Windham pair’s Wompkees to make cartoon comeback

A magical being that comes from Maine is now making a comeback.

The Wompkee, a green, furry creature with big ears that allow it to fly, will be featured in a new special, “A Very Wompkee Christmas,” which will air starting at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, on public television stations across the country this holiday season.

In the new special, scripted by Peter Hunziker and Cynthia Riddle, it’s Christmas Eve in Wompkee Wood and the creatures are preparing for a festive holiday. One of the Wompkees, Hummer, learns from his weather-predicting machine that Wompkee Wood is in for a blizzard.

The Wompkees decided to lay in a larger supply of Wompberries, the fruit that feeds the creatures. The catch is that the Wompberry bush grows outside the cave of the evil ice witch, Iglora Borealis.

The elder Wompkees set off to collect the fruit. Twig, a young Wompkee who can’t yet fly, impetuously decides to follow and gets lost in the process. Without giving up too much of the plot, she ends up saving the day.

The Wompkee, the creation of Con Fullam and Maureen Clarke of Windham, had one previous TV special, “The Wompkee’s Grand Adventure,” which aired in 1994. Fullam explained that it has been a long trip back for the character.

The first hurdle was that a plush toy of the Wompkee was recalled in 1995 because the wire inside the toy that held up its big ears was deemed hazardous for young children. That kept the Wompkee out of circulation for two years.

The Wompkee then spent 11/2 years at MGM, where 13 half-hour episodes were developed based on the character. But the studio closed its animation division in 1999, before the series could premiere.

The Wompkee moved on to Hallmark, where it was in development for 18 months. But when the executive championing the character left, the creature was out in the cold again.

Then, in November of 2001, Fullam hooked up with Mike DeVitto, the head of DEOS Film and Animation Studios in Lawrence, Mass., who had suffered similar experiences to his.

“He too was extremely frustrated,” Fullam recalled. “We decided we were no longer going to wait for others’ permission to do things, so we financed the movie independently.”

After 31/2 months of production, Fullam and DeVitto had created a three-minute trailer, using DEOS’ own computer-animated software system. They got a meeting with the president of Sony Wonder, who, impressed with the animation, agreed to distribute the movie domestically on video and DVD.

Through American Public Television, a syndication company that deals solely with public television, an exclusive deal was struck to air “A Very Wompkee Christmas” exclusively on public TV this year.

“The Wompkees are a soft, warm, cuddly bunch,” Fullam said. “They’re not Fox TV material. We felt that public television was an appropriate home for it.”

The special will air on more than 150 local public TV stations nationwide, reaching 70 percent of the possible market. It airs on the stations of Maine Public Television at 5 p.m. Dec. 1, 3 and 5, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7 a.m. Dec. 7.

“Everyone was pleasantly astounded by the number of stations that signed on to air a program with characters that have no track record,” said Fullam, who is one of the special’s producers and who wrote the music for it. “To clear as many stations as we have is truly exceptional.”

The special is also being distributed internationally by Marvista Entertainment, airing in Spanish in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central and South America, in French in France, French-speaking Europe and Quebec, and in the Netherlands, Belgium and several Balkan countries in Eastern Europe.

Tie-ins with the TV special include a hardcover adaptation of the story from CDS Publishing of New York and plush toys and finger puppets by Mary Meyer, a plush-toy company in Vermont.

Sony Wonder has made the commitment to finance two more Wompkee movies, depending on the performance of this year’s special, and scripts are being written for both. Fullam will know more about the future in January.

It’s been a bumpy ride for the character, but Fullam is glad that he persevered.

“It’s been eight years working with the Wompkee, and some moments have been very bleak,” he said. “I certainly feel good about it at the moment.”

Dale McGarrigle is the Bangor Daily News TV critic. He can be reached at dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.