Smonsters

Smart, kind Smonsters.

Seven Smonsters board books standing in a row, spines out. Each spine carries the Smonsters name, a small one-eyed character in its own colour, the character’s name set vertically, and a numbered colour block at the foot — Emma 01, Oscar 02, Axel 03, Kevin 04, Abigal 05, Mason 06, Cody 07.

What Smonsters are

Smonsters are smart and kind.

There are twenty-six of them. Each one has a name. Each one is described in three words.

They live first in board books and small wooden figurines, made and released together, slowly. Over time they will live in games, on screen, and in other forms the characters earn.

No tantrums. No villains. No drops you have to set an alarm for.

Axel, a rounded wooden figurine with two small pale horns and half-closed eyes, in a kraft box with a window cut into the front.

The first

Axel.

Quiet, steady, warm.

Axel stands in corners and waits for things to settle. He likes the early part of the morning, before anyone has decided what the day is going to be.

A board book and a small wooden figurine, made and released together.

An open board book. On the left page, Emma drawn in warm wood tones with a green eye and a ring above her head, captioned “Emma watches”. The right page is bare.

We started with a book.

Not a toy. Not a screen.

Twenty-two pages, 6×6″, board throughout.

Two more

Emma and Kevin

  • Emma, a pale wooden figurine with one large eye, pink cheeks and a soft scalloped hem, in a kraft box with a window cut into the front.

    Emma.

    Alert, noticing, bright.

  • Kevin, a dark walnut figurine with a target-shaped eye and a small red centre, in a kraft box with a window cut into the front.

    Kevin.

    Still, curious, slow.

Twenty-six

Three you’ve met. The rest arrive one at a time.

  • Abigail
  • Amelia
  • Axel
  • David
  • Emma
  • Frankie
  • Harper
  • Hayden
  • Jackson
  • Jennifer
  • Jorge
  • Kevin
  • Liam
  • Lizzy
  • Lucas
  • Mason
  • Mia
  • Michael
  • Noah
  • Oliver
  • Olivia
  • Oscar
  • Reiley
  • Sophia
  • Steven
  • Zoe