That Magix Moment

This is probably as close as we're going to get to a Sean B. Pasternak origin story, because I can remember back to the exact moment when I knew what I wanted to do with my life - tell stories.

I was six years old and, as a recent Senior Kindergarten graduate, was spending the summer in my Downsview, Ontario (the northern end of Toronto) neighborhood. Literally my entire family was situated within a five minute walk of the apartment complex where my parents, my brother and I lived in.

A friend and I were sitting on the front porch of my aunt's building; each of us consuming a popsicle (I want to say mine was orange). And I was having the time of my life slowly putting together a story using an activity set called Presto Magix.

Now, for those of you reading who aren't my age (163), Presto Magix consisted of a themed paper background and a sheet of decals that one could transfer on to the background using a pencil, pen or Magix Stick? to scribble over the decal of their choice. And then, just like magic (Magix?), the decal would be placed wherever you wanted it to be.

There were hundreds of different Presto Magix themes available: The Flintstones; Star Wars; Spiderman; The Smurfs; E.T.; Yogi Bear; He-Man... essentially, any kid-friendly pop culture icon from that era was probably receiving some sweet, sweet royalty money from the Presto Magix Corporation. For whatever reason, it's stuck in my mind that I was working on a Life Savers branded set that day. Google has not been able to confirm that said Life Savers set exists, but that particular memory is so... random that I feel there's no way I could be making that up.

And if I did get that minor detail wrong? Please forgive me, as the event happened some 2,500 years ago.

But the point of this is, even at the age of six, I was creating ACTUAL STORIES using these things. I was thinking up plots; creating "what if" scenarios in my mind; and just letting my imagination run wild.

My Presto Magix efforts eventually gave way to drawing pictures and cartoons on scrap pieces of paper. It's no coincidence (or maybe it is) that my son, who draws the illustrations for this very newsletter, started that same way as well and now is an aspiring cartoonist.

By the time I was finished with the primary grades, I was frequently creating text-based short stories (as my 97 year-old grandmother will tell you even today, I was always excellent at spelling). I continued to work on my craft, eventually swapping hand-drawn stories for an electric typewriter, and then an Apple IIc computer.

By the time I finished high school, I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. That originally took the form of journalism, and later communications... but it's easy to see that storytelling is the common thread.

Fast forward to present day. I was scrolling around on eBay and came across an unopened Return Of The Jedi brand Presto Magix set. Forget the Life Savers one; I am absolutely sure I had this exact set as a kid! For $5 plus shipping, you didn't have to twist my arm to get me to make that purchase.

I sense a Star Wars-themed storytelling session in my near future. Please let me know in the comments if you want to see how it turns out!

And hey, if anyone out there can verify my Life Savers memory...

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