Moshi Monsters

What do you want to talk about, then?

Helen: Moshi Monsters. Don’t know…

Why?

Helen: Just because. It’s the only thing I can think of. It popped up in my brain.

Why do you sleep with the Moshi Monsters book under your bed?

Helen: No idea. Just because…

Do you still collect Moshi Monsters?

Helen: Not really, but still…

Does anyone in school still like them?

Helen: Suman does.

Anyone else?

Helen: Not really.

What do people like now, then?

Helen: Don’t know. More Lego stuff.

Loom bands.

Helen: Yeah.

Are they still popular?

Helen: Yeah, sometimes…

What about Skyzos?

Helen: Hmm… Not so popular, but still…

Who’s your favourite Moshi?

Helen: I’m going to need to look in the book – there’s pictures of them. I do like She She – she’s a panda. I do like Artlee – I used to have him. Or Tomba – I like her.

What about Whirley?

Helen: Who?

Whirley.

Helen: I don’t know what he looks like. Suey is spaghetti.

Who’s your least favourite?

Helen: I don’t know. Probably one of the… I’m looking… This is a very big book… I don’t really like the Glumps – they’re not too good. The one with three hairs, one eye and the sad mouth – I don’t like him. But sometimes it’s funny when you see a Glump in pink…

UB Funkeys

Tell me again what UB Funkeys are.

Scott: Eh… Em… You could say a… A slightly more basic version of Skylanders.

Little toys that plug into your computer?

Scott: Yeah.

So we uploaded the software to make them work today…

Scott: Yeah.

And what did they do?

Scott: Walked around town.

Is that all?

Scott: Basically.

But you control them?

Scott: Yeah.

What happens when you swap them around?

Scott: That’ll turn into your in-game character.

Does it seem like fun?

Scott: Yeah.

How many UB Funkeys have you got?

Scott: Four.

Four little ones and two big ones?

Scott: Yes – I suppose that would qualify as six.

And do you know how to complete the game?

Scott: I think it’s quite like Moshi Monsters, technically – a combination between Skylanders and Moshi Monsters. So incompletable, I’d say.

You just play it and play it?

Scott: Yeah, basically.

Until you die?

Scott: (pause) You’d need to switch Funkeys by then…

Moshi Monsters comic

Okay, so I’ve scanned your first three comic pages…

Scott: They’re… They’re… They’re… Not done. So maybe tomorrow if you remind me…

So will we blog about something else instead?

Scott: Okay. Eh…

Do you not want to put up those three up tonight?

Scott: What three up?

The pages you’ve done so far.

Scott: I’ve got to do four at minimum for you to scan.

But we could put those three up tonight, and the rest when you’re ready.

Scott: Alright… Alright…

What is it?

Scott: A Moshi Monsters comic strip.

Did you make it all up yourself?

Scott: Yep.

Where did you get the idea from?

Scott: Nowhere really, I just thought I could make up an example of the Glumps.

Why did you choose Moshi Monsters?

Scott: I don’t know – I just thought it would be good… Me and Harvey started a comic about a year ago and never got round to finishing it, so this is a preview of what it might look like.

I didn’t think you liked Moshi Monsters anymore.

Scott: I don’t – I’m just trying to continue it.

I see – so you finish the story?

Scott: Yes – maybe a preview or a pre-release of it. This is the only copy blah blah blah. If Harvey could get some more copies of it, we could sell it or give it away to friends…

Computers

So you wanted to talk about computers?

Scott: Oh yeah.

Why?

Scott: Eh… because I was doing stuff on the computer today when I was drawing and the…

And the?

Scott: Moshlings?

So you were drawing on the computer at school?

Scott: Yes.

Are computers good?

Scott: Yeah.

Why?

Scott: Well, do you know that there’s a certain password for every class?

Why do you need a password?

Scott: So they know who you are and you’re not just breaking in.

What can you do on a computer?

Scott: Sometimes, if we’re really lucky, we’re allowed to play Moshi Monsters, or we have to play Education City.

What is Education City?

Scott: It’s this game where you play all these games and all of them are education.

Is it good?

Scott: Yeah – it can be, depending what mood you’re in.

Is there anything you can’t do on a computer?

Scott: Eh… I don’t think you’re allowed to do any Assembly arrangements or anything, or animating.

No, I mean computers are amazing and you can do so many great things with them, is there anything they can’t do?

Scott: Well, you need bits to do animating.

What kind of bits?

Scott: Like a mini camera and all the bits like a background and lots of pieces to move and all that sort of stuff.

Do you think computers can think?

Scott: Sort of.

Like people, I mean?

Scott: I don’t think they’ve got that size of a mind, but they’re very amazing.

If a computer could think, what would it think?

Scott: It could think of being a real person because it can think.

That’s very profound – what would you think about if you were a computer?

Scott: I would think about what I just said.

Helen, what would you think about if you were a computer?

Helen: Because I was a computer.

What kind of computer would you be?

Helen: A plughole computer.

Are you just saying that because you’re in the bath?

Helen: Yeah – because I’m a computer.

Moshi Monsters

A typical scene in Monstro City, with Scott's monster Erty pictured bottom left.

So, what do you want to tell me about Moshi Monsters?

Scott: Some of the stuff is just about what I do and about my monster mostly.

Tell me what Moshi Monsters is.

Scott: It’s sort of a game on the computer where you adopt your own pet monster and try and look after it. If you don’t look after it enough, it will probably die.

Helen: It will need some more garden, won’t it?

Scott: Stop it.

Helen: I want to do it too.

Helen, what are Moshi Monsters?

Helen: Em… they’re monsters and you have to choose the colour for the monster.

What else?

Helen: I don’t know.

Scott: I’m saving up rox for a new house.

What are rox?

Scott: Rox are sort of money in Monstro City.

How do you earn money?

Scott: At the start, they give you a choice – either cake or 200 free rox.

How do you get rox after that?

Scott: I usually start by playing the ice cream game or the engine game and I also sometimes… If you go to Dodgy Deals you need to get 90 per cent payback and you get rox for an old piece of furniture.

What is your Moshi Monster called?

Scott: Erty, that’s what I call him.

What does he look like?

Scott: He’s a sort of catsuma in turquoise and blue.

What’s a catsuma?

Scott: The rabbit one.

Helen: Number two was my choice.

What do you want to talk about, Helen?

Helen: I don’t know.

Scott: Then, well… What’s the next question?

Tell me about moshlings.

Scott: When you’re a member, you can get moshlings without buying a plant. So, for example, you play Super Moshis – in mission one, you get Lady GooGoo and in mission two, you get Whirly and in mission three dot dot dot question mark.

So moshlings are sort of pets?

Scott: Yes, they’re sort of pets.

What’s the point of Moshi Monsters?

Scott: You never win unless you get to Level 3040.

What happens then?

Scott: Then you’re in level 3040.

So you just keep playing forever?

Scott: Well, that’s sort of what they want you to do.

Why?

Scott: So they can have membership for a really long time and membership makes you get to some place, like the volcano where the Super Moshis HQ is. Anything else you can do when you’re a member? You can be a Super Moshi, you can get to Horrods. Anything else? There’s a shop called the Moshi Shop where you get things in real life.

Helen: The next question is about Lady GooGoo.

Who is Lady GooGoo?

Scott: She’s a moshling you collect.

Helen: I don’t want to talk about Moshis.

Scott: Shall I tell you?

Helen: No.

So, it’s all about making money?

Scott: Rox?

No, in real life.

Scott: Lady GooGoo is the world-famous crier, even worse than Helen.

Helen: She’s even badder than me.