Monster Squad facts for kids

Monster Squad was a fun TV show that aired on NBC on Saturday mornings from September 11, 1976, to September 3, 1977. It was about a team of classic monsters who became superhero crimefighters! This show is different from a movie with the same name called The Monster Squad.

Meet the Monster Crimefighters

The show follows a character named Walt, played by Fred Grandy. Walt was a student studying criminology, which is the study of crime. He worked as a night watchman at a place called "Fred's Wax Museum." To make his nights more interesting, Walt built a special "Crime Computer." He hid this computer inside a large stone sarcophagus near where the museum displayed famous monsters.

When Walt plugged in his new computer, something amazing happened! The computer sent out "oscillating vibrations" that brought three wax statues to life. These were the statues of:

• Dracula, played by Henry Polic II
• The Werewolf, called "Bruce W. Wolf," played by Buck Kartalian
• The Frankenstein Monster, known as "Frank N. Stein," played by Michael Lane

Monsters Become Heroes

These famous monsters, who wanted to make up for their past scary deeds, decided to become superheroes! They used their unique powers to fight and defeat different supervillains. In most episodes, Walt would send the monsters out to investigate crimes. He would watch their progress from the wax museum using his Crime Computer. This was probably because his job meant he had to stay at the museum. However, sometimes Walt would join the monsters in their big battles and help them out.

The Monster Squad had their own special black "Monster Van" to get around. Each monster also had a "utility belt" with a communicator device. This allowed them to stay in touch with Walt. Walt had even given them cool CB-style code names:

• Walt was "Chamber of Horrors"
• Dracula was "Nightflyer"
• Frank N. Stein was "Green Machine"
• Bruce W. Wolf was "Furball"

Show Style and Villains

The show was a bit like the 1960s Batman TV show. This makes sense because Stanley Ralph Ross, who created Monster Squad, was also a main writer for Batman. The villains in Monster Squad were often very over-the-top and funny, much like the ones in Batman. They were usually played by famous guest stars of the time, like Alice Ghostley as "Queen Bee" and Julie Newmar as "Ultra Witch."

Interestingly, even though the monsters were supposed to be wax statues, they seemed to remember everything from their monster lives. Also, a statue of the Invisible Man could often be seen in the museum. It was never explained why this statue didn't come to life like the others!

Another cartoon called Drak Pack by Hanna-Barbera had a similar idea of monsters fighting crime.

Meet the Cast

Here are the main actors and the characters they played in Monster Squad:

• Fred Grandy as Walt
• Henry Polic II as Dracula
• Buck Kartalian as Bruce W. Wolf
• Michael Lane as Frank N. Stein

Other Important Characters

• Mayor Goldwyn: Played by Edward Andrews
• Officer McMacMac: Played by Paul Smith and Richard X. Slattery

The Villains They Fought

The Monster Squad faced many different villains, each with their own unique style:

• Queen Bee: Played by Alice Ghostley
• Mr. Mephisto: Played by Barry Dennen
• The Tickler: Played by Ivor Francis
• The Ringmaster: Played by Billy Curtis
• Lorenzo Musica: Played by Marty Allen
• No Face: Played by Edward Andrews
• The Astrologer: Played by Jonathan Harris
• Ultra Witch: Played by Julie Newmar
• The Wizard: Played by Arthur Malet
• The Skull: Played by Geoffrey Lewis
• The Weatherman: Played by Avery Schreiber
• Lawrence of Moravia: Played by Joseph Mascolo
• Albert/Alberta: Played by Vito Scotti

Episode Guide

Home Video Release

If you want to watch Monster Squad today, you can! The complete series was released on DVD in Region 1 (which includes the USA and Canada) on June 23, 2009. It was also released in Region 2 (which includes Europe) on August 3, 2009.