Last week we asked kids to draw pictures of things that were in the wrong place, and what we got back was a truly delightful collection of out-of-place characters.

For example, here is a drawing by Paxon Tang, whose Snowman on a Volcano has the added plus of being a sword-wielding ninja.

Because of the sword, there will be something to remember him by when he gets turned into a puddle—or maybe just a puff of steam.

From Melody Tang, here is Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarves.

I love the bewilderment of the dwarves. Are they confused because they were expecting Snow White? Or are they just flummoxed by that  river of golden locks? I hope that at least one of them has a sharp pair of shears.

If you were wondering where Snow White disappeared to, the answer has been provided by Valerie Tang.

Apparently, Snow thought it was time to swim with the fishes. Here she is with Flounder and Sebastian, Ariel’s friends from The Little Mermaid. If you ask me, this rash of misplaced princesses will do wonders for the Disney franchise. I want to see what happens when the Beast shows up with a glass slipper for Cinderella to try on.

Moving on to Brooke Stevens and this wonderful drawing of porcupines in the ocean.

My favorite part is the curve of the dolphin’s back, and the bit that pokes above the water. Actually, that’s my second-favorite part. My favorite part is the panic on the face of the poor shark who seems to have made the ultimate error of eating a porcupine. I suppose if you live under water, you just don’t know any better.

From Cici Stevens, here are butterflies in the ocean. I would think it would be very hard for their little wings to flap beneath the waves, but Cici’s butterflies seem to be doing just fine.

If there are horses under the sea, why not butterflies, I say?

Here’s what Maia had to say about her drawing:

This is my picture of our dog Rosie up our apple tree eating the apples. She can’t really climb the tree but she would love to be able to cos she loves apples. My granny helped me to write this cos I just started school 3 weeks ago.

Maia, let me just say that I love your drawing. It is wonderful in its own right, but for someone who just started school 3 weeks ago, it is really something. I love the way you drew the apples, and I love the way you drew the tree. And I love that you thought to give Rosie a chance to climb a tree, if only in your imagination. I’m sure that she appreciates it.

Here is a drawing from Joe.

And here’s what Joe had to say about his drawing:

This is an elephant who lives under the sea.

It all happened one hot sunny day when all he really wanted to do was to dip in and see if he can float in the water~

He dipped in!

Well, but he didn’t really float.

He totally sunk in.

Luckily, other fishes (such as Nemo, long-ear fish, puffer fish, and sting ray) saved him and taught him how to breathe.

Now, the elephant is happy living under the sea.

His new friends think he is kind of cool.  🙂

Thanks for the great drawing and excellent story, Joe. I had no idea that the ability to breathe under water was mostly a matter of learning how to do it. The next time I swim, I’m going to keep an eye open for Nemo, long-ear fish, puffer fish, and sting ray and see if they won’t be willing to share the secrets. If I learn how to breathe under water, I may never come back. As long as the underwater creatures think I’m cool, too.

And finally, here is a drawing from Alistair.

Here are some thoughts from his mom:

Alistair was very excited to draw a building in a volcano. He’s obsessed with skyscrapers. This volcano is in the rain forest and there’s a little door at the bottom so you can get inside to the building. It’s very hard to see but there’s a guy at the top of the building rescuing a guy at the bottom with a fishing line. Next to the palm tree he drew his dad is catching a  falling coconut and putting it in his backpack.

And here is a photo of Alistair with his drawing. Is it just me, or does he seem to have enjoyed himself?

Thanks to all of you kids for sending us your drawings. This may be my single favorite batch of responses ever. You guys have such great imaginations. It makes old guys like me so happy to get a glimpse inside your heads.

I was just about to end this post when an email from Robbi arrived containing her “whale out of water” drawing. Since I first shared it with you last Wednesday, she has added some paint, which makes that poor, misplaced whale seem even more helpless and lost.

If you feel sorry for the poor guy to such an extent that you want to give him a new home, this illustration has just been posted for auction on Ebay. Bidding ends this Sunday afternoon at 12:30EST.