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Harold and the Purple Crayon

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Harold and the Purple Crayon
First edition
AuthorCrockett Johnson
GenreChildren's novel
PublisherHarper & Brothers
Publication date
1955
Publication placeUnited States
Pages64
OCLC22963112
[E] 22
LC ClassMLCS 2006/43120 (P)

Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. This is Johnson's most popular book. It led to a series of other books, and inspired many adaptations.

Plot

The protagonist, Harold, is a curious four-year-old[1] boy who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it.

Harold wants to go for a walk in the moonlight, but there is no moon, so he draws one. He has nowhere to walk, so he draws a path. He has many adventures looking for his room, and in the end he draws his own house and bed and goes to sleep.

Book series

  • Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955)
  • Harold's Fairy Tale (1956)
  • Harold's Trip to the Sky (1957)
  • Harold at the North Pole (1958)
  • Harold's Circus (1959)
  • A Picture for Harold's Room (1960)
  • Harold's ABC (1963)

Adaptations

The original story was adapted by Weston Woods Studios and Brandon Films[2] into a seven-minute short film in 1959, directed by David Piel and narrated by Norman Rose.[3][4] In 1971, Gene Deitch directed an animation of A Picture for Harold's Room, and in 1974 an animation of Harold's Fairy Tale. In 1993, these three animations were packaged with a documentary, and sold as the Harold and the Purple Crayon and Other Harold Stories set.

In 2002, the stories were adapted by Adelaide Productions into a 13-episode television series for HBO narrated by Sharon Stone and featuring Connor Matheus as the voice of Harold. The series won a Daytime Emmy Award for "Main Title Design", and was nominated for an Annie Award and Humanitas Prize.[5][6]

There have also been theater adaptations.[7][8]

In the couch gag for the Simpsons episode "The Bob Next Door", Harold is shown drawing the Simpson family living room during the regular title sequence. Homer also asks Harold to draw him a can of beer after he finishes with the living room.

In 2011, the story was adapted as an interactive book for the iPad by Trilogy Studios.[9]

Film

In February 2010, it was reported that Sony Pictures Animation and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment are developing a CGI-animated film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon. It is being produced by Will Smith and James Lassiter, and written by Josh Klausner.[10] As of 2016, the film's status is unknown.

Legacy

The book inspired programmer Petri Purho to create the computer game Crayon Physics Deluxe,[11] The book potentially inspired the kid's TV show Chalkzone,[12] and has been used frequently in children's and art education lesson plans.[13] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[14] In 2012 it was ranked number 16 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by School Library Journal.[15]

References

  1. ^ Trilogy Studios (August 8, 2011). "Harold and The Purple Crayon Climbs to #1 in iPad Book App Chart in First Week of Release" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved April 24, 2014. This timeless classic by Crockett Johnson is about the world a curious four-year-old boy creates by simply drawing it with a purple crayon.
  2. ^ Template:Bcdb title
  3. ^ "Crockett Johnson Homepage: Film and Video". Ksu.ksu.edu. 2005-08-03. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  4. ^ Harold and the Purple Crayon (1959) at IMDb
  5. ^ "Sony Pictures | The Best in Movies, TV Shows, Games & Apps". Haroldandthepurplecrayontv.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  6. ^ Harold and the Purple Crayon (2002) at IMDb
  7. ^ "Harold and the Purple Crayon". DC Theatre Scene. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  8. ^ [1] Archived February 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "iTunes Store". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  10. ^ Rowles, Dustin (February 25, 2010). "Exclusive: Harold and the Purple Crayon Headed to the Big Screen". Pajiba. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  11. ^ "Computer Game A Mash-Up Of Crayons, Physics". NPR. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  12. ^ "Crayon Physics Deluxe Interview". Binary Joy. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  13. ^ [2] Archived February 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ National Education Association (2007). "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  15. ^ Bird, Elizabeth (July 6, 2012). "Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. School Library Journal (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com). Retrieved August 19, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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