Casper the Friendly Ghost is a cherished character from many of our childhoods.
Created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo, the ghostly figure first haunted our television screens in 1945, having been originally conceived for a children’s storybook.
Known for his endearing New York accent and residence in a spooky abode, Casper has always been seen as the adorable phantom child. But recently people were left mind-blown by a revelation on X, formerly Twitter.
A post from the Today Years Old account, followed by over a million, dropped a bombshell about his identity. It stated: “How old were you before you realised Casper the Friendly Ghost was just Richie Rich without hair and clothes?”
Accompanying the text was an image comparing Casper to the cartoon version of Richie Rich, the “world’s richest boy” who resides in Chicago with his wealthy parents Richard Sr. and Regina.
The character, famously portrayed by Macaulay Culkin in the 1994 film, leads a life of opulence yet solitude under the watchful eye of his cheerful butler Herbert Cadbury.
And since it was shared, the viral post amassed 172,000 views, 1,500 likes with numerous comments, leaving many to question the narratives of their youth, while some recalled a hint from an episode of The Simpsons.
One user commented: “Learned one minute ago.” Another X user joked: “Today years old,” while a third reacted with: “Thanks for ruining my childhood.” A fourth user simply exclaimed: “Omg.”
Someone else noted: “Omg.” Then another observed: “True enough, they were never in the same place at the same time.” One X user claimed the connection was actually revealed in The Simpsons’ second series which “called it”.
Meanwhile, online theories point out facial similarities between the two characters, although there’s no official connection.