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June 4, 2018 by Betsy Bird

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Kay Thompson’s Eloise by Kay Thompson

June 4, 2018 by Betsy Bird   7 comments

eloiseIt’s very special episode time! Very special for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that Kate took five hours to edit this episode down from two and a half hours to a svelte, sleek 47:41. It was also special because we had two guests from fellow podcast Go Your Own YA. So a big time thank you to Carey and Marie for taking time out of their schedules to let us talk all over them. Finally, it was special because we finally got to tackle one of the big books we’ve been skirting around for months. That’s right. Eloise is in the house and the results are priceless! Along with a bit of random Eloise trivia, I hope you’re prepared for a surprise fact. We were actually able to locate a joke in the original book that was excised from editions printed today. And it involves dragging a fellow children’s book character through the mud. See if you can guess who it is.

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Source Notes:

– Here’s a link to the Go Your Own YA podcast which you most certainly must search out.

– The great Eloise heist is mentioned in this article at NPR. How this is not better known, I do not know. Here is the original painting:

OriginalEloise

– And here is the replacement:

EloisePortrait

– If you have any theories on Eloise’s father, feel free to leave them here. We’ve exhausted every possible explanation.

– Here’s the cool fold-out elevator section of the book. Unripped!

EloiseElevators

– I thought maybe this would be The Little Beaver, but its pub date is 1963. Ah well.

– Clowns ain’t got nuthin’ on this doll.

EloiseDoll

– I couldn’t find any videos that have someone singing Nanny’s song, but I did find this recording featuring Kay Thompson:

– The flexible lawyer. All the way up to his hip.

EloiseLawyer

– Here’s the picture I alluded to of Kay Thompson posing with the actress who played Eloise.

KayThompson

– Here is the most fascinating Eloise book of them all. Someday, I may wreck its havoc against Kate.

EloiseMoscow

– Parody-wise, here is my baby.

SuzukiBeane1

– And here are the dance moves I’d get as tattoos. I won’t. But I would.

SuzukiBeane2

SuzukiBeane3

– This is what Ella looked like. No need to explore it much further.

Ella

– Should you wish to seek her out, you can find Erin Ryan on Twitter here.

– Here’s the ceiling that our Guy Who Does That Thing made at St. Louis Union Station Hotel.

– And here is a link to the funny cartoons Marie mentioned.

Filed under: Fuse 8 n' Kate

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah L Peden says

    June 4, 2018 at 10:10 am

    I HAVE LIVED FOR THIS DAY! So great to hear the gals of Go Your Own YA with you all today.

  2. Stephanie says

    June 4, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Also, not only is the babydoll scary but that other doll she got from Jamaica? A biiiit problematic.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      June 4, 2018 at 4:40 pm

      Yeah. The Jamaican babydoll is something I’ve always wondered about. I would LOVE to hear someone’s thoughts on it. It appears in one picture briefly then disappears entirely.

  3. Misti says

    June 4, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    I checked my library’s copy of The Absolutely Essential Edition (c.1999), and the Peter Rabbit comment had been expunged there, too. (And you’ll be gratified to know that the elevator gatefold was, indeed, ripped.)

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      June 4, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      Whew! Can’t have intact library books out there. Throws off the curve.

      So we know that it was gone by 1999. This is utterly fascinating. I’m half inclined to grab the guy who may have been the editor at the time to make him spill the beans…

  4. Emmy says

    June 5, 2018 at 4:38 pm

    I always thought a skate key was a key to lock your skates up so no one would steal them. Hmm I started out almost enjoying this book, but by the end I found that my anxiety level had risen quite a bit more than I was comfortable with. Didn’t they make this a movie several years ago? I don’t think I’m going to show my kids. Ever. I did, however, enjoy the podcast very much! As always!

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      June 5, 2018 at 11:13 pm

      I believe Julie Andrews played Nanny in the movie. But I highly doubt that she drinks heavily and watches “the fights” on television. If someone could correct me on this point I would be horribly grateful.

      Thanks for listening!

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