Ghostly Trio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Ghostly Trio
Cover of Casper and the Ghostly Trio #7; from left to right: Lazo, Fusso, Fatso
Publication information
Publisher	Harvey Comics
First appearance	The Friendly Ghost (1945)
In-story information
Member(s)	Fatso Fusso Lazo Stretch Stinkie

The Ghostly Trio are a group of fictional characters who appear in Harvey Comics. They are well known as the uncles of Casper the Friendly Ghost. The Trio includes Fatso, Stinkie, and Stretch.

Their first animated appearance was in a cartoon called The Friendly Ghost in 1945. This cartoon was part of Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios series. When the Casper stories were made into Harvey Comics, the Ghostly Trio's look changed. They became more mischievous instead of just scary. The characters appeared many times in Harvey Comics. They even had their own comic book called Casper and the Ghostly Trio. Different versions of the Ghostly Trio have appeared in many Casper movies and TV shows since then.

Who Are the Ghostly Trio?

When Casper first appeared, he had ghost relatives. These relatives looked like him and loved to scare people. In Casper's early cartoons and comic books from Harvey Comics, the Ghostly Trio were shown differently. They were brothers.

Originally, the Trio included:

• Fatso: He was overweight and loved to eat a lot. In early stories, ghosts could eat, so this wasn't as strange as it sounds. Fatso was the leader because he was the toughest and smartest of the three.
• Fusso: He was an average-sized ghost. Fusso was known for being very fussy and paying close attention to details. He was like Fatso's second-in-command.
• Lazo: He was the tallest, but also the laziest and not very smart.

Fatso's quick temper often got him into trouble. Sometimes, Fusso and Lazo were called "the Ghostly Duo" when Fatso wasn't around. The names of the Trio sometimes changed. For example, in one story called "The Missing Haunts," their names were Eeko, Stretcho, and Fatso.

The Trio in Movies

Since the 1995 Casper movie, the Ghostly Trio's names have usually been Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso. In most of their appearances, they really enjoy scaring people. This is very different from Casper, who is friendly.

The Trio often boss Casper around. They treat him like a servant. However, deep down, the Trio really do care about Casper. They like him more than they usually show. Sometimes, they even protect him, even if it's for their own reasons.

For example, in the 2006 TV movie Casper's Scare School, the Ghostly Trio are surprisingly nice to Casper. They even show concern for him. When Casper leaves for Scare School, the Trio cry because they will miss him.

Most of the time, the Ghostly Trio think they are better than living people. Sometimes, this feeling turns into dislike. In the movies from 1995 onwards, they sometimes call humans "fleshies" or "bonebags."

However, the 1995 film and the cartoon series The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper show them becoming friends with Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman). At first, they want him to leave their house. They make it hard for him to learn about ghosts. But they start to like him. They even think about adding him to their group, making a "Ghostly Quartet." This would mean he would become a ghost too. They can't bring themselves to hurt him, but he later dies in an accident. This is only temporary, though. After he stops trying to make them cross over to the other side, they keep their promise. They briefly reunite him with the spirit of his wife. The cartoon series showed them in a similar way. They often play pranks on the doctor, but it's more for fun than out of hatred.

Stretch

Stretch is the tall, thin leader of the Ghostly Trio. He often speaks with a strong Boston accent. Stretch is the most aggressive when it comes to scaring living people. He can change his body into scary shapes. He is also very good at possessing, or taking over, human bodies. Even though he acts the toughest, he has a soft side. He is often the most sensible when important decisions need to be made.

Stinkie

Stinkie is the "middle child" of the group. His special talent is using supernatural bad breath and body odor to scare people. He sometimes announces this by saying "Smell-o-gram!" Stinkie loves making jokes and puns. He is often the sarcastic one, which sometimes annoys Stretch. In Casper's Haunted Christmas, he shows an interest in modern technology. Even though he can be mean like his brothers, Stinkie sometimes appears as a "friendly" face on movie posters.

Fatso

Fatso is the largest of the Ghostly Trio. He is very overweight.

Fatso and Ghostbusters

Fatso's look, voice, and love for food are similar to Slimer. Slimer is a ghost from the movie Ghostbusters. In 1987, Harvey Comics sued Columbia Pictures, the company that made Ghostbusters. They claimed that the famous Ghostbusters logo looked too much like Fatso. However, the court decided in Columbia's favor. This was because Harvey Comics had not renewed the copyrights for early Casper stories. Also, there are only so many ways to draw a cartoon ghost.

Fatso in the PlayStation Game

In the PlayStation video game Casper, it was suggested that Fatso was actually the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth. This was hinted at when Casper saw a portrait in the main hall. In real life, Babe Ruth did not have any brothers who were ghosts!

Casper's Relationship with the Trio

Casper's exact relationship with the Ghostly Trio changes in different stories. In the early comic books, Casper was always polite. He never called any of them "Uncle." This suggests they might have been his older brothers or cousins instead.

Casper's Haunted Christmas gives a hint about their relationship. The Ghostly Trio call Spooky, who is Casper's cousin, their nephew. It's not fully explained if this means they are blood relatives or not.

In the 1995 movie and the cartoon series, they are said to be his uncles. In the movie Casper Meets Wendy, Casper tells Wendy that the Trio are his uncles.

However, Casper: A Spirited Beginning says that Casper is not related to the Ghostly Trio at all. In this story, Casper meets them for the first time. He had run away from a ghost school run by an evil ghost named Kibosh. The Trio try to show off their ghost skills by training Casper. When Kibosh finds them, the Trio lie. They tell Kibosh that they are Casper's uncles so he can stay with them. Casper had saved the Trio from Kibosh's anger by swallowing a bomb that would have destroyed their home. The Trio returned the favor by adopting Casper. This way, he didn't have to go to scare school under Kibosh's orders. Kibosh had said that family stays and haunts together, so they became a family.

Ghostly Powers

The Ghostly Trio are very powerful and experienced ghosts. They have many supernatural abilities, including:

• Intangibility: They can pass through solid objects.
• Invisibility: They can become invisible.
• Teleportation: They can move instantly from one place to another.
• Flight: They can fly.
• Possession: They can take control of living bodies. They are said to hold the record for the longest possessions.
• Matter Transmutation: They can change one type of matter into another.
• Shapeshifting: They can change their own shape.
• Reality Warping: They can change reality in other ways.

Voice Actors

Many talented actors have given voices to the Ghostly Trio over the years.

• In the 1995 movie Casper and its TV series The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper:
  • Stretch was voiced by Joe Nipote.
  • Stinkie was voiced by Joe Alaskey.
  • Fatso was voiced by Brad Garrett (later by Jess Harnell in seasons 3 and 4).

• In Casper: A Spirited Beginning and Casper Meets Wendy:
  • Stretch was voiced by Jim Ward.
  • Stinkie was voiced by Bill Farmer.
  • Fatso was voiced by Jess Harnell.

• In Casper's Haunted Christmas:
  • Stretch was voiced by Scott McNeil.
  • Stinkie was voiced by Terry Klassen.
  • Fatso was voiced by Graeme Kingston.

• In the 2006 TV movie Casper's Scare School:
  • Stretch was voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
  • Stinkie was voiced by John DiMaggio.
  • Fatso was voiced by Billy West.
• For the television show:
  • Fatso was voiced by Joe Sheridan.
  • Stinkie and Stretch were voiced by Matthew Géczy.

In Casper Meets Wendy, the Ghostly Trio possess three human men at a dance party. They end up flirting with Wendy's aunts, who are witches.

• Michael McDonald played Spike (Human Stretch).
• Travis McKenna played Phil (Human Fatso).
• Patrick Richwood played Vince (Human Stinkie).

Friends of the Trio

The Ghostly Trio have made some friends, even though they love to scare people:

• Casper
• Dr. James Harvey
• Kat Harvey (sometimes)
• Ms. Banshee
• Wendy and her aunts (eventually)

Enemies of the Trio

The Ghostly Trio also have some enemies:

• Carrigan Crittenden
• Paul "Dibs" Plutzker
• Kibosh
• Snivel
• Desmond Spellman
• Casper (sometimes, when they are fighting)

Voice Actors Table