Super Preschooler and Super Friends

You know what, just think of it as our zoo team-up's Origin Story.

Whether one is 4 years old, 44 years old, or 444 years old, every Superhero needs Super Friends. Super Preschooler has 4. Because he is 4 years old. I know, I know, I have tried to talk him into being a little less literal with his limitations, but he is quirky. I wonder where he gets it?

Super P.'s 3 besties are Awesome Preschooler, Excellent Toddler, and Marvelous Preschooler (no relation to Marvelous Mom, or even Marvelous Marvin, for that matter). Super P. hasn't really settled on a 4th friend yet and routinely waffles between a couple of buddies in his class, several from church, and quite a few imaginary ones. Sometimes, even a Super Cat is pressed into service as his fourth. He'll probably pick one about the time he needs to add a fifth friend. No matter, his core trio is enough to defeat Dr. Doom, Galactus, and an entire plate of Graham Crackers.

Just a quick note on names, dearest Readers. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to Awkward Mom's methods on this matter. Big surprise. Obviously, the original intention was to protect secret identities, but given the presence of so many maskless pictures and the fact that most of you are her Facebook friends, it seems her secret identity is about as secret as Hannah Montana's. But she is still protecting a few other blogless folks, and basically she just enjoys naming. (Ask Awkward Grandpa about her tendency to name cats after random Greek deities and you will get an earful.)

Awkward Mom's name seems pretty clear and apt, but her marriage to another awkward did not necessarily result in awkward children. They are all pretty super, hence their names. The poor Supers are kinda like Muggle-borns that way. Now, some families all have the same moniker; i.e. Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, and Superdog, whose real name is Krypto the Superdog, but let's not split hairs. In the Awkward Universe, the Awesome and Excellent families are like this. However, Marvelous Preschooler hails from a family a lot more like the Fantastic Four. Each member of her family has a unique name, and these are, in no particular order, Marvelous Preschooler, Engineer Dad, Magical Mom, and the Baby Beautiful. Are these names merely reflective of their amazingness as families? Are we perhaps inspired by the first letter of the eldest child? Sometimes. Maybe. We're not telling.

Most of Awkward Mom's foes tend to be clearly identified by their main evil attribute or they belong to the Perfect Family. (I can't defend Awkward Mom here, she is really passive aggressive.) You will get to know them all as you read, and if you ever get confused, just send her a message. Lord knows, she likes to talk.

Speaking of liking to talk....Let's get back to Super P. and his pals, shall we? Super P.'s current cohort is all female and fabulous. (What can I say? He is way more PC than DC.) His friends are all wonderful examples of this glorious new generation of girls who are being raised by these girls. Who were raised by ladies like this. Who were raised by girls like this. Heck, I could do this all day. Basically, girls are super cool, and Super P.'s friends are no exception. Wanna meet them?

Awesome Preschooler is a lot like Ms. Marvel, who possesses "superhuman strength, endurance, stamina, flight, physical durability, and a limited precognitive seventh sense." Yeah, I don't know what a seventh sense is either, but you can bet your boots that Awesome P. has it. She is the whole package, with seemingly endless superpowers and a divaness to match. She is, quite simply, awesome, and it is no wonder that Super P. likes her a ton.

Marvelous Preschooler is much like Wonder Woman; strong, proud, and with a fondness for sparkly accessories. She is independent and feisty, with a will almost as strong as Super P.'s when it comes to who gets to play Cinderella. Like Wonder Woman, she teams up rarely, but when she does, it is amazingly powerful and super fun.

Excellent Toddler is the Black Widow of the Awkward Universe. She certainly has the hair. Black Widow (the original, mind you) is a spy extraordinaire; she is also a gymnast, a ballerina, a linguist, skilled in numerous marital arts, a weapons specialist, and a high ranking member of S.H.I.E.L.D. Excellent Toddler has all these skills, and she is also highly skilled in acting, chalk art, and grape consumption. Plus, she collects toy horses. Like Iron Man (movieverse version), Excellent Toddler is bold and has no need for secret identities.

There you have it, Super Preschooler and his Amazing Friends; where is our super cool 80s TV cartoon? And so far, no one has gone rouge, turned out to be a secret villain, broken Super P.'s heart, been mind-controlled by Mastermind, hogged all the fruit snacks, or fallen under a spell. I mean, I are sure friend dramas will come, they are kinda par for the course in any Superhero's life, but I am glad that his 3 besties have so far been true blue. Being 4 is hard enough; on top of all the growing and learning, you have to pick that fourth friend!

Now that we know all the players, get ready to hear about the zoo drama! Here is a little taste:

Everyone knows that the best animals at the zoo are the ones you can climb on! Head on back here soon and hear the whole zoo-rific tale of tails! (that pun never gets old....mostly because it was never fresh, but we try...) See ya soon, Readers; you are always Super Friends in our book!