Can a blue monster find his place in a human middle school classroom?
In short: Bunsen is a small, fun-loving monster who makes history as the first beast to attend Muckledunk Middle School. Alongside his human friend Mikey, he navigates the challenges of fitting into a new culture while constantly outsmarting a classmate determined to prove that monsters and humans simply cannot coexist peacefully.
Created by Butch Hartman, Bunsen Is a Beast originated from a 2009 sketch of a monster and a boy. After a Nickelodeon executive spotted the drawing in Hartman's office, development began in 2012, leading to a green light for storyboards in 2014. The series, which eventually spanned twenty-six episodes, was Hartman's final project for the network before his 2018 departure. The show premiered on January 16, 2017, and concluded its run on Nicktoons in February 2018.
The narrative centers on the social integration of Bunsen, a blue and white creature with magenta limbs, who faces prejudice from his classmate Amanda Killman. Amanda, a self-proclaimed ingénue, views Bunsen as a threat to society and actively schemes to ensure his kind faces extinction. While the show features lighthearted, over-the-top situations, it also carries a deeper message about embracing outsiders. Hartman noted that the series was partially intended as a metaphor for accepting refugees, emphasizing the importance of finding a place to fit in regardless of one's background.
Critics offered mixed but generally positive feedback. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times compared the show's energy to classic Hanna-Barbera and Tex Avery cartoons, praising its timely message regarding outsiders. Conversely, Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media awarded the series three out of five stars, noting that while the premise is admirable, some of the show's more irritating elements occasionally overshadow its positive themes. Despite these critiques, the series found an international audience, airing in countries including Australia, Greece, and France, and remains a notable example of animated storytelling focused on the complexities of cultural coexistence.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Bunsen Is a Beast
- Also: Wikidata — Bunsen Is a Beast · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Bunsen Is a Beast, season 1 · CC0
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