recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Fester Rancid

**Fester Rancid** is the twelfth episode of the first series.

## Plot

Bubo has sneaked out of the trap door, and has come back to torment Boni and Drutt. Berk, wondering why Boni suddenly went missing from his hole, soon discovers that Bubo has returned to cause more trouble. Before Berk is able to put a stop to Bubo’s bad behaviour, Bubo kidnaps Boni, and the two of them rush out of the castle. Berk and Drutt head outside to rescue Boni.

As Bubo runs off with Boni, Boni pleads for Bubo to stop handling him on his trolley so violently. Bubo finds a nearby swamp to stop off at. Boni orders Bubo to take him home, but Bubo obviously ignores him. Instead, Bubo continues tormenting Boni. He makes rude gestures at Boni, before running off for a short while. Bubo returns with a broken branch, and continually whacks Boni with it.

Berk and Drutt soon arrive on the scene. Berk looks around for Boni, and shortly spots him, after hearing Boni yelling at the top of his voice. Just as Berk is about to take Boni home, Bubo decides to attacks Berk with the branch, causing him to plummet into a lake. Berk is far from amused by what happened, but Boni and Drutt fail to resist laughing at what they just witnessed. After Boni calms down, Berk asks him how he is able to get out of the lake. However, his problem is immediately solved, as a monster appears from the lake, which causes Berk to jump out in shock.

Only seconds later, Bubo reappears. After chucking some mud at Berk, he runs off again. Berk chases Bubo, and successfully catches him. After Berk gives Bubo a good “bonking”, Bubo receives further punishment from Berk. Berk throws Bubo into the lake, which Berk hopes will rid him of the naughty little creature for good. However, as Berk, Boni and Drutt make their way back to the castle, Bubo sneaks out.

## Trivia

* The episode’s title is a play-on-words, and is a reference to Esther Rantzen, who was a popular television presenter for the BBC at the time of the episode’s original release. Thanks in part to the late Terry Wogan (who was also known for narrating *The Trap Door*’s sister show, *Stoppit and Tidyup*), Rantzen’s name was open to many parodic variations.
* This episode marks Bubo’s second appearance in the TV series; he made his onscreen TV series debut in *Gourmet’s Delight*.
* Berk makes a callback to the “bonking” scene in *Slither, Wriggle and Writhe*, as he captures and wrestles Bubo offscreen.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Creepy Crawly Adventures* (1986; re-released in 1991)
* *Breakfast Time and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Big Red Thing (character)

## The Big Red Thing

**The Big Red Thing** is a large, strong and aggressive orange-red monster from The Trap Door, who is one of the more regularly-appearing trap door monsters seen in the series.

## Biography

The Big Red Thing made his very first appearance in the very first episode of the series, Breakfast Time. As the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast is eaten by The Big Yellow Thing, Berk accidentally leaves the trap door open, and the Big Red Thing comes out. Berk, startled by the aggressive monster, runs away from him, and hides in an empty chamber. However, the Red Thing pursues Berk, and he finds him. Before he is about to attack Berk, he sees himself in the mirror that Berk is hiding behind of. This causes the Red Thing to run back down the trap door, likely due to being frightened by his own reflection.

The Big Red Thing has had a few other appearances in the first season. In Don’t Open That Trap Door, he comes out of the trap door, along with several other monsters, to dance along to the theme song of The Trap Door from Berk’s radio. In Bye Bye Berk, when Berk accidentally leaves the trap door open, the Red Thing is one of many trap door monsters to emerge.

The Big Red Thing makes his central (and final) appearance in the very last episode, which is of the same name. The Big Red Thing causes harm to Berk, Boni and Drutt. After attacking Rogg, the Red Thing storms violently out of the castle. Angered and injured, Rogg follows after the Red Thing, hoping to find the big mean monster, and to teach him a lesson. Berk, Boni, Drutt and Drutt’s Nippers also follow, and they find the Red Thing and Rogg fighting. The Red Thing knocks Rogg out, and he then runs off. However, as Rogg wakes up, the Red Thing reappears, and terrorises the group one last time.
Midnight Snack

**Midnight Snack** is the twentieth episode of the first series.

## Plot

Boni and Berk are fast asleep, although Drutt is still very active and awake. As Drutt looks for a worm to have for his snack, a trio of greedy monsters appear from the trap door. A little one also suddenly appears. The three monsters march into the kitchen, and the little one follows them. They vandalise the kitchen, as well as eat up most of the food, before marching out.

The greedy monsters march around, until they arrive outside of Berk’s bed, and see Berk sleeping away. Drutt is alarmed by the monsters, so he wakes Boni. Boni sees Berk being carried off by the monsters, and he wonders what they are doing to him. The monsters throw Berk across the cellar, which wakes Berk up. Boni asks Berk if he is alright, although Berk feels more annoyed than hurt.

Berk then comes up with a plan to ambush the creatures, who Berk refers to as “the Bigmouths”. Berk hides in his cupboard with Boni. Berk leaves a trail of food for the Bigmouths, hoping that the Bigmouths will follow into the cupboard. As the big hungry monsters do so, Berk knocks out them out. Boni rolls out of the cupboard, amidst the chaos, but is unharmed. Berk then tells Boni what he plans to do with the Bigmouths next.

The episode ends with Berk punishing the Bigmouths. Berk orders the Bigmouths, including the little one, to tidy the kitchen. As the little Bigmouth carries a freshly prepared plate of spaghetti, Drutt pulls a piece of it from the plate, and Boni and his hole are covered with the spaghetti. Berk warns the Bigmouths to never mess with Berk again.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Watch Out for That Nasty Stuff* (1986)
* *The Trap Door: 12 Scary Episodes* (1991)
* *The Pain - Plus 11 Scary Episodes* (1999)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
Berk’s Bed

**Berk’s Bed** is a built-in hole in a wall, that occasionally appears throughout the first season of the television series.

## Biography

It is unknown how long Berk’s Bed has been around for, but it can quite easily be assumed that is has been around for as long as the castle itself. As the name states, Berk’s Bed is where Berk sleeps.

Berk’s Bed appears in *Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite*. Berk falls asleep in his bed, and has a nightmare of Boni being pulled down the trap door. The bed is shown again, when Berk wakes up from his dream.

The bed is also seen in *Midnight Snack*. Berk is fast asleep in the bed, when the Bigmouths come out of the trap door. The Bigmouths march up to the bed, pick Berk up, and throw Berk across the cellar.

## Appearance

Berk’s Bed is similar to Boni’s Hole, in many ways, as it is an arched built-in hole in a wall. It resembles a narrow cave, rather than a typical bed.
The Little Thing (episode)

**The Little Thing** is the fourteenth episode of the first series.

## Plot

The Little Thing, a tiny and energetic orange blob, squirts out of the trap door. This causes a lot of annoyance to Berk, who attempts to catch it. It zooms around the hallway, honking loudly wherever it goes. It then decides to run around Boni’s hole. It picks up Boni, and rides him around, all whilst he is still asleep. It runs into Berk’s kitchen, knocking several things over, before it rushes through the hallway again. It soon races upstairs.

Berk enlists Drutt’s help in catching the Little Thing. Berk and Drutt venture upstairs, and arrive outside of the Thing Upstairs’ bedroom. Berk instructs Drutt to catch the Little Thing himself. Drutt does not seem to want to co-operate anymore, so Berk reluctantly goes into the bedroom on his own.

Inside of the room, Berk suddenly sees a pair of eyes appearing inside. Berk, thinking that the eyes belonged to the Little Thing, starts to attack the emerging creature. Berk soon appears from out of the darkened room. Berk then finds out that he had beaten Drutt by mistake, because Drutt had sneaked into the room. Berk expresses his apology to Drutt, for thinking that Drutt was the Little Thing.

Berk sees the Little Thing arriving outside of the Thing Upstairs’ bedroom. Berk orders the Little Thing to go downstairs with him, and back down the trap door without fuss. The Little Thing obviously ignores Berk’s commands, however, and pushes Berk into the Thing Upstairs’ room. The Little Thing escapes the bedroom, and the Thing Upstairs wakes up in surprise and anger. The Thing Upstairs thumps Berk for waking him, and for causing destruction to his room. The Little Thing honks noisily, whilst Drutt laughs uncontrollably at the whole ordeal.

## Trivia

* Right at the start of the episode, Berk talks about wanting to permanently nail the trap door shut. In *The Thingy*, a previous episode, Berk actually tried to do this.
* In one short scene from the episode, we see a section of a monster from out of an upstairs room. The episode may have offered us a very brief shot of, what may actually be, part of the Thing Upstairs.
* Throughout the episode, Berk refers to the Little Thing as a male. However, the Little Thing’s gender is never verified.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Watch Out for That Nasty Stuff* (1986)
* *The Trap Door: 12 Scary Episodes* (1991)
* *The Pain - Plus 11 Scary Episodes* (1999)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Lump (episode)

**The Lump** is the eleventh episode of the second series.

## Plot

There is a foul smell filling the castle. The Thing Upstairs, who is especially repulsed by it, asks Berk what is causing the smell. Berk asks the Thing Upstairs whether it is coming from him, but the Thing Upstairs denies this, and tells Berk that it is coming from downstairs.

Berk returns to the cellar, finds the source of the rotten stench, and discovers an enormous pink lump out of the trap door. Boni, who is also put off by the Lump, tells Berk that he and Drutt had nothing to do with the creature’s intrusion. Berk is curious of the Lump, and becomes more inquisitive about its mobility. Boni warns Berk to be careful, since the creature could bite, but Berks assures Boni that he will not get hurt.

Berk becomes startled, because he thinks the Lump had suddenly moved, until realising that Rogg had popped out of the trap door. Rogg becomes intrigued by the Lump, and he does not even seem to be bothered by the smell of it. Berk asks Rogg for a suggestion on how to dispose of the Lump. Rogg tries to fathom an idea, but tells Berk that he could not think of one. Breaking the fourth wall, Berk tells the audience that this idea was the brightest thing Rogg ever thought up.

Suddenly, Berk hears a funny squeaking noise. Boni and Rogg exclaim that they did not make the sound, because neither of them squeak. The three friends then decide that the noise must have come from the Lump. As Boni wonders what the Lump will do next, the Lump starts honking. Berk, Rogg, Boni, Drutt and Drutt’s nippers are fascinated by this. They quickly become irritated when the Lump’s honking becomes louder, as well as more repetitive. Berk yells at the top of his voice, ordering the Lump to stop the noise, and the Lump soon becomes silent again. As Berk remarks on how weird the Lump really was, the Lump surprises Berk one last time with a great loud honk.

## Trivia

* The opening section of this episode is different to most. Although we still see an interior shot of the castle, instead of a bolt of lightning crashing in front of it, we see the castle surrounded by dawning light. When the title appears, we hear wind blowing in the background. This is one of two episodes to feature this opening, with the other episode being *Sniff That* from season one.
* The Lump can be heard, making its own signature honking sound, right after the closing credits of this namesake episode.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *The Stupid Thing* (1989)
* *The Stupid Thing and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Trap Door (TV series)

**The Trap Door** is a British Claymation television series, that first aired in 1986 and 1990. It was made by Charlie Mills and the late Terry Brain, with voices by the late Willie Rushton. It had forty episodes.

## Credits

* Voices by Willie Rushton
* Animation by CMTB
* Thing Doer: Steve Box
* Editing by KPTV
* Asisstant Editor: Rob Copeland
* Dubbing by Glentham Studios
* Stories by Brainbox Mills
* Additional Material by Willie Rushton
* Music and Lyrics by Bob Heatlie
* Vocals by Zygott
* Eyes in the Dark by Nigel Davies
* Modelling Material by GCP Ltd
* Processing by Universal
* Produced by John Howson
* Assistant to the Producer: Sue Kerridge
* Series Created and Directed by Charlie Mills and Terry Brian
* © CMTB Animation/Queensgate Productions, 1984
* A Queensgate Production

## Trivia

* The opening lines from the TV series opening sequence are a homage to many of Vincent Price’s horror film introductions.
The Thingy

Who's The Thingy?"

This article is a disambiguation page for The Thingy

The following is a list of links to pages that might share the same title.

Please follow one of the disambiguation links below or search to find the page you were looking for if it is not listed. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

* For **the character**, see The Thingy (character).
* For **the TV series episode**, see The Thingy (episode).
Berk’s Radio

**Berk’s Radio** is an object, that makes its only appearance throughout the television series in *Don’t Open That Trap Door*.

## Biography

Berk finds the radio in his cupboard, and gets it working. The radio starts playing the extended version of the television series theme song, causing numerous monsters to appear from the trap door. When the music finishes, and the Thing Upstairs angrily demands to know what is causing the commotion downstairs, the monsters make their ways down the trap door.

## Appearance

The radio is a dark green arch-shaped radio. It has a large yellow grill, as well as two circular controls, shown at the front of it. It has many of the features you would expect to see on a radio, except for the fact that there is no visible aerial.
The Reptile

**The Reptile** is a huge worm-shaped creature, who makes its only appearance in the television series in *Strange Goings On*.

## Biography

Boni is down the trap door. After he is carried away by some mushrooms, he then finds himself on the head of the Reptile. Boni demands the Reptile to put him down. However, the creature does not take any notice of him. Instead, it flicks Boni off of its head.
Boni’s Hole

**Boni’s Hole** is a location, which is where Boni rests, and is shown very often onscreen throughout the television series.

## History

Boni’s Hole is located in the cellar of the castle. As it is in a location that is seen in every single episode of the television series, Boni is seen spending the majority of his onscreen presence in his hole. He is very much confined to his hole, as he is not able to move around easily on his own.

## Appearance

Boni’s Hole is similar to Berk’s Bed, in many ways, as it is an arched built-in hole in a wall. It resembles a small cave, rather than a typical hole.
The Vile Pile

**The Vile Pile** is a garbage-like monster, who makes its single onscreen appearance in the television series in *Vile Pile*.

## Biography

Berk chucks some rubbish down the trap door. After Berk goes off, a pair of eyes, belonging to the Vile Pile, peek out from under the trap door. As Berk is busy preparing food in the kitchen, Drutt tries to alert Berk. However, Berk just orders Drutt to go away. Once the Vile Pile climbs out of the trap door, Boni then tries to get Berk’s attention. The Vile Pile climbs out of the trap door, and into the cellar. The Vile Pile crawls into the kitchen, and it interferes with Berk’s cooking. As Berk tells the Vile Pile that he is having none of it, it spits at Berk in retaliation. Berk then whacks the Vile Pile with his rolling pin, until its drooling mouth disappears. However, the creature’s mouth re-projects. It spits at Berk again, before it disappears.

The Vile Pile continually crawls around the cellar. As it notices Drutt, it spits at him as well. Berk is still in his kitchen, thinking of what to do about the Vile Pile. He sees an implement on the table, grabs it, and thinks that it might come in handy. The monster soon crawls over to Boni’s hole. Boni tries to alert Berk, and it covers Boni with yellow saliva.

Berk approaches the Vile Pile once more, and the Vile Pile tries to spit at Berk again. After a couple of failed attempts, it then successfully hits Berk. The Vile Pile targets Berk again, but Berk inserts his utensil into the creature’s breathing duct. Berk is amused, and relieved by this, but the creature is far from so. The Vile Pile continually tries to shoot the implement out of itself, only to gradually expand, and becomes more and more suffocated each time. The pressure soon becomes too much for the Vile Pile. It then bursts, causing Berk to fly into the wall, and its innards splatter all over the cellar.

## Trivia

* The Eyeball Monster and the Mouth Monster, from *Sniff That*, share similar characteristics to the Vile Pile from its own episode. The fact that these two episodes correspond makes this seem even more coincidental.
The Lump (character)

## The Lump

**The Lump** is an enormous lump-like creature, appearing onscreen in the television series in the episode of the same name.

## Biography

The Thing Upstairs complains to Berk about a foul smell filling the castle. Berk returns to the cellar, finds the source of the rotten stench, and sees the Lump had appeared out of the trap door. Boni, who is also put off by the Lump, tells Berk that he and Drutt had nothing to do with the Lump’s intrusion. Berk is curious of the Lump, as well as its mobility. Boni warns Berk to be careful, since it could bite, but Berk assures Boni that he will not get hurt.

Berk becomes startled by the Lump, because he thought it suddenly moved, until realising that Rogg had just popped out of the trap door. Rogg becomes intrigued by the Lump, and does not even seem to be bothered by its smell. Berk asks Rogg for a suggestion on how to dispose of the Lump. Rogg tries to fathom an idea, but tells Berk that he could not think of one.

The Lump suddenly makes a funny squeaking noise, which Berk soon questions. Boni and Rogg exclaim that they did not make the sound, because neither of them squeak. The three friends then decide that the noise must have come from the Lump. As Boni wonders what the Lump will do next, the Lump starts honking. Everyone is fascinated by this. They quickly become irritated when the Lump’s honking becomes louder, as well as more repetitive. Berk yells at the top of his voice, ordering the Lump to stop making the noise, and the Lump soon becomes silent again. As Berk remarks on how weird the Lump really was, the Lump surprises Berk one last time with a great loud honk.

## Trivia

* The Lump can be heard, making its own signature honking sound, immediately after the end titles of its namesake episode.
The Clawed Pink Monster

**The Clawed Pink Monster** is a large, scary and mischievous phantom-like creature. It is a minor character, who is only ever shown a couple of times throughout the television series.

## Biography

In *Don’t Open That Trap Door*, the Clawed Pink Monster appears out of the trap door, along with several other monsters, and dances to the music coming from Berk’s radio. It has a slightly bigger role in *Scunge*, the season two premiere, in which it appears out of the trap door, waking Boni. It startles Berk, just when he appears. With the intention of putting an end to the creature’s nonsense, Berk, who luckily has a large rolling pin in his hand, hits the monster on the head, causing it to squeal, and to descend back down the trap door.

## Trivia

* When Berk addresses the creature, he refers to it as a “he”. Despite the monster’s actual gender not being confirmed, it can only be assumed that it is a male.
The Bigmouths

**The Bigmouths** are a quartet of hungry and troublesome monsters. The Bigmouths consist of three big monsters, and also a smaller one. They appear during the first season of the TV series, and make their central appearances in *Midnight Snack*.

## Biography

Whilst Boni and Berk are fast asleep, and Drutt chases a worm around, the Bigmouths appear from the trap door. They march into the kitchen, and upset food all over the place, before marching out. They march around, until they arrive outside of Berk’s cave, and see Berk sleeping away. The monsters carry Berk around, before they throw Berk across the room, which soon wakes Berk up. Boni, who has also woken up, asks Berk if he is alright. Although Berk feels more annoyed than hurt, he plans to ambush the Bigmouths. Berk hides in his cupboard with Boni, and leaves a trail of food for the Bigmouths, hoping that they will follow into the cupboard. As the big hungry monsters do so, Berk knocks out them out. Berk punishes the Bigmouths, by ordering them to tidy the kitchen. Berk then warns the Bigmouths to never mess with him again.

The Bigmouths make an early appearance in *Don’t Open That Trap Door*. In the episode, when Berk plays loud music from the radio, the Bigmouths are among the many monsters to appear out of the trap door. They also briefly appear later on in the series. When Berk accidentally leaves the trap door open in *Bye Bye Berk*, the Bigmouths are among the dozens of monsters to reappear from it.
The Trap Door (object)

**The Trap Door** is the titular portal, which is located in the cellar of the castle, in the TV series.

## Trivia

* As the trap door is a central thing in the television series, and it is also the namesake of the television series, it is seen in all of the episodes.
* As proven in a lot of the episodes, Berk often leaves the trap door open. Some monsters, who live under the trap door, will try to open it from below.
The Flyin' Wotsit Fingy

**The Flyin’ Wotsit Fingy** is a flying green bat-like thing, who is a trapdoor creature, that makes its only appearance in the series in the episode of the same name.

## Biography

One day, Berk decides to take some photographs with his camera. A flying green bat-like creature, which Berk refers to as a “Flyin’ Wotsit Fingy”, suddenly appears from the trap door. Berk is alarmed by this, as he is aware of the Thing Upstairs’ unusual allergic reactions to small flying creatures of that kind, and he becomes anxious about the flying thing possibly coming into contact with the Thing Upstairs.

The flying creature perches itself on a shelf, and Berk tries to knock it down with Drutt. However, the creature just flies off. It stops off near the archway, so Berk orders Drutt to pursue it. The flying thing takes off again, flies into Berk’s cupboard, and Berk chases it inside. This causes the Little Thing, who was hiding in the cupboard, to run out from the cupboard. As the flying thing leaves the cupboard, Berk runs after it again.

The flying thing sits next to the camera, before flying over to Boni’s hole, and later perches on Boni. Berk tries to catch it, falls over, picks himself up, runs into the camera, and inadvertently takes a photograph. The creature flies away again, but Berk gives up trying to catch it. It is only when Berk sits with Boni, as the two friends admire the photograph, when the Thing Upstairs reveals that that the flying creature had entered his bedroom.

## Trivia

* Berk and Boni frequently refer to the Flyin’ Wotsit Fingy as a male, although its actual gender is never confirmed.
Berk’s Trap Door Game

**Berk’s Trap Door Game** is a board game, released by Spear’s Games, based off of the popular children’s television series.

## Description

In the game, you roll a die. Then, you move that many spaces. There are also "go back" and "miss a turn" spaces, that make you do what is said.

You get to play as Berk, Boni, Drutt or Rogg.

The object is: To avoid the monsters lurking beneath the trap door, and be first to move safely around the board, from start to finish.

The real fun begins, when Berk tell you to open the trap door. Or you step on a slippery stone, and spring the trap door.

Press a flipper. If the dice lands with the monster side face up, you run back the number of stones indicated. If it lands with the one or six dot side face up, you are safe to move forward the number of dots shown.

Try to spring the trap, so that the monster knocks over another player's piece. Doing that results in the knocked piece returning to the start.

This is a children's game, based on the Berk (animation/PC game) character. The flip trapdoors can be used, to flip dice, as throwing stones.

## Contents

The game contains a playing board, decorated with characters and locations from the television series. It also includes a spinner, which features Berk on the design. There is a combined total of four playing pieces, with one die per player.

## References

1. ↑ https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8440/berks-trap-door-game
Berk’s Medicine

**Berk’s Medicine** is a medical concoction, and it is shown very occasionally in the first season of the television series.

## Biography

Berk is initially shown concocting some medicine in *The Dose*, after the Thing Upstairs catches a horrible cold. The Blob appears out of the trap door, after Berk leaves his own cupboard, and consumes the medicine. When the Blob’s mother collects the Blob, the Thing Upstairs reminds Berk of the medicine Berk prepared. Drutt and Boni suddenly start suffering from a cold, with the latter suggesting that Berk should make medicine for everyone, only for Berk to also become unwell.

Berk is shown making some medicine, to cure his headache, in *Nasty Stuff*. Instead, the medicine transforms him into a more aggressive monster. Drutt and Boni try some of the medicine, not realising it was what transformed Berk, and also transform into more monstrous equivalents of one and the other.

## Appearance

Berk’s Medicine is a colourful liquid substance, which looks like realistic medicine. Much of it appears to be made from the parts of monsters, such as juice from various eyeballs.
Eyes in the Dark

**Eyes in the Dark** are a collection of floating eyeballs, which are seen in the television series and various merchandise.

## Biography

The “Eyes in the Dark” are basically an assortment of floating eyeballs, belonging to numerous unidentified monsters, and are seen occasionally in the franchise. It is uncertain which monsters the eyes belong to, as the eyes are the only features of these monsters to be made visible by the darkness.

Although several of the eyes are seen primarily in the opening sequences of the television series, and two pairs of eyes are seen in the programme’s closing titles, a few eyes will appear occasionally in certain episodes. For example, two pairs of eyes are seen surrounding Berk’s closet in *Ghoulies*.

## Appearance

The eyeballs are frequently presented in a typical set of two. One set, in the television series opening sequence, is presented in a group of three. The majority of the eyeballs are typically round and white, although several have different shapes and colours, but all are depicted with black pupils.

## Trivia

* According to the closing titles from the TV series, animator Nigel Davies was responsible for the animation of the eyes.

## Gallery

Two sets of eyeballs; shown in the television series openingBerk with two eyeball sets; from the television show openingOne set of eyes; from the television series opening sequence
Lurkings

**Lurkings** is the fourth episode of the first series.

## Plot

Berk is looking forward to his fishing trip. Boni says that he does not want to go, but Berk reprimands Boni for moaning. Berk then tells Drutt to hurry up, and to not get so overexcited. Berk opens the trap door, so he can get some bait, and some worms appear. Drutt eats a few of the worms, but Berk manages to capture enough of them. Berk puts the worms into a bowl, which he puts onto Boni’s trolley, and Berk is soon ready to go. Boni still complains, but Berk continues trying to shut him up. Boni tells Berk that he left the trap door open, but Berk obviously ignores him. Berk, Boni and Drutt leave the castle. Suddenly, a large pink creature named “Rogg” appears into the cellar.

Berk, Boni and Drutt make their ways to the swamp. Boni continues moaning, so Berk tells him to cheer up. Back at the castle, Rogg admires the cellar. Rogg soon walks out of the cellar, and makes his way outside.

Berk, Boni and Drutt arrive at the lake. Berk asks Boni if he is now happy, but Boni only sulks even more. As Rogg soon makes his way down to the swamp, Berk starts fishing. Drutt falls into the lake, and Berk remarks that Drutt seems to be enjoying himself. Berk tells Boni that he reckons that there is something large and tasty in the lake, but Boni doubts it. Suddenly, much to Berk and Boni’s shock, a large swamp creature pokes itself out of the water. It takes no notice of Berk and Boni, fortunately, and it makes its way back into the lake. Berk amusing mentions how much trouble he would have stuffing the creature into a sandwich.

Boni still insists on going home. Berk tells Boni that fishing should not be rushed, and that he should be patient. Rogg arrives at the lake, just as Drutt comes out of the water. Berk hears Rogg calling for attention, and Berk wonders who it was that just suddenly shouted. Rogg then approaches the trio. Berk looses his patience, so he whacks Boni and Drutt; Drutt eats some of the bait, and Boni tries to alert Berk of Rogg. Boni finally tells Berk that Rogg is behind him. Berk turns around, and he falls into the lake in shock. Rogg introduces himself to the group, and Boni feels cheered up by Rogg inadvertently causing Berk to plunge into the water. Rogg tells Berk how much he likes fishing, and he asks whether he can join in. Berk, floating on the surface of the water, declares that he now hates fishing.

## Trivia

* This episode marks the introductory appearance for Rogg, who would occasionally appear as a central character in several later episodes.
* The Swamp Creature, who is seen in this episode, is addressed by Berk as a “he”. The monster’s actual gender is never established, so it can only be assumed male.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Creepy Crawly Adventures* (1986; re-released in 1991)
* *Breakfast Time and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Thing Upstairs’ Tooth

**The Thing Upstairs’ Tooth** is a big tooth, obviously belonging to the Thing Upstairs, which appears onscreen in *The Pain*.

## Biography

As the name states, the tooth once belonged to the Thing Upstairs. When the Thing Upstairs had a toothache, Berk volunteered to remove the Thing Upstairs’ sore tooth. Berk used his tooth-pulling kit, and removed his master’s tooth. However, it is later revealed that Berk had removed the wrong tooth.

In the same episode, as Berk is removing the Thing Upstairs’ tooth upstairs, a gigantic slug emerges out of the trap door. Berk successfully knocks the Slug unconscious, after the Slug chases Drutt around the castle, with the removed tooth.

## Appearance

The Thing Upstairs’ tooth is a large and sharp discoloured white tooth. It very much resembles a typical monstrous fang.

## Trivia

* The tooth is the only tooth of the Thing Upstairs’ to appear onscreen. Along with an eyeball of his, that appears in *Not Very Nice*, it is one of his only onscreen features in the whole of the TV show.
The Big Yellow Thing

**The Big Yellow Thing** is a hungry yellow monster. It makes its first and exclusive appearance in the television series in *Breakfast Time*, the first episode of the television series.

## Biography

One day, Berk is making breakfast for the Thing Upstairs. He opens the trap door, which releases a few worms, but the Yellow Thing also comes out. The Yellow Thing notices the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast. Just before Berk could stop it, it gobbles the breakfast up, much to Berk’s annoyance. After such a satisfying meal, the Yellow Thing falls asleep.

Before Berk can do anything about the greedy yellow creature, he becomes distracted by the Big Red Thing, who emerges out of the trap door, which Berk accidentally left open. Even after Berk deals with the troublesome red monster, the Thing Upstairs interferes, wondering why his breakfast had not yet been served, and shouts at Berk again. Berk, remembering that his master’s breakfast was eaten by the Yellow Thing, decides that it should make a good substitute. Berk carries the Yellow Thing over to the dumbwaiter, and serves the sleeping yellow creature to the Thing Upstairs, who happily devours it.

## Trivia

* The Big Yellow Thing is the very first among many monsters in the series to be seen appearing out of the trap door. It is also the very first of several characters to be killed off by the end of an episode. Another noteworthy example is the Gooey Custardy Thing, who is seen in *The Horrible Thing*, since it is another yellow monster, and it receives the exact same fate.
* Berk refers to the Big Yellow Thing as a “he”, despite it not having a confirmed gender. However, it can only be assumed the Big Yellow Thing is a male.
The Fish

**The Fish** is a large aquatic monster, who makes its only ever appearance in the series in *Strange Goings On*.

## Biography

Boni has been pulled him down the trap door by the Kraken. He then rolls down a rock face, and he lands into the Sucker Blob, who then launches Boni out of its breathing duct. After Boni shoots up into the air, he lands into the lake. The Fish picks him up from under the slimy water, and it bobs around aimlessly on the surface of the water. It then swims at a very fast pace, and bumps into the rocky foundations of the lake, causing Boni to catapult off of it, and to land into a bed of mushrooms.
Breakfast Time

**Breakfast Time** is the first episode of the first series.

## Plot

Berk and Boni hear the Thing Upstairs waking up in a bad mood. The Thing Upstairs yells at Berk, as he feels hungry, and he orders Berk to make breakfast for him. Berk goes to his kitchen, and he makes the Thing Upstairs his breakfast. Berk then puts the food in the oven, and tells his master that his food will not take long to cook. Berk soon takes the food out of the oven, and leaves it to cool.

The Thing Upstairs warns Berk about not fiddling with the trap door, and Boni also protests about this. Berk feels very fed up with all of the nagging. To get a reaction, Berk opens the trap door slightly. A few worms appear, but a yellow monster also appears. The Yellow Thing runs around a bit, and it knocks Berk out of its way. The Yellow Thing sees the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast, and Berk warns the Yellow Thing to not go near it. Berk tries to stop the Yellow Thing, but is not successful. The Yellow Thing eats the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast, much to Berk’s annoyance, and it then falls asleep.

After the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast is eaten by the Yellow Thing, Boni reminds Berk that the trap door is still open. Berk is about to shut the trap door, which he had foolishly left open, but the Big Red Thing appears from out of it. Berk becomes startled by the aggressive monster, and he runs. The Red Thing pursues Berk, soon finds Berk hiding in an empty chamber, and is about to attack. The Red Thing soon notices a mirror, which Berk is hiding behind. Berk proudly watches the Red Thing, who is likely frightened by his own reflection, running out of the room in apparent shock. The Red Thing runs into the cellar, and back down the trap door.

The Thing Upstairs, wondering why his breakfast had not yet been served, loudly demands Berk for his breakfast. Berk, remembering that the Thing Upstairs’ breakfast was swallowed by the Yellow Thing, decides that the Yellow Thing would make an excellent substitute meal. Berk carries the sleeping yellow creature to the dumbwaiter, and serves it to the Thing Upstairs. The Thing Upstairs happily devours the Yellow Thing, much to Berk’s satisfaction.

## Trivia

* The Gooey Custardy Thing from *The Horrible Thing* shares very similar characteristics with the Yellow Thing, because both creatures are yellow. They had also received the same fate, as they were served as meals to the Thing Upstairs by Berk.
* At one point in the episode, when the Yellow Thing falls asleep, Berk refers to the Yellow Thing as a “he”. However, the Yellow Thing’s gender is not truly specified.
* The Big Red Thing’s sudden appearance in this episode, despite it having no connection to the main part of the narrative, likely serves as a foreshadow of him being a central antagonist later on in the series. The Big Red Thing’s persona is most prominent in the final episode of the series, which also happens to be named after him.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Creepy Crawly Adventures* (1986; re-released in 1991)
* *Breakfast Time and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Big Thing

**The Big Thing** is the seventh episode of the first series.

## Plot

Boni is feeling bored, so he tries to get Berk’s attention. However, Berk is far too engaged with his cooking in his kitchen to take any notice. Berk soon hears Boni moaning, but he just tells Boni to shut up. Boni still moans. He then becomes happy, when Rogg appears out of the trap door. Rogg decides to have some fun, so he takes Boni outside of the castle to play. Berk wonders why the place had suddenly gone so quiet. He assumes that Boni fell asleep, so he happily gets back on with his cooking in peace. Berk has made some dough for a pancake. He wonders about using Boni as a utensil, so he goes to fetch him.

Meanwhile, Rogg makes his way up to the top of the castle with Boni. There, Rogg tells Boni that they should be able to hide from Berk. Taking Rogg’s remark quite literally, Boni asks Rogg why he would do such a thing. Back inside of the cellar, Berk is annoyed to find that Boni suddenly disappeared. He continues looking around, and wonders where Boni had gone. Drutt, who had seen everything that had happened, tries to inform Berk that Boni was kidnapped. Berk and Drutt then race to Boni’s rescue.

Boni tells Rogg some stories. Because Boni is being such a chatterbox, and Rogg is not given much chance to speak himself, Rogg starts to drift off. Down below, Drutt helps Berk locate Boni’s whereabouts. Thanks to Drutt, Berk manages to spot Boni with Rogg. Berk calls Boni, and asks Boni what he is doing up there. Boni hears Berk, and says “hello” to him, but Berk orders Boni to quietly make his way down. Boni continues chattering away, but Boni’s monologues then causes Rogg to sleep, and Rogg falls off of the battlements. Berk still calls for Boni to come down, but Rogg lands on Berk, and Berk is squashed flat. As Boni chatters his way through the night, Rogg remarks on how much Boni talks. Ironically, Rogg tells Berk that he does not think that Berk says much.

## Trivia

* The title of the episode likely refers to Rogg, as he is quite big. Whether this is the actual reason why the episode is named as such can be debated.
* This episode is Rogg’s second appearance in the TV series; Rogg had made his first ever onscreen appearance in *Lurkings*.
* In a scene in this episode, as Boni is talking to Rogg on the castle battlements, Boni said that he saved Berk from all sorts of monsters in his time.
* The last few seconds of this episode appear in *Michaela’s Birthday Show for Boys*, which is a made-for-video special, which also shows the final few seconds from *Gourmet’s Delight*. The special also includes part of the TV series‘ opening titles, the title cards for *Food for Thort* and *Creepy Crawly*, and two very short segments from *Slither, Wriggle and Writhe*.
	+ *Michaela’s Birthday Show for Boys* was released by Channel 5 Video, which had previously released *The Trap Door* on video.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Creepy Crawly Adventures* (1986; re-released in 1991)
* *Michaela’s Birthday Show for Boys* (1990); clip
* *Breakfast Time and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Trap Door Dungeon

***The Trap Door* Dungeon** is a children’s picture activity book.

## List of characters

* Berk
* Boni
* Bubo
* Bugs
* Eyes in the Dark
* Exploding Bugs
* Mushrooms
* Rogg
* The Bigmouths
* The Big Red Thing
* The Flyin’ Wotsit Fingy
* The Mushroom
* The Small Red Thing
* The Splund
* The Thing Upstairs (mentioned; as “The Master”)
* The Vile Pile
* Thort
* Worms

## List of locations

* The Castle
	+ Berk’s Closet
	+ Berk’s Kitchen
	+ The Cellar
		- Berk’s Bed
		- Boni’s Hole
* The Dark and Nasty Regions
	+ The Swamp

## List of objects

* Berk’s Cooking Tools
	+ Bowls
	+ Smashers
	+ Spoons
* Berk’s Rolling Pin
* Boni’s Trolley
* Rubbish
* Scunge
* The Elevator
* The Trap Door

## Trivia

* During the entire book, when the Thing Upstairs is referenced, the Thing Upstairs is simply referred to as “The Master”.

## Goofs

* Even though the book is named “*The Trap Door Dungeon*”, it never seems to ever be set in the dungeon.

## Gallery

Front coverIntroduction pageDot-to-dotFollow the linesColouring pageDeciderSpot the differenceMazeAnswers and dungeon instructionsThe cellar - page 1The cellar - page 2The cellar - page 3The swamp - page 1The swamp - page 2The swamp - page 3Cut-outs - page 1 (front)Cut-outs - page 1 (back)Cut-outs - page 2 (front)Cut-outs - page 2 (back)Cut-outs - page 3 (front)Cut-outs - page 3 (back)Cut-outs - page 4 (front)Cut-outs - page 4 (back)Cut-outs - page 5 (front)Cut-outs - page 5 (back)Cut-outs - page 6 (front)Cut-outs - page 6 (back)Back cover
Plushies

**Plushies** are a line of soft toys, that are based on characters from *The Trap Door*, and were mainly released as prizes in amusement parks. They appear as regular, bean-filled or fluffy versions. Some versions were produced in multiple sizes.

There are only a known total of four characters, from the television series, that were manufactured as soft plush-toys in this range. The range features Berk, Boni, Drutt and Rogg.

## Gallery

### Regular versions

A small regular BerkA small regular BerkA large regular BerkThe larger version of Berk, compared to the actual characterBerk, Drutt and RoggCharacter set
Bugs (episode)

**Bugs** is the sixth episode of the second series.

## Plot

A plethora of bugs emerge from the trap door. Boni watches the thousands of creepy crawlies in disgust, and tries to alert Berk of the intrusion. Berk hears Boni from the kitchen, but cannot hear exactly what he is saying, and assumes that Boni is moaning as usual. Berk goes back to cooking in the kitchen. Boni continues watching anxiously, as more and more bugs roam the cellar, and Boni complains about Berk ignoring him too much of the time.

To make matters worse, the Thing Upstairs is feeling especially bad-tempered. He angrily orders Berk to send up his dinner, which Berk does so. As Berk walks away from the elevator, he soon notices the many bugs crawling around. He accidentally steps on a large honking bug, which he names “the Bugpipe”, and notices how the sound of the large bug effects the attentions of the other bugs. Since he ignored Boni’s warning from earlier, Berk asks Boni why he did not warn him about the infestation. However, since Boni becomes buried under the pile of bugs, Boni cannot answer.

Berk fishes Boni out of the pile of invading insects, and they both hide at the top of the castle. Up there, they see a few bugs crawl up. Drutt also appears, and Berk wonders if using Drutt can help remove some of the bugs. However, Drutt falls off the battlements. Berk soon falls off, and he lands into the Thing Upstairs’ bedroom. Boni fails to resist laughing, but Berk is far from amused. The Thing Upstairs is not impressed either, and he kicks Berk out of his room. Berk lands into a wall, and then thinks of a plan to get rid of the bugs once and for all.

Berk makes his way down to the cellar. When he arrives, he sees the place still flooded with bugs. He finds the Bugpipe, fortunately, and picks it up. He squeezes it, and manages to attract the attentions of the bugs again. Berk repeatedly honks the Bugpipe, to lure the bugs away, and the bugs follow Berk out of the castle.

## Trivia

* This episode is very heavily inspired by the classic short story, *The Pied Piper of Hamelin*, written by Robert Browning.

## Home media releases

### UK (VHS)

* *Scunge* (1989)
* *The Stupid Thing and 11 Other Adventures* (2000)

### UK (DVD)

* *The Trap Door: Complete Collection* (2005)
The Castle

**The Castle**, also referred to as "The Ancient Castle", is the central location for each episode of the television series.

## Appearance

The castle is a large and old building, which has many of the typical features of a castle. The exterior of the castle is mostly grey, and it lacks any vibrant colours. There is no moat, as the castle is placed on top of a very steep and narrow hill.

## Trivia

* Much of the castle interior is stop-motion animation, like most of the TV series, but the exterior is wholly hand-drawn.
The Mouth Monster

**The Mouth Monster** is a big hungry brown creature, who occasionally appears in the first season of the television series.

## Biography

The Mouth Monster makes its central appearance in *Sniff That*. Berk is having a bad day. He has trouble unblocking a clogged drain, and a vicious Eyeball Monster escapes from the trap door. Suddenly, the Mouth Monster also emerges. The Mouth Monster wonders around a bit, until it sucks Boni out of his hole. Berk crossly orders it to spit Boni out, but it obviously ignores him. Berk fetches his rolling pin, and whacks the monster with it, in an attempt to retrieve Boni. Boni is freed from the creature’s stomach, much to Berk’s relief, and is shot into the air. The Mouth Monster runs away. Berk becomes worried, because the Thing Upstairs would get angry if he saw it running about, so Berk and Drutt soon go after it.

Berk and Drutt seek the Mouth Monster. They bump into the Eyeball Monster instead, who is about to attack them. The Mouth Monster fortunately reappears, and it sucks up the Eyeball Monster. Berk is especially impressed with the Mouth Monster, and he thinks that it is perfect for unblocking the drain. Berk takes the Mouth Monster into the room with the clogged drain, and it happily drinks up the sewage.

It then makes a cameo appearance in the season one finale, *Bye Bye Berk*. For unexplained reasons, even after fulfilling Berk’s desire as a sewage-blocking device, the Mouth Monster is later allocated back down the trap door. Berk accidentally leaves the trap door open, one day, when he is busy tidying up the cellar. The Mouth Monster appears from out of the trap door, alongside several other creatures, and starts to cause a disruption.

## Trivia

* Along with the Eyeball Monster, the Mouth Monster shares very similar characteristics to the Vile Pile from the episode of the same name. The Mouth Monster and the Eyeball Monster appear in *Sniff That*, and the fact that the Vile Pile appears in the following episode makes this seem even more coincidental.
* Despite its tendencies to spit, and deliberately trying to swallow Boni, the Mouth Monster is generally less malicious than its Eyeball counterpart. This is because the Mouth Monster sallows the Eyeball Monster, just before the Eyeball Monster could attack Berk and Drutt, and it does helps Berk unclog the drain.
* Although it having no visible eyes, The Mouth Monster is very good at detecting food. This is due to the fact that the creature’s mouth is also used for smelling.
* Oddly enough, even after swallowing the Eyeball Monster, the Mouth Monster’s stomach never seems to expand after swallowing larger victims.
* The Mouth Monster is referred to as male for most of the time, although its actual gender is never confirmed.

## Gallery

This is a homogenous mouth, seen on the Vile Pile.This is a homogenous mouth, seen on the Vile Pile.