Middle: Vladamir Bloode, Webster Swampson, Medusilla Venimski, Claudia Howell
Front: Quasi Modo
Li'l Horrors is an Australian children's comedy puppetry television series which screened on the Seven Network in 2001. The series contained 52 episodes: each 12 minute, 30 seconds in length, with double episodes usually screened in a 30-minute timeslot.
Set in a spooky Gothic school run by retired horror movie actress Morbidda Bates, the series features the (mis)adventures of a group of children who just happen to be rather familiar monsters as well.
There’s Vlad, the mischievous little schemer who thinks he’s too cool for school. Strong and trusting Duncan Stein was not so much born yesterday as born today. Bossy and vain Medusilla has unruly snakes for hair and a lot of very bad hair days. New age, bandage-bound mummy Cleo sometimes seems just a little wrapped-up in herself. Abercrombie the zombie doesn’t need food or sleep, which means he doesn’t have to interrupt his TV viewing. Werewolfish tomboy Claudia lives in fear of transforming into a sweet little girl every full moon. Webster Swampson is the creature from the Mauve Lagoon, who’s really just a scaredy swamp thing and is frightened of everything, especially water.
Li'l tropes:
- Absurd Phobia: Webster Swampson is a fish man who is afraid of water.
- Academy of Adventure: The action never moves outside the grounds of Maug Stone Hall.
- All-Ghouls School: The series in a set in an academy for young monsters.
- Big Eater: Aside from his stupidity, Duncan's other major character trait is his gluttony.
- Dumb Muscle: Duncan Stein is easily the strongest and dumbest of the Horrors.
- Fish People: Webster Swampson is a piscine boy based on various sea monsters.
- Frankenstein's Monster: Duncan Stein, based on Frankenstein's monster from the 1931 film Frankenstein. Gluttonous yet friendly, and yet also dim-witted and sorely lacking in social skills.
- Gorgeous Gorgon: Medusilla Venimski, a pretty monster based on (and named for) the youngest of three gorgons, Medusa. Very vain as she often admires her beauty, which does not turn others (or herself) to stone, unlike the ugliness of her namesake. Her hair can talk as well, as evidenced in several episodes.
- Granola Girl: Cleo is deeply into things like crystals and auras.
- Medusa: Medusilla Venimski, a pretty monster based on (and named for) the youngest of three gorgons, Medusa. Very vain as she often admires her beauty, which does not turn others (or herself) to stone, unlike the ugliness of her namesake. Her hair can talk as well, as evidenced in several episodes.
- Monster Mash: The student body consists of a vampire; a Frankenstein Monster; a Mummy; a gill man; a Gorgeous Gorgon; a werewolf; a hunchback; and two grotesques/gargoyles.
- Mummy: Cleo Patra, an Egyptian mummy based on modern pop culture. Uses a lot of Valley Girl filler in her speech.
- No Social Skills: Duncan Stein is friendly, but also dim-witted and sorely lacking in social skills.
- Our Gargoyles Rock: Garg and goyle were a pair of grotesques who would observe and comment on the action going on.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Claudia seems to exist permanently in her Wolf Man form, but lives in fear of transforming into a sweet little girl every full moon.
- The Prankster: Vlad. A notorious trickster around Maug Stone Hall, his favourite pastime is to pull practical jokes at the other Horrors' expense.
- Rhyming Names: Abercrombie Necros, a.k.a. 'Abercrombie the Zombie'.
- Speaks in Shout-Outs: Abercrombie Necros is a zombie who does little more than watch television. When the set is faulty, broken, or otherwise out of order, he often melts down, simply by repeating phrases often appearing on television sets without reliable signals.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: The tomboyish werewolf Claudia wears a pink bow in her fur.
- Tomboy: Claudia, the werewolf girl, dresses in overalls and is very rough and tumble. Especially compared to Girly Girl Medusilla and Granola Girl Cleo.
- Valley Girl: Cleo is a mixture of New Age Granola Girl and this, and uses a lot of of Valley Girl filler in her speech.
- Vegetarian Vampire: Being a kids show, Vlad is never shown feeding on blood.
- The Voice. Miss Morbidda never appears in the episodes, but her voice is heard addressing the Horrors during the opening credits.
- Werewolf Theme Naming: The werewolf girl at the All-Ghouls School of Maug Stone Hall is named Claudia Howell.
- Wolf Man: Claudia Howell, the resident werewolf, is permanently in a human/wolf hybrid form (presumably so they didn't have to construct extra puppets). However, she does live in fear of transforming into a sweet little girl every full moon.
