Who is Pixie Van Dimple?

Who is this 12 year old girl, the centre of all the drama, the protagonist and self-styled Ambassador for change? Pixie Van Dimple is her name and she features on the covers of my childrens’ books looking, well, horrified, quite frankly!

Let’s play detective and see if we can find some clues to give us more information to really get to know her and what she is all about.

We know that she is 12, that she has a sister, Trixie, who is 15, who dreams of being a professional footballer, and parents Mum and Dad Van Dimple. We know that she loves animals and I think she has a dog!

We know that she loves technology and can be too attached to her smartphone – although she has realised the error of her ways and is now dedicated to educating young people about online risks and too much screentime!

We know that she is a cybersecurity expert now after a shocking incident when she was infiltrated by rogue AI bugs called Okupate whilst scrolling endlessly on her smartphone.

We know that she cares deeply about the environment and champions circularity, after an experience at the beach changed her life forever. She vowed to lead the fight against plastic pollution and all manner of environmental issues, realising the implications of a momentary error of judgement and a careless act of littering and distain for the ocean, which resulted in a near catastrophic global apocalypse and rather too much drama.

She loves her friends and sleepovers and food. She has a best friend called Lil Red Hood, who is also 12 and loves her BMX and her grandmother but not the Big Bad Wolf, AKA Swombiewolf.

We know she loves reading – I wonder if she keeps a journal to record her wins and express her thoughts? Probably!

We know that she likes fish & chips, cola and candy, and that it is best to keep that to a minimum and concentrate on a more balanced plate, with whole foods, fruits, veggies and grains – to make sure her emissions are ‘green’ ! Reference to Pixie Van Dimple and the Wrong Kind of Wind ….

What we don’t really know is what Pixie looks like from reading the text. I was asked by my publisher, Austin Macauley, if I had any ideas about what Pixie might look like and I came up with this above – based on what my daughters were wearing at the time. What actually happened was that the publisher produced all the illustrations including those of Pixie and they created her with her trademark curly red hair and round glasses, T-shirt, shorts and the red cape.

For the purposes of the book the illustrations are fantastic. Bright and colourful and eye catching – the covers depict Pixie’s expression of horror, hands raised to her face to express her shock, as she realises the trouble she is in! It is the reoccurring theme in the books – the title is the template for more stories and for kids to write their own versions. Just imagine you have made a serious mistake – what do you do? Immediately put your hands to your face as if to say ‘Oh No!!’ See…

To create a brand – brand Pixie Van Dimple, if you like, I need to create a character children can identify with – this could be done by using an actor to play Pixie in a film? or by creating a more human version of what we think Pixie may look like – a real living person who speaks and has feelings and certain types of characteristics, such as strength, vulnerability, determination, confidence with a wicked sense of humour and of course tremendous fun to be around whilst being a really loyal friend! I am liking her already…

I created some photos using Fotor AI using a simple description – what do you think? Which one do you think could be our perfect Pixie Van Dimple? A standout version which encapsulates all we expect her to be in real life? I kind of like the version of her with her fist outstretched looking really determined and strong – she could be the one? There is plenty of scope to develop facets of Pixie’s character and personality on a deeper level, and endless stories to tell about her adventures, developing and creating new characters and friends for her to interact with and of course ‘advise’ in her own inimitable style – she has a heart of gold, does Pixie.

I have also been able to create a moving animation using a still photo of Pixie in her gladiator pose – she appears to be saying something – can you guess what she is saying?

Bringing Pixie to life is my dream – whether it would be in a film or a TV series – just imagine? That would be cool. There could be many spin offs and there is so many stories to tell.

Would love your feedback on this – have you read all Pixie’s stories? Would you like to see her on the ‘big screen’ or in a ‘Netflix’ series?

Email us at pixie@lynn-mcallister.com to let us know your thoughts.

Lots of love

Lynn, Pixie, Trixie and the Van Dimples

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO