Portrait of Melo the walrus

Meet Melo

Melo is a young walrus who lives on a comfortable patch of Arctic ice. One of his tusks is noticeably shorter than the other — it snapped clean off when he was a pup. He doesn't think about it much.

Except when someone needs a bottle opened. Then Melo's the most popular walrus on the ice.

A Note for Parents

Melo never gives a speech about being different. He never explains his tusk to anyone. He just lives his life — confident, calm, and happy. Kids pick up on that. The message is in the story, not a lecture at the end.

Melo's Friends

The Arctic supporting cast, played for laughs

Nigel the seagull holding a clipboard

Nigel

Seagull

Nigel carries a clipboard everywhere. Nobody knows what's on it. He's very anxious about it.

"Has never once looked at what's actually written on the clipboard."
Debra the crab with one claw larger than the other

Debra

Crab

Debra runs sideways through every scene, offering unsolicited advice. Most of it is about shell maintenance.

"Cannot walk forward. Refuses to acknowledge this."
Gerald the penguin with glasses and a chart

Gerald

Penguin

Gerald makes charts. Overly detailed, slightly confusing charts. About everything. Tides. Fish populations. The optimal angle for standing.

"His charts have footnotes. The footnotes have footnotes."
A shy seal pup peeking out from behind a rock

The Seal Pup

Seal Pup

The seal pup doesn't have a name yet. Melo's friends haven't asked. The pup seems fine with this.

"Came out a little sooner than she planned to."