Welcome back dear readers, and what a time you picked to join us if you have just begun.

This book is one of my favorites and most memorable tales from the Goosebumps series; I know I am not the only one to say this.

Original 1993 Summary

He is no dummy!

Lindy names the ventriloquist’s dummy she finds Slappy. Slappy is kind of ugly, but he’s a lot of fun.

Lindy’s having a great time learning to make Slappy move and talk. But Kris is jealous of all the attention her sister is getting. It’s no fair.

Why does Lindy have all the luck? Kris decides to get a dummy of her own. She’ll show Lindy. Then weird things begin to happen. Nasty things.

Evil things. No way a dummy can be causing all the trouble.
Or is there?

He Walks, He Stalks

This novel from the Goosebumps series was one of the first ones I read, and it drew me in as I read the tale that was twin sisters Kris and Lindy’s story about a sisterly squabble over a ventriloquist’s doll named Slappy.

I don’t believe the tagline on the cover of this book set us up for what most would consider a nightmare regardless of whether it was a child or adult.

Lindy finds the dummy in the dumpster and after brushing him off and giving him a spin gives him the name Slappy. When she begins to garner attention and gigs for that fact the natural jealousy kicks in as Kris wants to give it a try as well.

This part is when the weird things start to happen as more and more not only is Slappy being blamed for strange things happening but even Lindy is beginning to act bizarrely.

Troubles!

Kris’s parents get to the point where they get Kris her dummy that she names Mr. Wood.

While both girls are preparing their acts with their friends, Kris begins to realize that their troubles are only just beginning and the only one who seems to see anything wrong is her.

As Mr. Wood and Slappy’s go from mischief to outright mayhem will anyone be able to stop the evil that is happening in time?

Memories of a Stephen King Novel

One of my favorite parts of this story was that it had a moment of tribute to another favorite author of mine, Stephen King. The girl’s Mother is reading one of his novels when they try to get help.

This part always strikes a funny bone with me because if you are reading one of King’s novels, why wouldn’t you believe in something like evil dolls? However, pulling the typical parent in a horror series card, the girls were out of luck.

Believe me, if my munchkins were to ever come to me about one of their inanimate objects talking or doing any of the things done in this book, I am going to at the very least do some due diligence on the situation.

Beloved Monster

This book spawned many other tales, and Slappy became one of the more well-known of R.L. Stine’s monsters.

He is not only a featured character in the following books but also in the TV series and the movies. There is even a mobile Goosebumps game that features him in it as well and is quite good for some chilling fun.

This one gets full marks for me from the nostalgia factor alone. Slappy spawned for me a more profound love of horror and of all the ways little things we would never think of scaring us could.

One of the more adult examples of this exact type of fear is a film called Silence, and it is one I recommend watching.

Until next time boils and ghouls of all ages, reader beware you are in for a scare! See you next time for another chilling review of Goosebumps #8 The Girl Who Cried Monster. Care for a snack?

Kendra