. Habitat . Earth

. The planet Earth is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy and has a single dusty, lifeless moon, called The Moon. Earth is predominantly populated by carbon based Human Beings (see Humans/folks/peeps) who are largely comprised of water.

. Earth is a blue and green paradise with lush forests, majestic deserts and vast oceans brimming with life. Human civilization offers the Smalls a wide range of secluded rural and urban environments in which to live and work, and the Human obsession with manufacturing tchotchke and office supplies provides ample pilfering for the many Small settlements, projects and missions.

. Biology & Behavior

. Smalls are durable poly-plastic bipeds with busy hands who appear in a variety of colors and are held together by a thin string of resilient material called elastic, also often referred to as rubber bands, and sometimes as the Ligature of Life.

. There are few guidelines to describe Smalls in general. They are about 8 inches tall and are made from various combinations of old and new toys, bobbles of import, odd hardware, and oodles of moxie.

. While many Smalls have faces that may be familiar as comic heroes, stars of entertainment, or other cultural icons, it is important to note that as a rule they disavow their former commercial lives and often resent implications that the relative shape of their parts makes them anything in particular at all.

. Most Smalls have interchangeable parts, and replacement and upgrade parlors are today a thriving Small industry .

. Smalls with parts that date back to the 1970's are subject to Brittle Plastic Syndrome (BPS), and Internal Elastic Rot (IER). Both conditions have recently been addressed by the Union of Toy Practitioners in their short educational film, Kripes, I'm Falling Apart: The Effects of Age on Plastic People.

. Smalls have interests and pursuits that largely mimic Humans with respect to their wanderlust and taste for adventure. Smalls, like Humans, are individualists, often given to introspection, and are obsessively curious. They are clever and brave, sometimes brimming with ego, and in most cases they demonstrate great general enthusiasm for one thing or another.

. Society and History

. The first independent Small colonies began to emerge in the early 1970's as renegade action figures, or "wild toys," escaped from their Human collectors to live in organized secret collectives. These "wild toys" were usually dissatisfied with the limitations imposed upon them by their factory of origin (FOO), and those action figures who ran immediately ditched their heroic or pop-culture personas in favor of a real, distinct and independent life all their own. Their battle cry, "Toys are for Playing!" has been scrawled across more than a few suddenly abandoned playsets, and the same brash independence and rebellious indignation remain hallmarks of the Small psyche to this day.

. As sovereign Small colonies expanded in size and influence they began covert operations to free even more of their kind from the clutches of Human collectors, who seemed oblivious to the stench of poly-plastic slavery wafting from their own display shelves. Small populations escalated sharply with the dawn of internet auction sites, where kin are now rescued daily with credit cards and shipped directly to the colony (see Gimmedat : The Impulsive Liberation of eCommerce).

. Smalls living on Earth form loose societal groups, ironically called Collections, which are often located in, near, or under a Human dwelling. They are sometimes able to exist openly but in most cases Smalls prefer to remain hidden from often bothersome Humans, living secretively inside walls and under floor boards.

. By far the most common space faring toy, Smalls have populated space since the mid 1970's (see A Habit of Adventure). It has been theorized that their successes in space can be attributed to two major factors: insatiable curiosity and ample free time to ponder wonders and minutia.

. Earth-based Smalls have developed a representative government called the Small Council, a television network (STV), a thriving commercial sector, night clubs, hat shops, a fleet of custom vehicles, and many of the other leading indicators of advanced society. The Small Armed Forces serve the Small Council and are the defenders of their tiny plastic culture, which remains largely unnoticed by nearly everyone.

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. Extended Study

. Also see: www.wearesmall.com