FED UPS:  FED UPS is the delivery and shipping center for all of Thompson Lake.  In short, it is Thompson Lake’s “postal service,”  performing services that the post offices, FED EX, and UPS would perform for us.  The name comes from combining FED EX and UPS:  FED UPS. 

Kangaroo Insurance has the monopoly on insurance in Thompson Lake.  We sell any and every kind of insurance you need. We will not be oversold.  Remember, with Kangaroo Insurance, you are safe in our pouch.

Skunkupines:  A cross between a skunk and a porcupine.  Invented by the Mad Scientists, some of these have been known to explode.  Just ask the Dumbells. (They once almost got completely wiped out because of exploding skunkupines.)

Acrons are, in a sense, exploding acorns.  They are little bombs that are made to look like normal acorns, and are generally used by the squirrels.  So, if you ever visit Squirrel’s Haven, unless you have learned to tell the difference between a normal acorn and an acron, be careful of any acorns you see.

Ok, so I imagine that very few people have ever heard of Doodletrees, so allow me to introduce them to you.  Doodletrees are trees that have purple bark and pink leaves.  They also can move around and walk on their roots….a bit like the ents from Lord of the Rings.  I invented Doodletrees when I was 8 years old.  We were visiting the Sequoia National Forest in California and admiring all the really big, tall sequoia trees.  Dad had his video camera out and was videotaping the trees, and I wanted him to tape me…so I started dancing around and singing “I’m a Doodletree, I’m a Doodletree,” trying to get his attention.  (His nickname for me had always been Doodle…so I decided to turn it into Doodletree.)  That next Halloween I had to dress up as a Doodletree.  Mom was great with sewing and came up with a wig made of pink shaped “leaves” and a purple outfit complete with “roots” made from bent coat hangers covered with stuffing and purple fabric.  And of course from there, I had to invent a land for them to live in.  And that was how Doodletrees and Doodletreeland came about.  Of course, it would be years later before I had a “place” to put my nation of Doodletreeland:  Thompson Lake.

The Empire of Belfont:  Also inhabited by literary characters, the Empire of Belfont is a split-off from the Obscure Classics.

National Motto:  O Madam!

National Animal:  the heiress

Currency:  the farthing

History:  This is another nation created and run by my friend Alana.

Obscure Classics:  an island nation inhabited by literary characters from not-quite-so-famous novels, mostly ones from the 19th century

National Motto: Let us not desert one another, we are an injured body.

National Animal:  the novelist

Currency:  the farthing

History:  This is a nation that was created and run by my friend Alana, who loves classic literature and authors, such as Jane Austin.

Rocket Riding Cowboys:  A nation full of cowboys whose mounts are rockets

National Motto:  We love explosives, and explosive weapon research!

National Animal: the rocket

Currency: the bomb

History:  This is another nation that was created and run by my friend David.

Space Colonialists:  An island colonized by aliens from outer space

National Motto:  We’re just little green men from Alpha Centauri.

National Animal:  the space cheetah

Currency:  AOL CD’s

History:  This is a nation that was created and run by my friend David.

Mad Scientists:  A nation inhabited by all kinds of scientists

National Motto:  Don’t forget your lab coat.

National Animal:  the skunkupine, a cross between a skunk and a porcupine

Currency:  the test tube

History:  This is based on a nation, called Insane Geneticists, which was created and run by my friend James.  I just renamed it Mad Scientists so that it could be expanded to include more than just geneticists.  After all, I’m a physicist, and we’re insane too.    So now it will include not only geneticists, but also physicists, chemists, biologists, etc.