Shoebox Zoo has a complex lore based around Scottish and Native American history, involving magic spellbooks, humans transformed into toys, alchemy, immortals, and Native American spirits. However, most of the dates are vague, particularly in the 1100s when most major events of the show's backstory take place. Shoebox Zoo also involves several uses of Beethoven Was an Alien Spy, such as Michael Scot, who historically was an alchemist and scholar. Here, he is reimagined as an immortal wizard. Some locations featured also have their histories altered for the story's sake.
1100s
- Michael Scot is born on November 11th, 1011 in Scotland.
- March 31st, 1040 - Ailsa is born in Scotland.
- April 2nd, 1049 - Wolfgang Scot, Michael's son, is born.
- March 25th, 1051 - Edwin de Wyntor is born.
- March 17th, 1069 - Bruno is born.
- William McTaggart is born, becoming Michael's loyal servant.
- Edwin, Ailsa, Bruno, and Wolfgang become Michael's students.
- At some point, Michael creates the Book of Forbidden Knowledge, a lexicon containing all his knowledge of science, mathematics, and alchemy, bu also contains dark corrupting magic.
- Wolfgang is denied his inheritance by Michael in favour of his own ambitions.
- Michael, using the four elements, created Juan Roberto Montoya de Toledo, aka, Toledo the Shapeshifter. However, he is cruel and mistreats Toledo, leading to his Start of Darkness.
- As Michael becomes more obsessive with the Book, his four students steal it and flee Tantallon Castle with it, pursued by Toledo. They reach a cliff and toss the Book over, assuming it fell into the sea.
- McTaggart recovers the Book on a beach and takes it a convent, where a woman (resembling Marnie's mother Rosemary) takes the Book.
- Michael transforms the students into toy animals (an eagle, adder, bear, and wolf) and put them in an inanimate state as punishment, until the Book is found.
- McTaggart is tortured in Michael's dungeon for eleven years and then damned to walk the earth until the Book is found.
- The mysterious woman creates a copy of the Book, eventually hiding it away. The real Book is hidden in a barrel and cast out into the sea.
- The Prophecy of the Chosen One is created, predicting that someone born with Four Elevenses (eleventh minute, eleventh hour of November 11).
- A second prophecy is enforced, predicting the coming of the evil Dawn Queen.
1800s-1900s
- 1811: Angus McBride, Marnie's ancestor, explores North America.
- He comes across the Book, which has washed up on American shores.
- Angus makes ties with Chief Stonebear of the Lakota people, and eventually marries his daughter.
- Angus gives Stonebear the Book as a present, but the chief is terrified of its dark magic.
- The four chiefs of the local Native American tribes, Stonebear, Snaketail, Two Wolf, and Red Eagle, all meet and decide to dispose of the Book.
- Stonebear chucks the Book down the Falls of Faith, and it is lost in the forest.
- The Bow of Wisdom and Arrow of Truth are forged to destroy the Book.
- Ross McBride is born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1963.
- Aurora Dexter is born in Valentine, Nebraska on November 11th.
- Marnie's mother Rosemary is born in Denver, Colorado.
- On her eleventh birthday, Rosemary buys the Shoebox Zoo from a junk shop run by Michael as a front to find the Chosen One. Rosemary becomes involved in the quest but possesses no magical powers, unable to awaken the Zoo.
- Three months on, Rosemary's mother Dorothy secretly returns the Zoo to the junk shop.
- Rosemary and Ross eventually meet and get married.
- November 11th, 1993 - Marnie McBride is born in Colorado.
2004 - 2005
- Rosemary dies from cancer.
- Marnie and Ross move to Edinburgh.
- On her eleventh birthday, Marnie and Ross visit a junk shop where Michael gives her the Shoebox Zoo as a present.
- Marnie awakens the Zoo, confirming her as the Chosen One.
- Toledo arrives in Edinburgh, living in Balmoral Hotel, and McTaggart poses as his toady, while acting as a mole for Michael.
- Toledo disguises himself as Marnie's classmate John Roberts.
- Marnie and the Zoo meet Michael at Tantallon Castle.
- Wolfgang, jealous of Marnie being picked as Michael's chosen one, teams up with Toledo to get revenge.
- Michael destroys John Roberts' form at his fake birthday party.
- Marnie follows clues to the Book's location within the Eildon Hills, learning the "Sign of the Unicorn" will guide her to the Book.
- Wolfgang's past is revealed to Marnie - after a heart-to-heart, Wolfgang and Michael make peace.
- The Book is found within the University of Edinburgh Library.
- Toledo manipulates Edwin into opening the Book, releasing some of its dark magic, awakening Toledo's evil spawn, Los Contrarios, evil twins of the Shoebox Zoo.
- Toledo and Los Contrarios invade Marnie's house to steal the Book. The Zoo defeat their evil twins, while Marnie and Wolfgang barricade themselves in the lounge. Toledo breaks in, but is forced to leave when Marnie threatens to destroy the Book. In retaliation, he casts Wolfgang into a lit fireplace, killing him.
- The Day of Reckoning - Marnie learns Toledo's origins. Rosemary's ghost speaks to her, revealing the Book is a fake and was made to destroy Toledo's evil. Marnie confronts Michael and Toledo in Tantallon, giving the Book to Toledo, but its magic destroys him. Marnie receives a vision that the real Book is in America.
