Since Chris’s sister is a baby, it doesn’t take much to convince her that Chris is the coolest brother ever.
Perhaps we’ll see that new bud sometime in the future…
Fun fact: This week’s art was inspired by an actual toy that I recently won from an actual crane game while visiting relatives. In fact, the toy that Chris managed to snag is heavily based on my glorious prize.
Also, a few of the toys in the “Grab A Bud”’s pile of cheap wonders are OCs of mine that I haven’t posted about yet. (Only one of my followers will be able to recognize them. You know you who are. :3)
Haha, that’s a good question! Definitely something worthy of making people wake up at 3 AM.
This touches on a question that I’ve thought about ever since I first watched Toy Story: how do toys who were made with closed mouths have teeth, or even open their mouths, when they come to life?
The main answer is, of course, plot reasons. Because it would be too unsettling to have eternally smiling toys as your main characters.
Basically, a lot of toys in Chrisville don’t have teeth until Chris brings them to life in his mind. Even Leo doesn’t originally have teeth!
Leo’s teeth are more obvious because he’s a lion, and Chris wanted to show off those fangs of his. Softboy, however, would have “normal” human-like teeth, but Chris probably doesn’t even consider Softboy’s teeth unless he’s giving a toothy grin, or is biting something.
So to paraphrase Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Softboy has teeth only when it’s funny necessary.
This week, we dive into the crayon-colored lore of the bedroom, as told by our favorite plush lion.
Fun fact: This comic references the plot of the original Softboy Pillowman book I made for my senior thesis project. There are a few differences, of course, but I even referenced a few of the original illustrations for some of the panels.
This took me forever to finish and I’ve been working on it nonstop for a few weeks now. I wanted this done for his birthday, but looks like I made it in time for Christmas. I drew all of @thescarletpaperback ‘s OCs…or at least the ones with a visual reference.
I just want him to know how wonderful his stories and characters are and how much they make my heart happy. You inspire me daily and I hope you never quit creating beautiful, wonderful worlds.
So many Softboy characters! Thanks again for this absolutely beautiful artwork. I’m always so grateful to have your love and support.
Thank you for this interesting ask! I hope you don’t mind this simple, goofy response to it.
Fun facts: In the first panel, Softboy is singing and dancing to a snippet of the song “When You Had Left Our Pirate Fold” from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance, in which the protagonist was also born on Leap Day.
The reason why only Softboy and Leo have birthdays is, honestly, because they’re Chris’s two favorite toys. He simply didn’t find the time or good reason to choose special birthdays for each individual toy in Chrisville. However, this simply means Chris decided to celebrate them all on “Chrisville Appreciation Day,” the date of which has yet to be determined.
Also, I should note that while Softboy was handmade, his “birthday” has no relation to when he was finished being sewn together, nor does it necessarily reflect when he first came to Chrisville. This date was purely chosen for the reasons listed in the third panel.
One small note on Leo’s reaction to reading about his zodiac sign; Leo doesn’t like the idea of zodiac signs controlling people’s lives, influencing relationships and self-worth with possible nonsense. To be entirely honest, Leo fits the general description of Leos, but he can’t stand the suggestion that “the stars” know him better than he does.
Happy Halloween, everybody! This year’s Halloween might be pretty different than usual, and a lot more scary in all the wrong ways, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t have fun and connect with our friends. No matter how you’re celebrating it, Softboy Pillowman and everybody in Chrisville wishes you all a lovely, spooky holiday.
Also, let’s give a warm welcome to Chris’s two best human friends, Lorrie and Makena! They won’t appear too frequently, since this blog is centered around the toy world in Chris’s bedroom, but they’re currently two of the most important people in Chris’s life. Lorrie is dressed as a pirate, and Makena is wearing an impressive homemade costume of Wolf from the cartoon Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Fun facts: The two spooky movies that Chris mentions in the second panel are, as you can see from the posters, The Nightmare Before Christmas and the 1990′s version of The Witches.
Also, don’t worry. Chris likes all the “gross” candy his friends are giving him.
If you like this comic and want to see more, make sure you’re following the blog and feel free to check out my Ko-Fi page!
Fun facts: This comic is based on a true story. I typically avoid buying bottled water, but a family friend gave me some not too long ago, and I didn’t turn it down. Even though I didn’t feel particularly thirsty, I decided to drink some before dinner. The way my body welcomed and embraced the water I was putting into it played out a lot like what happens to Chris in this comic. I have since learned that I should probably actively hydrate myself more often, and I wanted to spread this good, good message to others.
Also, yes, Chris is indeed making Softboy and another toy of his, Moth, play Battleship together. Chris got a lot of board games last Christmas, but the pandemic has been making it really hard to play them with anybody. Fortunately, the residents of Chrisville don’t mind getting a little competitive!
The topic of this week’s comic was actually one of three ideas that I ran by a few of my friends. “Chris drinks water” won by a unanimous vote.
If you like this comic and want to see more, make sure you’re following the blog! Also, consider checking out my Ko-Fi page.
Kids can get some fascinating new interests during the quarantine…
Here is our first look at Chris’s mom and dad! Just like Chris, we’re going to call them “mom” and “dad” for now.
Fun fact: The Chrisville Theater Society’s costumes are inspired by my favorite production of Don Giovanni, which was performed at the Royal Opera House in 2008. Softboy Pillowman is playing Leporello while Dirk has landed himself the lead role as Don Giovanni. Leo Lion is dressed as the Commendatore, although he was considered for the role of Don Ottavio, and would probably play that role in other Chrisville Theater productions.
Also, Chris’s dad is supposed to have a decent amount of scruff and chest hair, but I quickly learned that I am not a good enough artist to portray that. Until then, Chris’s dad has taken up shaving during the quarantine.
