Simon tells me he has been drawing KF-F since he was in Grade 6, when he was 11. He says he was playing 'The Legend of Zelda' at the time on the N64 and that there's a level where Link is inside Lord Jabu-Jabu, and that's how he came up with the name "King Flabu-Flabu". I thought this drawing below might be an early incarnation of King Flabu-Flabu because he doesn't have a crown and there's no drool on his lips. As well, he's more elongated than in later drawings, but Simon says that KF-F always had a crown right from the start. He figures he just forgot in this case.
Here's a KF-F drawing from 2007. Simon was 12 at this time. Notice the drool on KF-F's lips. Those big drooly lips were the crux of the character's creation. Simon invented King Flabu-Flabu because he wanted to draw a character with big drooly lips.
Last year Simon spent 'Take your Kid to Work' Day in Wendy's Grade 4/5 class. He taught all those little kids how to draw King Flabu-Flabu ... and even now, a year later, its not that uncommon to see KF-F drawings being done by those same kids! I think that's pretty remarkable. Si really made a big impression on those kids!
Below, the back panel of Si's calculator.
Below, a much more recent drawing from this year. KF-F has become shorter and cuter over time, and if he appears at all in Simon's work it is usually only in a supporting role.
I get the impression Simon has moved on from King Flabu-Flabu, although he insists he has not grown bored with the character. I guess time will tell. But what I find kind of amazing is that Si developed such a consistent and fully-realized character while in middle-school. I never had that kind of focus when I was his age, that's for sure!
Who knows what might become of KF-F? One day we may see him starring in his own video game or animated cartoon series...
Just in case, I better make a point of saying "King Flabu-Flabu is © 2009 by Simon Peng". After all, I have my retirement to think of!
1 comment:
haha king flabu-flabu is REALLY cute!
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