Once Upon a Time in the Midwest

Once upon a time, long ago, in a town called Ann Arbor, two friends lived together in the Happy House. They sometimes received mysterious things in their mailbox that did not travel through the post. One of these things was a cowboy. He was a welcome addition to the family. Due to his uncanny resemblance to a certain billboard they called him Marlboro Man. He eschewed the costly and detrimental habit of his namesake. (Despite his name he has never been an advocate or shill for any large corporation or product.)

Marlboro Man was a good traveling companion and often went on trips with them. A good-natured and photogenic chap, he enjoyed being photographed and never complained about anything. There came a time when Vadra moved away from Ann Arbor. Joint custody of Marlboro Man was agreed upon and so he spent part of the year with Mauraway and part of it with Vadra and continued to travel with each of them.

Vadra started using Marlboro Man in her art. She even found him a stunt double but he turned out to be too tall for the job. He was one of those Texas cowboys by the looks of his hat. It didn't take her long to find him a more suitable home with her friend Leslie. Leslie had lived in Texas for a spell so she could relate to him. Leslie named her new pal Cowboy Steve after a well-known actor and comedian.

Meanwhile, Marlboro Man spent less and less time with Mauraway and this made Vadra feel guilty. One day she came across a cowboy who was the spittin' image of Marlboro Man. This one also arrived in her mailbox, but this time via the post. Upon his arrival they realized that he was Marlboro Man's long lost brother. The new cowboy was a nattier dresser and tanner than Marlboro Man. He was from New Mexico while Marlboro Man's roots were in Wyoming. They decided to call him Marlboro Hombre due to the familial connection and striking resemblance to Marlboro Man, in additon to the many years he spent living in a border town. He went to live with Mauraway and the brothers now enjoy visiting one another several times a year.

One day in the very recent past, Mauraway alerted Vadra to a large group of orphaned Little People (for that is what they call themselves), including another cowboy who looked like MM and MH. Vadra adopted them and decided to find homes for the other cowboys. Thus was born the Cowboy Collaborative.