Chicken, Pickle, Duck & Bob
Regulation CF: Testing the Waters / Type: Revenue Share / Raise: $20,000-$50,000 / Min. Investment: $10.00 / Est. Launch: May 2025
Logline: An absent-minded pirate captain leads his crew - a chicken, a cat, a duck, and a pug - on a ‘round the world adventure in search of a missing and dubious treasure.
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Alexander Zebra is a fictional anthropomorphic zebra and the namesake of the children’s entertainment franchise created in 2023 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 us 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
Min. Investment Amount: $10 (increments of $10)
Anticipated Offering Amount: $20,000 minimum / $50,000 maximum
Revenue %: 20% of net revenue
Payment Multiple: 3x
Payment Deadline/Maturity Date: None
Use of Proceeds: 3 initial illustrated, full-color, 32-page children’s picture books. 3 initial chapter books (10,000 words) for Reading Level 3. 11-minute animated test pilot. 1 feature film screenplay.
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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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In "Chicken, Pickle, Duck & Bob", we follow the journey of an absentminded pirate captain, and his trusty crew - a chicken, a cat, a duck, and a dog, as the scour the Seven Seas for their misplaced treasure.
The forgetful Pirate Captain has a heart of gold but a memory of seaweed. One day, waking from his map, he can’t find his beloved treasure map, sending him and his quirky crew on a hilarious, round-the-world adventure.
The Captain’s loyal crew consists of Chicken, a feisty and courageous chicken with a knack for getting into trouble; Pickle, a cunning and mischievous cat who always lands on his feet; Duck, a wise and resourceful duck with an insatiable curiosity; and Bob, a pug with a heart of gold and a love for belly rubs.
As they voyage from one exotic location to another, The Captain's forgetfulness became both a curse and a blessing. In their search for the map, they stumbled upon ancient ruins, discovered hidden treasures, and encountered peculiar creatures. Despite their setbacks and comedic mishaps, their unwavering friendship and determination kept them going.
Along the way, they encountered Captain Bumblebeard, a rival pirate with a reputation for stealing treasure. With a twinkle in his eye, The Pirate Captain challenges Captain Bumblebeard to a friendly competition. The winner will not only claim the lost treasure but also earn the title of the greatest pirate in all the Seven Seas.
In a thrilling climax, the crew discovers the treasure is back where they started, buried under the Captain’s hammock. With the treasure in their grasp, they celebrate their victory and honor the Captain’s remarkable ability to turn forgetfulness into an unforgettable adventure.
A series of lessons in geography, map reading, and spatial thinking, disguised as a delightful children’s tale with characters who learn along with their audience.
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Once there was a pirate who took a nice long nap, and when he woke, he couldn’t find his buried treasure map.
He took his hook and scratched his head.
He wondered what to do.
Then he rowed back to his pirate ship and woke his pirate crew.
The first mate was a chicken with a peg leg and a patch.
The second mate, named Pickle, was a ragamuffin cat.
The third mate’s name was Duck (short for Starduck VanderSquab),
And the last, but not the least mate, was an old sea dog named Bob.
“Chicken Pickle, Duck and Bob!’ the Pirate Captain cried.
“No more napping on the job! We leave on the next high tide!
Swab the deck! Set the sail! Pull the anchor over the rail!”
“Hurry now,” he said, “I’ve lost my map and fear the worst –
That some other pirate finds it…and digs up that treasure first!”
Pickle filled a bucket. Bob picked up a mop.
They scrubbed all over Duck until he laughed and couldn’t stop.
The Captain groaned. Chicken clucked.
“I said ‘Swab the deck’, not ‘Swab the Duck!”
Wind filled the sails. They crossed the ocean.
Chicken forgot to pack suntan lotion.
But worse than that – the Captain forgot
Where exactlty in the world he’d left the X that marked the spot.
They searched the beaches of Brazil. And every jungle path.
Chicken got a sunburn, so he took an oatmeal bath.
They searched across Peru. And all through Mexico.
That night the Captain said, “I think there’s something you should know…”
He told them of a monster that was called The Big Green Blob,
As Chicken hid behind Duck and Pickle hid behind Bob.
“It’s mean as a snake and big as a whale
With pointy teeth and a spiky tail…
And the arms of a squid and the head of a shark,
And twenty-two eyes that glow in the dark…”
That night the crew could barely sleep. They dreamed of creatures in the deep.
And then, in the first light of the morning, as Pickle purred…
and Duck was snoring…
“Chicken, Pickle, Duck and Bob!
Just ahead! It’s a big green blob!”
The Captain was hanging over the side.
He was holding a spyglass up to his eye.
“False alarm,” the Captain said,
“It’s only a clump from a seaweed bed.”
They sailed across the ocean, until they reached Japan.
When they didn’t find the treasure there, the Captain changed the plan.
“Chicken, check in China,
Pickle… the Philippines,
Duck and Bob…Australia,
I’ll search the islands in-between.”
They had no luck on the treasure hunt,
But new friends joined the crew -
A panda bear, a monkey, and a six-foot kangaroo.
Far to the South they sailed, to a penguin paradise.
But the only treasures were weather-proof feathers
And the emperor’s throne of ice.
They passed a compass back and forth.
“It says from here, everywhere is North…”
Then wind filled the sails and set them in motion
on a course to the north, and the Indian Ocean…
where underneath a yellow moon, they were caught in the middle of a little monsoon.
Lightning crashed across the sky. The waves were twenty-three feet high.
The wind howled. The ocean roared.
Chicken and Pickle fell overboard.
Then Duck and Bob too, with a bark and a quack.
They weren’t quite sure who brought them back.*
(*It was the Big Green Blob.)
“I know you’re getting homesick,” the Pirate Captain said.
“But it’s just as far to turn around as it is to go ahead.”
So they sailed around Africa (four thousand miles!)…
and into a river of crocodiles.
All of a sudden, the wind disappeared.
The Captain pulled at the hairs in his beard.
“We’ll have to row!” the Captain roared. “Everybody grab an oar!”
They rowed and rowed, until they got bored,
and Pickle started a tickle war.
He tickled Bob’s leg through a hole in his shorts.
Bob laughed so hard, he started to snort.
He fell on the floor. He loosened his collar. The Captain came in and started to holler:
“Chicken Pickle Duck and Bob! Stop lollygagging on the job!”
But all they could hear was the sound of a sneeze…
and the snap of the sail as it filled with a breeze
that blew them past the coast of Spain, where they almost circled down the drain.
And when they crossed the Arctic Circle,
the sky turned blue-green, pink and purple.
“I’m b-b-beginning to th-think,” the Captain confessed,
“We may n-never find that t-t-treasure ch-chest.”
The words nearly froze in the Captain’s mouth.
From where they were, everywhere was south.
So south they sailed, before they froze.
Below deck in Quebec, they defrosted their toes.
It started to rain. It came down in buckets.
They were stuck in the muck at low tide in Nantucket.
And then one day, on a sandy shore,
They gave up. They just couldn’t search anymore.
They were all bone-tired and broken-hearted.
They knew they were nearly right back where they started…
“Home, sweet home,” the Captain sighed. “We didn’t succeed, but at least we tried…
Now I guess there’s nothing left to do but tidy up this floating zoo.
Chicken, Pickle, Duck and Bob! Grab a bucket and a mop!
Drop the anchor and swab the decks,
While I take a nap right on top of this…X.”
THE END
A Pirate’s Treasure:
A ball of yarn and a new eye patch,
a bone, a nest of feathers
and a bit of chicken scratch.
“The first mate was a chicken with a peg-leg and a patch. The second mate, named Pickle, was a raggamuffin cat. The third mate was a Duck, always sleeping on the job. And the last, but not the least mate, was an old sea dog named Bob.”
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 if 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.
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.
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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-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.
“The world is a complicated place, and the journey to understanding it is long and fraught. But it starts with knowing where to look.
Ordinal directions, spatial thinking, and map-reading, are all skills that help kids navigate their worlds. Buildling these skills at an early age, and fostering a curiosity about our place in the world, is a fundamental part of growing up.”
Backstory >>>
Meet the Macguffins >>>
“Chicken, Pickle, Duck & Bob is about exploring the world around us. We hope that ‘Chicken, Pickle, Duck & Bob’ will leave audiences feeling inspired, uplifted, and believing that the world is knowable, and our neighbors are closer than we think.”
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Chicken, Pickle, Duck & Bob
Copyright 2024
JTK Belle, Sabine Mielke
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