# 3187h FDC - 1999 33c Celebrate the Century - 1950s: Dr. Suess' Cat in the Hat
33¢ Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat”
Celebrate the Century – 1950s
City: Springfield, MA
Printing Method: Lithographed, engraved
Perforations: 11.5
Color: Multicolored
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
The son of a brew master, Geisel took art classes and managed his school’s soccer team before attending Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, Geisel wrote for the school’s humor magazine, Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern.
Seuss was studying for a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Oxford, England, when a classmate looked at his notes from English class and commented he seemed to enjoy making cartoons more than learning about English Literature. Seuss soon quit school, married his classmate Helen Palmer, and moved back to the United States to do what he loved.
During World War II Seuss created more than 400 political cartoons over the course of two years. He then designed posters for the Treasury Department and War Production Board before joining the Army and serving as commander of the Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit. In that role he wrote several films, including one that won an Academy Award.
After the war, Seuss went back to writing children’s books. In 1954, William Spaulding, the director of the education division at Houghton Mifflin publishing, sent a list of 348 words a first-grader should know to Seuss and challenged him to “bring back a book children can’t put down.” After much frustration, he decided that the first two words from the list that rhymed would be the title of the book. That is how The Cat in the Hat was born.
The Cat in the Hat sold out in bookstores across the country as soon as it was released in 1957. It became a national sensation, with nearly a million copies sold within three years. Editions were available in French, Chinese, Swedish, and Braille. As a result of the success of The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss started Beginner Books, a publishing house for children’s stories.
Click here for a listing of Seuss’ books, films, and more.
33¢ Dr. Seuss’ “Cat in the Hat”
Celebrate the Century – 1950s
City: Springfield, MA
Printing Method: Lithographed, engraved
Perforations: 11.5
Color: Multicolored
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
The son of a brew master, Geisel took art classes and managed his school’s soccer team before attending Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, Geisel wrote for the school’s humor magazine, Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern.
Seuss was studying for a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Oxford, England, when a classmate looked at his notes from English class and commented he seemed to enjoy making cartoons more than learning about English Literature. Seuss soon quit school, married his classmate Helen Palmer, and moved back to the United States to do what he loved.
During World War II Seuss created more than 400 political cartoons over the course of two years. He then designed posters for the Treasury Department and War Production Board before joining the Army and serving as commander of the Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit. In that role he wrote several films, including one that won an Academy Award.
After the war, Seuss went back to writing children’s books. In 1954, William Spaulding, the director of the education division at Houghton Mifflin publishing, sent a list of 348 words a first-grader should know to Seuss and challenged him to “bring back a book children can’t put down.” After much frustration, he decided that the first two words from the list that rhymed would be the title of the book. That is how The Cat in the Hat was born.
The Cat in the Hat sold out in bookstores across the country as soon as it was released in 1957. It became a national sensation, with nearly a million copies sold within three years. Editions were available in French, Chinese, Swedish, and Braille. As a result of the success of The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss started Beginner Books, a publishing house for children’s stories.
Click here for a listing of Seuss’ books, films, and more.