Pratt-L was up to its usual standard (fail) and Kate earns Poppy’s dislike because it’s needed for future storylines.
Charles M. Schulz thought the letter ‘B’ was the funniest. Beethoven was funny. Beagles were funny. Charlie Brown is funny.
This entry is brought to you by the letter C which stands for Capybaras, Chiffon, Chaos, Circus, Camp.
Several new characters and story lines have been added to the FurBabies universe.
Poppy’s disastrous birthday card, her jealousy of Kate, and the introduction of a new puppy (Chiffon, aka Chaos) story came in mid June. Poppy actually has her ‘birthday’ in June since I first drew her in June, 2023. Chiffon/Chaos was needed since Sirius needs another puppy to play with. Chaos lives up to his name. Originally Floof had this role, but she is now a sympathetic character who may tease Sirius but never causes any real damage. Chaos does. Poppy and Chaos are instigators of the action in several future strips. I enjoy having Chaos and Sirius as friends, in contrast to their humans’ relationship. Chaos is a bit like Lampwick in PINOCCHIO, always looking for trouble and finding it, and Sirius follows his friend against his better judgment.
Sirius and Chiffon, aka Chaos.
Summer camps on the Toronto Islands are wonderful and the location is incredibly photogenic (is there such a term as ‘cartoonogenic’?) I did two research shoots there and most locations will be based on the photos.
Kate and her friends the Furr Twins chose actual courses from the Harbourfront Centre Summer 2024 Camp Catalogue on the last day of school. Kate chose Circus Arts, which will teach clowning, trick bicycling, and ‘rolla bolla’ or balancing on a board. She will need and use all of them.
LaVa and Arf’s choice of island camps will be revealed in the first week of July, and a new character is introduced. Lewis H. Dewey is an in joke (think: three identical ducks), but he’s actually named for two animator friends, Louis Scarborough Jr. and Louis Tate. Both of them left us much too soon. Lewis’ personality is closest to that of Louis Tate. Lewis’ design is a youthful caricature of my Disney colleague and friend Floyd Norman. (shhh, he doesn’t know yet. I’ll send him the strip.)
Floof continues her Space Program, with modifications. She is a little kid with a short attention span. Mrs. Oldman pet sits the kids along with Stella and Shawm. Sirius attempts Pup Camp with Chaos, and we meet another new character, George the Malamute. He’s a caricature of an actual dog owned by a local breeder.
The runaway capybaras are seen with increasing frequency, marauding vegetables and frightening the horses. The vegetable theft was real. The horse race was fictional although the horse is real, and the ridiculous rodents appear in the news more and more frequently. The cartoon animals are caricatures of the original 2016 escapees, Bonnie and Clyde.
2016 poster of escaped capybaras from Toronto’s High Park Zoo
My caricature of the poster.
There is no internet reception on part of the Toronto Islands so Kate didn’t bring her phone and doesn’t hear any of this. The Dog Family follows the capybara story on television.
Sundays will feature a special Bastille Day strip and a remarkable short story written by Aleks Berg, a 10 year old friend from Burlington who graciously gave me permission to use it.
Mrs. Oldman has some awkward moments with Floof and Sirius; while they like her, they are mischievous with the babysitter.
And what would sleepaway camp be without a few good monsters that come out of the woods after dark?
That’s all for now. Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July and Bastille Day and day of your choice!
~ good good good . . . and, you made me look up CAPYBARAS . . .
https://currumbinsanctuary.com.au/stories/blogs/10-facts-about-capybaras-worlds-largest-rodents#:~:text=To%20make%20up%20for%20the,for%20cutting%20up%20their%20food.
Sweet!