Alexander Zebra
Regulation CF: Testing the Waters / Type: Revenue Share / Raise: $20,000-$50,000 / Min. Investment: $100.00 / Est. Launch: April 2025
Logline: A young visionary leads the world of zebra fashion in colorful new directions, but will his love of plaid win over the naysayers, or be his undoing?
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Alexander Zebra is a fictional anthropomorphic zebra and the namesake of the children’s entertainment franchise created in 2024 by Arthur Trope for The Macguffin Company.
Alexander, also simply known as Zander, an iconoclastic fashion designer rebelling against the confines of a black and white world. He is characterized by his creativity, individualism, and unwavering pursuit of his dreams - with a touch of anxiety and nagging self-doubt. With his catchphrase “You be you,” he is often portrayed as rebellious, somewhat naive, and overly-idealistic, but his relentlessness and idealism endear him to readers of all ages. Zander’s love for patterns and colors, especially plaid and polka dots, is a central theme in many of his adventures, as he constantly seeks inspiration from the pelts of the other animals he meets in the Serengeti.
The franchise is planned to launch with a series of 32-page illustrated picture books for children age 2-6. The storyline and character arcs will then be explored further, with increasing levels of thematic complexity, in a series of chapter books for ages 7-12, webcomics for teens and young adults, and animations and CGI adaptations for children of all ages.
We believe Alexander’s offbeat charm and timeless appeal will resonate with audiences worldwide. Zander’s friends, including Zelenor, Zak, Zasha, and Zeezee, each bring their own unique personalities and quirks to the stories, creating a rich tapestry of characters that will capture the hearts of generations.
Beyond entertainment, the stories of Alexander Zebra also contain valuable life lessons and moral teachings. Themes of individualism, friendship, kindness, acceptance, and the importance of pursuing dreams are woven throughout the narratives, making them not only entertaining but also instructive for young readers.
As Alexander comes of age, and navigates the ambiguities of the world in his unconventional, norm-defying way, we are reminded that sometimes rules are meant to be broken - and sometimes rules are there for a reason.
As a team of authors, filmmakers, game designers, and musicians, we are always drawn to unique characters, and stories that challenge conventional thinking and push boundaries. Alexander Zebra is more than just a fictional character; he is a symbol of self-expression, friendship, staying true to one’s self, and the enduring power of storytelling. His timeless adventures are wrapped in the values that make life truly meaningful.
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Proposed Terms of the Offering
The summary below highlights current proposed terms of the Offering. Terms are subject to change and will be set forth the offering statement.
Type of Security: Revenue Share. (How it works: Basically, your investment is a loan which we pay back to you over time from the revenue generated by the franchise, until we return to you the entire amount, multiplied by the Payment Multiple.)
Min. Investment Amount: $10 (increments of $10)
Anticipated Offering Amount: $20,000 minimum / $100,000 maximum
Revenue Share %: 20% of net revenue.
Payment Multiple: 3x. For every $10 invested, we repay a total of $30 (i.e., the amount invested multiplied by the Payment Multiple). Macguffin makes annual installment payments on this amount from the Revenue %. So in this case, Investors receive $0.20 of every $1 of net revenue generated by this franchise during the year, until the full $30 is returned.
Payment Deadline/Maturity Date: None
Use of Proceeds: Macguffin Co. will deploy proceeds toward the implementation of the initial phases of a multimedia franchise development strategy. Initial plans are outlined below, but subject change prior to Offering launch.
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RSVP to reserve an invitation to invest in the future revenue of this franchise. We’ll send you a link to the intermediary platform hosting the Offering, where you can access the offering statement for the franchise once the Offering is launched.
Note: This a solicitation of interest (“Testing the Waters”) for the securities related to this franchise. No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, will not be accepted. No offer to buy the securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until an offering statement covering the securities is filed and only through an intermediary’s platform. A person’s indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.
RSVP to reserve an invitation for this Offering and access the investment portal.
Pilot/Prototype >>>
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Alexander’s mother taught him to sew. And for as long as he could remember, he’d made his own clothes. But Alexander grows bored with the traditional world of zebra fashion - nothing but black and white stripes. And so he begins to experiment with bold colors and patterns.
Alexander wears his new creations to school. The other zebras are not impressed. They don’t like this new style. Zebra only wear black and white stripes they say. Alexander is upset. The world doesn’t seem to share his vision. He considers giving up, but he hears the voice of his mother encouraging his to pursue his dreams. And so he does.
Alexander opens a clothing store. But no cusotmers come. Finally, the fashion critic from The Zebra Tribune pays a visit to the store. He is not impressed. He tells Alexander that zebras don’t wear colors or patterns. And he writes a scathing review in the newpaper the next day.
Again Alexander is wracked with self-doubt. But just then, a young zebra names Elenor pays a visit to the store. She likes what she sees. She asks Alexander to make her a pink polkadot dress, which she wears to the watering hole. Her friends are intrigued. Elenor encourages Alexander to put on a fashion show. While not everyone is a fan of this new zebra style, Alexander finds enough success to continue pursuing his dream.
With a timeless message about following your dreams and staying true to yourself, Alexander Zebra is a heartwarming tale the whole family will enjoy . The story explores the complex themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the search for meaning in a world that can sometimes be unforgiving.
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The thing about zebras, you probably know, is they only wear black and white stripes on their clothes.
But what if I told you, believe it or not, there used to be zebras who wore polka dots?
Now, you’re probably thinking: “Ahhhhh, I don’t believe ya!” So I’ll tell you about Alexander McZebra…
Once, a long, long time ago, Alexander McZebra learned how to sew. And whenever he picked up a needle and thread, this is what his mother said:
“Follow your dreams. Stay true to yourself.. Be who you are, and not somebody else.”
And what dreams he had! The patterns! The colors!
“Black and white stripes?” he thought, “What could be duller?”
He sewed a few stripes in black and white pairs, and sewed some of them sideways to make little squares.
He filled in the squares with colorful thread. “Do you like it? I call it…plaid,” he said.
They didn’t like it at all. Not one little bit. They said, “Zebras only wear stripes, and that’s it.”
Alexander opened his knitting box.
He made argyle sweaters and polka dot socks. “What are you wearing?” the others would laugh. “You look like the world’s shortest giraffe!”
But Alexander wouldn’t give up on his dreams. He nearly wore out his sewing machine. He made blue jeans, bathrobes, velveteen slippers, raincoats with plenty of pockets and zippers, flower-print shirts in purple and green, long underwear that was aquamarine.
He made ponchos with patches of orange and red. He made purple pajamas and wore them to bed.
One night, as he slept, and started to snorrrrrrrre… He dreamed that he opened a clothing store.
So that’s what he did, the very next day.
He put all his plaid shirts in a window display. But no one came in, until late afternoon…when a fashion critic from Zebra Tribune came into the store and sized up the clothes, and pushed his glasses down on his nose.
He closed his eyes. He shook his head. “Zebras don’t wear plaid,” he said.
Alexander wondered what he should do. Won’t anyone ever try anything new? He wanted to shout. He wanted to scream. His dreams were coming apart at the seams.
Perhaps he was wrong, and the critic was right. He should just stop making clothes without stripes.
But then he looked at himself in the mirror. He thought of his mom. He thought he could hear her… saying “Follow your dreams. Stay true to yourself. Be who you are, not somebody else.”
So he paid the newspaper critic no mind. He liked how he looked. He was one-of-a-kind!
Just then, someone came into the store. A customer named Elanor.
She said, “I have a question…”
Alexander said, “Yes?”
She said, “Can make me a polka dot dress?”
Alexander smiled. He nodded his head.
“Give me a couple of hours.” he said.
He sewed while Elanor went for a stroll. She wore it that night to the watering hole. Her friends were confused. But sort of impressed.
“Where did you get it? In Paris?” they guessed.
“No,” she said, “it’s one of a kind.
It’s an Alexander McZebra design.”
“A thing about zebras, you probably know, is they always wear black and white stripes on their clothes. But what if I told you - believe it or not - there used to be zebras who wore polka dots...”
Pitch Deck >>>
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When you invest in a character franchise with Macguffin Co, you’re investing in a share of the future royalties generated by the licensing of the intellectual property, at the terms detailed in the Prospectus for each franchise.
Investing in character franchises is an opportunity to be involved in the first phases of a creative process, bringing character concepts to life, and enabling the commercialization that creates royalties for the creators and investors.
Like any start-up business, early investors receive access to an investment at its very beginning stage, when potential returns are greatest. But investing in our franchises involves risk, and you may lose 100% of your investment. If you can’t afford to lose your investment, don’t invest.
In the case of Macguffin Co., investing in our characters is meant to affordable, with minimum investments as low as $10, and accessible to anyone over the age of 18, regardless of investor accreditation status.
Our goal is to create characters that can be enjoyed for generations and allow investors of any size budgets to build a portfolio in an entertaining and hopefully profitable investment class, and to build a community of long term investors who help bring these characters life for children of all ages.
Investments are offered in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Act of 1933, managed via an FINRA registered intermediary, and conducted in full compliance with all SEC regulations.
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The Macguffin Co. business model is meant to make investing in characters accessible to everyone, but that doesnt mean it’s everyone’s cup of tea. Investing in characters is speculative. While speculative investments can offer the potential for high returns, they also come with a high level of risk. It is important to understand that the value of these assets can fluctuate significantly and there is a possibility of losing some or all of your investment. If you can’t afford to lose your investment, don’t invest.
The possibility of returns relies on the strength of the underlying concept, the execution of the idea, and Macguffin’s ability to license the intellectual property rights to media partners, and the ensuing success of the products created in the marketplace. None of which is a sure thing.
It is crucial to carefully consider the risks before making any investment decisions.
At Macguffin Co., we’re looking for long-terms investors interested in engaging with the creative process, building a portfolio of characters, and staying involved as we bring new characters to the world. If that sounds like you, we’d love for you to join us. If not, this might not be the platform for you.
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1-3 illustrated, full-color, 32-page children’s picture books.
1 chapter book, with vignette illustrations, 10,000 words.
1 ten-minute, animated short film pilot.
“At its heart, Alexander Zebra is about being true to yourself. That isn’t always easy – sometimes its easier just to go along, to fit in. And being true to yourself can come with a cost.”
Backstory >>>
Meet the Macguffins >>>
“You be you.”
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The Alexander Zebra Franchise
Copyright 2024
Macguffin Co.
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