Show and Tell!
Showing vs. Telling with Buddy and Romeo
THIS WEEK:
Show and Tell! Stuarts, April O’Neil, The Wizard of OZ, and my sister
“Back to the Drawing Board” Changing the locks.
“Where Are They Now?” Crayons Again
BEHIND THE PAY WALL: Embarrassing elementary school drawings and stories from “The Cool Kid.”
When I was five, my mother took me to a now-defunct department store called Stuarts on an errand. Perhaps you remember the store. I asked — pleaded — to look at the toys, which were in the back right of the store (I think). My mother permitted this to occur and even allowed me to hold the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure April O’Neil while we shopped. She admonished me that we were not buying it but in my mind, I thought she’d be so charmed by how excited I was about this super cool toy that she’d relent and buy it for me that very day.
She didn’t. So I had a meltdown at the register.
Eventually, I got the toy months later for Christmas. I got just about every toy I ever wanted (after an intentional period of waiting) but that’s another story. Also, if you’re interested, at that same Stuarts location, I also got a few Darkwing Duck action figures (Darkwing Duck himself and Launchpad McQuack). Once on an outing to Stuarts with my mom while my elder sister and I were at school, my little sister brought my 1989 50th Anniversary Wizard of OZ action figures in a lunch box without my prior consent. When I got off the bus, my mom informed me that both The Wicked Witch of the West and Dorothy were accidentally left at the store. In the preparation of this post, I took a deep breath and went to eBay to find out how much those lost toys are valued at now. Thankfully, the whole set of seven (Dororthy, Toto, Scarecrow, TinMan, Lion, Glinda, Witch) sells for $54 unopened. Phew! Not as rare or valuable as I feared.
One day, my kindergarten teacher sat us all down on the carpet for a talk. It was about the days of the week and “good afternoon” and today’s date and “nineteen hundred and ninety.” It was also about something called “Show and Tell” and we would all be responsible for preparing a presentation for it. We had to bring in something unique; something important; something we’re proud of and would give us status and make everyone else in the class jealous.
For my first ever show and tell, I brought in my April O’Neil. I was proud but other people had her too. After several more rounds of Show and Tell, in first grade, I wanted to take my presentation to the next level. I couldn’t bring my Dorothy or Wicked Witch of the West toys in but I was determined to win Show and Tell with a source of pride that no one else had.
So I brought in my little sister.
I won.
In writing and storytelling, it is better to show than to tell. Over the years, we ran a series of “Showing vs. Telling” comics wherein Buddy and Romeo prove that, in their case, it’s better to be told…
Bring your friends!
Get your crayons on CartoonStock.
Now watch it come to life!
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