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{{Tabber/Book|previous=Night of the Living Dummy II|next=The Horror at Camp Jellyjam}}
 
{{Infobox book
 
{{Infobox book
 
|image = <tabber>
 
|image = <tabber>
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</tabber>
 
</tabber>
 
|name = The Barking Ghost
 
|name = The Barking Ghost
|tag = Bad Dog. Really BAD Dog.
+
|tag = Bad Dog. ''Really'' BAD Dog.
 
|author = [[R.L. Stine]]
 
|author = [[R.L. Stine]]
 
|artist = [[Tim Jacobus]]
 
|artist = [[Tim Jacobus]]
Line 24: Line 25:
   
 
==Blurb==
 
==Blurb==
  +
<span style="font-family: Futura Condensed, Medium Condensed, Oswald; color: #EF1D26; font-size:18pt;">''IT'S A DOG-GONE NIGHTMARE!''</span>
<big>''It's a Dog-Gone Nightmare!''</big>
 
   
 
Scared of his own shadow. That's what everyone says about Cooper Holmes. But when the Holmeses move into a new house deep in the woods, scary things really do start happening. Problem is, no one believes a scaredy-cat like Cooper. But then no one else heard the bone-chilling barking late at night. Or ran into two evil-looking dogs who disappeared into thin air...
 
Scared of his own shadow. That's what everyone says about Cooper Holmes. But when the Holmeses move into a new house deep in the woods, scary things really do start happening. Problem is, no one believes a scaredy-cat like Cooper. But then no one else heard the bone-chilling barking late at night. Or ran into two evil-looking dogs who disappeared into thin air...
   
 
==Plot==
 
==Plot==
  +
[[Cooper Holmes]] and his family have just moved from Boston to a new home within the woods of Maine. Cooper is easy to scare, so his obnoxious brother, Mickey, takes pleasure in pulling cruel pranks. The first night after the family moves in, Mickey hides under Cooper's bed in an attempt to scare him. After sending his brother out, Cooper is kept up by frightening sounds outside. The one that catches his attention the most is the sound of a dog barking. This is odd because there isn't another house for miles, and he hasn't seen a single dog in the forests. Cooper believes it could be another trick by his brother, but when he hears that there is actually [[Ghost Dogs|two dogs]] barking, he begins to think otherwise.       
{{CopyWarning|[[Blogger Beware]]}}
 
[[Cooper Holmes]] is an easy-to-scare twelve-year-old boy. He and his family have just moved into a new house. Cooper's family has moved from an urban dwelling in [[Wikipedia: Boston|Boston]] to a house in the middle of a forest in rural [[Wikipedia: Maine|Maine]] because of Cooper's mother's job.
 
   
  +
The next morning, Cooper investigates outside for any signs of the dogs, but finds nothing. Not even paw prints are to be seen. While investigating, Cooper runs into a strange girl named [[Fergie Ferguson|Margaret Ferguson]]. She introduces herself as "Fergie" and says she is one of Cooper's neighbors. She tells Cooper he needs to move far away from the woods, as both the woods, and his house are haunted. Unexpectedly, Margaret becomes incredibly frightened. She begins screaming about dogs, and she runs away. Cooper runs after her, hoping to obtain some answers. When he finds her, Margaret acts as though she has no recollection of the event. Cooper goes home to warn his parents, but, on the way there, he is chased down by two large, ghostly, black labradors. He tells his father, but his father is skeptical, as none of the neighbors own dogs.
Cooper is so afraid of his new surroundings that he stays up all night thinking he sees strange, unexplained things through his window, like a snake (garden hose) and a horrible monster (bunny rabbit). He hears some scuffling below his bed and when he goes to investigate, someone tries to choke him to death. It is only his fifteen-year-old brother named [[Mickey Holmes|Mickey]] who was wearing a wolf mask in order to frighten and choke Cooper. This then leads to the two boys fighting in Cooper's bedroom, only to be interrupted by their father, who tell them that fighting is inappropriate behavior for the first night in a new house. Mickey gets into more trouble and his father told him to either leave his little brother Cooper alone or he will start at his new school grounded.
 
   
  +
Later that night, Cooper wakes up to the sound of barking and finds a bag of potato chips torn to shreds on the floor. The following morning, Margaret knocks on Cooper's door and says she needs to talk to him. Margaret reveals her warning was only a joke, made up by Mickey in attempt to scare Cooper. She apologizes, but Cooper tells her that he saw two dogs in the woods. Margaret believes him, and she admits that she's scared of dogs.
Once Mickey leaves, Cooper hears two dogs barking outside his window. Cooper thinks it could be his older brother Mickey again. Still, Cooper believes it could be real dogs and this scares him. The next morning, Cooper investigates his backyard and the surrounding forest for any evidence of the two ghost dogs, but finds nothing. He decides to be brave and go into the forest.
 
   
  +
To get back at Mickey, Cooper and Fergie formulate a plan for revenge. Margaret tells Cooper that the rest of her family will be travelling to Vermont, so she can stay at his house for a few days. The two attempt to prank Mickey by placing a fake rat on his pillow, but Mickey emerges from the closet, saying he knew they were planning to prank him, as he had been spying on them all day.
While in the forest, he meets a strange red-haired girl named [[Fergie Ferguson|Margaret "Fergie" Ferguson]]. She knows Cooper's name and warns him that he and his family must move away, that their house is haunted. Cooper rushes away to go tell his parents that they have to move. On the way back to his house, two Labradors appear out of nowhere and chase Cooper all the way home. He tries to convince his family of the dog's existence, but they think he is lying. Cooper spends the rest of the day pouting in his bedroom, unpacking his snow dome collection. That night, Cooper hears barking from the living room. When he goes down to investigate, he sees a bag of potato chips torn open and scattered all over the floor. Mickey shows up and makes fun of Cooper. Cooper picks up and throws the gutted potato chip bag at Mickey.
 
   
  +
Cooper spots the dogs outside, so he and Marget go outside to investigate. The two friends eventually find the dogs, who seem to want to show them something. They follow the dogs, who eventually vanish through the walls of a large shack in the woods. Cooper and Margaret realize that the dogs are actually ghosts. They enter the shack, and the dogs begin speaking in human voices. The dogs reveal that they were once human, and they have been searching for a way to revert back to human form. The dogs are able to swap bodies with Margaret and Cooper. As a result, Margaret and Cooper's minds are swapped into the dog bodies.
The next morning, Cooper runs into Margaret and she apologizes and admits that the chips in the living room were part of Mickey's scheme to scare Cooper. Mickey had asked Margaret to tell Cooper that their house was haunted. But once she saw how scared Cooper was getting, she felt bad.
 
   
  +
The two friends, now dogs, try to hunt down their impostors, who have made their way into Cooper's home. Cooper breaks into his house to warn his parents, but his voice only comes out as barking. His mother panics, as she is allergic to dogs. They attempt to drive the dogs out, but the two come back to the house. Cooper tries everything to get his family to realize its him, but nothing works. Cooper's mother says they may need to call animal control to put the dogs down. The two come to an agreement; the only way to get back to their normal selves is to drag their impostors back to the same shack that they originally swapped bodies in. 
He asks her, if she believes him about the dogs. She says yes and they become friends. Then Mickey shows up in the forest, his clothing torn open and blood all over. He laughs when they freak out and mocks Cooper by saying "You always fall for fake blood."
 
   
Margaret and Cooper decide that they are going to come up with the perfect plan to get Mickey back. Margaret's family is leaving for Vermont so she stays with the Holmes for a few days. At midnight, the two prepare to deliver revenge on Mickey with their genius plan. Cooper and Margaret plan to tie a fake rat to a string and dangle it in Mickey's bed. Mickey fools them by hiding in the closet.
+
They are able to do so, and they manage to trap the fake Margaret and Cooper in the shack. The body swap works. However, Cooper and Margaret discover that they accidentally swapped bodies with a pair of chipmunks instead. Margaret asks Cooper what they should do next, and Cooper suggests that they should hunt for acorns, as he is hungry.
 
Cooper and Margaret see the two dogs running around the house and Cooper insists that the two go out and investigate. This leads to the two ghost dogs holding them captive outside their house, and then dragging them to a shack out in the forest. Margaret thinks they should go ahead and see whatever it is that the dogs want to show them. The two dogs shove the two children into the shack, where they fell down was a hole. Then the dogs start speaking to them. See, the ghost dogs were originally humans who were turned into dogs. They've been waiting for two humans to trick into going into the changing room, so they can take over their human form.
 
 
Margaret and Cooper turn into dogs. The dogs turn into Cooper and Margaret. As dogs, Cooper and Margaret communicate telepathically and try to find a way to tell Cooper's parents that they are not really dogs. Cooper tries telling them directly, but it comes out as, "Woof woof woof woof woof." The two dogs then try running around and barking some more, which only frustrates the Holmes. The ghost dogs then re-break into the Holmes’ house and Cooper tries to write a letter to his parents, but discovers that dogs can't write. The parents show up and ask the dogs "Didn't we just tell you to get out?!"
 
 
In a final act of desperation, Cooper hears the fake-Cooper telling his parents that he hates liver, when in fact actual Cooper loves liver. Realizing that this is his chance to convince them that he is the real Cooper, Cooper-Dog runs into the house and eats the liver from the plate.
 
 
Finally, Cooper and Margaret decide the only way to get the two humans back into the changing room is to drag them there. So they do, and the parents follow behind the two children getting dragged away by giant dogs, calmly noting that it should be interesting to see what the dogs want to show Margaret and Cooper.
 
 
Cooper-Dog and Margaret throw the fake Cooper and Margaret into the changing room. Afterwards, they jump in themselves. In a twist, they are transformed into chipmunks; two chipmunks had wandered into the changing room. Cooper's parents and Mickey come in and leave the shack with the impostors who are still in Cooper and Margret's bodies. The real Cooper and Margaret try to catch up, but the chipmunk-dogs cut them off before barking at them and disappearing into the woods. Cooper asks Margaret what they should do, and she suggest that they should hunt for acorns.
 
   
 
==Reprints and rereleases==
 
==Reprints and rereleases==
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thebarkingghost-spanish2.jpg|Mexican
 
thebarkingghost-spanish2.jpg|Mexican
 
thebarkingghost-czech.jpg|Czech
 
thebarkingghost-czech.jpg|Czech
  +
OS 32 Barking Ghost Hebrew orig cover.jpg|Hebrew
 
The Barking Ghost - Danish Cover - Det knurrende spøgelse.jpg|Danish
 
The Barking Ghost - Danish Cover - Det knurrende spøgelse.jpg|Danish
 
thebarkingghost-portuguese1.jpeg|Portuguese
 
thebarkingghost-portuguese1.jpeg|Portuguese
Line 105: Line 96:
 
** Cooper and Mickey are called 'Carlos and Camilo Madeira'
 
** Cooper and Mickey are called 'Carlos and Camilo Madeira'
 
** Margaret is called 'Margarida Ferreira (Ferreirinha)'
 
** Margaret is called 'Margarida Ferreira (Ferreirinha)'
  +
  +
==Merchandise==
  +
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navtemplate console"
  +
! colspan="2" style="background:green" |Gallery
  +
|-
  +
| align="left" |
  +
<gallery bordercolor="#007a00" hideaddbutton="true">
  +
32 Barking Ghost Glow Dark Topps Trading Card.jpg|Topps Glow-in-the-Dark trading card
  +
32 Barking Ghost GB red drippy logo black 90s T-shirt.jpg|T-shirt
  +
32 Barking Ghost GB red drippy logo black 90s T-shirt detail.jpg|T-shirt detail
  +
Barking_Ghost_90s_Tee.jpg|Bad Dog Really Bad Dog T-Shirt
  +
Thebarkingghost-pencilsharpener.png|Pencil sharpener box
  +
32 Barking Ghost Pencil Sharpener box side.jpg|Pencil Sharpener box (side)
  +
Thebarkingghost-pencilsharpener-unboxed.jpg|Pencil Sharpener (Unboxed)
  +
Goosebumps pencil case.jpg|Desk caddy
  +
Sticker Packets.jpg|Stickers
  +
Barkingghostcard.jpg|Greeting card from Hallmark
  +
</gallery>
  +
|}
   
 
==Television adaptation==
 
==Television adaptation==
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<gallery position="left" hideaddbutton="true" spacing="small" widths="200" bordercolor="transparent" orientation="none" columns="4" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" navigation="true">
 
<gallery position="left" hideaddbutton="true" spacing="small" widths="200" bordercolor="transparent" orientation="none" columns="4" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" navigation="true">
 
Goosebumpswiki-tvepisode-button2.png|[[:The_Barking_Ghost/TV_Episode|Click here for a full article about the television adaptation.]]|link=:The_Barking_Ghost/TV_Episode
 
Goosebumpswiki-tvepisode-button2.png|[[:The_Barking_Ghost/TV_Episode|Click here for a full article about the television adaptation.]]|link=:The_Barking_Ghost/TV_Episode
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
==Advertisement==
  +
<gallery widths="235" bordercolor="transparent" spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true">
  +
OS 32 The Barking Ghost bookad from OS 31 1stpr.jpg|Book advertisement from ''[[Night of the Living Dummy II]]''.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   
Line 116: Line 131:
 
<gallery widths="235" bordercolor="transparent" spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true">
 
<gallery widths="235" bordercolor="transparent" spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true">
 
The Barking Ghost - artwork.jpg|Original 1994 artwork by [[Tim Jacobus]].
 
The Barking Ghost - artwork.jpg|Original 1994 artwork by [[Tim Jacobus]].
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
==Tear-outs==
  +
Some versions of the original print included a "free terrifying tattoo" [[Goosebumps (original series)/Tear-outs|tear-out]]. Other versions included a "summer 1995 calendar" pull-out poster.
  +
<gallery widths="220" bordercolor="transparent" spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true" columns="dynamic" orientation="none">
  +
Thebarkingghost-pullout poster.png|"Summer 1995 calendar" pull-out poster.
  +
OS 32 Barking Ghost ad May 1995 Scholastic Arrow.jpg|Ad for the school market edition with poster tear-out, Scholastic Arrow book order May 1995
  +
Goosebumps 32 Barking Ghost terrifying tattoo front and back.jpg|Included "Terrifying Tattoo"
  +
OS 32 Barking Ghost cover 1stprint w Terrifying Tattoo.jpg|Cover advertising "Terrifying Tattoo"
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
   
 
== Trivia ==
 
== Trivia ==
 
* Cooper and Mickey's father is mentioned by name in the book: Sam Holmes.
 
* Cooper and Mickey's father is mentioned by name in the book: Sam Holmes.
* The cover of the book is very similar to the Stephen King novel, Cujo.
+
* The cover of this book is very similar to the [[wikipedia:Stephen King|Stephen King]] novel, ''[[wikipedia:Cujo|Cujo]]''.
  +
* This book also contains a subtle nod to Stephen King's books when Cooper mentions that he's only read two scary books in his life, both of which took place in the woods of Maine. Most of King's horror novels take place in fictional Maine towns.
 
* Some early copies of the book (including the first printing) came with a fold-out poster detailing the 1995 summer release schedule for several [[Goosebumps (franchise)|''Goosebumps'']] books. Later copies of the book came with a "terrifying tattoo".
 
* Some early copies of the book (including the first printing) came with a fold-out poster detailing the 1995 summer release schedule for several [[Goosebumps (franchise)|''Goosebumps'']] books. Later copies of the book came with a "terrifying tattoo".
 
* Stine has stated that this was one of his least favorite ''Goosebumps'' books, along with ''[[Go Eat Worms!]]''.
 
* Stine has stated that this was one of his least favorite ''Goosebumps'' books, along with ''[[Go Eat Worms!]]''.
  +
* This was the last book in the UK line to use different art. From ''[[The Horror at Camp Jellyjam]]'' onward, the covers used Tim Jacobus' art. Although the 10th Collection book features the Tim Jacobus art for this book and'' [[Night of the Living Dummy II]]''.
  +
*This book references The Boston Red Sox, Indiana Jones, and Lassie.
  +
  +
=== References in Other ''Goosebumps'' Media ===
  +
* The Barking Ghost is featured as one the [[Goosebumps HorrorLand (video game)/Monster Cards|Monster Cards]] in the video game [[Goosebumps HorrorLand (video game)|Goosebumps HorrorLand]].
  +
 
{{GoosebumpsOS}}
 
{{GoosebumpsOS}}
 
[[Category:Ghosts (topic)]]
 
[[Category:Ghosts (topic)]]
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[[Category:Transformations]]
 
[[Category:Transformations]]
 
[[Category:Houses]]
 
[[Category:Houses]]
[[Category:Bullies]]
+
[[Category:Bullies (topic)]]
 
[[Category:Books Released In 1995]]
 
[[Category:Books Released In 1995]]
 
[[Category:Covers by Tim Jacobus]]
 
[[Category:Covers by Tim Jacobus]]

Revision as of 18:34, 5 May 2020


Navigation:
Book


The Barking Ghost is the thirty-second book in the original Goosebumps book series. It was first published in 1995.

The cover illustration features a ghostly dog growling at a nightfall with red eyes.

Blurb

IT'S A DOG-GONE NIGHTMARE!

Scared of his own shadow. That's what everyone says about Cooper Holmes. But when the Holmeses move into a new house deep in the woods, scary things really do start happening. Problem is, no one believes a scaredy-cat like Cooper. But then no one else heard the bone-chilling barking late at night. Or ran into two evil-looking dogs who disappeared into thin air...

Plot

Cooper Holmes and his family have just moved from Boston to a new home within the woods of Maine. Cooper is easy to scare, so his obnoxious brother, Mickey, takes pleasure in pulling cruel pranks. The first night after the family moves in, Mickey hides under Cooper's bed in an attempt to scare him. After sending his brother out, Cooper is kept up by frightening sounds outside. The one that catches his attention the most is the sound of a dog barking. This is odd because there isn't another house for miles, and he hasn't seen a single dog in the forests. Cooper believes it could be another trick by his brother, but when he hears that there is actually two dogs barking, he begins to think otherwise.       

The next morning, Cooper investigates outside for any signs of the dogs, but finds nothing. Not even paw prints are to be seen. While investigating, Cooper runs into a strange girl named Margaret Ferguson. She introduces herself as "Fergie" and says she is one of Cooper's neighbors. She tells Cooper he needs to move far away from the woods, as both the woods, and his house are haunted. Unexpectedly, Margaret becomes incredibly frightened. She begins screaming about dogs, and she runs away. Cooper runs after her, hoping to obtain some answers. When he finds her, Margaret acts as though she has no recollection of the event. Cooper goes home to warn his parents, but, on the way there, he is chased down by two large, ghostly, black labradors. He tells his father, but his father is skeptical, as none of the neighbors own dogs.

Later that night, Cooper wakes up to the sound of barking and finds a bag of potato chips torn to shreds on the floor. The following morning, Margaret knocks on Cooper's door and says she needs to talk to him. Margaret reveals her warning was only a joke, made up by Mickey in attempt to scare Cooper. She apologizes, but Cooper tells her that he saw two dogs in the woods. Margaret believes him, and she admits that she's scared of dogs.

To get back at Mickey, Cooper and Fergie formulate a plan for revenge. Margaret tells Cooper that the rest of her family will be travelling to Vermont, so she can stay at his house for a few days. The two attempt to prank Mickey by placing a fake rat on his pillow, but Mickey emerges from the closet, saying he knew they were planning to prank him, as he had been spying on them all day.

Cooper spots the dogs outside, so he and Marget go outside to investigate. The two friends eventually find the dogs, who seem to want to show them something. They follow the dogs, who eventually vanish through the walls of a large shack in the woods. Cooper and Margaret realize that the dogs are actually ghosts. They enter the shack, and the dogs begin speaking in human voices. The dogs reveal that they were once human, and they have been searching for a way to revert back to human form. The dogs are able to swap bodies with Margaret and Cooper. As a result, Margaret and Cooper's minds are swapped into the dog bodies.

The two friends, now dogs, try to hunt down their impostors, who have made their way into Cooper's home. Cooper breaks into his house to warn his parents, but his voice only comes out as barking. His mother panics, as she is allergic to dogs. They attempt to drive the dogs out, but the two come back to the house. Cooper tries everything to get his family to realize its him, but nothing works. Cooper's mother says they may need to call animal control to put the dogs down. The two come to an agreement; the only way to get back to their normal selves is to drag their impostors back to the same shack that they originally swapped bodies in. 

They are able to do so, and they manage to trap the fake Margaret and Cooper in the shack. The body swap works. However, Cooper and Margaret discover that they accidentally swapped bodies with a pair of chipmunks instead. Margaret asks Cooper what they should do next, and Cooper suggests that they should hunt for acorns, as he is hungry.

Reprints and rereleases

Book Release date Type Media

Monster Edition #3


Monsteredition3
September 1997 Collection Hardcover

2003 - 2007 reprint series


The Barking Ghost - Reprint
September 2003 Standalone Paperback

International releases

Differences

  • In Portugal, this is the thirty-third book in the original Goosebumps series.
  • In the Portuguese adaptation of the story there are some notable differences:
    • Cooper and Mickey are called 'Carlos and Camilo Madeira'
    • Margaret is called 'Margarida Ferreira (Ferreirinha)'

Merchandise

Television adaptation

The Barking Ghost was adapted into an episode of the Goosebumps TV series. It is the seventh episode of season three, and the fifty-first episode overall.

Artwork

Tear-outs

Some versions of the original print included a "free terrifying tattoo" tear-out. Other versions included a "summer 1995 calendar" pull-out poster.

Trivia

  • Cooper and Mickey's father is mentioned by name in the book: Sam Holmes.
  • The cover of this book is very similar to the Stephen King novel, Cujo.
  • This book also contains a subtle nod to Stephen King's books when Cooper mentions that he's only read two scary books in his life, both of which took place in the woods of Maine. Most of King's horror novels take place in fictional Maine towns.
  • Some early copies of the book (including the first printing) came with a fold-out poster detailing the 1995 summer release schedule for several Goosebumps books. Later copies of the book came with a "terrifying tattoo".
  • Stine has stated that this was one of his least favorite Goosebumps books, along with Go Eat Worms!.
  • This was the last book in the UK line to use different art. From The Horror at Camp Jellyjam onward, the covers used Tim Jacobus' art. Although the 10th Collection book features the Tim Jacobus art for this book and Night of the Living Dummy II.
  • This book references The Boston Red Sox, Indiana Jones, and Lassie.

References in Other Goosebumps Media