The platypus is an odd-looking creature indeed. They lay eggs like birds and reptiles. When they are born they are duck-billed, beaver-tailed, and otter footed. The babies are born with no fur. Such a strange creature to behold. They are neither fish nor fowl as they are part of the mammal family. The Larkins are welcoming their new baby boy named Jasper. Isn’t he cute?

Baby platypuses are known as PUGGLES. Jasper was born and raised in Australia for the first couple of years of his life. Even though he had a lot of friends Down Under, Jasper never really fit in. He wasn’t really sure what kind of animal he was. Despite the friendships he made with the other animals, Jasper always felt weird and different.

In spite of some of the difficulties Jasper encountered, he genuinely liked living in Australia. One day his father, a Marine Biologist, received an amazing job offer that would require the family to relocate to America. Jasper was a little nervous but it was a big opportunity for the family. It was also kinda exciting to be moving from a laidback life in Australia to the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.

The entire Larkin family was overwhelmed by the move to a big, bold, and busy new city. It was gonna take them a while to adjust. To make matters worse, educators weren’t sure where to enroll Jasper. They had never seen a platypus before and weren’t sure if he was a duck, a beaver, or something else. He ended up registering at The Pond Water School for Waterfowl. It was obvious from day one that Jasper did not belong.

Soon the ducks and geese began to give Jasper a hard time. They assumed that since he had a similar looking bill that he automatically would understand their language.

“Quack! Quack!” a duck shouted at Jasper.

“Honk! Honk!” a goose angrily chimed in.

“G’day mate?” Jasper replied in his Aussie accent.

Confused, the two blokes looked at one another before turning their attention to Jasper. Fearing he was going to be attacked, Jasper stung the pair with spurs located on his hind legs.

What Jasper didn’t know was that platypuses can release a venom from their hind legs for protection or to stun their prey. The birds screeched in pain as they squirmed on the floor. Panicked, Jasper decided to make a run for it. He ended up rolling down a small hill and landed at the edge of the ocean. Wet sand and foamy water tickled his toes. Jasper had no idea where he was. There seemed to be nobody around for miles. Then he thought he could faintly hear music off in the distance. Against his better judgement Jasper decided to investigate.

Much to his delight Jasper found a trio of puggles having a jam session on the beach. They were so good that he was unable to contain himself as he began singing along.

“Crikey! It’s a fellow puggle!” the drummer called out.

“You guys are really good. Don’t stop on my account” Jasper replied.

“As the only puggles around we decided to start this band. We never fit into that other world. We feel most at home playing music” the shaggy haired puggle remarked. “You’ve got a good voice Jasper. Ever want to sing in a band?” 

On this day the next great pop band was born. Along with his fellow Aussies, Hudson, Jaxon, and Luke, The Puggles would soon become pop culture phenomenons. The boys originally got together to play music but they also discovered that they all shared a silly sense of humour. It was Luke, the puggle with a big hat decided that they upload their songs and shenanigans to TikTok. Within weeks they would be international superstars.