Paul was small shells becoming houses in a matter of weeks.

Paul was a new suburb. Levittown cut through flat former farm field. Manifest destiny in poured concrete and ranch style homes.

Paul was The Christmas Toy. Before the age of computer graphics puppets were king. In this case, Paul was a playful tiger, Jamie’s favorite toy & top Christmas present from last year.

It is Christmastime once again & Paul wishes to rekindle the joy of Christmas morning. He must sneak under the Christmas tree, but when he gets downstairs discovers in what should be his box Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids.

What a strange creature she is — a toy who does not believe she is a toy. Meteora begins to cause mayhem round the tree. There is a singalong of some variety & a Christmaslike resolution of the whole problem.

Nevertheless, a distinguishing feature between The Christmas Toy & say, Toy Story, is the peculiar natural laws of The Christmas Toy Universe — in this land, when a roaming toy is found by a human it freezes forever! No more life for the toy, it is a plastic shell of the smiling life that was once inside. So, for Paul to be found out of his playroom place under the Christmas tree would be suicide.

The happiest moment of his life, his first Christmas reveal, can never again be created.