Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice...

Well, at this time of year all the Christmas annuals have come out. When I was younger I used to get the Beano Annual, the Transformers Annual and a few others I can't remember the name of right now but one of them ignited transformation desires within me (and no, it wasn't Transformers, oddly enough. I have no desire to turn into an automobile). This was (as far as memory serves) the Beetlejuice Annual for 1991.

I was a bit too young for the original film when it came out and to be honest it scared the shit out of me. There's one bit in which one of the ghosts begins to crumble and it was just...urgh. For anyone who hasn't the faintest what I'm talking about, Beetlejuice is a 1988 film by director Tim Burton and starring future Batman, Michael Keaton. To be honest, I always associate Keaton with the role of Batman and I have a strong memory of Batmania back in 1989 but I'm getting offtopic. The plot of Beetlejuice revolved a newly married couple who die and begin haunting their house until a new family, The Deetzes, move in. The couple then hire another spirit, Beetlejuice, to scare them away. In 1990 they made an animated series involving Beetlejuice's adventures in the afterlife with the Lydia, The Deetzes' goth daughter who became his best friend. I used to watch this series every Saturday and really enjoyed it. I also remember bugging my parents for the Gameboy game.

Anyway, I was walking around a market one day when I came across the annual on sale and a picture of Lydia dressed in Beetlejuice's trademark stripey suit (remade into a skirt suit) after having been given his powers for some reason. In full disclosure, I have no idea whether this was the 1991 annual and if the picture was on the front cover or inside the book with the story. I just have this image in my mind. I've tried to find an image of it but I haven't been able to, which is really suprising as the internet holds every picture of everything ever ever (probably). I saw the cover of the 1992 annual though so it definitely isn't that but in any case it's given me a lovely nostalgia trip looking through the old pictures.

Promo picture for the 1990 Beetlejuice animated series

I think it was just the idea of one character switching clothes and attributes with another that intrigued me so much but yet I also shy away from bodyswap stories in film and TV for some reason. I never bought that annual for some reason I can't remember but the image and idea stayed with and really excited me. It was around the same time I remember drawing a series of pictures of fictional characters swapping clothes. I have to wonder whether it was this picture that started it for me or just drew out a desire.

By the way, apologies if i have blogged about this before. It was something I always meant to but I can't remember if I did. Doesn't look like it though.

Picture Source: Beetlejuice Wiki