Hi there, tourist!
All of us are so
glad you've found your way to Bedlam University! (Well, all of us but Trickster. He thinks you're sus.) Here you can find out about us, Rumple and Stilt, and our journey as the recorders of Bedlam history.
Once there were two sisters, Rumple and Stilt, who played together happily in their own little world. (Peacefully, for the most part, except for occasional civil wars with their brothers). They named this world Bedlam, and in it lived their Kin.
(If you read the site's home page, you've probably caught on already.)
​In reality, these so-called Kin, also known as Bedlamites, were just toys. But, in the world of Bedlam, they became real live characters, complete with voices, personalities, and big attitudes. We made them go to school like us, annoy each other as much as we did, and do things we couldn’t, like have superpowers and visit restaurants full of ice-skating penguins. We were just kids, as you were once (or maybe you still are!).​
But we never got the memo that we were supposed to grow out of playing with stuffed animals. Rather, we realized that if we didn’t record the goings-on of Bedlam, we might forget them entirely. So we grabbed our pens and papers and set about writing Bedlam history.
​
And the rest is history. (Literally. Because we wrote it down.) Our hope is that the Rumple and Stilt's Kin books will bring everyone, ages one to one hundred, back to their childhood, in which anything is possible and laughter abounds; everything can come to life, and the occasional toynapping is fine; lessons are learned and memories are made; and truly, the only limit is your imagination.
Exhibit A:
The official Welcome to Bedlam sign, designed by
Tashy, a fan
of the Bedlamites
how we make the bedlam books
Pop quiz! How do you think the Bedlam stories are made?
​
A: With lots of careful planning, research, and time
Or
B: Completely unplanned, chaotic, and willynilly.
​
What do you think? Are you ready to hear the answer? Well: if you guessed option A, you would be...
COMPLETELY WRONG! Yep, that's right: Rumple and Stilt write the Bedlam snippets completely randomly and chaotically. Who would've thought??? :o
When we write a Bedlam story, we sit down
on Bedlam (our bed) with, at best, an extreme-
ly vague idea of what's going to happen. Then
we just grab the Bedlamites and start goofing off, and half an hour later, we have a new Bed-
lam snippet. It's true; the Rumple and Stilt's Kin stories are one hundred percent unscripted.
Exhibit B: The ancient OG tablet used by Rumple
and Stilt to record the Bedlam stories
Obviously, we can't remember every single amazingly witty thing we and the Bedlamites say. So that's why we record audio of every Bedlam session; then we can copy it down later and clean it up. Then comes the boring part; editing the stories to make sure there aren't any typos and the jokes are actually funny. (Some of Baby Bear's... really aren't.)
Then we take photos of the Bedlamites and tourists to make the illustrations and images that go inside the book. And then we design the cover and write emails and market our rear ends off and... *wipes forehead* Whew! It takes a whole lot of work to write a book! Why do you think the Bedlamites just run circuses or curio shops or sled races, and leave the actual hard stuff up to Rumple and Stilt?
About the content in the bedlam books
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We understand that a lot of books and movies nowadays aren't very good, in writing or in content. It can be very difficult for families to find good, clean stories to enjoy together. That's the main reason we write: to give families fun stories to engage with, laugh at, and enjoy, without having to endure bad language and inappropriate jokes, or skip "that one part".
We, Rumple and Stilt, have a Christian worldview. Though the Bedlam stories are not explicitly Christian, that doesn't change the fact that we want everything we do to honor God and other people. That is why you won't find any swearing; inappropriate body humor; alcohol or drug use; magic or witchcraft; gore or violence; sexually content of any kind; or any other subject matter that might take God's name in vain, make light of serious issues, or tear someone down spiritually. While we may use very light body humor or violence, as well as behavior that may seem like bullying or mistreatment, it is only ever for comedy purposes or to make a point. But though all our stories are clean and G-rated, we still recom-mend that parents read and experience them alongside their child.
We value the input of our readers. If you'd like to hear more about how our stories are made, the guidelines we abide by, or anything else that concerns you, please don't hesitate to drop us a note at rumpleandstilt@zohomail.com, or just head to our contact page. The Bedlamites would love to hear from you! (Well, except Trickster. He still thinks you're sus.)