The Story Behind Moley & Me

Where Moley Came From

Moley started life as a Specsavers toy, a present from my father-in-law. He has always had an unusual relationship with moles. In retirement he became a professional mole catcher, "Mole Man Mark" (you can read more about that in Tall Chin Talks), before falling completely the other way and becoming a devoted lover of moles instead.

That small soft toy travelled everywhere with us, and with our youngest daughter Rosebud, from the time she was a baby. He was simply Moley, and he became as much a part of the family as any of us.

How Me Came to Life

I had already begun sketching two characters before I knew quite what to do with them. Then I watched Rosebud talking to her Moley, treating him as a proper friend rather than a toy, and it clicked. That was Me. Watching a small child and her mole have entire conversations was all the inspiration I needed to bring the two of them to life on the page.

Where Safari Came From

The idea for Moley & Me Go on Safari comes from my own years as a young safari guide in East Africa.

I had walked up a kopje with my clients one evening to watch the sun go down. Far off came what sounded like a lion roaring, nothing to worry about. Except the roars kept getting louder, and I slowly realised he was not far away at all. He was at the bottom of the kopje.

I made as much noise as I could to scare him off, sliding down the hill through a stand of whistling thorn acacia in the process, which are exactly as sharp as they sound. By the time I climbed back up I was covered in scratches, and my clients were convinced my encounter had been far closer than it actually was. The lion left us to our sundowner, and we all made it back to camp in one piece.

That evening on the kopje became the seed of the safari adventure Moley and Me now go on together.

Bringing It All Together

A soft toy from a father-in-law with a soft spot for moles. A daughter who treated hers as a true friend. A guide's evening on a kopje, made considerably more dramatic by a set of thorn scratches. Three memories, and somehow they became one small mole, one big adventure, and a great deal of joy along the way.