The boogeyman is an imaginary monster used by adults to threaten children into behaving or sleeping. It has various incarnations and may have arisen from an evolutionary need to keep children safe. The term “boogeyman” is related to the word “bogle” and is now used to describe any irrational fear. Famous boogeyman figures include Rawhead and Bloodybones and Freddy Kreuger, while children’s entertainment portrays the boogeyman in various forms.
The boogeyman, also spelled boogeyman, is an imaginary monster that children often believe in. Adults have traditionally used the boogeyman to threaten children to go to sleep on time, although this practice seems counter-intuitive. The boogeyman can also be used as a threat to get children to finish their meal or behave in general. Versions of the boogeyman exist almost universally, and some psychologists believe the monster may have arisen from an evolutionary need in prehistoric times to discourage children from wandering away from the safety of the group.
The boogeyman has an almost infinite number of incarnations, as anything scary or repulsive will suffice. The monster is usually said to live under a child’s bed or closet and appear at night, although in some regions of the United States it scratches the window of a child’s room. Usually, the black man is more or less humanoid, although he can be much larger or smaller than normal people. He is often dressed in black and may carry a sack or basket with which to kidnap children. Some cultures believe in a female, witch-like equivalent of the boogeyman.
The word black man is first attested as black man in the 16th century. It is probably related to the earlier bogle, which first appeared in print in 16 with the sense of “ghost”. By extension, the boogeyman is now used to describe any imaginary or irrational fear, while retaining its original meaning as a monster that terrorizes children.
There are some famous black man figures in the English-speaking world, including the Irish creature Rawhead and Bloodybones and the character Freddy Kreuger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films. The boogeyman has also been variously portrayed in children’s entertainment, from Oogie Boogie in the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas to the boogeyman in the cartoon Powerpuff Girls. The Disney film Monsters, Inc. postulates a world of hidden monsters who make a living by scaring children at night and picking up their screams.
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