Mayor Lucas Gabriel sworn in

AT PRECISELY SCHOOL HOME-TIME TODAY, the first Bratz Mayor of Smallvania was sworn into office. Giving his inauguration speech in the icy cold weather (the heating wasn't on), Mayor Lucas Gabriel vowed to usher in a 'new kind of Toyland.'

King Cheekius I handed over the ceremonial mayoral medal from P.Puddleduck to Gabriel and wished him good luck, in front of cheering crowds of hundreds of toys, with an estimated six billion more worldwide watching on television or online.

After thanking P.Puddleduck for his time as Mayor, Lucas Gabriel said Smallvania had many challenges to face, such as financial problems for the Bramble Department Store, the cornerstone of the Smallvanian economy, and erratic weather such as the unexplained cold snap in the week of December 27th - January 4th.

'We are a young city,' he said, 'But we have achieved so much. Only a few years ago Toyland was just a pile of blankets and soft toys. The pavement where toys stand today and call Smallvania was an empty walkway for hoovers and a musical dressing table. Look at how far we've come.'

'God bless Toyland, and God bless Smallvania!' he ended emphatically, to thunderous applause.

Busy

While food outlets and cafés in Smallvania were running at full capacity today, crowds stretched back into Boston park, where most shops were closed. Inbound motorway traffic was blocked for the duration of the ceremony, security organisers hoping for the best but planning for the worst - Tuesday being the regular time for a devasting Hurricane Julie.

Historic

The inauguration of Lucas Gabriel is a historic moment for a city that, despite being the most populated and wealthy part of Toyland, has faced its fair share of political conflict. In 2006, Chris and Spurry Steakface lead a coup to seize power away from King Cheeky, who at the time had a castle there.

In its time as part of Toyland, successive mayors have all been male woodland creature Sylvanians (Jeff Badger, P.Puddleduck). Bratz represent less than ten percent of the Smallvania population, and many in the crowd today thought they'd never see a Bratz leader of their city.

'To see a Bratz man take the second most powerful job in Toyland, after King Cheeky, brings a tear to my eye,' smiled Zara, a Bratz housemate of the new mayor.

Making his success even more improbable, Lucas is a second-hand toy from e-Bay. 'It just goes to show that with confidence, values and determination, any toy can get anywhere he or she wants in this great Toyland of ours,' Mayor Lucas noted in his speech.

Journey

Mayor Lucas' taking office marks the end of a long journey that started as far back as April 2008, when the half-Mexican Spanish American burst into Toyland in a yellow cadillac on Emily's ninth birthday. He quickly won the hearts and minds of influential toys around Smallvania, Boston and even the Land of Old Toys.

In November he won a landslide election against the incumbent mayor P.Puddleduck and local entrepreneur Barry Bramble, both of whom he mentioned in his speech today.

Challenges

Mayor Lucas faces big issues as he settles into his new job. Only on Sunday, as this paper reported, Toyland was all but shunned by Emily and her brother. Lucas may also wish to address dumping of rubbish behind the dolls house and the squalor of toys living in the Smallvanian section of under the bed.

He has received congratulations and support from leaders across the Toyish world, from Mayor Winnie the Pooh of Boston (who said 'I don't remember this kind of fanfare about me becoming Mayor but okay!') to whoever is in charge of Grace's Toyland.

In today's historic landmark souvenir cut-out-and-keep issue of The Toyland Express:
The Gabriel Mayorship: Pull out wallchart guide
'Puddleduckisms', send off for this FREE compendium of various gaffes and mispronunciations made by the former Mayor
First Bratz Mayor - a celebratory story charting Lucas' rise to success

TE