This special edition of LIFE celebrates the wonderful, whimsical world of Dr. Seuss and his array of beloved characters and tales. Step inside the Seussian universe where cats wear hats, fish make trouble, and green eggs and ham are always on the menu. With stories behind classics including The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Green Eggs and Ham, this issue explores how the books were made and why they still matter so much today. Discover the inspirations behind the Grinch, explore the real Whoville, and meet the many faces of Seuss’s mischievous genius. Explore Dr. Seuss’s lasting influence on television, music, theme parks, and pop culture. From early drawings and the secrets of Dr. Seuss’s rhyme and rhythm, this one-of-a-kind edition offers a closer look at a unique creative spirit.
LIFE: Dr. Seuss
Living in a Seussian World • Almost 70 years after the release of The Cat in the Hat, Theodor Geisel—better known as Dr. Seuss—is still impacting how America reads, thinks, riddles, and laughs.
Books-A-Million • Dr. Seuss has sold an estimated 500 to 700 million books, which makes him one of the top 10 best-selling authors of all time—a list that includes Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, and J.K. Rowling.
Inside Story • Children’s low reading scores. Adolf Hitler. A $50 bet with an editor. The inspirations behind Ted Geisel’s most iconic tales are anything but textbook.
That Darned Cat • How a bewhiskered mischief-maker turned the world of children’s reading upside down.
Fish Cries Foul • The unhappy house pet who warns Sally and her brother against the Cat is often described as the story’s voice of reason. Or is he just a stick in the mud?
The Cat’s Not Alone: Best Babysitters Ever? • Think the Cat in the Hat’s a dubious influence on little ones? Consider some of his fictional compatriots.
How the Grinch Was Born • Dr. Seuss came up with the misanthropic miser the day after Christmas while looking at his own sour puss in the bathroom mirror.
Who Is That Who Girl? • In How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, trusting, deep-feeling Cindy Lou helps the furry antihero grow his tiny heart.
The Real Whoville • What Massachusetts burg was the model for the Grinch’s Christmas-loving joyopolis?
The Holiday Haters • Mr. Grinch is a “mean one,” to be sure, but he’s not alone in his lack of yuletide spirit. These other characters give him a run for his money.
A Dish Best Served Green • Seuss’s editor bet him $50 that he couldn’t write a book with just 50 words. Dear reader, the editor lost.
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? • Between the lines of each Dr. Seuss book are hidden lessons in sounds, grammar, and sentence structure. Onomatopoeia, anyone?
So Many Places To Go • Ted Geisel’s final book is a favorite with gift-givers and an invaluable guide to life.
Rogues’ Gallery • The Grinch is the best known of Dr. Seuss’s villains, but plenty of other baddies and bratties populate his books. Here are some of the most famous.
Off the Page • The Seussiverse is a sprawling, ever-expanding enterprise of new books, films, social media, streaming shows, and even an amusement park.
The Grinch: Appointment TV • The 1966 special, with the Grinch voiced by Boris Karloff (of Frankenstein fame), became an instant yuletide tradition.
Green Eggs on Demand • Netflix embraces Sam-I-Am.
Seuss in Hollywood • After Dr. Seuss’s death, his widow, Audrey Geisel, was courted by studios and filmmakers. The result: billions of dollars in box office.
Seuss Landing • The colorful park within a park at Universal’s Islands of Adventure gives families with little ones a safe place to enjoy themselves. It’s also great Seussian fun.
Seuss the Rapper • Ted Geisel and rap music go...