Carolyn Snively lived at 3201 Pearl Street in Philadelphia and parts of the story are true. Zippo did nibble on the cookies on her Christmas tree and he did live between the wall and had a little hole to peek or sniff through. There were spiders and huge slugs that shared his living space. Carolyn now lives in Missoula, Montana, with her husband John, whom she met in Philadelphia.

Marie Lanek, a native of New York State, currently resides in rural West Virginia, with her two clever cats and a hyper-active terrier. She and Carolyn were dear friends, living next door to each other on Pearl Street.