Market Monsters were hideous monsters that roamed through the aisles of the grocery store during the first season of Supermarket Sweep.
Premise
Making their debut in 1990, there were at least six different "Market Monsters" who would roam though the aisles of the market during the "Big Sweep". When one of the customers started approaching a player, the player had to instantly turn and run the opposite direction.
Meet the Monsters
Mr. Yuck
Big Dave
Frankenstein
Giant Gorilla
Extinction
After appearing for almost 4 months, the show decided to stop using the "Weird Customers" throughout the Big Sweep. Originally intended to somewhat startle and scare the customer, as well as provide an alternate obstacle in which to overcome, they were deemed to be an inconvenience. Evidence of their uselessness come from when a Team #3 contestant, who already has relatively less time out in the market, runs across one first thing, causing them to lose otherwise valuable shopping time. Encounters such as these almost always resulted in a loss. The show's developers realized that viewers would rather watch players running wild through the aisles with awkward items in tow, than watch hideous monsters deviating and distracting from the overall fun intended in the final round. They were dropped in late 1990, never to appear again.