SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — If there is one state that is known for famous rodents, it’s Florida. However, in Lakewood Ranch, a new cartoon rat has burst onto the scene.
A lot of teenage girls would freak out if they saw a rat scurrying around their bedroom, but not 13-year-old Lily Wojtkowski; he’s part of the family.
“So rats are social creatures that I enjoy to have around me because they make me happy,” said Wojtkowski.
Wojtkowski has cared for four pet rats over the last few years, most recently a brown bundle of fur named Baxter.
“You don’t have to take them on walks because their cage is big enough for them to walk their self,” said Wojtkowski.
When Wojtkowski isn’t watching Baxter run around his cage, she’s pursuing her other passion, drawing. So she thought — why not combine them?
“I started drawing these comics while I was at school, and one day I was like, ‘I got all of these comics; why not publish it,’” said Wojtkowski.
One year and 24 pages later, the comic book “Pretzel Rat” was released, named after Wojtkowski’s first rat, Pretzel.
“Pretzel is a mail carrier,” said Wojtkowski. “I thought about rats and how they scurry along, and they go all sorts of places, and I thought, 'don’t mail carriers do the same thing,' like they search long and hard for someone to bring the mail to.”
The comic book gained unexpected attention, eventually making its way into the local Lakewood Ranch store, Suitcase Suites.
“I realized that other people would like to see my comics too, some people that I don’t even know,” said Wojtkowski.
The seventh grader is currently working on a second comic book, “Pretzel Rat, New Era,” which will include Baxter.
“I think I really want to be a cartoonist because I really enjoy making a story and drawing little strips of comics,” said Wojtkowski.
She doesn’t mind the newfound stardom, but as for Baxter, he’s still a little shy, hiding under the furniture whenever the cameras come out.
You can find “Pretzel Rat” at amazon.com.
