Monster Tots Superfan Spooktacular Brings the Fun, Skips the Scares
Monster Tots Superfan Spooktacular debuted Friday afternoon in the Isle of Curiosity at Universal Kids Resort. The Halloween-themed show brings four Monster Tots superfans to the stage. If you haven’t met those monsters yet, they star in a Universal Jr. YouTube series that makes Universal’s classic monsters accessible to younger fans.
In other words, they’re perfect for Universal Kids Resort.
The four animated characters are younger, friendlier versions of familiar faces. Elle is inspired by the Bride of Frankenstein, Frankie by Frankenstein’s monster, Woof by the Wolf Man, and Vinnie by Dracula. You don’t need to have seen the old movies to follow along. Neither do your kids.
The performers play their biggest fans. Here’s a look at the opening-day cast and their heroes.
Elle
Frankie
Woof
Vinnie
Want to know more about the characters before visiting? You can stream their entire series on YouTube. There are nine episodes currently, none longer than about 5 minutes. The shows don’t have any spoken dialogue and are suitable for all ages. Here’s the Halloween special:
Monster Tots Superfan Spooktacular
Cutouts of the Monster Tots decorate the front of the stage. Onstage, the four superfans channel their favorites, all while making Halloween more fun than scary. Actually, I didn’t see anything remotely scary during the 12-minute show. Sure, a spider ends up stuck to Woof’s fan at one point, and there’s some occasional howling. But the action is silly and fun. I didn’t see any kids reaching for their parents.
The monster fan club performs several songs during the Spooktacular, including Monster Dance, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Weird Science. The opening day cast was excellent. I watched three performances on Friday and saw no nerves or missed cues. These young performers looked comfortable with the material and with each other.
That’s no small feat. Universal Kids Resort created this production entirely in-house just three months after it opened. The cast and crew were starting from scratch, but you wouldn’t have known it. Kylie Wagner, an assistant entertainment manager at the park, shared her thoughts about her Monster Tots on LinkedIn:
“Bringing this show to life has been an incredible creative journey. Massive thank you to, Penny MacKedon, Josselyn Ortiz, Wardrobe Managers, Entertainment Team, Senior Leadership and Performers, and our wonderful partners at Universal Picture Group, for collaborating with us to make this something truly special. It is such a privilege to create memorable experiences for our team, our performers, and every guest who walks through our gates.”
Wagner and her team did great work. The show is fun, simple, and perfect for families with its frightless Halloween vibes.
Once the show wraps, the superfans invite the audience up to the stage to chat and take photos. It’s a small thing, but it was a big deal for the kids watching on Friday. Several other shows at Universal Kids Resort offer the same opportunity. There’s always a line for those photos.
Monster Tots Superfan Spooktacular is performed several times a day in the Isle of Curiosity. If it rains, the show moves inside the Universal Kids Resort Theater near DreamWorks’ Trollsfest. Halloween at Universal Kids Resort runs now through November 1.
Read more: Universal Kids Resort Debuts Halloween Costumes Made In-House
Monster Tots Superfan Spooktacular photo gallery
Monster Tots has three complete casts. I’ll photograph all of them eventually, so check back for more pics.
Want to learn more about Universal Kids Resort and its seven themed lands? We’ve got you covered. Visit our Universal Kids Resort hub for everything available at the new Frisco theme park.
