I'm buzzing through the Dungeon Crawler Carl series this year, and my 8-year-old daughter gets so jealous every time she sees it. She loves cats, dinosaurs, and adventure, so in her mind, there's no reason she shouldn't be able to read it as well or watch the upcoming series when it premieres for those with a Peacock subscription.
Of course, anyone who has read the books knows that they're hardly appropriate for a young audience. One would have to remove all the gore, swearing, and raunchy jokes for it to even begin to pass for most parents, which gave me an idea. What if Princess Donut was able to retell the events of DCC, but in the way she'd tell it to her dinosaur "child," Mongo?
We Need "Bedtime Stories For Mongo" By Princess Donut
I love the way Princess Donut treats and refers to Mongo like he's a child, despite the fact that he's a raptor regularly tearing their enemies to bits. She's always worried about him being traumatized, or "appalled," which got me thinking. It would be hilarious to read Donut recalling their past adventures to Mongo, and self-censoring the raunch along the way.
I just imagine my daughter laughing as I'd tell her about Princess Donut dancing in the club, zapping goblins with her laser vision, and going on side tangents about her hatred for Cocker Spaniels. It would still be the Donut we know from the books, but she's adjusting it all for the audience it's intended for.
I think it would be important to have that, rather than standard narration. Donut is a gem of a character, and I think introducing children to that early on would only encourage them to check out the novels in full when they're of age later in life.
Is It So Crazy To Think Donut Would Tell This Story Way Different Than Carl?
I've often thought about Carl being the narrator in Dungeon Crawler Carl, and how much the story might change if it were anyone else narrating. The things they'd focus on, compared to him, and the things they'd notice well before he did. I'm of the opinion that Donut might have a more entertaining telling of it all, which is part of the reason she's just the best.
All this to say, part of this plight is because I also want to see how much I'd enjoy Donut retelling the story, even if it were geared toward children. Plus, there are already spinoffs in the works, like the upcoming comic featuring Florin.
If I could get the ball rolling on making Princess Donut's Bedtime Stories For Mongo, I definitely would. I'm not the author, however, so Matt Dinniman, if you have time between making the rest of the series, perhaps consider this pitch to sell the fun of Dungeon Crawler Carl to the children?
In the meantime, I'll keep reading the stories, waiting for the new books and announcements related to the upcoming series. I have a feeling we're about to be overwhelmed with news about the franchise over the next year, but I promise I won't let it break me.
