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Fungus The Bogeyman
Life in Bogeydom is full of snot, smells, slime, scum and other unspeakable things, and Bogeymen live under the ground revelling in allthe nastiness imaginable. Briggs has created a whole new world in this sophisticated cartoon-strip picture book for older children which will entice the most reluctant of readers into books.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
13 people are currently reading
952 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Briggs
167 books243 followersRaymond Redvers Briggs was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who had achieved critical and popular success among adults and children. He was best known for his story "The Snowman", which is shown every Christmas on British television in cartoon form and on the stage as a musical.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 5, 2018
President Trump has dispatched 15,000 loyal American troops to search under the nation's beds. For the moment, our children are safe. But if the Dems retake the House tomorrow, here are just a few of the items on Nancy Pelosi's list:
○ Increase number of things going bump in the night by 700%.
○ Automatically add 18 strokes to all golf scores.
○ Force everyone to drink green slime.
○ Keep coverage for pre-existing conditions. [Surely some mistake? - Ed]
Remember that the bogeyman menace is a Clear and Present Danger! Vote Trump!
○ Increase number of things going bump in the night by 700%.
○ Automatically add 18 strokes to all golf scores.
○ Force everyone to drink green slime.
○ Keep coverage for pre-existing conditions. [Surely some mistake? - Ed]
Remember that the bogeyman menace is a Clear and Present Danger! Vote Trump!
March 14, 2021
For a picture book (and even for a short comic book style graphic novel obviously and primarily meant for children), Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman is actually in many ways rather sophisticated and involved humour and narrative-wise. And although I do believe that especially boys will likely and perhaps even definitely enjoy much of the presented text and be especially captivated with and by the at times rather disgusting, overtly ribald potty-type humour, I do not necessarily think that they will all that easily understand all or even most of the more sophisticated allusions, parodies and such (and I equally do warn parents who are considering reading Fungus the Bogeyman with or to their children to actually consider at least skimming the entire book before using it for their little ones just to make certain that they themselves do not end up with both narrative and illustrative surprises they might personally consider inappropriate). And as such, I personally would also not generally consider Fungus the Bogeyman as a book for all children, but most suitable and enjoyable for children above the age of seven or eight (but there is really no upper limit for Fungus the Bogeyman as teenagers and adults who enjoy graphic novels, parodies, satires and coarse, crude humour type of offerings would likely also find their proverbial funny bone tickled).
However, as much as I do enjoy both the concept and appreciate much of the humour, I actually remain a wee bit disappointed with and by Fungus the Bogeyman. Now I do find the societal reversals of Fungus' underground domain and the everyday human world above ground both entertaining and massively appealing (basically distorted mirror images of one another with, for example, Fungus and his wife relishing a slimy and cold bed whilst the humans above ground would of course desire their beds to be warm and dry). But that all being said, the constant and continuously recurring anally, body fluid and excretions based humour does tend to feel and become rather overly exaggerated and overused (even to the point of wearing more than a bit thin and thus no longer even being all that humorous to and for me, and mostly like a buzzing mosquito, somewhat annoying and recurringly tedious).
And even considering that many children do seem to massively relish and cherish humour based on bodily functions and liquid excretions, I do have to wonder whether the massive amounts of the latter occurring in Fungus the Bogeyman might well end up being potentially distracting and even too much of a "good thing" (so much so as to even jade and feel dragging for children who usually enjoy this type of humour, these types of jokes). For while Fungus' world and his daily life are indeed often minutely, engagingly and even in a strange way beautifully described and depicted (and the accompanying illustrations are gorgeously drawn and actually, amazingly sparkle with their very and often intense general ugliness), really and truly, for and to me, the constant and ever-present referrals to farting, vomiting, grottiness, slime, mould and the like does tend to become rather frustratingly dragging.
But even with me being a bit disappointed with and by Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman as a story, I would probably be giving it a high three star ranking (and not the two stars I am at present considering) if the textual presentation of the book were even somewhat easier on my aging eyes. Because fact is that I have to use my strongest reading glasses throughout and still be constantly squinting, as especially the font size of the printed, of Biggs' presented text is so cramped and so minuscule in size to make easy and comfortable perusal nigh impossible (I have actually had to reread some sections more than a few times because my eyes accidentally kept missing and skipping entire chunks, this also being a further caveat for parents reading Fungus the Bogeyman with or to their children, and perhaps also a potential issue for recently independent readers attempting to read Fungus the Bogeyman by themselves, as they often read better and easier with larger and bolder print). And I am quite frankly (and personally) getting more than sick and tired of rather too often encountering especially picture or comic books geared towards children that have a presentation style that seems to not at all take the importance of visual comfort while reading into consideration and seriously enough (as well as the potential eye strain an overly small font size can often and even likely cause).
However, as much as I do enjoy both the concept and appreciate much of the humour, I actually remain a wee bit disappointed with and by Fungus the Bogeyman. Now I do find the societal reversals of Fungus' underground domain and the everyday human world above ground both entertaining and massively appealing (basically distorted mirror images of one another with, for example, Fungus and his wife relishing a slimy and cold bed whilst the humans above ground would of course desire their beds to be warm and dry). But that all being said, the constant and continuously recurring anally, body fluid and excretions based humour does tend to feel and become rather overly exaggerated and overused (even to the point of wearing more than a bit thin and thus no longer even being all that humorous to and for me, and mostly like a buzzing mosquito, somewhat annoying and recurringly tedious).
And even considering that many children do seem to massively relish and cherish humour based on bodily functions and liquid excretions, I do have to wonder whether the massive amounts of the latter occurring in Fungus the Bogeyman might well end up being potentially distracting and even too much of a "good thing" (so much so as to even jade and feel dragging for children who usually enjoy this type of humour, these types of jokes). For while Fungus' world and his daily life are indeed often minutely, engagingly and even in a strange way beautifully described and depicted (and the accompanying illustrations are gorgeously drawn and actually, amazingly sparkle with their very and often intense general ugliness), really and truly, for and to me, the constant and ever-present referrals to farting, vomiting, grottiness, slime, mould and the like does tend to become rather frustratingly dragging.
But even with me being a bit disappointed with and by Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman as a story, I would probably be giving it a high three star ranking (and not the two stars I am at present considering) if the textual presentation of the book were even somewhat easier on my aging eyes. Because fact is that I have to use my strongest reading glasses throughout and still be constantly squinting, as especially the font size of the printed, of Biggs' presented text is so cramped and so minuscule in size to make easy and comfortable perusal nigh impossible (I have actually had to reread some sections more than a few times because my eyes accidentally kept missing and skipping entire chunks, this also being a further caveat for parents reading Fungus the Bogeyman with or to their children, and perhaps also a potential issue for recently independent readers attempting to read Fungus the Bogeyman by themselves, as they often read better and easier with larger and bolder print). And I am quite frankly (and personally) getting more than sick and tired of rather too often encountering especially picture or comic books geared towards children that have a presentation style that seems to not at all take the importance of visual comfort while reading into consideration and seriously enough (as well as the potential eye strain an overly small font size can often and even likely cause).
November 18, 2021
The level of detailed world building of Bogeydom makes this such a fun and worthy inclusion to the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow-up.
The plot itself is rather simple as the reader follows a day in the life of Fergus.
It's the worldwind tour surrounding the various habits of Bogeyman that really makes this comic strip standout, there's so much information and enjoyable word play in various boxed out sections and various footnotes.
There's a really nice balance of gunk and slime that will appeal to the 5 year old target audience that this title is listed under in the 1001 book, whilst the mundane weariness of work will resonate with the parents.
Definitely one children's picture book that can easily be enjoyed over and over again.
The plot itself is rather simple as the reader follows a day in the life of Fergus.
It's the worldwind tour surrounding the various habits of Bogeyman that really makes this comic strip standout, there's so much information and enjoyable word play in various boxed out sections and various footnotes.
There's a really nice balance of gunk and slime that will appeal to the 5 year old target audience that this title is listed under in the 1001 book, whilst the mundane weariness of work will resonate with the parents.
Definitely one children's picture book that can easily be enjoyed over and over again.
October 11, 2017
Raymond Briggs at his very best – Fungus the Bogeyman is a delightfully, lovely story in all its disgustingly noxious glory. It’s great and horrible fun for adults and kids alike – with brilliant illustrations throughout as you’d expect. Fungus is a great creation / interpretation of a traditional monster, previously enshrined in folklore and now reinvented by Briggs brilliantly for the modern age.
February 7, 2017
Oh, Fungus! Wherefore art thou? This is Briggs at his perverse and subversive finest. It helps to have a warped sense of humor and a literary background. Best known for his more conventional children's books such as The Snowman, Briggs, like Roald Dahl, has an uncanny sense of what really appeals to children -- gross stuff and toilet humor. Combine that rudimentary appeal with a very adult level of punning and an endearing melancholy and you have Fungus.
January 23, 2009
Making things go bump in the night can be satisfying in its way, and a pint of slime goes down nicely after work. Fungus has a full, rich life, which Briggs documents in loving detail. His favored brand of aftershave is "Old Mice", he eats flaked corns for breakfast, and he's read both Stinks I Have Made and The Great Unwashed.
But what does it all mean? We discover that even bogeymen aren't immune to existential angst...
February 11, 2023
I have had this book for years – but it is now time to pass it on to a little boy, who will hopefully love it as much as I do. My copy is a 12 page ‘plop-up’ companion guide to the story of Fungus the Bogeyman. In it we visit Fungus’s house (complete with all sorts of slimy, yucky bits that are revealed as you lift flaps and pull levers), before he goes out to do his work frightening humans. On this night, he startles a vicar, a woman in her bath, and stinks out a couple’s bedroom using his Bogey umbilical cord.
As is usual for a Raymond Briggs book, the illustrations are superb. There will probably be words that a young child will not know such as ‘pullulate’ (regarding Fungus’s underwear), and ‘horripilation’ (lady in the tub) but that is half the joy of this book - discovering new words for noxious stuffs and effects.
Highly recommended.
As is usual for a Raymond Briggs book, the illustrations are superb. There will probably be words that a young child will not know such as ‘pullulate’ (regarding Fungus’s underwear), and ‘horripilation’ (lady in the tub) but that is half the joy of this book - discovering new words for noxious stuffs and effects.
Highly recommended.
March 28, 2022
I think I last saw this in my school library in about 1980 or something. I mean, it’s a complete classic, although I do prefer Ug, Boy Genius of the Stone Age, for its philosophical musings, although the quotations from Southey, Clare, et al in this book do make me smile. Fancy quoting “I Am” in a book about bogeys. Genius.
February 10, 2017
An interesting approach to a 'picture book'. It reads almost like a comic book with incredibly detailed illustrations in individual boxes with speech bubbles or text. It also reads in the style of a non-fiction guide with and lots of information about 'Bogeys' and their different lifestyle. This could be interpreted as a comical, jovial way to show children that different people can live very diverse lives which may help them to become more aware of the world around them. Amongst the information given about their lifestyle there is also a more typical storyline where Fungus wakes up, washes (in slime) and cycles to work where he ponders his role in society and the purpose of his existence! He even stops off at the pub and local library on his way home. An interest twist to have such a relatable and 'human' experience delivered from a Bogeyman...
March 12, 2016
My sons adored this book and now my grandson does as well. It was a dark departure from Briggs' delightful Father Christmas and the Christmas classic The Snowman and they loved Fungus, his wife and his kids in their subterranean world of snot, pus, boils, filth and decay. And the bogeys! How could I forget them? Briggs says that he invented Fungus, ‘to show the petty nastiness of life — slime and spit and dandruff, all this awful stuff which is slightly funny because it detracts from human dignity and our pretensions.’ It was also a reaction to what he termed ‘the prissiness of children’s books of the time’.
And it is was a revelation to discover that even the sublimely happy Fungus was not above an attack of existential angst ...
And it is was a revelation to discover that even the sublimely happy Fungus was not above an attack of existential angst ...
March 20, 2014
I had high hopes for this book, having heard good things about Raymond Briggs' books for children. I actually couldn't bear to read past the sixth page or so, once I realized that it was just a way-too-wordy Bizzaro Superman-style reversal of everything in polite society. It didn't take long for the concept to sink in, and when I paged through the rest of the book, it seemed to be just more "Bogeymen love all things wet, smelly, and dirty" ad nauseum.
March 15, 2009
Excellent book. Raymond Briggs drawings are great. Of course being a pixie type person myself I firmly believe in the little people that live at the bottom of gardens and in enchanted woods and forests. Believe in Bogeymen too.
April 14, 2022
Perfect for kids in the 5-10 range but clever enough to entertain older kids as well.
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February 11, 2025An odd little book, full of literature and film references too obscure for even older children, and abounding in snot and filth to please any 7 year old.
August 27, 2025
"Bogeymen preferred their babies to be raw and wriggling, rather than hot and floppy."
I am disgusted
May 24, 2022
Only partly a story about Fungus; most of the book is devoted to describing the culture, food, houses, gardens, furniture, clothing, literature, pasttimes, etc. of Bogeymen. Fungus does have an existential crisis (or, a mid-life crisis): why does he have to scare humans? The book is set out into panels and large blocks of text, with Briggs' signature style of illustration.
September 22, 2019
When shelving this at work realised that I had never actually read it myself. Utter genius! Briggs' use of language and play on words is masterful, although I did have to look up quaquaversal - "dipping from a centre toward all points of the compass". The pictures are a sheer disgusting delight. I read this just after having my post-gardening shower and felt I needed to shower again by the end of the book :-)
October 21, 2023
Absolute and complete genius. Even though I no longer have my copy it still makes me laugh just thinking about it. I really must buy a replacement.
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September 21, 2011Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs is fantastic and intriguing read for children aged between seven and eleven. It is a hugely entertaining read from start to finish, chronicling the life of Fungus and his grotesque environment. The readers imagination is stimulated from page one right up until the final page. Briggs not only gives the reader a clear indication of what the Bogeyman wears, eats and wash’s himself with but also the bogeyman’s hobbies, habitat and modes of transport. The reader’s stomach is continually turned in this comic book, with references to horns, muck, dampness, eating mould, rotting milk and basically every vile thing imaginable. Briggs turns the human world upside down in this book, conceptual thinking is reversed. Bogeymen like: silence, tasting books, losing or drawing games, wetness, rotten smells and slowness. The book is also wonderfully illustrated, it helps convey to the reader the life of the bogeyman, his habits, family life, house, garden and social life. It does so in a manner that is always fast paced and the reader is never easy as the turning of each page brings another revolting revelation.
The story s basically a day in the life of Fungus. The book also delves into the language and life of all bogeymen. Fungus goes to work up where the ‘drycleaners’ live, traelling very slowly on his flat wheeled bike. When Fungus reaches work the reader is shown the bogeyman’s labour, which is frightening humans. Tapping windows, tugging blankets, creaking stairs, making babies cry and hanging around graveyards are all in a nights work for the bogeyman. Fungus has been doing this for many years and is beginning to question the meaning of his life. He seeks solace in the pub, the library and in his home. The end comprises of him confiding in his wife Mildew. She reassures him and we are shown that bogeyman, disgusting as they are potrayed in this book, still possess the strongest human emotion, love.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would strongly recommend it. It is sure to capture the imagination of the child through imagery and indeed language. It is also sure to startle the reader every night that he/ she hears a tap at the window!
The story s basically a day in the life of Fungus. The book also delves into the language and life of all bogeymen. Fungus goes to work up where the ‘drycleaners’ live, traelling very slowly on his flat wheeled bike. When Fungus reaches work the reader is shown the bogeyman’s labour, which is frightening humans. Tapping windows, tugging blankets, creaking stairs, making babies cry and hanging around graveyards are all in a nights work for the bogeyman. Fungus has been doing this for many years and is beginning to question the meaning of his life. He seeks solace in the pub, the library and in his home. The end comprises of him confiding in his wife Mildew. She reassures him and we are shown that bogeyman, disgusting as they are potrayed in this book, still possess the strongest human emotion, love.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would strongly recommend it. It is sure to capture the imagination of the child through imagery and indeed language. It is also sure to startle the reader every night that he/ she hears a tap at the window!
May 3, 2018
Delightful. I debated giving it five stars, but there are one or two Briggs books I like even better (The Snowman and When the Wind Blows, if you were wondering, and even if you weren't), so I held off, no doubt being unforgivably parsimonious with my stars. This is a delightful, eccentric book, the sort of book that genuinely IS all-ages, a claim often made but rarely merited. Kids will delight in the grossness, the often groanworthy but always delightful puns, and the wonderfully detailed art. Adults will like (or should like) the dry humour (ironically, given that dampness is inherent to bogeys), the wry self-consciousness, the narrative complexity--the book both tells the story of a day in the life of the eponymous character and provides a deliciously witty history of bogeydom--and the simultaneously profound and humorous existential befuddlement of the protagonist. Questioning the meaning of life becomes more insightful and urgent, in a way, when the life in question is the antithesis of all we supposedly hold dear in our human world; the removal allows for a more dispassionate consideration of the existential void at the core of the universe than a realistic treatment would allow, but the humour mitigates the likelihood of despair. I love Briggs's dense, complex page design and his masterful use of an array of layout and design features. We have more or less straight comics, but also sections of pages treated as if they were notice boards, with text boxes pinned to them, "censored" text, charts, etc. etc. Yes, ultimately the joke is one-note (everything in bogeydom is more or less the reverse of things in the human world, so bogeymen prefer dirt to cleanliness, cold to warmth, wet to dry, and so on, though there are occasional inconsistencies), but Briggs pulls off so many brilliant variations on it, and paces them out so carefully as he narrates Fungus's typical "day" (read night) of frightening and irritating people, all the while wondering what purpose his job serves, that the joke somehow never gets tired. A genuine classic of the picture book genre.
May 19, 2015
I had been wanting to read this for years and finally bought it last year but I was so disappointed in it! I thought it was a cartton strip full of the adventures of a Bogeyman who was going out to scare people and cause mayhem, but it wasn't like that at all.
Yes there were bits with Fungus talking to his family and a bit where he is playing tricks on people but a lot of it is just long winded descriptions of things that didn't really interest me. For example we would get the start of the page where Fungus gets his transport to work. There would then be a description of every part of that transport and what each function was for. He would start his journey and that page was full of paragraphs about the history of every place he passed and the function of every item mentioned. You had to keep stopping in the story to have every aspect of life explained and then try to get back into the story again. As a child I would have fallen asleep with boredom before we got anywhere! It is like one big info dump with tiny bits of story hidden underneath. Very dull.
The only good thing was the beautiful artwork.
Yes there were bits with Fungus talking to his family and a bit where he is playing tricks on people but a lot of it is just long winded descriptions of things that didn't really interest me. For example we would get the start of the page where Fungus gets his transport to work. There would then be a description of every part of that transport and what each function was for. He would start his journey and that page was full of paragraphs about the history of every place he passed and the function of every item mentioned. You had to keep stopping in the story to have every aspect of life explained and then try to get back into the story again. As a child I would have fallen asleep with boredom before we got anywhere! It is like one big info dump with tiny bits of story hidden underneath. Very dull.
The only good thing was the beautiful artwork.
August 9, 2016
Oh Fungus, how I love thee.
I remembered this book as a child, as an adult I had to find a copy and I did. The book was more a revelation this time around.
Fungus lives an ordinary life, he gets up, gets prepared for work, makes the commute, does his job and wonders what is it all about? That is what I loved this time around, Fungus did not know why he scares people, why he puts boils on them and why he does this day after day.
While Fungus tries to figure life out, we are treated to an exploration of his world. We learn the many ways bogeymen relax from fishing to gardening, to drinking at the local pub. We even have a lesson in bogeymen relationships and it is all done with a deft touch of humour.
The pictures are fantastic and this is a gem of a book. This book was first produced in 1977 and it really is remarkable for its time.
It is not for everyone's taste, I mean you have to be keen on slime, pus and muck but hey, that is what makes a bogeyman happy.
I remembered this book as a child, as an adult I had to find a copy and I did. The book was more a revelation this time around.
Fungus lives an ordinary life, he gets up, gets prepared for work, makes the commute, does his job and wonders what is it all about? That is what I loved this time around, Fungus did not know why he scares people, why he puts boils on them and why he does this day after day.
While Fungus tries to figure life out, we are treated to an exploration of his world. We learn the many ways bogeymen relax from fishing to gardening, to drinking at the local pub. We even have a lesson in bogeymen relationships and it is all done with a deft touch of humour.
The pictures are fantastic and this is a gem of a book. This book was first produced in 1977 and it really is remarkable for its time.
It is not for everyone's taste, I mean you have to be keen on slime, pus and muck but hey, that is what makes a bogeyman happy.
July 19, 2015
Goodness knows when and why I acquired this! Isn’t it amazing what one can find during a good, thorough, turn-out. This book will be turned out. To a charity shop.
Well, I tried re-reading this ‘comic book’ again; but very rapidly made up my mind that whatever might have once appealed to me now definitely doesn’t. I estimate the market for this book as that solely of prep school boys aged between 9 and 11. Yes, the characters and their world is beautifully drawn, with lots and lots of fascinating written detail for those whose imagination is sufficiently grabbed to enjoy the sheer grottiness of it all; or should that be ‘snottiness’?
There isn’t really a storyline; the content instead strikes me as more of a lengthy encyclopaedia entry rendered in the most perfectly bilious green.
Not to be read when feeling unwell.
Well, I tried re-reading this ‘comic book’ again; but very rapidly made up my mind that whatever might have once appealed to me now definitely doesn’t. I estimate the market for this book as that solely of prep school boys aged between 9 and 11. Yes, the characters and their world is beautifully drawn, with lots and lots of fascinating written detail for those whose imagination is sufficiently grabbed to enjoy the sheer grottiness of it all; or should that be ‘snottiness’?
There isn’t really a storyline; the content instead strikes me as more of a lengthy encyclopaedia entry rendered in the most perfectly bilious green.
Not to be read when feeling unwell.
July 1, 2017
A strong stomach is occasionally required to accompany a reading of this exploration of a typical day in the life of Fungus the Bogeyman. Bogeydom is not a place I would particularly like to visit, but I am glad I am aware of it, and that while reading about its goings-on my dinner, and sense of humour, remained intact.
June 6, 2015
I first read this when I was 10, and thought that it was just about the best thing ever. Skip forward [mumble mumble] years -- yes, that many -- and I've just found the very same book hiding in a forgotten, dusty stack at my parent's house. Instant nostalgia, and happy memories of slime and boils and bogeys. Fungus is not just for kids.
April 5, 2014
This disgraceful book is a blast from the past. My teacher used to hate it when the class was reading (non-school) books and he'd see this well-worn tome on my desk.
Come to think of it, my mother wasn't very happy with me reading it either.
Regardless, I enjoyed it immensely.
Come to think of it, my mother wasn't very happy with me reading it either.
Regardless, I enjoyed it immensely.
September 23, 2023
What a strange book!
First published in the 70s, this book feels very dated. As a children’s book today, I would not recommend it: there are many references to British culture in the 70s that simply would not be understood; the vocabulary used is quite advanced (at times fantastical) and thus I would not even be sure at what age group this book should be aimed; and as the book is so dated, it feels sexist and racist by today’s standards. Additionally, the humour and complexity are more suitable for adults.
As an illustrated and handwritten book, I would give it 5 stars as the author’s creativity knows no bounds: Bogeydom is the world of the Bogeymen and everything is the opposite of where we (the drycleaners) live. Briggs uses hilarious wordplay and cultural inversions to create encyclopaedic entries about the strange place of Bogeydom, its inhabitants and customs.
The main story is about Fungus. He is a bogeyman who goes to the surface each night to cause havoc (literally: things that go bump on the night). But when back in Bogeydom, his life is not unlike ours: having a family, going to the pub and the library, doing some gardening:
But Fungus is having an existential crisis “I am, yet what I am who knows … I am the self-consumer of my woes” and this philosophical turn gives the Bogeyman, despite everything, a likeable character.
“Bogeys are, by nature, libidinous (lusting after books) and almost all are libertines (those who habitually disregard the law and borrow more books than they have tickets for)”
First published in the 70s, this book feels very dated. As a children’s book today, I would not recommend it: there are many references to British culture in the 70s that simply would not be understood; the vocabulary used is quite advanced (at times fantastical) and thus I would not even be sure at what age group this book should be aimed; and as the book is so dated, it feels sexist and racist by today’s standards. Additionally, the humour and complexity are more suitable for adults.
As an illustrated and handwritten book, I would give it 5 stars as the author’s creativity knows no bounds: Bogeydom is the world of the Bogeymen and everything is the opposite of where we (the drycleaners) live. Briggs uses hilarious wordplay and cultural inversions to create encyclopaedic entries about the strange place of Bogeydom, its inhabitants and customs.
The main story is about Fungus. He is a bogeyman who goes to the surface each night to cause havoc (literally: things that go bump on the night). But when back in Bogeydom, his life is not unlike ours: having a family, going to the pub and the library, doing some gardening:
“The dwine is doing very well. Fungus is proud of it. Everything is dying nicely. There is not a bloom to be seen. The air is full of the scent of decay. The acid soil smells, the rotting vegetation smells. It is a real Bogeydwine.”
But Fungus is having an existential crisis “I am, yet what I am who knows … I am the self-consumer of my woes” and this philosophical turn gives the Bogeyman, despite everything, a likeable character.
July 6, 2022
Fungus the Bogeyman came to me as a recommendation from my boss. And the book looked absolutely hysterical. I couldn't wait to pick it up. And while the book was certainly quirky and very funny, it was also very different from what I was expecting it to be. This sort-of-picture-book-sort-of-graphic-novel acts as a travelogue of "Bogeydom", taking the surface-dwelling "dry cleaner" reader into the world of those creatures that go bump in the night. We learn about Bogey houses, their family structure, what they do for fun, how they live, the essentials of their health and well-being, and more. But, what makes the book so strange is not just the weird censorship jokes, but
So, is it a fun book? Most certainly. But, is it a weird book? Yes. When I started reading books by this author, I was expecting something more fanciful like The Snowman, but found titles much closer in tone and themes to The Man. Not bad by any stretch, but not really a kid's book, either. I'll admit, though, the more that I read by this author, the more intrigued I become. So, I guess we'll see what comes next.
So, is it a fun book? Most certainly. But, is it a weird book? Yes. When I started reading books by this author, I was expecting something more fanciful like The Snowman, but found titles much closer in tone and themes to The Man. Not bad by any stretch, but not really a kid's book, either. I'll admit, though, the more that I read by this author, the more intrigued I become. So, I guess we'll see what comes next.
January 22, 2022
Pig Sticking
An ancient Sport in Bogeydom. The basis of the sport is extremely simple. Each competitor has a pig which he sticks to the wall with Muck. The last pig to fall to the ground is the winner.
For me this is Raymond Briggs at his silliest best. If I had things my way this would be the annual Christmas viewing, rather than The Snowman!
Fungus is a Bogeyman. He travels through Bogeydom and into our world every night to go about his job of rattling doorknobs, waking babies, and causing boils to erupt on unsuspecting sleepers.
However, Fungus is having somewhat of an existential crisis. Why is he a Bogeyman? Do his night-time actives matter? What is the point of it all?
Briggs, takes us on a journey through Fungus' day as he searches for meaning in his life, whilst taking occasional time out to give more background to the Bogeydom as a whole.
A lot of fun and a childhood favourite. 5 stars.
And, don't forget....
Nothing is permanent but woe.
An ancient Sport in Bogeydom. The basis of the sport is extremely simple. Each competitor has a pig which he sticks to the wall with Muck. The last pig to fall to the ground is the winner.
For me this is Raymond Briggs at his silliest best. If I had things my way this would be the annual Christmas viewing, rather than The Snowman!
Fungus is a Bogeyman. He travels through Bogeydom and into our world every night to go about his job of rattling doorknobs, waking babies, and causing boils to erupt on unsuspecting sleepers.
However, Fungus is having somewhat of an existential crisis. Why is he a Bogeyman? Do his night-time actives matter? What is the point of it all?
Briggs, takes us on a journey through Fungus' day as he searches for meaning in his life, whilst taking occasional time out to give more background to the Bogeydom as a whole.
A lot of fun and a childhood favourite. 5 stars.
And, don't forget....
Nothing is permanent but woe.
August 12, 2022
Spoiler alert... Fungus the Bogeyman is wonderful. It is a book about books. It is littered with literary references. It is a meditation on life. It is erudite. It is hilarious. It is sublime. Andrew Male, appearing on the Backlisted Podcast, described Fungus the Bogeyman as "the children's [version of Burton's] Anatomy of Melancholy" and this the most apt and accurate description I have ever come across.
The story, such as it is, follows a day in the life of the eponymous Fungus, a hard-working Bogeyman who is going through an existential midlife crisis, questioning both his purpose and the system in which he works. When it came out the general public were shocked at the scatological humour, which is now standard in children's literature, but it no longer has that impact. Instead we are left with this dense and contemplative literary work that doesn't talk down to children but rather treats them as intelligent readers and throws in references to the likes of John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, William Oldys, Thomas Carlyle and John Donne.
Please go and read this book and then read it again. This is a book to be wallowed in and deserves to be rediscovered by an entirely new generation.
5 / 5
The story, such as it is, follows a day in the life of the eponymous Fungus, a hard-working Bogeyman who is going through an existential midlife crisis, questioning both his purpose and the system in which he works. When it came out the general public were shocked at the scatological humour, which is now standard in children's literature, but it no longer has that impact. Instead we are left with this dense and contemplative literary work that doesn't talk down to children but rather treats them as intelligent readers and throws in references to the likes of John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, William Oldys, Thomas Carlyle and John Donne.
Please go and read this book and then read it again. This is a book to be wallowed in and deserves to be rediscovered by an entirely new generation.
5 / 5
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