About
Merry Christmas, Krampus
$43,826
442
What are we making?
Merry Christmas, Krampus is an independently published children’s book that tells the story of legendary Christmastime creature Krampus and how one child from Santa’s Naughty List teaches him that all “bad” children have some good in them.
While the majority of children’s picture books use either hand-drawn or computer illustrations, Merry Christmas, Krampus will be told through beautifully staged still photographs featuring handcrafted puppets and sets. Once the images are captured, each posable puppet will be enhanced with a digitally mapped two-dimensional, line-drawn face. The final effect will give the puppets a wide range of playful expressions.
Who are we?
Our creative team members are Artie Esposito, Andrea Coleman, Sean Johnson and Patrick Johnson. We are professional designers, painters, puppet builders and puppeteers. Collectively, we have worked for Disney Animation, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Nickelodeon, Disney Imagineering and The Muppets Studio on such projects as Kidding, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Jungle Book and the Pee-wee Herman Show.
What is the story?
Santa’s horned counterpart, Krampus, spends the year mining coal and gathering sticks to give to the naughty boys and girls. But every December, Santa prevents Krampus from doing his job because Santa believes all children deserve toys at Christmas. This year, Krampus has had enough. He pushes Santa out of the sleigh and embarks on an adventure to put a piece of coal in every stocking.
On his first stop, Krampus encounters Randy Ruckus, who is the worst kid on the planet. Randy jumps into the sleigh and makes Krampus’ night a nightmare. But by the end, Randy has performed several good deeds, showing Krampus that all “bad” children have some good in them, and everyone deserves a second chance.
What the money is for...
Every environment, character, chair and cup will need to be created by hand. We’ll need to construct a wide range of model sets, including Santa’s workshop, Randy’s house and Krampus’ cave. In addition, we will be hiring a professional lighting designer and photographer to capture the images that will appear in the finished book.
A portion of the funds will go to printing and shipping an attractive hardcover book that you’ll be proud to add to your collection and read to your family for years to come.
New Audio Book Premium!
For a pledge of $45 dollars (or above), you will receive a copy of Merry Christmas, Krampus, as well as an audio recording of the book! As a thank you for those of you who have already supported the project at the $30 level (or above), this new premium will be automatically added to your previous order for no extra charge! To hear a sample of the audio book, check out the video below.
Dear Santa...
Listen to this special Christmas message from Randy Ruckus that gets to the heart of the story we are trying to tell.
Risks and challenges
While creating something of this scope will be a challenge in and of itself, the biggest challenge for us is time. As working professionals whose services are in demand, can we achieve what we’ve set out to accomplish within the year? Based on our past work—and our inherent tenacity and grit—yes, we’re confident that we can. While the project won’t be without its challenges, we will make every effort to reach that goal.
Our goal is to have Merry Christmas, Krampus printed and under your tree by Christmas 2019, just in time for you to begin a new holiday tradition.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support
Funding period
- (37 days)