LAND OF DULOC - Many know of the tale of the ogre and the donkey, who saved the Kingdom of Duloc from an evil Lord. Historically tied to the Smashmouth hit "All-star," Shrek tells of an unlikely pair (Shrek the ogre and Donkey...the donkey) coming together to foil Lord Farquaad's plan of becoming king and exiling the fictional beings of the land. There are layers to the story, like an onion or a parfait. Many people know this story.
Few know the story of another character who stood against Farquaad during this time. A man made of gingerbread. Gingy, as he is known in this story, was a Gingerbread man who was captured and tortured by the diminutive Farquaad, who removed his legs and threatened to take his gumdrop buttons.
"Not my gumdrop buttons," protested the legless cookie. Gingy eventually broke under the torture, revealing the location of other fairytale creatures who were in hiding.
Debilitated, traumatized, and humiliated by the interrogative torture, Gingy eventually ended up escaping to a hospital. Doctors performed multiple cookie leg transplants and re-icings.
"That is one tough cookie," reveals Dr. Baker Kitchen. "You could tell he was down but not out."
Gingy's road to recovery included coming to terms with relaying sensitive information to Farquaad. It also sparked a new fire in him.
"The little guy asked for a laptop," continued Kitchen. "When I asked him why, he told me he wanted to take the fight to Farquaad in a different way. Bribery and corruption in Duloc at the time was very high. Gingy wanted to study to become a Certified Fraud Examiner to be able to address the crimes the lord was committing. 'Heinous things,' the animated baked good said."
Studying day and night, Gingy was educated on the different aspects of fraud. He took it all in and started to develop a bribery case on Farquaad as he worked through the material. Days after he obtained his CFE, he was ready to go on presenting his findings only to learn that the tyrant had been eaten by a dragon that Donkey had become romantically involved with.
"It was a bit disheartening," reveals Gingy, CFE. "In the end though, things worked out for the best. I've got new legs, a new look on life, and a great career as a fraud fighter in this magical place!"