Where the Wild Things Are - Plush Toys
Where the Wild Things Are plush toy characters
Yes, thanks to Where the Wild Things Are plush toys that cute little tyke of yours can cast off that blankie, throw down that pacifier, and toss the teddy bear. Max and the Monsters are plump, plush and plentiful. They are ready to be dragged, cuddled, and stroked by children everywhere. Maurice Sendak's fanciful story characters continue to charm adults and kids today. But did you know that Sendak's original story concept had horses instead of monsters? What a difference a change makes.
The Sendak characters have been memorialized in many ways other than through books. Finally technology caught up with Sendak's imagination and a movie was born. And, as with most movies, a host of toys and games and puzzles followed. So it is with Where the Wild Things Are Below you'll find an array of plush toys representing the characters, videos on the movie and soundtrack, and a few other toys that might tickle your imagination and trigger a gotta-have. But first, a few words about the story, itself, and its creator, Maurice Sendak.
- Image Source: Amazon
When the "Wild Things" Were Horses
How "The Wild Horses" became "The Wild Things"
You horse-lovers may be dismayed to learn that Maurice Sendak's original story concept called for horses instead of monsters. The first story was titled "Where the Wild Horses Are." While there are similarities, Sendak definitely made more than a few changes and only used less than half the original story. He relied on his illustrations to round out the text. Why did he lose the horses? "I couldn't really draw horses," Sendak admits.
Another interesting inspiration for the Wild Things monsters is that the movie King Kong made quite an impression on Sendak as a young boy. If you watch the film from the thirties and carefully look at the photos, you'll see a direct line to the illustrations of "The Wild Things." Sendak believes the film visuals must have imprinted on his brain when he was a child.
- Image Credits: Media via San Francisco Examiner
Who is Maurice Sendak?
Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Caldecott Medal winner
For more than 30 years, Maurice Sendak has been entertaining children and adults with his charming, whimsical stories and illustrations. His most beloved story has to be Where the Wild Things Are. Sendak has been the recipient of both the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and the Caldecott Medal.
What is Sendak's feeling about books and writing for kids? They should be, above all, playful. Where the Wild Things Are is probably Sendak's best-known and most beloved work and it is definitely playful
If I have an unusual gift, it's not that I draw particularly better or write particularly better than other people--I've never fooled myself about that. Rather, it's that I remember things other people don't recall: the sounds and feelings and images--the emotional quality--of particular moments in childhood..-- Maurice Sendak
A glimpse into his mind is offered when he says the two most "dominant figures of his childhood" were "Mickey Mouse and my severe and bearded maternal grandfather." Sendak never knew his grandfather but he had an old family photograph so he knew what he looked like. As a child, he likened his grandfather's photograph to that of the image of God. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Mickey Mouse. The mouse was present throughout his childhood and very real to Sendak. He was everywhere; movie theaters, games, storybooks, and comic strips. These two streams may have combined to create his wonderful work Where the Wild Things Are- Image Credits The Wee Web Authors & Illustrators
The Book and the Movie
Book or Movie? - Did the movie live up to the book?
Which is better? The book or the movie?
Madame Alexander Cloth Dolls
Here They Are -- "The Wild Things"
Max
Moishe
Bernard
Tzippy Sipi
Other Toys
Videos
Where the Wild Things Are trailer & soundtrack
