, 2021, By Lynn Gibbs: After releasing in 1995, Casper left fans’ minds run wild with imagination come Halloween. Between a friendly ghost named Casper and a father-daughter duo who talked to the dead, the film brought comedy to an otherwise dark plot. Throughout the film, Casper revealed small parts about his past to Kat, but there’s far more about his life as a human that he left out. Considering Casper was a young ghost, it’s assumed that he died at a young age, which is why he lives vicariously through Kat as she goes through high school.
Casper’s Dead Best Friend
In 1948, a short titled There’s Good Boos Tonight was released to tell the tale of Casper and his best friend Ferdie. While all the other ghosts from the graveyard spent their nights scaring people, Casper hung back to play with Ferdie. Ferdie was his only friend because he was the only one that wasn’t afraid of him. But late one night, hunters came around and shot Ferdie, despite Casper’s best efforts in trying to save him.
It was equally as sad a moment as Disney’s Bambi. The only good thing that came from Ferdie’s death was that he turned into a ghost himself and was able to continue being friends with Casper.
Casper Never Knew His Mother
Casper is the perfect movie to watch on Halloween night because of its elements of horror and comedy. In the movie, fans learn early on that Casper never really knew his mother. As it turns out, TV Over Mind notes that Casper’s mom died during childbirth, leaving her husband to care for Casper alone.
Later on, fans see Casper helping Kat go through the attic for something to wear to her Halloween party, and she begins trying on his mother’s clothes. It’s clear that rummaging through his old pre-ghost things stirred up a few emotions for the adorable ghost and he begins to remember more about his past.
Casper Died At A Young Age, Leaving His Dad Alone
Fans don’t hear much about Casper’s life with his father, but being a single dad after losing his wife couldn’t have been easy. Casper remembers what happened to his dad when looking around old boxes. After begging his dad for a sled, he spent all day and night outside in the snow — even though his father asked him to come in. Come nightfall, Casper got sick and his dad got “sad.”
From the little information he gave, it sounds like Casper died from pneumonia. Knowing how heartbroken his dad was after losing his wife and now his son, Casper decided to stay with him as a ghost instead of crossing over so that his dad wasn’t lonely.
Casper Had No Last Name Until The Movie
Throughout the comic and cartoon world, Casper has always been known as Casper or Casper the Friendly Ghost. He never had a reason to have a last name.
Once the 1995 movie came out, fans learn that Casper’s last name is actually McFadden, thanks to his father’s name being J.T. McFadden. Putting the last name to Casper’s face makes it more real for fans. It’s a sad realization that Casper isn’t just a ghost; he’s the ghost of a young boy who died too soon. It’s because of this dark backstory that Casper is one of the best movies to get into the Halloween spirit.
The Ghostly Trio Aren’t His Real Uncles…
Casper introduces Kat and James to his three uncles, the Ghostly Trio. They were loud, obnoxious, and enjoyed scaring others — unlike Casper.
However, it’s theorized that the Ghostly Trio were not his real uncles. In fact, Fandom suggests being called “Uncle” is similar to being called a friend and might not mean it in the family sense. If that’s the case, it’s sad that such a lovable ghost like Casper was hanging around such grumpy ghosts with no way out. With Casper being so subservient, he couldn’t get away from his uncles even if he tried.
…And They Use Casper As Their Slave
If rumors are true about the Ghostly Trio not being Casper’s family then it’s upsetting how horribly they treat him. But regardless of if the foursome is related or not, the uncles’ treatment of him is a sad sight. It makes them some of the most terrifying ghosts in horror movie history.
The uncles use Casper as their servant, and Casper gets nervous when they come around. The trio expects him to make their food, and they make a massive mess knowing he’s the one that needs to pick it up. Family or not, Casper is bullied.
Casper’s Dad Had Mental Health Issues
Casper’s mom died from childbirth, Casper died from pneumonia, but whats about Casper’s dad? Fans knew that he was lonely after the death of his wife and son, but whatever became of him?
From the movie, fans learn that Casper’s dad began creating machines to bring the dead back to human form. If the movie happened in 2021, his dad would probably be a great episode in Ghost Hunters. But what many people miss is the newspaper article explaining that Casper’s dad was declared “legally insane.” Knowing how desperate he was to see his wife and son again, he would have done anything to see them again.
Kat’s Dad Isn’t Okay Either
Casper’s dad had mental health issues after the death of his only son and wife. However, it appears that Kat’s dad was going through something as well. He essentially dragged his daughter all around the continental US to bring back the dead as a subtle way to get in contact with his late wife. Their lives together were like a wild episode of Ghost Hunters.
Although Kat is very much alive, her childhood was on hold as her dad chased ghosts that he’d never seen. It would be one thing if he’d seen and spoken to ghosts before, but to hop around America in hopes of bringing back the dead was a hard life for Kat.
Casper’s Longing To Be With Kat
Casper has lived an incredibly sad life. He died young, which means he never had a chance to be a kid or a teenager When he met Kat, he was excited to be around a young girl with whom he got along. After all, anyone was nicer than his uncles.
When Casper had the ability to go to Kat’s school dance and asked, “Can I keep you?” to Kat, he was asking her as a friend. It was one of the sweetest moments in a Halloween film since Disney’s Halloweentown. Casper was lonely and Kat was a person he could trust and rely on. He may have had a crush on Kat but his desire for friendship was deeper than a crush; it was companionship.
The Dark Side To Their Family Life
Kat’s dad may have been a doctor but he wasn’t always logical. He drove around America talking to ghosts while his daughter sat beside him with her clothes in a trash bag. It was not one of those fun road trip movies; it was two souls driving aimlessly. To make things sadder, it doesn’t appear that these two were doing well financially.
After it was decided that the Halloween dance would be held at Kat’s mansion (that’s not even hers or her father’s), she asked her dad for some money to buy a costume. He sadly declined and says until he was paid by Carrigan, money was too tight. But what’s rarely mentioned is how wealthy Casper and his dad must have been. If that mansion was in fact where Casper grew up, he came from extreme wealth. Sadly, his dad stayed in his lair creating inventions until his death.
Casper Vs. Columbia Pictures
Casper started out as a character that found his way to the comic world. But before the 1995 movie came out, another ghostly tale took over the box offices: Ghostbusters. According to AP News, Harvey Comics (the owner of Casper’s likeness) didn’t appreciate how similar the Ghostbuster logo looked to Casper.
Harvey Comics ended up losing the suit because there are only so many ways one can design a ghost, but it’s an interesting tidbit about Casper’s design, competition, and his inspiration for other forms of media.
