Proposal

Writing Sample

NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK PROPOSAL
PROPOSED TITLE: Revenge of the Misfit Toys
SECONDARY TITLE: The Untold Story
AUTHOR: Troy Schmidt

ONE LINE DESCRIPTION
A humorous look at what happened to the Misfit Toys five days after Santa cruelly dropped them into the real world and how they use their "misfitedness" to save their lion friend Moonracer from the evil clutches of Yukon Cornelius and his Arctic Freak Show.

OVERVIEW
At the end of the ever-popular Christmas special, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the hapless Misfit Toys are air-dropped into the homes of unsuspecting girls and boys. But what happened once the children woke up and found these strange oddities under the tree? "Revenge of the Misfit Toys: The Untold Story" tells the complete story of how King Moonracer, himself a misft (ever seen a flying lion?), founded the Island of Misfit Toys and became a mentor and counselor for these emotionally sensitive playthings. But one night, after Santa and Rudolph took all the toys away, King Moonracer, all alone, decided to check up on the toys and found them all still misfits because of their various character-design "handicaps." The aerodynamic lion prepared to take them back to the island, when suddenly a dart knocked him unconscious. Now it's the Misfits who must rescue King Moonracer when he is captured by…could it be…Yukon Cornelius, who it turns out is a greedy hunter and quite a threatening menace with that flying pick ax. Yukon has also kidnapped Rudolph, the Abominable Snowman and Sam the Snowman to display them in his all new Arctic Freak Show. The Misfits work together to free their friends and learn they are not misfits because they have each other. They return to Misfit Island, where nobody judges them, and open up a conference center for other Misfits that attract hundreds of toys with such topics as "Finding Your Fit in a Misfit World," "Turning Your Freak into Freaky," "You're Not Different, Just Unique" and "The Slinky Story: Turning Mistakes into Millions."

TAKE AWAY VALUE
Children and adults will enjoy the tongue-in-cheek look at the further adventures of the Misfit Toys. In the process they learn an important lesson-a person is not an "outcast" or "misfit" if they have other freaky friends.

FORMAT
Partially illustrated, hardcover, 75 pages, 9500 words

UNIQUENESS

• No one has ever told "the rest of the story."
• The book reveals back story not included in the original "Rudolph" like how did the Island started and the mysterious origin of King Moonracer.
• The book adds layers to the relationships and hardships these poor toys faced and finally gives complete closure to their story.
• While it centers around a Christmas story, it is not a "Christmas" story and has both holiday and non-holiday potential.
• The story even opens the door to a sequel.

SERIES POTENTIAL

The book sets up a sequel and creates added enthusiasm for additional gift promotions. A TV special is very possible.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Children, ages 8 and up (the Lemony Snicket, Captain Underpants crowd) plus adults who fondly remember the classic Rudolph series.

The Misfits were a favorite right from the first showing of Rudolph. Imdb.com says this:

The version that originally premiered on NBC in 1964 (did not include) the Island Of Misfit Toys ending, where Santa and company return to the Island to rescue the toys that had been left behind earlier in the story--that was animated, filmed, and used for the 1965 re-release, and all subsequent television and video releases through 1997--after viewer protests demanded a resolution of that storyline.

Their popularity continues today. "Rudolph" receives incredible ratings on CBS, finishing in the Top 20. Misfit Christmas collectibles are very popular on Ebay and have an almost cult-like following.

© Troy Schmidt, 2006