The Von Dingles Graphic Novel

🐔 Hello from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios!  

You probably know us for Robot Chicken, or maybe Crossing Swords, Mickey and Friends holiday specials, The Simpsons couch gags, Dominion X with Steve Aoki, Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., or maybe even some of those incredible costumes they wear on The Masked Singer (yup, that's us too!).

But now, get ready for our next… big… thing!!

👋 INTRODUCING...

We’re known for our stop-motion work, and are incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past fifteen years as we’ve won nine Emmy’s and entertained audiences the world over with our unique brand of comedy. 

The Von Dingles continues this tradition, we’re proud to share an original short we made as part of the launch of this Kickstarter! Check it out:

Now we're bringing The Von Dingles to comics! In fact,comics are where some of us started (a bunch of us worked on Twisted ToyFare Theatre years ago).

Which brings us to...

📗 The Graphic Novel

📗 THE VON DINGLES GRAPHIC NOVEL

In partnership with our buddies at Macroverse and the incredible artist, Patrick Williams, we are producing a full, 88-page graphic novel that will bring audiences into the world of The Von Dingles with all the drama, pathos, tragedy, love, poignancy and heroism that our fans have come to expect… along with insane action and humor of course!

💬 The Story

SO IT'S ABOUT TALKING EGGS? WHAT ELSE?

Inspired by the question, "What happens to the Easter eggs that never get found?"... 

This is the story of Clark… An egg with a dream. He’s different from the other eggs in the Hidden Valley of The Von Dingles. For starters, he has no face or arms; he’s just a little egg with legs. And even though no one has ever left the village, Clark dreams of a bigger world out there. So when the evil Pecker Egg attacks the village with his robot army and an age-old vendetta against the Valley, Clark is the one who rises to the occasion! Along with his two best friends Brittle and Vigor, Clark sets off on the adventure of a lifetime, leaving the comforts of home behind to face Pecker at his headquarters: a super-scary robot factory sitting on a distant mountaintop.

👀 Preview

Sooo, let’s see some comics!
Below is a sneak peek of what we are doing in this book, and all the mayhem that comes along with it!

🧠 The Mastermind

🧠 SO WHO HATCHED THIS IDEA?

Von Dingles mastermind, Creator, Director and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios co-owner John “Harv” Harvatine IV says it best:

🧐 WHY KICKSTARTER

With The Von Dingles, Harv is excited to cut out the middle-men, make something in our tone and give it right to our fans. So this is pure Stoopid Buddy, coming at you straight from the source! You’re welcome and/or we’re sorry!

Even years after Robot Chicken episodes hit TV, they continue to entertain fans online!

We love reading the comments on YouTube and engaging in that way. It’s SO much more rewarding than looking at ratings. And a lot less math, too.

We’ve done other direct-to-fans shows like Blark and Son and Dominion X with Steve Aoki. Same thing. Fans loved it and we got to incorporate your ideas.

🗺️ The Plan

🗺️ SO WHAT’S THE PLAN?

As you can see, we are well into the development and production of The Von Dingles graphic novel. But we want to bring you on the adventure as we take this epic story from start to finish, and then deliver it directly to you!

• CREATIVE WORK 🎨  Through May 1, 2024
  The creative work on the full series will take some time and we want to share the process with you. Backers will get regular updates, sketches, behind-the-scenes videos, new comic shorts and more to keep everyone entertained! 
  
  Best of all, you will be able to read the whole story as it's being created! Thanks to our buddies at Macroverse, all backers will receive free access to their awesome mobile comics app where we'll publish bi-weekly episodes as they are completed.
   
• PRODUCTION & PRINTING 🛠️ May 1 through July 1
  We'll continue to share the process with backers as we move into final book design, production and onto printing. This is where the graphic novel gets real!
   
• DELIVERY 🎁 July 2024
  Hot off the presses, we will be as excited as you (maybe more) to deliver the full graphic novel and everything else you choose from this campaign directly into your hands.

🥇 Stretch Goals

We have plans and then we have PLANS! As we move through these stretch goals we'll add more details on each one. Rest assured, the fun and fantastical minds at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and Macroverse are plotting all kinds of awesome here... If you could see us twisting our mustaches right now, you certainly would...

🤩 Rewards

• Early Backer Digital PDF Download 📄 + Macroverse App Access 📱
  Available for 48 hours only - SOLD OUT!

• Digital PDF Download 📄 + Macroverse App Access 📱

• Early Backer Full Graphic Novel 📗 + more
  Available for 48 hours only - SOLD OUT!

• Full Graphic Novel 📗 + more

• Early Backer Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + more
  Available for 48 hours only - SOLD OUT!

• Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + more

• Early Backer Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️  + more
  Available for 48 hours only - SOLD OUT!

• Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️  + more

• SIGNED ✍️ Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️ + more

• Kickstarter Exclusive! Clark & Pecker Limited Edition Figurines and Backdrop
  Including facial expression stickers
  + SIGNED Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️ + more

COMIC SHOP TIER : 5 Copies of the Graphic Novel 📗
+ Von Dingle Valley Maps 🗺️ + more

• COMIC SHOP TIER 1: 10 Copies of the Graphic Novel 📗
  + Von Dingle Valley Maps 🗺️ + more

• COMIC SHOP TIER 2: 20 Copies of the Graphic Novel 📗
  + Von Dingle Valley Maps 🗺️ + more

• COMIC SHOP MEGA TIER: Social Media Shout Out from Stoopid Buddy Studios 📣
  + 20 Copies of the Graphic Novel 📗 + Von Dingle Valley Maps 🗺️ + more
  Limited to 20

• We'll design a character based on your likeness and draw it in the book 🥚
  + SIGNED Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️  + more
  Limited to 5 - SOLD OUT!

• IRL Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Tour for You and a Friend in Los Angeles 🎬
  + Voice a Character while you're there 🎙️
  + SIGNED Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️  + more
  Limited to 5 - SOLD OUT!

Voice a Character in the animated short 🎙️
+ IRL/Virtual Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Tour for You and a Friend in Los Angeles 🎬
+ SIGNED Hardcover Collector’s Edition 📙 + Von Dingle Valley Map 🗺️  + more
Limited to 5

⭐️ Add-ons

• Alternate Cover #1
  Unique Photo Cover By Von Dingles Creator and Stoopid Buddy Co-Owner, Harv

• Alternate Cover #2
  Artist to be Revealed...

• Alternate Cover #3
  Artist to be Revealed...

• 1 Page of Original Hand Drawn Art from the Von Dingle Series
  Ink on Paper by Artist, Patrick Williams
  Limited to 50

• Your name printed in the “special thanks” pages of the book
  Our eternal thanks, memorialized in print and digital editions

• NEW! Limited Edition Collectible Figure Set
  Kickstarter Exclusive! Clark & Pecker Limited Edition Figurines and Backdrop Including facial expression stickers

• Bookmarks
  Set of 2

• Von Dingles Branded Koozie
  Add one or two

• Enamel Pins
  Set of 3

• Von Dingles Branded Coffee Mug

• Von Dingles Branded T-Shirt

• Von Dingles Branded Hoodie

Please note: we are not charging for shipping at this stage, so we will be looping back around for this part of the fun once we are closer to sending you your cool stuff!

🤝 The Team

STOOPID BUDDY STUDIOS X MACROVERSE

Emmy-winning director and producer, John “Harv” Harvatine IV is a visual storyteller who combines his love of photography with his passion for stop-motion. Originally starting out as an animator, Harv quickly transitioned to directing and producing. After co-foundng Buddy System Studios, and later Stoopid Buddy Stoodios with his partners, they have created hundreds of hours of stop-motion animated television, including the Emmy-winning Robot Chicken. Harv co-created and directed two seasons of Hulu's Crossing Swords, as well as created numerous openings for shows such as The Simpsons.

Chris Waters has spent the last 20 years as a senior level executive in animation development and production. He is currently Head of Development at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, where he leads the studio’s development team, building a slate of feature, television and digital series for kids, family and adult audiences while overseeing strategic partnerships, emerging platforms, and expansion into 2D and puppets. Prior to Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Waters co-founded Oktobor Animation, the New Zealand-based visual effects and animation studio which developed and produced original content for Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation and others. Titles included the Emmy-winning series The Penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Robot and Monster.

Macroverse co-founder Adam Martin has a Film, TV & New Media background of directing and producing. He’s worked on everything from huge movies like Transformers to hit shows Barry and Dave. As a writer and storyteller he has worked in narrative audio, video games, animation and comics. In addition to writing Von Dingles with Harv, he is also the lead writer on the upcoming Macroverse series' Bushidos and Wanderers.

Growing up in the mysterious landscapes of Southern California and coming into awareness in the halcyon days of late 90’s comics, Patrick Williams has always been invested in cartooning and stories. 

🛠️ Producing the Project

Macroverse is a multi-format entertainment studio that rewards its community, collectors, creators and collaborators for supporting upcoming blockbuster franchises spanning comics, gaming, animation, TV, movies and more. The Macroverse mobile app unleashed digital comics native format - the revolutionary TapStory. Over 100 creators have released more than 1000 episodes of comics on the app with Von Dingles joining them as part of this campaign.