Champ’s Camp Behind the Scenes:
The Making of Episode 2, A Ghost Story
Plus A Bonus Story!
Building the Champ’s Camp Forest
Before the campers could gather around the fire, we needed a place for them to gather. The first step was creating the Champ's Camp forest diorama entirely by hand.
Mac and Cassie brought the setting to life using simple craft materials, including acrylic paint, wooden dowels, popsicle sticks, foam board, and lots and lots of felt.
Mac started with a large piece of foam core art board, painting a soft blue sky and adding fluffy cotton-ball clouds and a felt sun. Wooden dowels became tree trunks, while countless zigzag pieces of felt were cut into pine trees in multiple shades of green to create depth and dimension.
More felt was cut to create bushes and shrubs, which were attached to smaller pieces of foam core and layered at different distances from the backdrop. This created the illusion of a much larger forest with plenty of space and depth—all inside a handmade diorama.
Once the forest was ready, it was time to bring in the campers.
Mac posed each and every scene using tricks of the trade like wire, bear stands, and an air gun to make every pose perfect. Starting with everyone gathered happily around the campfire, sitting comfortably on plush tree stumps while roasting marshmallows and enjoying the peaceful summer evening.
Then the counselor asked, "Who wants to hear a ghost story?"
That set up the second key moment—and the arrival of a very unexpected guest.
When the friendly ghost suddenly appeared, every camper had a different reaction.
Rusty the Fox, already nervous about hearing a ghost story, immediately bolted. Bailey the Brown Bear, was so startled that their marshmallow went flying through the air.
Penelope the Penguin and Boomer the Bear Counselor, covered their eyes in disbelief, hoping the ghost might disappear when they looked again. Summit the Yeti covered their mouth to muffle a scream, nearly losing their marshmallow. And then there was Champ.
Champ was completely frozen, staring up in disbelief at the glowing white ghost hovering just inches above his face.
Mac posed each plush meticulously, bringing every character's reaction to life.
Finally, the campers were removed from the scene, leaving the ghost alone beside the campfire.
The ghost wasn't trying to scare anyone. They simply wanted to join the fun and share a good story. Instead, they were left hovering over an empty campfire, wondering if they had somehow said the wrong thing.
Discover All of the Friends featured in Champ's Camp
Turning Four Photos Into an Animated Story
Once the photographs were captured, Pete brought everything together in Photoshop, transforming the pieces into four distinct scenes. He removed the backgrounds and equipment, positioned the handmade forest diorama behind the campers, and added darkening and vignette layers for a nighttime atmosphere.
Pete then brought the still images to life with flickering campfire glows, a gently hovering ghost, and close-ups highlighting the campers' surprise.
Sound effects and music completed the scene. Crackling fire, nighttime sounds, and acoustic guitar created a warm campfire mood—until a record scratch interrupted the music when the ghost appeared. "Ghost Duet" by Louie Zong added a fun, quirky feel that matched Archie's friendly intentions.
Now that you know how we brought our ghost story to life, let's see how it ends...
Bonus! A Ghost, a Fox, and an Unexpected Invitation
After everyone flees the campfire, the ghost is left completely alone. "Did I say something wrong?"
But Rusty the Fox begins to think. Sure, the ghost was surprising, but they weren't actually scary. They were simply trying to make friends.
So Rusty gathers their courage and heads back toward the campfire.
Face to face with the floating ghost, Rusty introduces themselves. The ghost smiles and explains that their name is Archibald—but their friends call them Archie.
As Rusty gets to know Archie, they discover the real story behind the unexpected visitor. Archie has wanted to join Champ's Camp for several summers. They dreamed of becoming a camper and making friends, but were too shy to introduce themselves.
Until now.
When the campers started talking about ghost stories, Archie finally saw their chance. They just didn't realize that appearing out of thin air might make quite the first impression!
Rusty suddenly has an idea. After gathering the campers, Rusty shares a plan: If Archie has always dreamed of being part of Champ's Camp, why not make it official?
So they got Archie his very own camp bandana, circled around and tied it around him. And just like that, Archie becomes an honorary Champ's Camp member.
Sometimes courage doesn't mean never being afraid. Sometimes, it's simply finding the courage to take one more step toward something—or someone—you don't understand.
Rusty learned that the things that surprise us aren't always what we need to fear. Archie learned that being different doesn't mean you don't belong. And the campers discovered that sometimes, the best way to make a new friend is to slow down, look closer, and give them a chance.
Because at Champ's Camp, there's always room around the fire for one more.
