But one of the hardest things to do as we grow older is to allow our childlike imagination to run wild. Working in Hollywood discourages such irresponsible thinking and it had become my habit to carefully plan and structure my stories.
Everything in Tinseltown is carefully evaluated by executive committees. However, in the early days of animation there weren't any rules. In the 1930's the animated medium was still new and artists were allowed to do (almost) anything that popped into their heads.
So to do this project properly I decided that it needed complete and total freedom of thought. A return to instinct over intellect.
Pipe the Pelican is a kind of subconscious journal. Sometimes, I didn't know until later what it was all about. But it all started with a baby left on a doorstep... a situation that left an unanswered question... and the story unfolded after that on its own.
The characters and story have become well known to my family. We've often played the "Pipe the Pelican Game" together, a fun experience where imagination rules supreme and characters like Pipe and Shelly, the King of Kites and Brunch Noone are well known. Eventually, my family entered the story I've been drawing as the "Crumpts" adding an even more personal touch to what was already a very personal journey.
And so the story continues.
As I write this, I'm currently on the sixth volume in the series. The entire project has become my life's work and I hope you'll enjoy watching it unfold as I have. It feels strange to share it publicly after all of this time, but I wanted Pipe to have a home somewhere. And because he lives in such a strange, dreamlike world anyway, perhaps it's only fitting that he would journey to the vast, ethereal realms of the internet.
Thanks for reading. And I hope you'll enjoy Pipe the Pelican's ongoing adventures!
Jason Lethcoe
