When Nickelodeon contacted me a few weeks ago, suggesting I enter a character design contest, I thought it would be a fun and fairly simple task. Oh, no. Perhaps it's because I haven't been four in twenty five years, but I found myself entirely stumped as to what would appeal to a pre-K pipsqueak. Add to that the fact that a quick Google search revealed any ideas I thought I had were either already shows or the shows I grew up watching. After staring at a blank page for the better part of a night, I pulled myself out of the running.
One week after the deadline, Nickelodeon contacts me again, wondering where my submission might be. Loathe to disappoint, I sat down once more, this time armed with a page of notes from a brainstorming session with my future sister-in-law, a first grade teacher. Here's what I cooked up...