This idea became Spark Island - a world in which you not only find educational activities, but get
to play them in interesting places with specially created characters. These people and creatures have
personalities, voices and relationships with each other and the children who
visit. Our aims are to offer children a more exploratory and open-ended way of finding our activities,
to give them an experience of exploring a "virtual environment",
and to fire their imaginations with the world we have created, perhaps inspiring further learning through story-writing or art.
If you haven't already taken out a free trial to www.sparkisland.com, you can visit these three
interactive cartoon worlds! Whilst the activities can be
played over any standard modem connection, we recommend that you have a broadband
(ISDN2 at 128K or better) connection to the internet before visiting the three
animated areas of the Island.
The rest of this document describes the different areas of the island, and
the characters you can meet there, in more detail. We hope that you enjoy reading
about Spark Island as much as we have enjoyed creating it! If you or your children
have any questions about any aspect of Spark Island or our company, please do
not hesitate to contact us via email at info@sparklearning.com .
The Spark Island Team.
Spark Park
Spark Park was originally a Rumtum settlement, but is now a kind of market town for the surrounding
countryside. It has been improved and extended with the help of the Wizards
(sometimes called Elders), but tends to revert to the ramshackle. Inhabited
or visited by Rumtums, Wizards, Yaboos, Carapods and Yaks.
Spark Park characters
RUMTUMS
These hedgehog-like creatures are rural farmers and you can find them on the
Spark Park Farm. They are sociable and good-natured and love all food especially
chocolate. They are basically easy-going, sensible and have a great sense of
humour.
CARAPODS
These scuttling, crab-like creatures are friendly and patient and you can find
them working in the factory. Their one weakness is that they are prone to falling
asleep at the drop of a hat and snore incredibly loudly.
YABOOS
They are obsessive practical jokers with a rather simple sense of humour. Despite
their short legs, they can move surprisingly fast (in any direction) and jump
several feet into the air when excited. Find a Yaboo in the forest clearing.
YAKS
Happy-go-lucky herd animals, that graze the high prairies above Spark Park
and congregate in caves to make music. They are benign, laid-back and a bit
dozy. They are terrified of Turtles (in the way that some people are terrified
of spiders). Find them down on the Farm in Spark Park.
WIZARDS
(sometimes known as ELDERS)
Wizards came to Spark Island 10 years ago. Wizards ride and fly about on unicycles.
They love animals and have their own Spark Park zoo. Visit the Wizard's castle
to see their magic sparkler machine.
TURTLES
They are docile, dozy creatures that live in ponds in Spark Park. They are
terrified of Crocs (even though they're harmless). You can meet Myrtle the turtle
in the forest clearing of Spark Park.
CROCS
These are friendly crocodiles that live in the rivers
around Spark Park. They love food and especially love huge breakfasts, which
they guzzle with their long tongues. You can meet Cooper the Crocodile in the
Forest clearing of Spark Park.
Sparklantis
Sparklantis is a submerged city which sank beneath the waves after the last
explosion of The Great Spark (the island's only volcano) some 10,000 years ago.
Largely unknown to the island's terrestrial inhabitants, it is the home of the
Atlanteans, but shared by the Drips, the Clamps, and a range of weird and wonderful
fish. It is visited by Sharks and Dolphins, and more recently by Wizards and
Malvos.
Sparklantis characters
HAIR
CARE BUNCH
The Hair Care bunch consists of a group of mullets, a pike and a plaice. The
ancestors of these fish were once normal fish who were transformed into fish
with hair when a tanker sank off the coast of Spark Island causing an environmental
disaster. They've fitted out a cave as a very comfortable hair-salon-cum-home.
Most of the residents of Sparklantis think they're mad but they've made friends
with two Atlanteans - Piska and Pod, who visit them regularly.
SIDNEY
SHARK
Sidney is not like most sharks; he's vegetarian! He is, however, not entirely
to be trusted and has a habit of taking advantage of the other residents of
Sparklantis. You might bump into him all round Sparklantis.
The
DRIPS
The drips are a race of creatures made entirely from water. They live and work
in an area of Sparklantis called the Drip Drainpipe. They are afraid of Sidney
the Shark but unfortunately love a form of seaweed found only in shark-infested
waters.
The
ATLANTEANS
The Atlanteans were originally a human race but over the millennia, since the
old city of Sparklantis was submerged by the sea, they have evolved fish-like
heads with gills, so that they can now breathe underwater. They live in the
Atlantean suburb of Sparklantis and are ruled by the Atlantean King and Queen. The King and Queen have
two children, Piska and Pod, who are rather more adventurous than other, traditionally conservative, Atlanteans. Piska and Pod are illustrated.
THE
CLAMPS
These are the largest creatures in Sparklantis; they are also the most spiritual
beings. Their spirituality is often mistaken for mischievousness, they open
their jaws to reveal a long tongue, holding whatever it is that their passing
prey most desires. If he or she is foolish enough to make a grab for it, the
jaws snap shut and the victim is held fast until he can answer a riddle.
Sparkopolis
Sparkopolis, capital city of Spark Island, was
designed by the Elders and built by a workforce of Rumtums and Worms. It is
in a state of constant expansion. The Elders have an innovative approach to
construction and love playing with architecture and as a result, the city is
filled with weird and wonderful buildings, some of which have no obvious practical
use. The libraries have pride of place: some are for public use, and some strictly
for Elders. The biggest building is the Sparkanon, a huge complex where Lixir
is extracted from Lixite and converted (by a Wizzatron) into electricity and
other, more mysterious forms of energy. The city is increasingly inhabited by
Malvos, Spironauts, Crombies and Spydrax and visited by Yaboos, Xybok and Phliplids.
Worms occasionally pop up from the tube system. The most recent arrivals are the Gang.
THE
GANG
The Gang - Strat, Zeb, Dotty, Nina and Milo - are
orphans who escaped from Grunge Hall, Dame Drusilla's Home For Deserving Orphans
on the island of Draconia. They arrive on Spark Island in a rowing -boat after
two weeks at sea and are taken in by the Wizards who give them their own house
(Visit the Gang's House)
Strat
The self-appointed gang leader. Likes to think he's
cool and street-wise and works hard to maintain this image.
Zeb
A know-all and book-worm with an encyclopaedic brain - he really does know
most of it and sometimes surprises even the Wizards.
Dotty
Scatty, eccentric and dreamy. She tends to see things differently from other
people.
Nina
Outgoing, bright and cheerful. Sensible but also adventurous and quite tough
Milo
The baby of the group and takes advantage of it when it suits him by playing
the spoilt brat.
ELDERS
(or WIZARDS)
The Elders arrived in Sparkopolis ten years ago and set about developing it
into an amazing city. They designed the weird and wonderful buildings of Sparkopolis
and live in the Sparkanon. They ride and fly about on magic unicycles, powered
by Lixir.
CROMBIES
They are very tall, gangly creatures, who came from the mountains years ago
when they heard about the Elders' new city. They gradually crept nearer to
Sparkopolis, attracted by the libraries. They are studious, serious and shy.
Unknown to most people, they are also telepathic.
MALVOS
Malvos are the baddies of the island. They are cunning
con-men, who have devious ways of getting what they want. They love plotting
and sabotaging and enjoy others' misfortunes. Visit the Malvo hangout in Sparkopolis
and watch out for them in the future - they are sure to be up to mischief!
SPIRONAUTS
They are only 6 inches high, but are very noisy and powered by jet-packs.
No-one knows their history - they fell out of the sky 5 years ago in a gigantic
hail storm. See them feeding raspberries to Xybok on the Sparkopolis plains
and visit their house on Blackspark Road.
XYBOK
Xybok are large docile grazing animals who have been on the island since time
began. They like eating gooseberries and raspberries. You can see them on the
Sparkopolis plains and also in the stadium being raced by Spironauts.
