Return to the Mini Dark Universe
It took some time, but we finally clawed our way back up Feltenfoam Mountain and entered the gates of our miniature Dark Universe to add four more classic Universal monsters to our growing horde.
Our first visit to this cursed yet adorable universe was back in September. An attempt to guilt Universal Studios into sending us free passes to their Dark Universe theme park. That attempt failed spectacularly. But recently, we took a look at the six fiends we started with — Frankenstein and his Bride, Dracula, The Wolfman, the Invisible Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon — and realized we hadn’t yet represented the groundbreaking silent movies Universal released in the 1920s. So we pulled the needles from our kits and got to work.
When we first broke ground on the carved foam village, I relied on Michelle’s needle felting experience to carry us through in time to meet our deadline. But for this round, there were precious few days left before jingle bell season would run roughshod over these Halloween Leftovers. So I got out some Band-Aids for myself and divvied up the workload. Two monsters apiece, more or less, with Michelle taking one final pass over each of them to needle in any loose ends and stray fibers.
Taking inspiration from Universal’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), we needled a silent trio — a twisted doctor who concocted a potion that revealed his inner evil; A misunderstood brute who took refuge in a bell tower; A pariah musician exiled to the catacombs beneath the Paris opera house.
To complete the quartet, we added an ancient Egyptian high priest, punished for practicing necromancy. Admittedly, Karloff’s The Mummy (1932) wasn’t a silent movie. But he didn’t do much blabbering behind those bandages either. So now we had our new monsters. A fearsome foursome emerging from the shadows of Universal Studios’ distant past. I’d like to think this is the missing piece of the puzzle that cracks the ice encasing the heart of whatever Universal Parks executive is in charge of sending out free passes to enthusiastic monster nerds. But as Dracula said, I vouldn’t count on it.
Regardless, the new occupants fit well with the rest of their cohorts in the mini Dark Universe. And although there are a few more absolutely classic Universal Monsters from various eras that would feel right at home here, we’re currently considering opening up membership to non-Universal monsters. The worst that could occur is a chaotic monster battle, and everyone kinda’ loves that idea.
You can watch us put together the new foursome in this week’s video at the link below.