DIY Little Mermaid Costumes

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A Were-Human/Mermaid, A Sea Witch in Disguise and a Prince

It’s a Little Mermaid DIY Costume Buying Guide! Because it’s a the spooky Halloween season there needs to be more costume content.

So it’s The Little Mermaid’s turn.

Ariel’s Human Costume

Ariel’s Blue Dress

Ariel, the titular Little Mermaid, as a plethora of costumes to wear for Halloween fun spooky times. They are great and super iconic. But oddly enough it’s the blue dress she wears on her outing with Prince Eric that is quite similar in type to Esmeralda’s costume which is why it’s the Ariel costume of this post. PLUS it’s good if you live in a cooler climate. What you will need. A light blue long blue shirt or Blouse, a long blue skirt, black corset, black kitten heels, a big blue hair bow and red wig

Ariel’s Top

You could also go for white or dye it if you feel like it. It’s not hard to dye things just can be hard to get the color right.

Ariel’s Top option #1: Hanes Women’s Sport Cool Dri Long Sleeve Crewneck T-Shirt, Moisture-Wicking Performance Tee

Ariel’s Top option #2: Ekouaer 2 Pack Women’s Scoop Neck Tops Long Sleeve Slim Fit T Shirt Thermal Shirts Basic Tight Tee XS-XXL

Ariel’s Top option #3: LYANER Women’s Casual Square Neck Long Sleeve Plain Blouse Shirt Top

Ariel’s Skirt

Ariel’s Skirt option #1: v28 Women Full/Ankle Length Elastic Pleated Retro Maxi Chiffon Long Skirt

Ariel’s Skirt option #2: Sinono Womens Chiffon Retro Maxi Skirt Vintage Ankle-Length Skirts

Ariel’s Skirt option #3: Ladies 20 Yard Elegant Satin Long Full Skirt for Ballroom Belly Dance Performance Costume Dress

Ariel’s Black Corset

A less expensive option could be a simple black tube top

Ariel’s Corset option #1: Daisy corsets womens Sleeveless

Ariel’s Corset option #2: MixMatchy Women’s Casual Strapless Basic Sexy Tube Top

Ariel’s Corset option #3: Women’s Vintage Strapless Open Back Boned Mesh Bustier Zip Back Corset Bodyshaper Crop Top

Ariel’s Black Heels

Any black shoes that you have should work. A low heel is more in line with Ariel’s outfit but it’s all good no matter what you have on hand.

Ariel’s Shoe option #1: Clarks Womens Linvale Jerica

Ariel’s Shoe option #2: DREAM PAIRS Women’s Luvly Bridal Wedding Party Low Heel Pump Shoes

Ariel’s Shoe option #3: JOY IN LOVE Women’s shoes Low Heels Pointy Toe Kitten Heel Daily Pumps

Ariel’s Hair Bow

Be sure it’s a large bow because it’s a statement piece in the look.

Ariel’s Hair Bow option #1: Sky Blue Jumbo Bow Clip with Tails

Ariel’s Hair Bow option #2: Hair Clips Boutique Hair Bows Alligator Clip for Women Girl Hairpin 6 Inch TSFJ02 (Light Blue)

Ariel’s Hair Bow option #3: Blue Hair Bows,2 PCS Satin Hair Bows Clip Big Blue Bow for Women Hair Ribbons Long Tail Hair Bow Hair Barrettes for Wedding Prom Party Charm (Light Blue,Royal Blue)

Ariel’s Wig

Normally I would say wigs are a fun add-on but Ariel’s vibrant red hair is so iconic, so if you can get a wig please do.

Red Wig option #1: Red Wig for Women Cosplay Costume Halloween Party Wigs Long Curly Wavy Wig

Red Wig option #2: LABEAUTÉ Max Beauty Red Mermaid Wigs with Starfish Hair Clips, Curly Long Hair Daily Wig Heat Resistant Synthetic Fiber for Halloween for Cosplay for Christmas (Red 1)

Red Wig option #3: Daenerys Targaryen Wig for Game of Thrones Khaleesi Long Curly Wavy Hair Wigs BU121B

Vanessa a.k.a The Sea Witch in Disguise

Vanessa, The Little Mermaid

In The Little Mermaid, Ursula disguises herself as a human and enchants Eric using Ariel’s voice. So it’s a double costume because you’re dressing up as someone in dress-up, costume inception.

Ursula as Vanessa has three looks but again this one has the elements of Esmeralda’s costume plus the other two looks are under-garments and a wedding gown but hey it’s Halloween so those looks would not be out of place.

Vanessa’s purple outfit consists of a dark purple corset, light purple skirt, and golden nautilus shell necklace. For shoes you could go for anything BUT she does where black flat and it does look like heels during the beach scene. You can get wig of you need one and a cloak since again she wears one on the beach when she enchants Eric. Girl is a siren.

Vanessa’s Top

Allow me to be real with you, it’s HARD to find something like Vanessa’s top on offer at Amazon. I tried. Also I’m ignoring the lace up detail.

Vanessa’s Top option #1: REORIA Butsmooth® Womens Basic Sexy Square Neck Sleeveless Tank Tops Bodysuits Clubwear

Vanessa’s Top option #2: Womens Square Neck Double Lined Tank Tops Low Back Fitted Sleeveless Tops

This one is lighter in color but the shape it right

Vanessa’s Top option #3: GRACE KARIN Bustier Corset Top for Women Sexy Slim Cami Tank Top Black White Summer Sleeveless Party

Vanessa’s Skirt

Vanessa’s skirt is lighter purple. Most likely it’s a dress with a corset-like thing over it hence the insert but separates are easier.

Vanessa’s Skirt option #1: ASHER FASHION Women’s Bohemian Style Elastic Waist Band Cotton Linen Long Maxi Skirt Dress

Vanessa’s Skirt option #2: Sinono Womens Chiffon Retro Maxi Skirt Vintage Ankle-Length Skirts

Vanessa’s Skirt option #3: Scarlet Darkness Maxi Long Skirt for Women Double Layered Renaissance Skirts

Nautilus/Conch Shell Necklace

This a must. It’s the piece that holds Ariel’s voice. Try to get some black cording or even shoe lace for a more accurate look.

Nautilus Shell Necklace option #1: Meiligo® Fashion Woman Conch,snail,shell Charm pendant necklace (Gold) 2

Nautilus Shell Necklace option #2: 18K Gold Stainless Steel Bee Honeycomb Necklace, Star Moon Necklace Dinosaur Necklace spider Necklace Adjustable Y Lariat Necklace for Women

Nautilus Shell Necklace option #3: CLASSYZINT Gold Choker Necklace For Women Sun Heart Flower Charms Pendant Necklace Chunky Gold Statement Necklace

Extra Touches

If you need a wig by all means get one. You can also get a dark purple cape for added warmth. For shoes, see the Ariel’s shoe recommendations as Vanessa is pretty much a villainous Ariel look-like. But for shoes you can get away with whatever you think suits.

Brown Wig option: MapofBeauty 40″ 100cm Anime Costume Long Straight Cosplay Wig Party Wig (Dark Brown)

Dark Purple Cloak option: Colorful House Unisex Full Length Velvet Hooded Cape Halloween Christmas Cloak

Prince Eric (for the guys)

Prince Eric

Prince Eric is Ariel’s main romantic interest.

Anyway, Eric’s outfit is fairly easy to acquire. White shirt, dark blue pants, red waistband, and boots. You can add a black wig if you want.

Eric’s White Shirt

Eric’s White Shirt option #1: Mens Medieval Pirate Shirt Viking Renaissance Lace up Mercenary Halloween Scottish Jacobite Ghillie Tops

Eric’s White Shirt option #2: Beninos Mens Long Sleeve Slim Fit Dress Shirts

Eric’s White Shirt option #3: NITAGUT Men Henley Neck Long Sleeve Daily Look Linen Shirts

Eric’s Pants

I’d say any blue pants you have. Eric’s pants are a slim fit but whatever you have should work. His pants do seems to be knee length with a cuffs but it’s not a deal breaker if your look lacks this detail.

Eric’s Pants option #1: Alamo Slim-Fit Chinos Pants Men – Classic Breathable Flat-Front Chino Pants for Men

Eric’s Pants option #2: mens 4-way Stretch Dress Casual Pants, Blue, 32W x 30L US

Eric’s Pants option #3: Perry Ellis Portfolio Very Slim Men’s Dress Pants, Stretch Non-iron Fabric, Flat Front, Soft and Durable Slacks for Men

Eric’s Red Waistband

Eric’s outfit has a pirate-ish look so the red waistband makes sense. Or a cummerbund would also work well.

Eric’s Red waistband option #1: ThePirateDressing Pirate Medieval Renaissance Halloween Costume Large Sash

Eric’s Red waistband option #2: Satin Pirate Sash Pirate Medieval Renaissance Large Sash Halloween Costume Waist Sash Belt

Eric’s Red waistband option #3: Alizeal Mens Paisley/Solid Pre-tied Party Adjustable Bow Tie, Cummerbund and Pocket Square Gift Set

Eric’s Boots

Should be black and knee high. If you got them, rock them

Eric’s boot option: Ellie Shoes Men’s 125-matey Knee High Boot

Black Wig

Again, a wig is not necessary for Eric’s costume but it’s still a fun addition.

Black Wig option: STfantasy Men Short Wigs Male Guy Layered Wavy Halloween Cosplay Anime Party for Dad Hair (Natural Black)

THE MAGICAL ADVENTURES OF QUASIMODO: EPISODES 7 & 8

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Episode 7: The Court of Miracles

François and some thieves, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 7, The Court of Miracles
François and some thieves, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 7

Props to the show for the Hunchback reference. It’s always appreciated. 

This episode is a François focused episode, Oh joy of joys…

See no one likes François’ poetry except a group of mean thieves who get in François’ good graces by praising his poetry. They only do this so they can rob Notre Dame. GASP!  Also in this alternative time-line the Magna Carta is at Notre Dame.  I have no words for this. I’m out of words.

The most important thing that the thieves steal is a book of the King’s memoirs which holds state secrets which means the state of France is in jeopardy. So at the near 15 minute mark Frollo’s villain senses tingle and he gets in on the plot.  Oh Cartoonishly Evil Magician Frollo-type, you never cease to disappoint. Never. 

Frollo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 7, The Court of Miracles
Frollo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 7

Anyway the book is retrieved and brought back to Notre Dame and François learns his lesson. Not a lesson in writing decent poetry but trusting people who praise you for nefarious reasons.  

A highlight of this episode was as François was returning the book to the office, Quasimodo does a swivel chair reveal this BUT since the show knows that swivel chairs were not a thing there is a chair scraping across the floor sound effect. It just made me smile. 

Also here is a handy formula for how an average episode goes,  Thieves + Frollo + France or the World in danger x Dennis + François’ bad poetry x Quasimodo is super awesome = An Average Episode of The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo

All in all not a fan of this episode but maybe François is better in smaller doses.

Episode 8: Witches’ Eve

Esmeralda and Quasimodo in costumes, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 8, Witches Eve
Esmeralda & Quasimodo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 8

It’s Halloween. It’s pretty much Halloween and if you thought we would get some spooky magical adventures for this episode well then you’re a bigger Fool than the King/Pope of Fools. 

No, this episode is a backstory episode on Quasimodo and his super awesome noble parents who could be alive. GASP! And that is not all, Quasimodo’s real name is Jacques.  

You see at the Witches’ Eve party, The gang of pals meet a nice lady named Maria, who was Quasimodo’s nurse maid and is the one who saved him from his home burning down. She also left him at Notre Dame  but DIDN’T stick around to tell Dennis his real name or lineage out right. But then the plot wouldn’t happen so we can’t blame her for logic. So it’s fine. It’s fine. This is fine. Everything is fine.

She also tells Quasimodo that his parents could be still alive living amongst peasants. So then it’s a race between Frollo and Quasimodo along with the pals to get to the maybe awesome de Bernisacs. They alas get away. 

Also Esmeralda is proving really violent. Like she jumps on a guy’s back and later threatens him with a frying pan. No shade, it just an interesting new take on the character. Though Disney’s Esmeralda had her moments.    

And an important takeaway from this episode, Horses don’t like bad poetry. They just don’t. So always run a poem by a horse to assess a poem’s quality.  

While a spooky magical fun times episode would have been great, a backstory is not bad since the quest for Quasimodo’s origins and parents seems to be the running plot thread of the show. But did they have to lump it with medieval halloween time? It could have been that Art Festival they were planning back in episode 7 or some other festival that they always seems to be having that Dennis is somehow always in charge of organizing. We could have had it all.  

Esmeralda, François and Quasimodo in costumes, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 8, Witches Eve
Esmeralda, François & Quasimodo in costumes, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episode 8

Speaking of spooky fun times, as I watched this episode during the spooky season which is complete coincidence, I thought it would be fun to assign Hunchback costumes to the Magical Quasimodo versions of the characters;

Quasimodo is clearly Phoebus,

Esmeralda is Fleur de Lys

and François is Gringoire 

Hottest Halloween Costume for 2021

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Alligator Loki! 

While Loki was a great show, a major highlight was Alligator Loki. 

And sure you COULD dress up as Loki or Sylvie or Mobius, Miss Minutes or Kang the Conqueror or any character from the show,

Alligator Loki  is too good and super easy to create a look for this Halloween.

First get an Alligator looking costume

You can get an Unisex Adult Dangerous Alligator Costume. Or a Dinosaur Adult Onesie would work. Or if you’re feeling very cheeky just get a “Pretend I’m An Alligator” T-Shirt . Which honestly could just be a wardrobe staple.

And the MOST Important Part

To make it a Loki Variant you need the trademark Loki horns otherwise you’re just an Alligator which is also cool but not as fun.

Honestly you could get the Loki horns and be whatever Loki Variant you wish. Sky is the limit on Loki Variants but Alligator Loki is so good and should be the costume of 2021.

Share this idea! Make Alligator Loki happen this Halloween and beyond.

Have Fun

DIY Gina Lollobrigida’s Esmeralda Costume

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It’s Spooky Season

Gina Lollobrigida as Esmeralda, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame , picture image
Gina Lollobrigida as Esmeralda, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

The time has come to start getting our Halloween plans in gear. For many costume-goers the go to Esmeralda costume for Halloween is the Disney version.

And that is great but diversity is the spice of life, so more Esmeralda costumes are needed. If I wear to dress-up as Esmeralda for Halloween I would go with the Gina Lollobrigida version of Esmeralda.

Why? Because while I love the Notre Dame de Paris green dress it doesn’t read as Halloween costume, Gina Lollobrigida’s costume does even if people don’t recognize it. Plus it’s more of a costume of Lollobrigida more than Esmeralda herself. Like when people don a pink strapless gown with a short blonde wig and wear some diamonds, are they dressing up as Lorelei from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or are they dressing up as Marilyn Monroe???

So let’s just say you’re lazy or not the best at sewing what can you purchase to assemble to get a costume of Gina Lollobrigida’s Esmeralda? Here are the elements you will need. Don’t be afraid to cut them up to get a more authentic look to Gina’s costume. And should have some of this on-hand already? Lucky you, you’re one step closer to costumes and candy and an Esmeralda costume!

Wide V Neck Shirt

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

For the shirt, go for a red fitted shirt with a wide v-neckline. You can of of course cut a deeper v-neck and add some cuts to the sleeves for that tattered effect. For the more enterprising types, you get some fabric paint for the stitching details

Red Shirt option #1: Lock and Love Women’s Basic Slim Fitted Short Sleeve Casual V neck Cotton T shirt

Red Shirt option #2: Gildan Women’s V-Neck Double Needle T-Shirt, X-Large, Red

Red Shirt option #3: HOTOUCH Deep V Neck Tops for Women Sexy Low Cut Summer Ribbed Knit T Shirts Slim Fit Stretchy Basic Fashion Tee

Red Skirt

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

For the skirt make it long and red. If you can get one with a slit so much the better. Flowy Skirts for dancing is a major plus.

Red Skirt option #1: Vivicastle Women’s USA Sexy High Waisted Double Slits Open Knit Long Maxi Skirt

Red Skirt option #2: Womens Basic Foldable High Waist Regular and Plus Size Maxi Skirts

Red Skirt option #3: Maxi Skirts for Women Ankle Length Skirt Casual Long Skirt High Waisted Maxi Skirt Reg and Plus Size Skirt Long Skirt

Red Hip Scarf

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gina Lollobrigida as Esmeralda dancing

For the hip scarf, try to go for a plain one. Of course if you want to go for the belly dancing ones with the coin go for it.

Red Hip Scarf option #1: Chiffon Cover up Swimwear Beach Sarong Pareo Canga Swimsuit Wrap

Red Hip Scarf option #2: SHU-SHI Womens Bathing Suit Cover Up Sarong Pareo Beach Skirt Short Sarong Wrap

Red Hip Scarf option #3: Ekouaer Women’s Short Sarongs Chiffon Cover Ups Sheer Bikini Wraps for Swimwear S-3XL

Belt

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame
Gina Lollobrigida as Esmeralda dancing

Ideally go for a thin brown belt with gold studs but any brown belt should work. You could always paint or stud the details yourself if you want.

Brown Belt option #1: uxcell Womens Leather Belt for Jeans Dress Pants Studded Grommet with Circle Metal Buckle

Brown Belt option #2: Skinny Dress Belt With Square Gold Studs

Brown Belt option #3: Womens Belt – CR Leather Belt Women Casual for Jeans Pants Dress – Belts with Gold Buckle for Women Fashion

Red Veil

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) gives Quasimodo (Anthony Quinn) a drink, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) gives Quasimodo (Anthony Quinn) a drink, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

A simple red scarf should work for Esmeralda’s red veil. Just bobby pin it in place.

Red Veil option #1: Elegant Large Silk Feel Solid Color Satin Square Scarf Wrap 35″

Jewelry

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) dances, 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

For the jewelry you will need gold coin earrings and lots of gold bangles with coin details. For the earrings two tiers are closer to the costume. You should be ok with any gold bracelets so along as they are not too detailed or have stones. You will want a few on each wrist.

Gold Earring option #1: RIAH FASHION Bohemian Chandelier Coin Dangle Earrings – Lightweight Filigree Disc Charm Tassel Ethnic Hoops

Gold Earring option #2: Bohemian Chandelier Earrings Coin Disc Tassel Dangle Filigree Earrings

Gold Earring option #3: DREMMY STUDIOS Gold Dainty Huggie Hoop Earrings 18K Gold Plated

Gold Bangles option #1: Flower Mixed Metal Aztec African Indian Vintage Multi Bangles Bracelets For Women Set of 36

Gold Bangles option #2: 2 Pcs Belly Dance Gold Triangle Bracelet Jewelry Coin Bracelet Wrist Hand Bracelet Bangle Rings for Halloween Costume

Other add-ons

Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) with Phoebus (Jean Danet), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Esmeralda (Gina Lollobrigida) with Phoebus (Jean Danet), 1956 Hunchback of Notre Dame

The other things you can add is the knife prop and the glamorous 50s’s cat eye. You can also throw in a wig if you want. I couldn’t find a good enough knife/dagger on amazon. If I do I will add it.

Add-on option #1: Winged Eyeliner Stamp, 2 x Black Liquid Eyeliner Pens, Easy Cat Eye Stencil Makeup Tool, SmudgeProof & Waterpoof Eye Liner, Vamp Wing, Wingliner (10mm Classic, Midnight Black)

Add-on option #2: WAVE&BREEZE Short Black Wigs with Bangs 14Inch Wavy Curly Bob Wig

Remember this all for fun. And have a safe & fun halloween.

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episodes 5 & 6

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Episode 5: A Trip to Italy

Quasimodo and his new friend The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 5

I’m starting to feel like I’m in some altered state watching The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo. Like, it looks like Hunchback they say it’s hunchback but it’s just not. I don’t know what this is.  I don’t hate it but it’s weird.

Quasimodo and his pals find a carrier pigeon with a damaged message that mentions “world dominion” and a drawing of a war machine. Quasimodo then tells Dennis who tells the King. Frollo’s plot senses go off alerting him that he needs to be a villain for this episode and snoops on Quasimodo. Frollo overhears the plot of the episode and decides he wants the war machine for reason and enlists a shape shifting witch named  Camilleon to assist. Frollo saved her from the gallows which is our novel/hunchback reference of the episode. There is also a discussion of repairing Notre Dame with limestone so I guess we get two.  Frollo needs Camilleon to get close to Quasimodo to learn what he knows about the war machine, its location and who made it. She fails but she does gain animosity towards Esmeralda and asks Frollo to get rid of her.

So a clue points the crew go to Vinci, a small Italian village, and you can guess who made the war machine at this point. It’s a small young boy who gets bullied for being different because he invents stuff and paints. I do really wonder who this painter inventor person from the town of Vinci could be? It’s a real puzzler! Also one could go off more on being a historical grump but I’ll let it go aside for one thing later. 

Quasimodo and the boy instantly bond. Turns out the war machine message was just a big olde misunderstanding, the boy would never take over the world, only a bad guy would ever try to do that. And then Frollo shows up and there are dangerous shenanigans. Camilleon tries to kill Esmeralda and François with the classic using magic to redirect a river to destroy a tower with them on a top, what a cliche. And for whatever reason Camilleon leaves early. Villain 101 states that you must make sure the deed is done but villains always skip class so they never learn that information. Quasimodo then uses the boy’s flying wings to save his friends. And it’s the Secret of the Hunchback all over again.

Also Frollo tries to steal the war machine but it falls apart. Classic Frollo.

And before the gang of pals leave they learn the name of the boy and it’s exactly who you think it is. It’s boy Leonardo da Vinci.           

I don’t want to be THAT person, I really don’t but Leonardo da Vinci would have been 30 in 1482… (then agian Hugo aged-up Pierre Gringoire in the novel so does it matter? it does not)  

Cartoonishly Evil Magician Frollo-type continues to be an utter delight  so all is forgiven for now. I also just love that Frollo just knows when to involve himself. 

Episode 6: The Invisible Thieves

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 6

This episode has our gang of pals going with Angelica to Avignon because it’s to bring your awesome person to the Traveler’s camp day party thing. Basically Quasimodo is awesome and don’t you EVER forget that! Angelica is then accused of stealing the family jewels from the Duke. GASP! She has 2 days to return the jewels or she will be exiled and imprisoned for life. What? How does that work?  I’m confused. Oh well the point is, it’s a bad punishment.

The crew tries to help and while they find a clue at the scene of the crime they speed up the clock to midnight for her exile to go into effect. GASP!  They then find the thief real quick. It’s a creepy puppeteer who is using the jewels on the puppets for decoration. Why? Who knows. He’s a creepy weirdo. Also he has some kind of magic but it’s not explained in the slightest or even how he used the puppets to steal the jewels. Anyway everything works out and Duke begrudgingly apologizes to Angelica for his accusation. Hooray!

It took me a second to figure out why I didn’t like this episode even on the same level as the other episodes thus far. And the reason is no Frollo and creepy puppets but mostly no Frollo. Frollo’s brand of “evil” is too delightful. Though his name could be Bob and the effect would be the same.

Quasimodo says the “Bells of Notre Dame” which is a cute and nice reference to something related to the source material but this episode is in Avignon for some reason. Avignon is almost 700km away from Paris. That is 430 miles to people who don’t know the metric system, like me. So either screw geography which is fine OR Quasimodo has supernatural hearing, a departure from the novel to say the least. Or he thinks every Church with bells is Notre Dame.  THOUGH to be fair and we must be fair, there is a cathedral in Avignon called  Avignon Cathedral  or Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d’Avignon, so maybe that is what he refers to. Though grumpy-me really doubts it. Pox on me for being unfair to a weird children’s show from the 90s.  It’s suppose to be fun and I’m ruining it with no fun logic. That is why I need Cartoonishly Evil Magician Frollo-type to distract me.

I do like how this show goes out its way to kidnap a character and/or take a character out of the action for a second. In this episode’s case Esmeralda trips and hurts her ankle and François gets stuck in the puppeteer’s creepy wagon and needs Quasimodo’s help.    

Quasimodo bridal carrying François makes up for it for things slightly but not enough either. 

Frollo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 5 A Trip to Italy
Frollo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 5

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Episodes 3 & 4

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Episode 3: The Carnival of Fools

Quasimodo, Esmeralda and François, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 3

Feast, Festival, Carnival it’s all the same thing in the end. What is different is the contest in question. But let’s put a pin in that for the moment.

 So The Carnival of Fools is being prepped by our gang of pals, Quasimodo, Esmeralda and François. The King drops by and is most pleased with their work. But who will judge the contest? What is the contest? The ugliest face of Paris like in the book and most of the adaptations? No, that is too mean-spirited. This contest is that the best performer will win the chance to perform for the King. And of course the gang of pals are judges, mostly because they asked.  

Enter The Jester, who is a super honest looking sort of gentleman, right? He is also a magician like Frollo who he seems to be in league with.  So he enters the contest and wows Quasimodo, who has been taking his role as a judge super seriously.    

However it turns out the Jester wants to steal the King’s crown which Frollo also wants. The actual crown with the jewels. Not sure why Frollo would want that aside from wanting to rule, maybe he thinks whomever has the shiny is King. Or he just wants to play dress up. 

Anyway Esmeralda figures out the Jester’s plot using a sixth ability she has. She also has some illusion based magic that comes from her locket which was more detailed this episode. The Jester however ties her in a chest before his performance for the king so she can’t tell anyone.  

Esmeralda then busts out of the trunk she is being held in and informs the crowd as the Jester makes his getaway but he is followed by Quasimodo 

But before Quasimodo can catch him, Frollo runs into the Jester and takes the crown and the Jester gets away.  Quasimodo vows to the king that he will get the crown jewels back because Quasimodo blames himself for the whole thing. Esmeralda sends François to follow while she sees her contact in the streets, not sure what that means. 

Quasimodo’s search leads him down to the spooky underground tunnels which houses something that looks like a sea turtle. Which is rather random but also delightful. However Quasimodo and François get caught by Frollo, who does display a lot of self knowledge, he knows he is a “fabulously good magician and a truly evil man.”  I appreciate that he knows who is and perfectly content with himself. He is not a complex villain with moral ambiguity, then again for the times and genre wise this would have been very rare.

Frollo then demands that Quasimodo and François entertain him and then transform François into a cat because cats are entertaining the internet is proof of that.  

So while Azarof chases François distracting Frollo, Quasimodo and the Jester form a plan. The plan goes great as they get the crown back. Eventually Esmeralda comes for them with the help of cat François and Quasimodo secures possession of the crown from the Jester, who does his best Gollum impression when he thinks the crown fell out while they were running.

With the help of Dennis and books of magic at Notre Dame, they revert François back to a stinky human. Darn he could have been a cat.


This episode has a moral about trust and openness. One shouldn’t distrust people because of a bad experience. One’s openness and willingness to trust may be the very thing to save your life. And while that is not the worst moral I can’t get over magical books at Notre Dame. Sure whatever, in this version Notre Dame seems more like Hogwarts than a religious site. Though I guess it would be more like Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, since the setting is France. Then again I’m not the  biggest fan of Harry Potter.    

 Episode 4: The Star Master

Frollo, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 4

This episode of The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo is a bit weird.

As Quasimodo, Esmeralda and François enjoy a nice outing they notice a lot of very strange things occurring. Geese flying backwards in the sky, a critical donkey getting stuck in a tree and autumn just happening all at once.

Of course Dennis just so happens to know the answer instantly from a book. Very simply a star is about to fall to Earth which will bring the end of the world within 24 hours when the moon rises. And only our gang of pals can stop it by destroying the star. The star looks like a pink crystal. 

Meanwhile, The Oracle, a pal of Frollo, pops into Frollo’s underground layer, which is very tastefully decorated. The Oracle shows him the power of the star using a small fragment, which makes explosions. Frollo is very into this magical items and wants more. The Oracle agrees to bring him to the rest of it if they form a partnership, which Frollo agrees. Frollo then dubs himself  “The Star Master” and he wants to rule the world.  The Oracle is content to be Frollo’s top advisor.  

The gang of pals set out to find the star and notice more weird stuff, like berries tasting like lemons and vine monsters trying to kill François. Then get captured by some thugs that Frollo and  The Oracle employ. They escape only to get captured again by Frollo’s stone gargoyle whose name is apparently Dragon, maybe? 

In the end Frollo allies leave him though he did doublecross The Oracle and the thugs peace out because of the Star’s chaos magic. He half-heartedly tries to recruit Quasimodo, Emeralda and François but  to no avail but the mere attempt was very endearing.  

Dennis and Angelica show up to help destroy the star by throwing into a volcano that magically appeared after the star fell. Everyone works to push the star up into the volcano and the volcano pushes the star back into orbit and the world is saved.   

A “Blind” Thug, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 4

The premise of this episode is very creative and quite high stakes for a Hunchback version. 

Aside from the names, and the concept of the village of thugs, this episode does not feel like it was inspired by any version of Hunchback. That is not inherently a bad thing but worth mentioning. For the most part this show has seemed somewhat grounded in the source material  up until this episode. 

The only real Hunchback-ish reference was a random man who was wearing glasses that was holding a sign reading “blind.”  Very Court of Miracles.  

Frollo, Quasimodo, Esmeralda, François, The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode 4

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo: Episodes 1 & 2

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Episode 1: Evil Unmasked 

Quasimodo and Esmeralda from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode One, Evil Unmasked 
Quasimodo and Esmeralda from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode One

The first episode of The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, sees our boy, Quasimodo, meeting Esmeralda and her brother François for the first time.  Right off the bat, François is the Gringoire character. Not sure why he was not given the name Pierre but there you have it.  He’s François.

Esmeralda and François are performers but they do engage in some more devious methods of money making. Mostly Djali tears at on-lookers’ coin purses and François tells the person who then gives him a reward for his honesty. Only bad guys would actually steal. 

François is also a delightfully bad poet, I loved his poem. Seriously, it made me laugh. 

Esmeralda is performing when she spots Quasimodo who is atop Notre Dame. They take an instant liking to each other. Quasimodo in this version is sixteen years old and he seems to function more as cleaner of the cathedral and not so much as the bell ringer.  

Esmeralda and Quasimodo cross paths properly when he saves her from being arrested. But why is she being arrested? For performing without a license, which is just a form of exhortation as Esmeralda explains. 

So Quasimodo helps her but gets arrested himself. Esmeralda and François along with Djali bust him out of prison, using a combination of skills in their skill set. 

While that is going on there is a plot to kill the King. Oh No! Frollo, who is a magician and does something at Notre Dame, has hired a guard to recruit a thug who is in prison to carry out an assassination plot during a masked ball. It’s while Quasimodo is in jail that he overhears the plan and then enlists Esmeralda and François to help. 

The crew of new pals thwarts the thug but then Frollo decides to do the deed himself because gosh darn does he want to rule France. Again Quasimodo thwarts the plan using Frollo’s dog, Azarof, to sniff him out. Frollo is caught with a dagger and gets away after he brings gargoyles to life and flies away. Because this Frollo can and does that. 

This episode showcases Quasimodo, Esmeralda and François’ ingenuity as they very effortlessly solve the conflict.  It also shows us that Frollo is truly evil as he is mean to his puppy-dog. 

Also it is weird to see the King so nice. That is a new interaction for Louis XI. 

Episode 2: Frollo’s Revenge

Quasimodo and Dennis from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode Two, Frollo's Revenge
Quasimodo and Dennis from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode Two

Or Frollo Strikes Back! No, one calls it that. 

This episode is about Frollo’s retaliation for getting banished to the spooky underground tunnels after his coup failed. Far be it for me apply lines of successions on a children’s story but even if Frollo did murder Louis XI, he would not have been crowned but Frollo despite being a magician is none too smart. Or blinded by ambition. 

Qusimodo learns about his backstory from Dennis, the archdeacon. His parents were super noble nobles and alchemists who were very close to learning how to make gold from lead. They were doing this to help the poor being they are super noble nobles.

Dennis gives Quasimodo a medallion which is most likely his family crest, which is  an eagle holding a snake. Interestingly enough the symbolism of the eagle for a family crest  is “Emblematic of fortitude and magnanimity of mind.*” And the snake is “Emblematic of wisdom & medicine.*”  Not sure if this was intentional or not since eagles and snakes are common but it does showcase Quasimodo’s bravery and intelligence as well as his parents for being more or less scientists. The snake symbol has ties to Hermes who has connections to alchemy.    

As this is happening, Esmeralda, François, Djali and their adopted Grandmother Angelica are leaving Paris along with the other nomads at noon. This bums Quasimodo out but he convinces them to meet him in the square to say a proper good-bye. This is when Frollo strikes using his dog to steal Quasimodo’s medallion to lure him underground in the aforementioned spooky-ooky tunnels.  

Once down there Frollo turns rats into human-size guards, complete with helmets and swords. This is bad news for Quasimodo because he hates rats. 

Esmeralda figures out something is wrong when Quasimodo doesn’t show up and she and François help out. She manages to halt the rat by giving them the cheese she had bought earlier. 

In the end Frollo summons a green whirlpool looking vortex thing. Quasimodo is hanging on to Frollo who is begging Quasmodo not to let go because though he was mean to him in the past it was for Quasimodo’s own good. Remember Frollo used to do something at Notre Dame and watch Quasimodo grow up. Quaismodo doesn’t drop him if only to get this medallion back. Frollo then rages but then leaves by magical means.   

Also in the end, Angelica takes a supervisor cleaning job at Notre Dame  which means Esmeralda and François can stay in Paris.  Hooray!

Frollo tells Quasimodo that his parents were not nobles which is a departure  from the novel. As Frollo’s parents were  low ranking nobles, petty nobles, who had a small fief of twenty-one houses according to  book four chapter two of the novel. If you want to get really specific it’s the estate of Tirechappe. 

And it’s Quasimodo who is descended from nobles. Which is a departure from the novel but there is magic in this version so let’s just not hold it against the book too much.  

Also this version of Frollo seems more like Aladdin’s Jafar than either the book or Disney’s Gaston which was the case in two other off-Disney versions of Hunchback.  

Frollo's dog Azarof from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode Two, Frollo's Revenge
Frollo’s dog Azarof from The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo, Episode Two

Just a quick note – I’ve been watching this show on Amazon and episodes two and three were flopped for some reason so this second episode  is listed as three on Amazon.

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo

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The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo cover art picture iamge
The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo Cover Art

Well the time has come to take up the mantle of reviewing a Hunchback version geared at children once again.

The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo has been long been requested. I watched the first episode maybe two years ago and I was ambivalent towards this version. I found it neither good nor awful. It was a children version that was clearly not for me, a grumpy person and perhaps at the time a super judgmental adult who reviews Hunchback versions on the internet.

Now all that is possibly still true but I like to think I’ve soften over the years regarding my views on Hunchback versions. After all it has been nearly two years since I have reviewed a version. But now I’m reviewing this one. Not sure if my less “angry critic” approach will be make for entertaining internet content but oh well. C’est la vie.

So what is The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo before we get started?

Very simply, it’s a 26 episode Canadian children’s TV show that came out in May 1996. Same year as the Disney version.

Some very introductory differences are that Esmeralda has a brother, named François. Frollo is a magician and has a dog named Azarof. It seems according to wiki that he “plotted’ to kill the king of France. Though that could just be his thing throughout the show (spoiler it is). And Esmeralda and François have an adopted Grandmother called Angelica. I’m sure there are many more differences to be revealed.

A bit of house keeping. As of this moment I’m not sure what the the schedule for reviews will be nor do I know how many episodes will be covered in each post. The aim is more than one. I don’t know much right now. If you know Meyers-Briggs at all consider me a super P type right now.

So see you when we get to episode one.

Site Update

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This a small but a very important update regarding  posts moving forward. 

In the past I have tried to separate the word usage of Romani and the Romani characters in Hugo’s novel and various adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. My thought was that for the collective group of  people I would use “Romani” and when referencing characters like Esmeralda I used the word that  the adaptations and Hugo’s novel often used. 

I no longer feel it is appropriate to use the “G-word” in this or any capacity anymore and I will just not be using that term in any posts moving forward. I will just call any Romani character as such.  (Edit- the words I will use will be either “Travelers” or “Nomads.” )

I was on the fence about using the term  for direct quotes like if I was quoting a lyric like from Hellfire  for example but I think I will censor the word if I’m quoting something.  Which I don’t often do but could come up. 

This also extends to any and all Facebook and Twitter posts I make and Hubpages articles I write on Hunchback. The point of the matter is I will just no longer use that derogatory word again in blogging, a social media capacity or in my daily life. 

I don’t know if  I will edit past posts at this point but I might. The possibility exists. I have been editing my Hubpages articles that are Hunchback in content albeit slowly. 

I’m making this post for transparency. It’s  not for “kudos”or to show that I’m a oh so enlightened white person. It’s a hateful, ignorant word and shouldn’t be used. No one can change how the word was used in past versions or the book but we can move beyond it.

I’m not a filmmaker so I don’ know how future versions will handle using that word but I do hope they air on the understanding side with regards to the Romani.

(Regarding Comments, in the past I have kept them turned off due to mental health issues. I’m allowing them right now on this post for the moment (3 months as I have the setting on right now.) I really don’t think I will get any comments since the blog has been in a state of hiatus since 2019. If you do leave a comment be respectful. I will delete and ban any troll/out-right rude comments.

7 wacky Tales of Hunchback

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Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame picture image
Djali Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame

I just didn’t want to let the year ago without making at least one post (even though I did update a post way back in February) and I haven’t made a new post since February 2019. Where does the time go?

I won’t lie and say I will be back posting regularly even though I still have a lot ideas for content but as of December 20th the blog is 10 years old which is crazy so I just wanted something for such an occasion.

So, I found some short story prompts that I wrote ages ago. I have no desire to write them as actual stories but I will share them. I guess my idea were they were wacky and in parenthesis I wrote an adjective for I guess mood or tone. Also my handwriting is dismissal so I’m not sure if what I post is actually what I meant. If you’re inspired by any these, go for it.

  1. Frollo invents a thing that summons a fire breathing dragon (daring)*
  2. Fleur de Lys discovers that her hair has healing powers (bitter)**
  3. Esmeralda daydreams about eating a poisoned apple (lively)
  4. Phoebus befriends a monster (adventure)
  5. Gringoire becomes lover of the faeries (love story)***
  6. Clopin’s holiday feast is eaten by gnomes (bitter)
  7. Quasimodo finds a magic lamp (thoughtful)****

*I think the word is “daring” Not sure what else it could be but I’m not sure that makes sense.

** Rapunzel much?

***I think I wrote “lover” but it could be “lawyer” or “leaver” …?

****This is giving me Quasimodo del Paris vibes

(sorry that comments are turned off right now because I can’t deal with them right now but hunchblog twitter and facebook are still active so you can leave stuff there if you wish)