Follow That Goblin!

Lore & Background

Follow That Goblin! premiered on CBS on Sunday, August 16, 1992, the same day it was released on VHS by Family Home Entertainment. It also aired on BBC One in 1992 and on BBC Two in 1999. The special was produced after the success of Follow That Sleigh! (1990), with Dick Codor serving as art director. Animation was produced at Scopus Films by Cote Zellers, Billy Greene, Eric Fogel, and Jim Tozzi, and managed by Becky Wible Searles.

Reader's Guide

The special is notable as a claymation musical Halloween production from the early 1990s, produced by the same team behind Follow That Sleigh!. It features a cast including Daniel Diker, who later became president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and includes songs with lyrics by Shavat Ben Israel and Elesheva Eshet Eliel. Despite mixed to negative reviews, it represents a niche entry in direct-to-video holiday specials and showcases the work of animators who later worked on notable Nickelodeon and HBO series.

Did You Know?

• The special premiered on CBS and was released on VHS on the same day: August 16, 1992.
• Daniel Diker, who voiced Gerbert Goblin, later became president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
• Animator Cote Zellers later directed animation for Gullah, Gullah Island and KaBlam! on Nickelodeon.
• The special includes a song during the end credits titled 'You Can Be What You Wanna Be'.

Production & Animation

Following the success of Follow That Sleigh! in 1990, Scopus Films moved forward with developing a Halloween-themed claymation musical special. One Eight One Productions joined as a co-producer, and Jonathan Lubell took on both producing and directing duties, while Ruth Ebenstein penned the script. The animation work was carried out at Scopus Films' own studio, with a team that included Cote Zellers, Billy Greene, and Eric Fogel. Zellers would go on to direct animation segments for Gullah, Gullah Island on Nick Jr., the Prometheus and Bob segments of KaBlam! on Nickelodeon, and I Spy on HBO Family. Greene had earlier appeared in the 1960 film The Cape Canaveral Monsters as Dr. Heinrich von Hofften. Fogel later directed Celebrity Deathmatch and created cult-favorite series like The Head, Daria, and Starveillance, and even voiced an angry neighbor in two Daria episodes. Dick Codor, who had directed the earlier Sleigh special, served as art director on this project, lending visual continuity between the two productions.

Story & Characters

The narrative follows siblings Scott and Abby as they explore a haunted house dark ride on its final Halloween night, only to learn that the attraction is scheduled for demolition to make way for a drive-thru video arcade. Inside the ride's Goblin's Lair, they encounter Gerbert, a goblin who has completely lost his ability to frighten anyone. After a series of mishaps—including being trapped in the mansion, falling through a hole into a pit where a giant snake lurks, and Scott being hypnotized by The Purple Glop, a blob-like creature who lures him with junk food and a small television—the siblings reunite and head to the annual Halloween Ball. There, Abby nominates Gerbert for a Scariest Monster award, prompting him to rally the entire cast of monsters against I.M. Ruthless and his wrecking crew from Ruthless Wreckers, Inc. The supporting cast includes M.G. Pumpkin, a rapping Jack O'Lantern-headed monster; Esmerelda, the witch who runs the house; Olly Overbite, a Dracula-like vampire; and Greta Gorgon, a reptilian gorgon. Gerbert ultimately scares Ruthless off by riding his jackhammer like a pogo stick, saving the haunted house.

Cast & Voice Work

Daniel Diker, known as the president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, took on the demanding task of voicing three distinct characters: Gerbert the Goblin, the rapping M.G. Pumpkin, and the villainous foreman I.M. Ruthless. Elesheva Eshet Eliel lent her voice to Esmeralda, the witch who presides over the haunted house, while Chaya Golinkin voiced Abby and Daniel W. Rickin brought Scott to life. The special also featured a supporting ensemble of additional voice talents, including A.W. Anchor, Frieda Levey, Ma'Ayan Lubell, Yoav Orbach, Ezra Resnick, Hannah Roth, and Misha Immanuel, who populated the world with creatures like The Transylvanian Mummy, The Wolfman, and Frankie, the Frankenstein's monster who introduces the cast before the end credits. The musical elements were woven throughout the narrative, with characters delivering raps, songs, and spoken dialogue that drove the plot forward. Esmerelda closes the film during the end credits with a performance of You Can Be What You Wanna Be, offering a thematic bookend to Gerbert's journey of self-acceptance.

Broadcast & Reception

Follow That Goblin! had a dual-release strategy on the same day: it premiered on CBS television on Sunday, August 16, 1992, while simultaneously hitting store shelves on VHS through Family Home Entertainment. The special also found an international audience, airing on BBC One in 1992 and receiving a repeat broadcast on BBC Two in 1999. Despite its ambitious claymation production and musical format, the special was met with mixed critical reception, leaning predominantly toward negative reviews. It carries a TV-Y7 rating, placing it in the category of programming suitable for children aged seven and older. The fact that it was a direct-to-video release that also secured a network television slot on CBS speaks to the niche appeal of holiday-themed animated specials in the early 1990s. The BBC's decision to rebroadcast it seven years later on its second channel suggests it maintained a modest following in the UK, even if it never achieved widespread critical acclaim.