From Monster to Muppet: Making Vampires for Children

Moving on from last week’s discussion of (spooky scary) child vampires, in this episode Rebecca and Hannah look at how and why the vampire was turned into a character for children’s consumption. They do their best “bleh bleh bleh” impressions, share their lingering childhood fears, and break down the different types of vampy scares made for the younger generation — from the “all bark, no bite,” to the real vampire villains.

Come vamps, join us around the campfire.

Media mentioned in this episode:

Fiction

* Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897

* “Adventure of the Sussex Vampire” by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1924

* ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, 1975

* Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, 1979

* The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, 1979

* Goosebumps: Vampire’s Breath by R.L. Stine, 1996

* The Vampire Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner, 2009

Non-fiction

* Vampireology: The True History of the Fallen Ones by Dugald Steer and Nicky Raven, 2010

* Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Isha Fitzpatrick, 2023

Film

* Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, 1931

* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, 1948

* The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, 1987

* Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, directed by Steve Boyum, 2000

* The Little Vampire, directed by Uli Edel, 2000

* Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire, directed by Scott Jeralds, 2003

* Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012

* Liar, Liar, Vampire, directed by Vince Marcelo, 2015

* The Little Vampire 3D, directed by Richard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich, 2017

* Vampires vs. the Bronx, directed by Oz Rodriguez, 2020

TV

* “Transylvania 6-500,” Merrie Melodies, 1963

* The Munsters, 1964-1966

* Sesame Street, 1969-

* “Pink Plasma,” The Pink Panther, 1975

* Little Dracula, 1991-1999

* “Vampire’s Breath,” Goosebumps, 1996

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003

* Vampirina, 2017-2021

* Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, 2025-

Further Reading

* “Great Cartoon Vampires In Animation History,” Vincent Alexander, 2025

Check out part one of this series: To Live Forever and Never Grow Up: The Vampire Child

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This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rebecca Glazer & Hannah Spiegelman

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