BEHIND THE STORY...
While tossing around ideas, I came up with the concept of twisting the classic story of the Velveteen Rabbit. Instead of the stuffed animal becoming real, it only comes to life. We then learn there is a world where there are many living plush animals. I pitched the premise to Nickelodeon. They said they were no longer looking for kids with talking animal series. I then tried Cartoon Network. The reason given by their executive was that the idea of a child surrounded by a lot of fantasy characters was too soft for the current market. Less than a year later, the same network announced FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS, a series about a young boy surrounded by fantasy characters.
And now my pitch...
Stuff It
An Animated Series Pitch by John Cawley
‘If you love a stuffed animal very, very much, for a long, long time… it will become a real creature.”
However, if you love it not quite long enough, it simply comes to life. That is Amanda’s problem. She loved her kangaroo plush very much… but Amanda got just a little too old to keep loving a stuffed animal. Now she is stuck with a live stuffed kangaroo named Mr. Pouch.
This is a roo with a nasty attitude. Pouch claims the attitude comes from constant worry over Amanda's massive Great Dane, Dusty. Dusty also “loves” stuffed animals.
Can Amanda “dump” her former toy at the Plush Pound (where similarly “live” stuffed animals live), or must she learn to put up with this new “pet”… one that talks.
The Characters
Amanda – Amanda has just turned 12. She considers herself a bit old for toys, and almost ready for boys. The adult side of her is beginning to give her a feeling of responsibility. For this reason, she really can’t send Mr. Pouch away. Her one hope seems to be that Mr. Pouch will decide to head out on his own.
Mr. Pouch - Mr. Pouch, or “Pouch” is a bad attitude marsupial. Part of his frustration is due to his continual battle of wits with Dusty, the Great Dane. Then there is the irritation of being given a male name/personality when he obviously has a pouch, indicating he is female!
Dusty – Dusty is a large, male Great Dane. He encompasses all the grand traits of the breed: enormous size, clumsiness, simple minded and loving. Dusty would be the happiest canine on the planet if he could still carry around his favorite toy, Mr. Pouch.
text, image and format © John Cawley
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