The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me… And Animal Crossing

Helen’s great drawing of the cover of her favourite book, The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me by Roald Dahl.

What are we blogging about tonight, then?

Helen: The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me.

Scott: Why?

Helen: Today, The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me.

Scott: I said why.

Helen: Because that’s the name of my book.

Scott: But why do you want to blog about it?

Helen: Because it’s my favourite book.

Scott: Let’s stop talking about it before we get copyright fees…

Helen: I think we should talk about Animal Crossing.

Scott: Why not…

Helen: Let’s talk about evil Angus.

Scott: Let’s not just talk about him…

Helen: Animal Crossing, Daddy.

Are you happy with that, Scott?

Scott: Yes, I’m happy with Animal Crossing.

So it’s a game.

Scott: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah.

Scott: It’s been a game and it’ll always be a game.

Is it the best game you’ve got?

Scott: Maybe. It may be the best-reviewed game I have.

Helen: Donkey Kong – what about it?

What about it?

Scott: What about Donkey Kong?

Helen: Has that got better ratings?

Scott: Do you mean Donkey Kong Country?

Helen: Nah – that other one.

Scott: It wasn’t even in the top 50.

So Animal Crossing is definitely better than Donkey Kong?

Scott: I guess so.

Helen: And Donkey Kong isn’t even in a magazine.

Scott: You mean it’s not even on a cover.

Helen: Yeah – like Animal Crossing is on the Wii and on normal. It’s not even got two magazines. I just want to say one thing, guys – The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me.

Is that your favourite book?

Helen: Yeah.

Why?

Helen: Because I love it, it’s a window-cleaning company.

Any thoughts, Scott?

Scott: Hmm… Em…

Helen: About The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me…

Scott: Giraffe.

Helen: Yeah… Pelly…

Scott: Yeah. And Helen.

Helen: Yeah.

Scott: She’s bad.

Donkey Kong

Scott's brilliant drawing of a Donkey Kong level.

Who is Donkey Kong?

Scott: Well, Donkey Kong is a Nintendo game really. There’s three versions of Donkey Kong. Well… Hang on… There’s actually four. Actually, five. Yes, five. There’s Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country Returns and, for some strange reason, two Donkey Kong Juniors.

Is he a goodie or a baddie?

Scott: Well, baddie really – but sometimes he’s good. What’s really strange is that in Donkey Kong Returns, in the final level, you don’t battle Mario

Who does he battle?

Scott: I don’t know.

What kind of creature is he?

Scott: A monkey.

Helen: And he’s a gorilla, not a monkey.

Scott: He also rides on a rhino. Donkey Kong is the one where Mario was called Jump Man and had to try and rescue not Peach, not Princess, but Pauline.

Helen: Who was Pauline?

Scott: Mario’s girlfriend.

Helen: And who’s Mario’s girlfriend?

Scott: Pauline.

Helen: Is she a princes?

Scott: A princess? No!

What’s your favourite Donkey Kong game?

Helen: Boo hoo.

Scott: Well, Mario Kart really because he’s a playable character. The Mario Kart series is great but overall, I’d say… Donkey Kong. The basic one – Jump Man’s first game. Did you know Mario was also called Osias – O-S-I-A-S, which is Japanese for middle-aged man. And probably his second game was Wrecking Crew. Third was Pinball. Fourth was Mario Brothers NES, which was followed by…

You know quite a lot about Mario.

Scott: Yeah – I learnt all that from one magazine.

The future

Scott struggled with drawing the future, so opted to draw the past - an old Donkey Kong game. So good I've reproduced it bigger than usual...

Let’s talk about the future.

Scott: Okay.

What is the future?

Scott: There’s no better way to say it… Really, apart from going forward in time. Or forward in time.

So what do you…

Scott: So tomorrow’s kind of the future.

What do you think the future will be like?

Scott: (pause) I don’t know – maybe food will bake or something itself. Maybe food will bake itself, you never know.

What will computers be like?

Scott: So powerful – but maybe ever so small.

And computer games?

Scott: The graphics will be so good it will be like real life, I say. They might even suck you into the game so the real life you is in the game. We’d be sooked into the game so the TV would kind of eat you up and put you into the game. That means it would be easier for people who don’t know the controls of the game.

What will you be like as an adult?

Scott: I don’t know.

What will you work as?

Scott: I don’t know. I haven’t thought of that – I’m only seven.

Will you have children?

Scott: That’s a… Yes.

What will your children be like?

Scott: I can’t say that because I don’t know who I’ll be marrying.

What kind of father will you be?

Scott: I don’t know that either.

Like me, or different?

Scott: Three words – I don’t know. How am I supposed to know? I’m only seven…

Helen: (whispers) I’m only 13. I’m not even old.