Holden and the Uvengenols

Today I got some (somewhat) devastating news… well, devastating to a six-year old, or his mom.

“I got some sad news today, Mom,” Holden tells me as he climbs in the car after school. “I’ve got to shut down the Uvengenols Factory.”

Just a sample of what he does in an afternoon....

Over the past 2.5 years, Holden has created thousands of these paper pieces. Ranging from the size of your thumb to an entire sheet of paper, they’re super heroes mixed with a blend of whatever he fancies at the moment. On average, he spends at least an hour a day working on them. Many a tree has given its life to the cause.

When he first created them, people were constantly correcting him:

“You mean Avengers?”

“No!” He’d say in disbelief. “Ah-veh-gen-ols.”

It wasn’t until he started to read and write a little that we learned Uvengnelos was spelled with a U. #themoreyouknow

So the brand has been influenced by Pokémon, Skylanders, volcanoes, saber-tooth tigers, mammoths and a host of other things.  I haven’t quite figured out how the game is scored. But I do know that usually I lose when we play.

“Did you know there’s a new Uvengenols movie coming out Mom?” He used to ask me this question almost daily.

“Oh," I’d respond. "I didn’t even know the screenplay had been written.” Apparently it’s a franchise… currently we’re up to about the sixth installment..."but most of the movies are PG-13 because of violence and adult themes." At least, according to the Stan Lee of Uvengenols.

He created Uvengenols to go with his school Valentines.

He created “Starter Packs” to give out and trade.

Uvengenols is how we discovered his love for art… Uvengenols is how we discovered why coloring books were not that interesting to him (why color what someone else created when you have an entire fantasy world already in your mind?)

Much like Disney, he recognizes the value in marketing; and Uvengenols definitely has made it’s own brand.

But today, he informed me that the entire business was going under.

“I’m going into Bots now, Mom.” Apparently, one of his besties at school, is a Bot-maker; and Holden has decided it’s more important to go to work for him, than continue with his small-business.

“William* had me sign this thing…” he shares.

“A contract?” I ask.

“Yes!” He tells me. “A contract. He said if I want to make Bots starter packs, I can’t make Uvengenols anymore. The whole thing is over.”

I should just point out that before William’s second year of Pre-school, he was reading chapter books and finished the ENTIRE Treehouse collection of books before he turned 6. William is kind of a genius, an apparently understands the power of non-compete clauses at a very young age.

So I’m a little bit heartbroken that the Uvengenols are leaving our family. I guess all good things must come to an end.

But wait……

As I’m writing this, Holden has made his way into the master bedroom with a bunch of documents telling me:

“Mom, Uvengenols is up and running again! I just signed papers for it!”

“What are you going to tell William?” I ask him.

“I’m just working to do a little bit of Bot Packs,” he tells me. I hope his new boss is understanding that you can try to take the boy out of the Uvenegnols, but you can’t take the Uvengenolas out of the boy.

*Name has probably been changed to protect the innocent