It is based on the old tales of the Hairy Peruvians, a community of tiny fisherfolk, who centuries ago sprang to life from sacrificial Inca dolls on the coast of Peru.
The Poppykettle Papers recounts the exploits of Aloof the Far-Sighted and his resourceful sister Arnica and their quest to find the Unchosen Land in the company of Andante the Whistler, Astute the Wise, and their grandfather Don Avante.
[1] This is the tale of five Hairy Peruvians, the last of their kind, and an epic journey from the shores of old Peru to a new land at World's Edge, where the sun goes down.
These stories were so popular in Ingpen's home, Geelong, that a fountain and an annual Poppykettle Festival celebrate the mythical landing of the "hairy Peruvians".
One such story is the discovery in 1847, by Governor Charles La Trobe, of a set of keys embedded in the earth near Corio Bay.