Information

[findatree]

Basic Info:
Full name: Theodore "Ted" Wiggins
Age: 12 (13 in Paradisa)
Birthday: March 2nd (aka Dr. Seuss's birthday)
Movie: The Lorax
Canon: before the song "Let it Grow"
Loss: memories of Audrey
Room: 1510; Design
Song: Big Yellow Taxi

Abilities:
*operating heavy machinery
*causing spontaneous musical numbers
*living twelve years in a world of polluted water, fake air and jello

History
Ted grew up an only child, raised by his mother with his grandmother living with them. In his world everything is fake: the food, the trees, even the air. He never saw a real tree before and probably never thought about them. He spent his days riding his scooter around town and playing outside. Thanks to a stray ball, Ted met a girl named Audrey that he formed an instant crush on. She was years older than him but Ted still made every effort to see her.

One day when visiting her, Ted saw a painting Audrey did of trees. This was Ted’s first view of them and was fascinated. Audrey told him she would “pretty much marry him on the spot” if anyone brought her a living tree. Hearing that sent Ted on a quest to find a tree for her. He asked his family where to get one and though his mother act flippant about it, his grandmother was more responsive and told him about the Once-ler. Later that night he went beyond the walls of town in order to meet with this mysterious Once-ler. This was his first view of the ruined valley. It was a perilous trip with some near-misses but he continued on until he arrived at the Once-ler’s place.

Initially the Once-ler wasn’t very welcoming, but once Ted mentioned trees the older man was more willing to share his story. Ted was impatient to get to the point, and annoyed when the story was cut short, but he agreed to come back again anyway. However, on his way to the Once-ler’s house the next day he ran into Aloysius O’Hare, the mayor of Thneedville and owner of O’Hare Air. The business man felt threatened by Ted’s interest in trees and tried encouraging the boy away from it.

But Ted ignored it and went out again to hear the second part of the story. This time he listened without interrupting, and was more upbeat about finally hearing trees. However, on his third trip the usual path was closed off by O’Hare. This only made Ted pause for a moment before he found a more creative way to leave town. He not only managed this, but he did so while carrying a bag of marshmallows as a gift for the Once-ler.

At last Ted heard the final piece of the story, learning of how the trees were all cut down and the animals driven from their homes. With the story finished, the Once-ler entrusted Ted with the very last Truffula seed. Ted was more than willing to take it into town and plant it where everyone could see. O’Hare caught wind of this and did everything he could to stop Ted from planting the seed. Ted enlisted the help of his family and Audrey; they all worked together to get the tree to the square. Once they got there they still met with O’Hare’s manipulations and were having trouble convincing the townspeople of their need for trees. That was when Ted got the idea of breaking down the wall, to force the townspeople to face the reality of their town.

Personality
In the beginning Ted was like many other kids his age: he was impatient and had daydreams of winning over the girl of his dreams. He probably lived the first twelve years of his life not questioning the wall surrounding his town or the fake trees. However, in other ways he was already different from his peers: he was active and energetic, and extremely determined once he set his mind on something. So although he does have a short attention span, he can also be very focused. He’s the type of kid who wouldn’t let anything stop him from achieving his goal.

When he first interacts with Audrey, Ted tries to be cool and suave. He tries to be casual so she doesn’t know the extent of his crush on her. But unfortunately he talked about her all the time at home, so when his grandmother met Audrey she blew his cool, causing Ted to get flustered. Yet there were clearly more to his feelings than just a crush: he knew he could trust her to help him plant the Truffula seed. Of course spending more time with Audrey was a nice bonus, one he tried to take advantage of even in the heated situation.

Ted is also a daydreamer. He can believe that impossible daydreams, like impressing Audrey with a living tree, can actually happen. The Once-ler put it best when he said Ted was undeterred by reality. Which isn’t to say that Ted is completely cut off from reality; rather, he doesn’t let it stop him. It makes him optimistic and hopeful. However, sometimes he does get so deep into his daydreams that he can very easily lose sight of the world around him. His mother’s comment about kissing the cereal suggests Ted frequently fantasizes about Audrey. His daydreaming also suggests he has a very active imagination, which probably isn’t usual for a kid in Thneedville.

His meetings with the Once-ler start to change Ted. At first he only came to get a tree for Audrey, but as he heard more of the story Ted began to genuinely care about the trees. This is especially clear because O’Hare goes to greater lengths to keep Ted from leaving town, yet Ted defies that and goes outside anyway. True Ted still wanted to impress Audrey, but something bigger motivated him by his third trip to the Once-ler. By that third trip Ted also began to care for the Once-ler himself, going so far as to bring the man marshmallows. This gesture also suggests that Ted was paying attention to the Once-ler’s story and not just waiting for information about trees.

Ted proves himself to be a brave young boy as well. Seeing the ruined Tuffula Valley for the first time would’ve been enough to scare most kids away. Certainly the view affected him, but he continued on anyway. He also stood up against O’Hare’s intimidation and kept venturing out even as it became increasingly harder to do so. Ted was willing to defy the most powerful man in town for what he grew to believe in.

Like any other kid his age, Ted gets embarrassed by his family. Spending time with them when he would rather do other things can be an annoyance for him. But it’s clear he also loves his family a lot. Even when he’s trying to learn about trees from the Once-ler, he takes time to bring his grandmother to the store. Ted acts annoyed with the Once-ler as well but shows affection for the older man. Bringing him marshmallows was a gesture of affection, and Ted went to great lengths to fulfill the Once-ler’s wish of planting the Truffula seed in the center of town. These actions also show just how much Ted is willing to risk for the people he cares about, and how far he will go in order to please them.

When it comes to problem-solving, Ted’s methods can best be described as “creative”. He wanted to spend time with Audrey so he bought a toy plane just to crash it into his backyard. He needed to see the Once-ler despite his usual route being sealed, so he drove his scooter over the roofs of houses. This just shows how Ted never does anything halfway. No matter what his goal, he will give it everything he’s got. Even if his methods turn out to be a little dangerous.