Nonsense Books · Character

The Jumblies

Green-headed, blue-handed voyagers who cheerfully put to sea in a sieve, proving that impossible journeys are only impossible to the timid.

major

Also known as the cheerful Jumblies

First appearance: The Jumblies

As a major figure in Nonsense Books, The Jumblies is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Cheerful creatures who embark on a sea voyage in a sieve.

In the storyNonsense BooksOpen this moment free

The Jumblies are the book's great optimists, sailing off in a sieve despite every warning that they will drown. Their heads are green, their hands are blue, and their lands are far and few, yet they sing as they go. Their departure leaves the Dong behind on a cruel shore, making their cheerful voyage the quiet engine of the book's saddest later poem.

See The Jumblies in Nonsense Books Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

6 connections

A slice of how The Jumblies sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Whimsical lonely seekers
Anthropomorphic domestic couples
Personified household items
Disputing insects and friends

+1 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Lady Jingly’s tearful confession that she already has a mate in England delivers the emotional peak of unfulfi…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

The Dong
friendship · ambivalent
The Dong is a lonely creature who longs for the Jumblies, his former companions who… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See The Jumblies in The Jumblies

In the story

The Jumblies appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Nonsense Books
Cheerful creatures who embark on a sea voyage in a sieve.
Nonsense Songs
The Jumblies go to sea in a sieve despite warnings, sail through storms, and reach a land of trees, buying various items.
The Jumblies
The Jumblies are the protagonists who embark on a daring sea voyage in a sieve, showing their adventurous and carefree spirit.
I
The Jumblies are the central characters who go to sea in a sieve, ignoring the warnings of their friends.
II
The Jumblies are the ones sailing away in a sieve.
III
The Jumblies continue their absurd voyage in a sieve, wrapping their feet in paper and sleeping in a crockery-jar, cheerfully declaring their wisdom.
IV
The Jumblies sail all night, singing a moony song and expressing their happiness.
V
The Jumblies sail to the Western Sea and acquire various goods in a new land.
VI
Return after twenty years from their voyage in a sieve.
Laughable Lyrics: A Fourth Book of Nonsense Poems, Songs, Botany, Music, etc.
The Jumblies arrive in a sieve, befriend the Dong, and later sail away, leaving the Dong heartbroken.
Laughable Lyrics
The Jumblies arrive in a sieve, befriend the Dong, and later sail away, leaving the Dong heartbroken.
The Dong with a Luminous Nose
The Jumblies arrive in a sieve, stay for a time, and then sail away, leaving the Dong heartbroken.
List of Illustrations
Referenced indirectly through illustrations of the Dong and the Jumbly Girl, and the Jumblies sailing away.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for The Jumblies unlock in the free preview.

See The Jumblies in The Jumblies

See The Jumblies in Nonsense Books