My kids are huge fans of the educational PBS show Wild Kratts. It’s a fun show where two real-life brothers voice their cartoon selves, who wear hi-tech suits that have “creature powers,” giving them, e.g., a cheetah’s speed or a gecko’s ability to climb walls.
(Granted, we’ve talked with our kids about some of the fallacies in the show, such as demonizing hunting and eating animals, when in fact one of the best ways of saving endangered species is to protect them as private property in the law. The fact that people eat the American bison is the main reason why it is no longer an endangered species, whereas elephants and rhinos still haven’t recovered. Some African countries are beginning to discover how beneficial it is to encourage elephant and rhino ranching. But that’s all beside the point.)
I noticed how it would be very easy to change one letter in their logo and have it suddenly be referring to Parley P. Pratt and his little brother Orson. Once I thought of the humorous crossover and meme potential, I couldn’t not create the image above. It doesn’t serve any real purpose other than to make people laugh, and then perhaps take more interest in D&C 30 (addressed to Parley) and D&C 32 (addressed to Orson).
(Please note the great pains I took for historical accuracy. The protagonists of the show are real-life brothers Martin and Chris Pratt. Martin is the older of the two, which is why I put Parley’s face over Martin’s in the image. Because we all know how much seven-year-olds care about those details, right?)
Interesting Historical Tidbits
Since Parley is introduced in the storyline at this point in the Doctrine and Covenants, I opted to show my kids the old Church film How Rare a Possession. The first twenty minutes of the film recount Parley’s first encounter with the Book of Mormon. It’s a well-done little film, and since Parley is a recurring character in Church history, it’s good for readers to get to know him well.
Every kid should also know the story of Stu-boy. During 1831 while Parley was on his mission to the Lamanites, he was unjustly imprisoned by a cruel jailer with a frightening large dog named Stu-boy. The story of how Parley outwitted both jailer and dog is hilarious (it’s from his autobiography).
All growing up, my Dad had an old dusty copy of A Voice of Warning (this edition) sitting on the bookshelf in his office. It’s a pamphlet written by Parley and is pretty much the most-printed Latter-day Saint tract of the 19th century.
Notably, Orson was probably the most educated of the original apostles, and was a voracious reader.
Elder Renlund in general conference recently told the story of how the Pratt brothers became estranged from each other for several years after arguing over a deep disagreement. Interestingly, the impetus that brought them back together was their family history.