People, Places, and Things
Cartoonists used to make three columns:
- People or animals
- Places
- Things
Then they would often pick one item at random from each column, juxtaposing and com-
bining totally different ideas. You place the unexpected in an unexpected context and the
obvious where it’s least expected. You create surprising relationships. This is a great way to
come up with original plots and write gags. What is that green rabbit doing in the desert with
a pound of cheese? You can use other combinations as well. What about two characters, an
adverb, and a place, or a theme, three characters, and a verb? Go wild!
42 Animation Writing and Development
PEOPLE PLACES THINGS
green rabbit with pink eyes Africa merry-go-round horse
Abraham Lincoln desert stick of licorice
spotted dog circus pound of cheese
old man downtown purple balloon
Susie Suckup in a rabbit hole jump rope
seven spotted sea lions at the bottom of the sea red rose
Petunia Pup inside a tent computer
Giles the Giant Hollywood pink pointed pincers
Reba the Rebel behind a potted palm striped box
Jason the Argonaut North Pole Scotsman’s kilt
bald baby floating on a cloud boomerang
Terrible Teddy school jack-in-the-box
police detective red firehouse puff of smoke
substitute teacher inside a book purple pillow
headless horseman riding a kite (first class) kazoo
Sally Forth Camp Kittywampus sour pickle
nanny in the kitchen CIA file
chess king deserted swamp pink poodle skirt
mom world’s largest store pencil box
fairy princess amusement park spy glass
May B. Knott on top of the Eiffel Tower zebra striped pajamas
mean landlord inside a volcano wet noodle
two-headed orange giraffe approaching the dog star ostrich feather
Alien Zorch in a closet kaleidoscope
troll Timbuktu saddle
Morph the Monster castle cell phone
Queen Victoria in a maze scroll