The History of
Willie Wanna Bee
Willie was born about 8 years ago while having a conversation with my niece and nephew. I was teasing them, as any good uncle does, and asking them silly questions. But the last question I asked got the most enthusiastic response - "What do you want to be when you grow up?" For the next 5 minutes I listened as they prattled off all their dreams. "I wanna be a fireman!" "I wanna be a cowboy!" "No, no! I wanna be a doctor!" And the list went on and on.
The conversation sparked something in my head - do all kids get so excited about this topic? So I asked a few more kids with the exact same results - big smiles and long lists.
I was busy working on other projects at the time, so I made a "Wanna Be" file and stuck it away. A few years later, when my son was born, I decided it was time to dust off the file and see what I had. I never had a main character in mind when I put the notes away, but when I took them out I had one in an instant. Many of my notes were made on a chore notepad that had a bee in the corner - "Busy as a bee!" Simple as that : )
The name and storyline came later that day - everything fell into place. Well, when I say "fell into place," I mean that I worked on Willie Wanna Bee off and on over the following years - working on the story and finding just the right artist. Below are image galleries of the many incarnations Willie has been through. Enjoy!
First Drawings and Ideas
Willie has taken on many looks. Below are some of the earliest ideas, including one that had him as a 3-dimentional figure. And an early version of his sister, Sandra Bee.
Draw Willie Contest Entries
When the illustrator I had originally worked with had to leave the project, I held a contest at a website to find a replacement. Here are some of the entries.
Willie In Progress
Not all Willie Wanna Bee drawings made it into the final book. Here are some of the rough drafts that may not have made the cut.
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