Jeff

After the store has closed and all the customers have gone home, Jeff's magic hat is placed on his head, someone says the magic words, "hocus pocus alimagocus", and he comes to life after spending as a mannequin. Suddenly, he can see, hear, walk, and talk...as he once described it, "a regular Pinocchio". He spends his nights in the store with Jodie, Sam, Muffy, and Mrs. Pennypacker, learning about his world it as well as the one outside it.

However, the powers in the magic hat that bring Jeff to life are limited. He can only be a real person as long as he is physically wearing it. If he loses it, whether it happens by him removing it, it falling off, being knocked off, or otherwise, he reverts back to being a mannequin, unable to see, hear, or move. He can only come to life again by someone placing the magic hat back on his head, and saying the magic words again. In addition to him having to keep it on there, it only works while he is inside the store, or on the roof. One step outside, and he is a mannequin again. With this limitation has made him wish that he could venture out into the world beyond the store, it has also made him better appreciate the one inside it.

Jeff received his magic hat entirely be accident. It all began when Waldo the Magnificent was practicing his magic as he walked down the street. Finding the hat sitting on a fire hydrant, he practiced his "all-purpose magic hat" spell. At last, he had success, as the hat rose up, but then proceeded to fly away! After a considerable chase, it eventually flew through a second story window at the mannequin factory, and came to rest on Jeff's head, bringing him to life. While Waldo attempted to recover it, Jeff was taken away, being sent to the store, where he was to serve as a mannequin. After Waldo accidently turned himself into a frog, he eventually gave himself wings and chased the van containing Jeff and the magic hat to the store. Once there, while he initially tried to get the hat back and continue on his way, Jodie, Muffy, and Sam convinced him that Jeff did know about it, and that he was actually a real person. Waldo relented, and with a double dose of "hocus pocus alimagocus", made Jeff into a real person. However, reading, writing, and talking would require something much more tricky. Waldo cast a spell to make Jeff smart, but instead of making contact with his head, he hit his shoes. While this did not create the desired result, it did make him into a very talented dancer. Eventually, the spell was recast, and achieved the desired result, at last making him "smart", able to read, write, talk...you name it. However, he still had a lot to learn about the world around him.

In learning about the world around him, Jeff sometimes turns to one of two reference books. Most often, the one he does so to is The What is It Book, which was an illustrated guide to everything from homes to hats to fruit. His other primary one is The Book of Knowledge, which he received when Jodie was putting it out on display for a book sale. Between these two books, as well as through his own experience, he has learned many things about his world in the store, as well as the one beyond it.