In a previous post, Felipe Femur’s evolution was discussed, and his friends merely mentioned. Runny the Woozy Witch is one of Felipe’s first and closest friends, so it only makes sense that she should have an article dedicated solely to her changing appearance and name throughout time. The following discusses the changes in Runny’s appearance, backstory, and name.
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Runny is a talented potion master who graduated top of her class in witchcraft and yet cannot cure her own perpetual illness. Originally called Runny the Sniffling Witch, her name was later changed to Runny the Woozy Witch both for the alliteration and for the fact that sniffling implies that her ironic nature comes from having a stuffed or runny nose. In the original story she actually uses her nose at Felipe Femur’s suggestion to smell her stew rather than taste it as she had burnt her tongue. It therefore didn’t make sense that she’d be known for a stuffed or even a runny nose as the name Runny implies. A runny nose is certainly a symptom of hers and goes with the name, but it couldn’t logically be the only symptom, especially with the stanzas of the original story suggesting otherwise. In any case, we wanted the ironic nature of her to have to do with illness in general and not be limited her nose, so we considered “woozy” to give the sense of an overall nausea or sickness. As the digital drawings of artistic director David show, she was originally going to have the name Hazel, as in Witch Hazel, but this was changed to fit with the rhyming scheme of the original story (Sunny, Gummy, Runny). David drew several versions of the witch, including the one on the left in the image below, and the one to the far left in the string of Runnys further below. We ultimately decided to go with the large eyed, rounded nose version that Runny is known for. We felt this version gave her a youthful and friendly appearance compared to the older version on the left side above or the harsh feature of the one show below.
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It is important to know a little more about Runny than just the origins of her name. Her twin sister and broommate, Bunny, went off to Romania, and Runny became a bit of a recluse in her absence. They had been so close that they dressed alike and many couldn’t tell which witch was which, until Bunny traded out her steeple cap for a top hat. Bunny (if we decide to keep that name) will eventually be added to character corner. Living in a grotto proved to be lonely for Runny, until one day a skeleton stumbled through a sun roof while on a walk. When her potion temporarily gave him hair, Felipe encouraged Runny to return to college to fine tune her skills. The idea quickly brewed in the cauldron of her mind, especially after she tried brewing some green tea and ended up giving herself green skin, and she pursued it. This hair sprouting tale will become a story via Twine or traditional format in the near future. Runny comes from a long line of witches, dating back to 1962 Salem, MA, and even further according to some of the older witches in Runny’s bloodline and it can therefore be assumed that there will be plenty of stories about Runny to come. Only one witch has been what most would consider evil in Runny’s family, but she doesn’t like to speak that relative’s name or talk about her… but it might just be her aunt. All the others, including Runny, use their magic for good and for helping others.Runny’s prized procession is a spell book she once checked out from the great witch library. She had meant to return it, but the library vanished after an attack by her evil relative, who had been in search of that particular book. Runny now keeps it in a grotto in order to have the stone walls keep anyone from sensing its location who might want to use it for evil. Runny is well known for her prowess on her cauldron drums and this can be seen in the music section of this website. She brings a great deal of rhythm to Felipe Femur and the Skeletones and often provides vocals.
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| Hazel: Original sketch of witch character. | Runny: original used in first story book game. | Runny: updated version used in several productions. | Runny: Current version. |
Above is a time line of Runny the Woozy Witch’s changing appearance. From left to right: One of the first renditions of a witch created by David. This image was never used in any production as it was deemed too creepy, its features too sharp for children to find friendly. In essence, she looked more like a villain than a firmed. Next to this image is an image of the original Runny the Sniffling Witch, used in the original Felipe Femur story app. This is the image that is still in use with the Felipe Femur Android app. The third image is an updated Runny that was first used in Rock, Paper, Wizards! The colors were brightened and the texture given a paper look to fit with the Rock, Paper, Wizards! app atheistic. This depiction was turned into a gif file and used in several posts, apps, and advertisements. Finally, there is the current appearance of Runny the Woozy Witch. Her outfit was changed from blue to purple as it provides a better contrast. Her mouth is more apparent, her hair more detailed with a flip up rather than down. Details such as the stripes and buckle on the hat were added, and colors were changed to give her back her rosy, sensitive nose.
Finally, Runny’s home: the grotto with a moon roof. Runny has lived in a Grotto throughout the entire progression of her character from Hazel to Sniffling to Woozy. From the original story, where David used 3D animation to craft a grotto home (seen below on the left) to the 2D work he did for the latest production, Felipe Femur & Friends, the grotto is a staple. The grotto is a theme that goes at one generation back to Runny’s mother as seen in the story The Wind that Blows Towards Home. Her grotto is a place that hides the magic of her library spell book. Below is an image of the original cave used in the Felipe Femur app, and to the right the moon-roof entrance used in Felipe Femur & Friends. Above is a timeline of Runny the Woozy Witch’s changing appearance.
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