Meet Crosley, the Red Crocodile
Crosley is the bright red crocodile at the heart of the Night Buddies adventures. He turns up under John Degraffenreidt’s bed when John isn’t ready to sleep and leads the pair out into the Borough on nighttime Programs – the Night Buddies word for adventures. With a belt full of unusual whatchamacallits, a brother who runs Night Buddies Headquarters, and a serious love of pineapple cheesecake, Crosley is usually ready for whatever strange problem the night sends his way.
Crosley at a Glance
Character: Crosley
Species: Crocodile
Color: Bright red
Night Buddy: John Degraffenreidt
Brother: Crenwinkle
Favorite food: Pineapple cheesecake
Role: John’s nighttime companion and Program guide
Gear: Whatchamacallits and doodads created by Crenwinkle
Home base: The Night Buddies world and the Borough
The Wacky Reason Crosley Is Bright Red
Crosley’s unusual color has an explanation inside the Night Buddies world. He is allergic to water. When he gets wet, the reaction makes him break into the Black Bottom dance. His antidote prevents the reaction, but the medicine has a side effect: it turns him bright red.
A Crocodile Who Really Loves Pineapple Cheesecake
Pineapple cheesecake is one of Crosley’s defining obsessions. It drives the mystery in the first Night Buddies book and connects him to recurring Borough characters such as Big Foot Mae and Big Huge Lonnie.
A Bedtime Character That Became a Book Series
Crosley began with Sands Hetherington’s son, John. When John was around six years old, he came up with a red crocodile named Crosley during the family’s bedtime storytelling. Sands and John continued developing the character and his adventures together. When Sands later began writing the Night Buddies books, Crosley remained bright red, and Sands created the in-story explanation for why.
Gadgets for Every Program
Crosley rarely heads out on a Program without a collection of whatchamacallits and doodads. His brother Crenwinkle, the genius who runs Night Buddies Headquarters from a hidden location, creates the gadgets Crosley uses during the adventures.
One of the best-known is the I-ain’t-here doodad, which helps John and Crosley sneak out by making them invisible. Other gadgets appear as the series grows, including inventions that help the Night Buddies handle increasingly unusual situations.