Meet a Tubster With Seven Tentacles

Our first potential villain has arrived. It's Bob the Tubster of Terror by Oliver from St Edwards.

I was thrilled by how brilliant Oliver's work was this week, so I've scribbled notes all over it.

Download Bob the Tubster of Terror + my notes.

So what have we learnt so far?

1. Choose a unique name for your baddie, that's nothing like any of our heroes' names.

2. Consider your baddie's relationship with the other characters.

3. Remember to give your baddie characteristics that the rest of the species might not have (and many that they do.)

4. Don't be afraid to give your baddie the odd good quality.

Week 3 - Decision Time - Which Heroes?

We have a wide variety of heroes to choose from. Read the short list very carefully and then vote for the heroes you would like to write about in our monster book.

Heroes rarely work alone. Some have sidekicks and friends to help. (You can read more about hero structures here.) I recommend picking two or three that you feel would work together well.

Bob the Good Lumipoo Momp

When Bob was a only a mere mompling (still in his momp egg) his brother mistook him for a ping pong ball and batted him almost into orbit. After landing back on solid ground, he rolled and rolled until finally a little old lady picked him up thinking it was a boiled egg. Just as she was about to take her first bite, Bob and his tiny head popped out. Since lumipoo momps only get their spikes when the reach the grand old age of three, Bob was still rather cute and had found himself a new home. The old lady looked after him until he was old enough to look after himself - that’s why he isn’t like the other lumipoos. 

He doesn’t have any special powers, but his good nature and understanding of lumipoo momps puts him in a unique position to help save the world.

Bob looks very messy with his scruffy, unkempt feathers, large boggley eyes and microscopic ears. You can always smell Bob coming because he stinks of lime soap. He has a very high squeaky voice. He can also be a bit of a prankster- this helps him when trying to catch the villains.

Since growing up in a quiet neighbourhood with the little old lady, Bob loves hot water bottles – they remind him of cuddle time. He has since discovered that they are a useful hiding place for concealing lumipoo slime and provide him with a portable device to surprise unsuspecting passers-by for a bit of slime bombing practice. Although he likes green things, he hates sprouts, and he strangely dislikes cheese, although this could have something to do with his childhood mouse trauma! 

Simon the Child

Simon was  born without any skills. In fact he was born quite a weak child. He grew up without any brothers or sisters, so was close to his parents.

When he was just at the age of five, he was in the park with his grandpa when he heard a terrible din. His grandpa hurried him away. He was later told that his parents had died in a boating accident. This developed into a giant fear of water.

Then at the age of ten his grandpa, who was very old, passed away. Simon felt very sad and lonely.

The very next day, Simon was popping down to the shop, when he saw the strangest thing; he found a very small tig lying on the path all sprawled out. Simon picked her up and took her home, where he nursed the young Tig back to health. They became great friends.

This friendship became so strong it gave Simon the strength to try new things. They practised football together and both grew strong and fast.

But one day, Simon found out some terrible news – his parents didn’t drown in an accident; they were attacked by a flock of lumipoo momps.

Now Simon’s mission in life is to track down monsters and take them to a paradise away from humanity. 


Tigotha the Tig

Tigotha comes from a family of tigs, who live in a secret, oxygen-filled cave that you can only get to by swimming under the sea.

The whole tig family can fly because Tigotha’s grandmother once did a job for a genie and the genie gave her a wish. She asked that tigs be given the gift of flight, and the genie granted her wish.

When Tigotha was very young, she flew to a nearby town and joined in a game of football with some human children. At first, it went well. The children were impressed with the way her six legs could dribble and tackle. But then some bigger children came and bullied her, leaving her weak.

Years later, Tigotha is strong again, but she hates bullies more than ever and wants to put the world to rights.

Jeff the Cleaner

Cleaning Jeff is 42. He is a man of few words, with a face as still as a statue, nobody ever notices him. School children throw their paint, lunches and crayons on the floor and Cleaning Jeff picks them all up. The next day, children throw things on the floor again.

But Cleaning Jeff is not a meaningless cog in the education system. He has the important job of keeping lumipoo momps away from school. They frequently try to sneak in to jab children with their spikes. They try to slip under the school gate in puddle form. Jeff hovers there with his trusty vacuum cleaner, ready to hoover them all up.

He regularly checks to pipes for tubsters of terror.

He is also a super-duper banana-bomb maker. He collects bananas and takes them to the school basement, where he creates banana bombs are other fruit-related arsenal.

Super Amazing Wowser Woman

She can fly. She can lift volcanos. She has laser eyes.

Oh yes, Super Amazing Wow Woman is a super super hero.

Descended from a long line of super heroes, Super Amazing Wow Woman sounds like a tornado as she zooms around town in a red cape with a gold belt. She has a sword that was once used to slay a dragon. She has gloves that can wrap 'truth wire' around baddies, forcing them to tell the truth.

Whoever she’s been fighting, wherever she’s been flying, her clothing always sparkles. She is the cleanest super hero in town. (Always ready for the next photo opportunity). Her ball earrings are actually super spy hearing balls, that improve her hearing.

Super Amazing Wow Woman loves children and ducks. Unfortunately, she loves ducks so much that she has failed to realise that lumipoo momps are deadly villains. She thinks they’re cute.

She believes that tigs are her mortal enemies because they eat children. She doesn’t know that Tigs are misunderstood because she has a very simple view of life. Being a super hero, she believes in goodies and baddies but doesn't realise that good people can make mistakes.

Her hobbies include catching scoundrels, reading newspaper articles with titles such as ‘Super Amazing Wow Woman Saves the Day’, and eating chocolate straight from the microwave. (Without chocolate she wilts like a flower that’s not be watered.)

She has a sidekick but she can’t remember who it is. (She’s too busy looking in the mirror.)

Yes, Super Amazing Wow Woman is definitely a super hero. Unfortunately, unlike her sword, she’s not the sharpest tool in the box and often zooms in to save the day, without checking whether or not the day needs to be saved.


Sir Fartalot the Fredanielawrobyus

He has such a loud voice that windows rattle and shatter, and computer screens splinter and crack.  He is a happy fellow, who likes to tell jokes. His favourite joke is:

Where do pirates buy toys for their children? Toys ARRRRR us!

He hardly ever gets cross, but when he does, you better watch out, because that is when he is most likely to eat you.

He hasn’t quite managed his laser eye skills, so occasionally he blows up something he didn’t mean to. His skills with a bow and arrow are much better; he has won competitions for shooting apples out of trees. He likes to juggle especially with bananas. He gets jealous when others juggle and uses his laser to zap them to teach them a lesson.

He isn’t really that keen on pizza, but he has to eat it if he has an emergency and needs to go invisible.

He is practicing hard on his farting skills; he keeps having accidents when farts sneak out and stun people by mistake.

Most of the time Sir Fartalot is bald, but on Fridays and at Christmas he has very long blue hair. He is one of the few Fredanielawrobyi to have straight teeth. He wears blue nail polish on his claws.

He is quite the snappy dresser; his favourite day wear is pink baggy trousers and a t shirt bearing his name. Baggy trousers are important as they allow full functioning of his fart powers. He enjoys wearing a suit and tie for special occasions. When relaxing at home, he likes to wear a smoking jacket and cravat.


Turbo the Toddler

Toby is known as Turbo the Toddler because he has the super hero ability to run and fly really fast. Unfortunately, aside from his speed and an uncontrollable urge to rescue people, he behaves exactly like a toddler. He poos his nappies, can say very few words and gets food all over his face. 

On his second birthday a strange chemical dropped into the oven while his
birthday cake was baking. Toby took a bite of cake with the chemical and the
next day he realised he had two super powers!

One of his skills is curl power. His hair springs to life when a monster is in sight. Those short baby curls suddenly become helicopter propellers and Bobby can fly into the sky.

Turbo’s other skill is that he is very fast on foot. He is very good at getting to emergencies quickly. He once saved a lady from being eaten by a lion.

He wears a blue onsie with a red ‘T’ on the front and springy booties. The suit smells of mashed banana and sour milk, which is what he likes to eat.

He sometimes finds himself slowed down by chewing gum on the pavement, because his feet get stuck to it. He can be incredibly infantile and throws a lot of tantrums when he doesn’t get his way. For example, he threw a tantrum because a boy needed rescuing when he wanted to watch his favourite TV show.

Unfortunately, Turbo’s nappy smells so bad that many people refuse his help. Others mistake him for on ordinary toddler and try to help him instead of being rescued. It can be very confusing.

Click here to vote.

Week 3 Tips - Heroes Working Together

Most stories have more than one hero. Here are some typical hero setups:

The Hero and Sidekick

E.g. Shrek and Donkey.

One hero takes the lead, but is assisted by his or her trusty sidekick. The sidekick is usually less skilled or skilled in different ways to the hero.

Sometimes writers make their sidekick cleverer than the hero, because that can make people laugh.

The Hero and His Friends

E.g. Harry, Ron and Hermione.

In this scenario, the hero lakes the lead but has a pair or group of friends who help throughout the story.

A Group of Heroes

E.g. The Famous Five

A group of friends work together to save the day. No one hero stands out as the best. All the heroes have different skills and abilities.

Week 3 Task - Design Some Villains

It's time to create our baddies characters. What is the leader of the lumipoo momps like? What is the most dangerous lumipoo momp called? Who won the last Lumipoo Momps' Got Talent? Which lumipoo momp is best at the eyes-closed swimming race? We also need a few tubsters of terror and some bullies.

We already know that Tigs are friendly (albeit with an unfortunate tendency to eat the odd child) so we don't need any tig baddies.

This week you need to create one baddie character and describe him or her in up to 200 words.

Your baddies must be one of the following, please:
- One of the human children that bullies tigs
- An evil lumipoo momp
- An evil tubster of terror

Please don't create any new species.

If you choose a human child who bullies tigs, please use what you already know about humans to build your character.

If you choose a lumipoo I would like you to use the lumipoo momp species notes to build a character please.
Download Lumpioo Momp Species Notes

If you choose a tubster I would like you to use the tubster of terror species notes to build a character please.
Download Tubster of Terror Species Notes

For example, when I wrote about trolls, I first decided that all trolls would be smelly, greenish-tinged and horned. When I later designed characters, they were all smelly, greenish-tinged and horned but had individual qualities as well. For example I gave each one a different backstory, a different haircut and a different unique bad smell.

So if your villain is a lumipoo momp, it must be a spiky duck that can turn into a puddle, but you can choose your own characteristics to add to the information on the species sheets.

The children's illustrator, Katie W. Stewart, has sketched a typical member of each species, to help keep you on track. (Read all about the brilliant Katie.)

Here are some things to think about if your baddie is a lumipoo momp:
1. What's its name, age and gender?
2. What is its job or rank? (e.g. the leader of the species, a spy, the runt)
3. Where is its nest, what is it made from and what is it like inside?
4. What colour are its eyes and beak?
5. What accessories does it wear? (e.g. red cowboy hat; purple, silk scarf; pink polka-dot handbag)
6. What else distinguishes it (tells it apart) from other lumipoo momps?

Here are some things to think about if your baddie is a tubster of terror:
1. What's its name, age and gender?
2. Where does it live (e.g. in a pipe, in a shoebox, in a cash machine)
3. What colour is its fur? What colour are its tentacles?
4. We know that they smell bad, but what exactly does yours smell like?
5. What does it sound like? Can it talk? If so, does it have an accent?
6. What distinguishes it (tells it apart) from other tubsters of terror?

Here are some things to think about if your baddie is a bully:
1. What's its name, age and gender?
2. Why is he or she a bully? (e.g. parent is too busy to teach right from wrong, tiny brain, traumatised by an experience with a lumipoo momp)
3. What nasty things does he or she do? (e.g. call names, throw things, steal sandwiches)
4. What does he or she look like?
5. What does her or she smell like?
6. What does he or she sound like?

Don't forget what you've already learnt about backstories, showing/telling, similes and onomatopoeia.

Here are some tips to help you with this week's task:
A Game for Naming Monsters
Inventing Interesting Weapons
Using Alliteration

Please email your descriptions to rosen.trevithick@gmail.com

A Game for Naming Monsters

There are many ways to choose names for characters. You can flick through the phone book for surnames, you can look at the census from 100 years ago, and I've even got a book of names.

However, monster names are a bit different from ordinary names. You might want your monster to sound fierce, slimy or stinky.

Here's a quick game to help you invent a monster name:

1. Get into a group of three or more and sit in a circle.
2. On a piece of paper, write down a first name (e.g. Barry, Henry, Anita)
3. Fold over the piece of paper and pass it to the person on your right.
4. Write down a funny word (e.g. 'sausage', 'wibble', 'smelly') and then a hyphen.
5. Fold over the piece of paper and pass it to the person on your right.
6. Write down a part of the monster's body (e.g. spikes, feathers, beak)
7. Fold over the piece of paper and pass it to the person on your right.
8. Open the piece of paper you were just given and read the same of the monster.

You will come up with names like:
Barry Sausage-Spikes
Henry Wibble-Feathers
Anita Smelly-Beak

If you don't think the name you read out suits your monster, could you tweak it slightly?

For example, 'Barry Sausage Spikes' is funny, but it's not quite right for a lumipoo momp because sausages are round and spikes are sharp. I could change 'Barry Sausage Spikes' to 'Barry Prickle Spikes'.

Perhaps you'd like alliterative names (names where the first letter of each word is the same) such as Barbara Batty-Beak. If so, decide on a letter before starting the game. The new rule is that you can only write down words starting with that letter.

If you're really stuck, you can try my Troll Name Generator.

The Sketches From Katie Have Arrived

Remember I said that a professional children's author was going to sketch our monster species? If not, you can read all about Katie W. Stewart here.

Anyway, the sketches have now arrived, all the way from Australia. There will be plenty of opportunities to draw your own versions of the characters in the future, but these are guides to help you remember the key points about each species this week, as you create your baddie characters.

Here they are, in all their glory:

Duck Donkers, Booming and Shadowy Water

This afternoon, I've been reading ideas from Morton Trentside Primary School.

Here are some of the highlights:

'Quackers is a lumipoo momp that has super power senses so then he would not bump into anything.'

A very useful skill for creatures that prefer to swim with their eyes closed.

'Duck Donkers has a shiny, bright and pointy orange beak.'

Duck Donkers is a brilliant name. I like the idea of a bright and shiny beak. Perhaps Duck Donkers could polish its beak with furniture or shoe polish?

'Duck Donkers closes his eyes because he doesn't like his own reflection in  the light blue, wavy water.'

The sentence above contains some lovely adjectives (describing words) used to tell us about the water.

'Ducky can pick up cars.'

A duck holding a car? Now that's something I'd like to see.

'He can jump over the moon and when he lands he makes a boom.'

I really like the line above because you could make it into a mini poem with a half-rhyme:

'He can jump over the moon,
When he lands he makes a boom!'

'Boom' is an example of onomatopoeia (when saying a word out loud sounds like the thing you're describing.) Try saying 'boom' out load - it sounds like an explosion.

'Dance Duck enjoys swimming in dark, gloomy and shadowy water.'

I really like the adjectives (describing words) used to tell us about more water.

'Every time he tries to say hello  he says "momp momp".'

This is very amusing. I can imagining it happening.

'If you laugh, Quackers will charge at you.'

Uh oh! I think I would find it hard not to laugh at a crazed duck saying "momp, momp". I'll have to practise keeping a straight face.

'If a baby is trying to get him, Crackers can turn into a puddle in a click!'

At first, I thought, 'Why would a baby, of all people, try to attack a lumipoo momp?'. Then I realised that babies are too young to understand that lumipoos are dangerous. Perhaps the baby just wanted to pet crackers (bad idea!).

Many thanks to Morton Trentside for their interesting responses.