In the old fables, the jackal is the trickster who talks his way into the lion's share and out of every consequence. The Jackal Collection gives him a tie, a tailor and a remarkable head of orange hair, and then lets a few very different members of the family introduce themselves. One runs the operation, one skips out on the bill, and one is having a very bad afternoon.
The boss and the dodger
Crime Boss is the head of the family, and he is not subtle about it. He is a big-eared jackal in a burgundy suit and red tie, a sweeping orange pompadour curled over his brow, and one enormous rainbow swirl of an eye staring you down while the other squints. It is a close-up portrait, the kind that hangs in the front office where everyone can see it on the way in. Deadbeat Don is the scrappier relative, a lean, shaggy fellow in a dark suit with a crooked orange-streaked mane and a smug half smile, tail tucked behind him like he just remembered an appointment somewhere far away. The lettering under him is looping and elegant, which is funny, because nothing else about him is.
The little one who did not get his way
Then there is The Pouty Toddler, the smallest and possibly the most honest design in the whole collection. He is a round-cheeked orange pup with a spiky flame of hair, a tiny red tie, arms folded and his lower lip pushed out as far as it will go. He sits on his tail with his nose in the air, sulking at a slight only he can see. If you have ever raised, babysat or worked alongside a small person who just heard the word no, you already know this face. The caption tells you exactly what he is, in case the pout left any doubt.
For the one who has seen every trick
This collection is for the woman who reads the fable and roots for the rabbit. She has sat across the table from a smooth talker or two, she knows every angle of the trickster's grin, and she enjoys nothing more than a good laugh at his expense. Give her The Pouty Toddler before the next family dinner, then watch to see which relative asks about it and which one quietly recognizes himself. In the old stories the jackal always had one more trick up his sleeve. In ours, the toddler is still sulking, and nobody is buying.
Written by James. Thanks for reading.
