Adventures of Hoy

The Adventures of Hoy is an animated storyline brought to fruition through a book trilogy. It is inspired by the real-life of Charles MacCauly Hoy (born September 28th, 1897 Sendai, Miyagi, Japan, and died September 6th, 1923, in China- from a ruptured appendix that caused sepsis). He is "Uncle Charlie Hoy in our family. This animated storyline is a tribute to him and this family for all they accomplished with their contributions to education.  

Charlie Hoy was fortunate to live in this region of the world during this time. Westerners had limited access to all the areas, terrains, and habitats he explored. As a result, he could travel and collect numerous specimens from China, Australia, and even Japan. These discoveries would then be crated and shipped to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., for proper classifications. 

Charlie was very curious and active from a young age; he was a born naturalist. He loved exploring the outdoors and habitats on land and water. At 17 years old, Charlie made his first discovery of the Yangtze River Dolphin. He shipped this specimen to the Smithsonian, who confirmed it was a unique genus and species of Cetaceans, Lipotes Vexillifer- Baiji. This significant discovery earned Uncle Charlie Hoy the recognition and distinction of being the youngest collector on record. The Smithsonian Institute was so impressed with him they hired Charlie to be a collector for them in Australia for three years. 

Uncle Charlie collected 1179 mammals, 1000 birds, and additional miscellaneous specimens. The Charlie Hoy Collection has nearly 1700 individual specimens at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.

His collection covered a total of four continents: Japan, China, Australia, and the USA. The Adventures of Hoy storyline was expanded and currently includes specimens that give a good overview of all seven continents, all five oceans, and seven seas. The storyline is a zoology, ecology, biology, and oceanography book trilogy that will engage and capture the imagination of children ages 3 to 7 with the Playtime Series and continue with a higher-level animated storyline for ages 8 to 12 years old with the EcoSystem Series. The Collection Series is a factual book designed to teach kids the basics of classifications for ages 10 to adult. 

The Adventures of Hoy line includes all general merchandising items accompanying a typical animation line. In addition, this book trilogy is designed for three age levels: 

  • Platypus Playtime, ages 3 to 7 - The Platypus Playtime Series introduces Uncle Charlie and the Platypus Family, which includes Ma, Pa, Grandpa Asa, Penelope, Jack, and Little Kit. They are doing a Walk-About around the globe making new friends. Each book has Uncle Charlie and the Platypus Family playing age-appropriate games, discovering one specific level of that ecosystem. I.E., Australian Rainforest, where they play Hide-N-Seek on the rainforest floor. 
  • In the EcoSystem Series ages, 8 to 12 Uncle Charlie and the Platypus family meet new friends at all levels of that specific EcoSystem. I.E., Australian Rainforest includes Rainforest Floor, Understory, Canopy, and Emergent (also known as the Upper Canopy), and they meet new friends who live in each of the levels, such as Freddie the Flute Nosed Bat and Sammy the Sugar Glider. This book is still in production.
  • The Collection Series, ages 10 to Adult This factually based book teaches kids to adults the origins of the names for the Animal Kingdom and Classifications. Each book in this series is specific to each continent and ocean respectively. These facts include but are not limited to the friends' Uncle Charlie and the Platypus Family made along the way. This book is still in the draft stages.
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