PUMPERNICKEL synopsis

LOGLINE

When freckle-faced eight-year-old Pumpernickel enters a cereal-box photo contest, her big imagination—and a small-town letter-writing campaign—help her turn an ordinary dream into something wonderfully unforgettable.

 

PITCH

Eight-year-old Pumpernickel has always believed her freckles make her special—so when she spots a cereal-box photo contest, she’s sure this is her moment to shine. From her family’s kitchen in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, she launches a letter-writing campaign that sweeps through her town, inspiring neighbors to join in her quest. What begins as one girl’s hopeful entry becomes a heartwarming celebration of community, creativity, and the magic of believing in yourself.

 

SYNOPSIS 

Eight-year-old Pumpernickel has more freckles than spots on a Dalmatian—and she adores every one of them. To her, each freckle is special, like the tiny caraway and poppy seeds in pumpernickel bread. She believes her freckles make her memorable, and she dreams of being remembered by everyone. One morning at breakfast, her father jokes, “If you had a nickel for every freckle!” Pumpernickel, quick with imagination, wonders if she could somehow make her freckles worth real nickels. When she spots the Cerealworks box on the kitchen table, she notices a smiling girl printed on the front and learns about a contest to have your picture featured for six months. She decides then and there that she is going to win.

 

Her parents humor her enthusiasm—her father snaps photos on the family camera, and her mother cautions her not to get her hopes up—but Pumpernickel can’t stop dreaming. She even starts a letter-writing campaign, asking friends, neighbors, and the people of Honey Brook, Pennsylvania to write to Cerealworks on her behalf. Posters of her freckled face appear all over town. Weeks pass, then months. The mailman never brings the letter she’s waiting for—only junk mail and bills. Her excitement fades, though she still clings to a small spark of hope. Then one afternoon, she returns from school to find an envelope from the Cerealworks company waiting for her.

 

Ignoring her father’s warning not to be disappointed, Pumpernickel tears it open. At the top of the letter, the word WINNER blazes in bold print. She’s done it! Her parents can hardly believe it. Her mother rushes her to the grocery store so they can see her face on the cereal boxes. At first, none of the boxes on the shelves feature her photo, and disappointment floods in—until a store employee rolls in a cart stacked high with Cerealworks boxes covered with Pumpernickel’s smiling face. Overjoyed, Pumpernickel declares she has “made it to the big time.” Her mom jokes about saving her prize money for college, but Pumpernickel insists this is only the beginning—she’s going to be a model. She hands out cereal boxes to delighted shoppers, thrilled that her freckles have made her both famous and happy. In the end, Pumpernickel realizes that freckles really can make you rich—not in money, but in nickels, smiles, and dreams come true.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters