Meet Moco

Moco was the first of the five Jabloo characters to be created... first by under an hour, though – they all emerged quickly. After a few way-too-generic sketches and false starts in September of 2006, I opened Adobe (then Macromedia) Freehand and began directly drawing the characters in a vector enviroment – designers who use vector-based programs will understand, this does not typically lead to well-crafted, naturalistic results – but on this Saturday morning, everything came out much better than I’d hoped, and within three hours I had the full cast finalized – and they haven’t changed a bit since that first day.

I wanted a “boy band setup” – five diverse characters, each with his or her own unique skills, interests and traits. And though I hope all five characters are equally important, Moco was destined to be the gateway character – and, likely, the main face of Jabloo. He’s my Kermit, my Gene Simmons, my Scarecrow. Here’s what I know about Moco so far:

Like all the Jabloo characters, Moco is a little kid – if I had to pin down an age, I’d say he was five, though at times he acts a bit older or younger. Moco is, above all, earnest and compassionate – he’s everybody’s friend, and wouldn’t be able to intentionally hurt anyone’s feeling if he tried. Moco sometimes has a hard time getting his thoughts together, but that’s okay – his endearing nature encourages his friends to be more patient, and to give him time to say what he has to say.
Moco is good-natured, often to a fault – he will be the peacemaker in any situation that calls for it, even at his own expense. Because he makes no attempt to gain credit for his efforts to keep the group happy, Moco’s interpersonal skills are often overlooked – and he’s okay with that.

Moco, as with each of the Jabloo characters, has one area of the creative arts that he is especially interested in – acting and theater. Though naturally introverted, Moco has a deep passion for performing, and will often entertain anyone around him with monologues from classic plays, or even pieces he’s written on his own. He frequently stumbles on his lines or forgets them temporarily, but because his memory tends to lead him astray he’s become skilled at improv – a skill which makes Moco even better at talking – and listening – to the people around him.