Mona the Vampire

Mona the Vampire
Company type	Television series
Industry	Animation, Children's entertainment
Founded	September 13, 1999; 27 years ago
Headquarters	Canada, France
Area served	Canada, France, United Kingdom, United States (later)
Products	Animated television series

Mona the Vampire is an animated children's television series inspired by the children's book authored by Sonia Holleyman and later expanded into a novel series by Hiawyn Oram. The program was broadcast in Canada on YTV from September 13, 1999, until February 22, 2006, and premiered in France on France 3 on October 30, 2000.

The production was a collaboration between CINAR Corporation (seasons 1 through 4), Cookie Jar Entertainment (season 4), Alphanim, Animation Services (Hong Kong, season 3), and YTV. It also involved French networks France 3 (seasons 1 and 2), Canal J (season 1), and Tiji (seasons 3 and 4). Financial backing was provided by the Independent Production Fund, Shaw Children's Programming Initiative, and Telefilm Canada.

Premise

The narrative centers on Mona Parker, who adopts the persona "Mona the Vampire," together with her closest companions Lily Duncan ("Princess Giant") and Charley Bones ("Zapman"), plus her feline pet Fang. Each episode features them imagining encounters with new supernatural enemies or unraveling mysteries, though logical reasons invariably explain the events.

Main

Mona Parker ("Mona the Vampire") (voiced by Emma Taylor-Isherwood) – A ten-year-old girl with a rich imagination who envisions herself as a vampire heroine defending her community from paranormal dangers. While her creativity sometimes leads to complications, it frequently aids her endeavors.
Fang – Mona’s loyal cat companion who joins her adventures dressed in a vampire outfit complete with artificial wings.
Charles "Charley" Bones ("Zapman") (voiced by Justin Bradley in seasons 1–3; Evan Smirnow in season 4) – Mona’s clever yet shy friend. As Zapman, he sports a green alien costume and carries a toy Zapp-A-Rama gun. His primary foe is the school bully George.
Lily Duncan ("Princess Giant") (voiced by Carrie Finlay) – Another of Mona’s best friends, occasionally anxious and cautious but always supportive. In her alter ego Princess Giant, she wears a long blonde wig and crown while holding a stuffed cat.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker (voiced by Marcel Jeannin and Carole Jeghers) – Mona’s parents; Mrs. Parker tends to be more strict, whereas Mr. Parker is more easygoing and inclined to indulge Mona’s imaginative tales.
Angela Smith (voiced by Tia Caroleo) – Mona’s affluent and haughty rival who frequently collaborates with George to plot against Mona. Her spoiled demeanor is attributed to her family’s lottery winnings.

Recurring

Madeleine Gotto (voiced by Jennifer Seguin) – Mona’s strict teacher who often finds herself frustrated by Mona’s claims about supernatural occurrences.
Principal Ivan Shawbly (voiced by Rick Miller in seasons 1–3; Stephen Spreekmeester in season 4) – The firm principal of St. Faith's Elementary School, quick to reprimand Mona.
Lawrence (voiced by Michael Yarmush) – A fellow student and friend at St. Faith's Elementary.
Officer Halcroft (voiced by Gary Jewell in seasons 1–3; Richard Dumont in season 4) – The local police chief who provides logical explanations for Mona’s stories, which she often finds hard to accept.
George Jamell (voiced by Oliver Grainger in seasons 1–3; James Harbour in season 4) – The school bully allied with Angela who frequently targets Charley.
Mayor Rosenbaum (voiced by John Stocker) – The mayor of the town.
Mrs. Bryerson (voiced by Sonja Ball) – An elderly neighbor of Mona’s who owns a poodle named Blitzy.
Reverend Gregory (voiced by Louis Negin) – The town’s local reverend.

Episodes

Mona the Vampire consists of 65 complete episodes, each lasting about 22 minutes and divided into two segments of roughly 11 minutes each. The show is organized into four seasons: the first season features 26 full episodes, while the second, third, and fourth seasons each include 13 full episodes.

Season 1 (1999–2001)

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Book basis

The origin of Mona the Vampire traces back to a children's book published in the United Kingdom by Orchard Books in 1990, authored and illustrated by Sonia Holleyman. In this initial portrayal, Mona was depicted as an imaginative young girl with diverse interests.

In 1995, the concept was reimagined through a series of Mona the Vampire novels written by Hiawyn Oram, with illustrations still provided by Holleyman. This iteration emphasized Mona’s identity as a vampire superheroine exclusively. Four novels from the mid to late 1990s served as the source material for the television adaptation.

Television adaptation

The project’s development began during the mid-1990s. After failing to secure interest from British broadcasters, Ian Lewis and The Farnham Film Company brought the concept to Canada, where CINAR Corporation acquired it. Development commenced in 1997, and by early 1998, the series received approval for 26 half-hour episodes. Production launched in June of that year as CINAR and Alphanim’s second joint venture following Animal Crackers.

The show's theme music was created by Judy Henderson, recognized for her work on Arthur, with lyrics penned by Judy Rothman (though she remained uncredited). The theme was performed by Quebec singer Lulu Hughes; Henderson later confirmed Hughes's involvement in 2022.

A second season comprising 13 episodes was authorized in early 2000. Nevertheless, financial difficulties emerged amid the ongoing CINAR scandal, leading Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Television Fund to halt collaborations with CINAR. Peter Moss, then-president of CINAR, remarked that these funding sources accounted for only a minor portion of the overall budget.

In 2001, a third season consisting of 13 episodes was approved. Following production completion in spring 2002, the series experienced a hiatus before renewal for a fourth season of another 13 episodes later that year. The fourth season's production concluded in early 2004.

Critical response

In a retrospective analysis by The Arcade, Luka Costello commended the series for its clever writing and straightforward animation style, emphasizing that it avoided being overly didactic despite targeting a youthful audience. He acknowledged the show as a key influence in sparking his fascination with supernatural themes and praised its distinctive theme music.

Broadcast and streaming

The show initially aired in Canada on YTV starting September 13, 1999, and later debuted on France 3 on October 30, 2000. In France, seasons three and four were broadcast on Tiji. Within the United Kingdom, the series was shown on Nickelodeon UK, CBBC, and briefly appeared on Pop.

Despite its international success, the program did not originally air in the United States during its initial run, despite efforts to secure U.S. distribution in the early 2000s. In 2009, Cookie Jar introduced Jaroo, a streaming service that included much of their animated library along with the DIC collection; Mona was featured there and marketed as having its U.S. debut on this platform before Jaroo was eventually discontinued.

The series made its U.S. television debut in 2011 through This TV’s Cookie Jar Toons programming block, airing from September 26, 2011, until October 27, 2013, shortly before the block was discontinued.

At present, the first season is available for free streaming on Tubi, while the entire series can be purchased via platforms such as iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play.

Home media

Throughout and following the show's broadcast period, multiple DVDs containing selected episodes were released, mainly by Cookie Jar Entertainment. These releases frequently featured bonus content including episode selection, multiple language options, and character voice-over descriptions provided by child voice actors. Subsequently, Mill Creek Entertainment issued a complete first season collection in North America that also bundled episodes from other Cookie Jar titles like Busytown Mysteries, Horseland, and The Wombles.

In the United Kingdom, VHS and DVD editions were distributed through Abbey Home Media and Direct Source Products.

Website

In 2000, a bilingual website utilizing Adobe Flash was launched at monathevampire.com by Alphanim, Tiji, and CINAR. It featured interactive games and activities centered around characters from the series. This site was taken offline by 2016; although archived copies remain accessible in some forms, they may no longer function properly due to Adobe Flash Player’s discontinuation in 2020.

Notes

External links