What a Monster to go! is for
According to the maker, the Monster to go! characters scare off whatever you don't like. Most of the time they live under the sofa, and many of them have a speciality. Bonsche has a knack for finding little treasures, Tüddel makes sure nobody forgets anything, and Babbel solves every case for his friends. Flausi just wants to come along, wherever you are going. Schickimicki, a cat monster, has no time for gloomy moods, and Muffi Hapsweg, a wolf monster, will nibble at anything as long as it is healthy. Schnäck is the odd one out: nobody knows whether he is a bat or a bird, not even Schnäck himself. Either way, he talks with a beak. Schotter, Wumms, Zoff, Mops and Snout belong to the same gang.
Poppycock-Aunty, Lazybones and friends
Beyond the Monster to go! line, there are characters whose names tell you exactly how they behave. Poppycock-Aunty keeps every secret safe, or so she claims. Blappermouth sees and hears everything, and if he doesn't know something, he knows someone who does. Twaddle goes red in the face as soon as anyone praises her. Lazybones spends the whole day lying about. Gisa Grippchen swears by vitamins. Her colleague Kai M. Frei is, in the maker's words, a very experienced disinfection consultant assistant expert, and his name is a pun on the German word for germ-free. Gisa and Kai make a good pair for cold and flu season at nursery.
Big and small monsters
Bonsche, Tüddel, Schmackes and Schickimicki also come as small monsters, which Living Puppets sizes for children's hands. The regular monsters suit grown-up hands as well as small ones. Put big and small Tüddel side by side, and a squabble over the last piece of cake is never far away.
Why a monster gets away with it
A monster hand puppet may say what nobody else dares to: that the broccoli smells odd, or that tidying up is dull. Children contradict it, explain the world to it and laugh at its mistakes. A monster can announce circle time at nursery, or hide until everyone has gone quiet. Play therapy has its own use for one that is scared of the dentist, because the child gets to explain what really happens in the big chair. And when the summer party comes round, children can perform with the monsters, each giving one of them a voice.
Choosing a monster
- Match the role to the topic: Poppycock-Aunty for group discussions, Lazybones when tidying up is on the agenda, Tüddel for children who keep forgetting things. Snout suits quiet moments, because she would rather watch the clouds.
- Two opposites: a know-it-all and a sleepyhead, such as Blappermouth and Lazybones, hand children a ready-made argument to act out.
- As a present: a Monster to go! turns up at a birthday party with its name and story already in place. All the birthday child has to do is find it a spot under the sofa.