Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Seuss With Wonder and Costumes!

by Esteban Cepero

Theodore Giesel, the name of the children's book icon known as 'Dr. Seuss', has earned a place in children's literature as one of the most creative and influential authors in history. His characters have become endearing and the passing of time has not diminish their meaning and attraction. Today we are celebrating the legacy of Dr. Seuss with Wondercostumes.com and a look at the characters created by Dr. Seuss. His writings and drawing of children's books with in-depth twists and amazing eccentric characters, has been the trademark of Dr. Seuss and the wonderful legacy he left behind. To honor his memory, every year on March 2nd, his birthday is recognized as National Read Across America Day to promote and celebrate reading all over the country!

A couple of fun facts about Dr. Seuss: The origin of his name goes back to his time at Dartmouth College. 'Seuss' is actually the maiden name of his mother Henrietta and with its Bavarian background, was originally pronounced as 'Soice'. Though when the popularity of his work soared, fans began to pronounce the name phonetically. Before Dr. Seuss's time, the word 'nerd' didn't have any recorded mention up until the release of his book "If I Ran in the Zoo," published in 1950. The word was randomly used as a noun to describe one of the creatures in the storyline: 'A Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seer Sucker too'. By the following year it was reported the word 'nerd' was being widely used by teenagers, and Dr. Seuss had not heard any mention of it before he wrote his book.

During the time of writing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," one of his most endearing stories and now a Holiday season film, Dr. Seuss had a difficult time devising the ending of the story. He struggled to figure out how to resolve the situation the Grinch was trapped in, and creating a sentimental feeling that would touch the reader was what most mattered to him. It took Dr. Seuss 3-months to create the final storyline which answered the question why the Grinch didn't like Christmas. Dr. Seuss's wide range of stories went on to inspire a lot of costumes based on his distinctive characters! These costumes carry a true spirit of fun to put a smile on everybody's face. So to commemorate Dr. Seuss's birthday, here's a list of some of his famous character designs and costumes!

Sam-I-Am Character and Costume

From his 1960s book "Green Eggs and Ham," Sam-I-Am is the main protagonist who spends the whole time in the story attempting to convince the narrator to try his green eggs and ham. It's not fully stated what kind of creature Sam-I-Am is, but his character design consists mainly of his notable white fur. Sam-I-Am's costume is a long bright yellow shirt with a red hat. Of course, to compliment Sam-I-Am's costume is a plate of green eggs and ham.

The Grinch Character and Costume

Since his debut in 1957, the Grinch remains a well-known figure of the Christmas season as he represents someone who has no Christmas spirit at all. The Grinch would eventually succeed in his mission to steal Christmas from Whoville but a miracle would take place with the growth of the size of his heart. The Grinch's character design is exclusive to him with his big build and green fur. The Grinch's costume is a popular Christmas costume and Wondercostumes.com Dr. Seuss' Grinch costume, perfect for those who want to cause a ruckus during the Holidays. Shop Wondercostumes.com for the Grinch adult costumes for a different take on Christmas!

Thing One and Thing Two

A duo of absolute chaos! Making their appearance in "The Cat in the Hat," Thing One and Thing Two have the tendency to do the complete opposite of what anyone says. The two twins have a hyper attitude that is beyond difficult to contain. Thing One and Thing Two costumes are imagined as red jumpsuits with their identities printed on their chest. Their wild blue hair perfectly tops off Thing One and Thing Two's costume as a symbol of their jumpy attitude. Thing One and Thing Two's costumes are a perfect idea for a pair that can't be separated and knows how to light up a room! They're also available on WonderCostumes.com!

The Cat in the Hat

Born the same year as the Grinch, the "Cat in the Hat" holds the title of Dr. Seuss's greatest character but with "Green Eggs and Ham" coming out on top with the most sold copies. The costume design of the Cat in the Hat is the reason this character has such widespread association recognition. His body consists only of his black and white fur but on top is his red bow tie and red and white striped top hat. The striped top hat has become synonymous with The Cat in the Hat and Wondercostumes.com has kids Cat in the Hat costume that come with the recognizable hat!

Dr. Seuss's work is a reminder of just how much fun reading can be with his silly story lines and a long list of outlandish characters that no one else could've envisioned. His concepts had the sole purpose of delivering heartfelt stories to children perfected with comedy and all sorts of word-phrasing. He helped strengthen children's speech with tongue-twisters and specific alphabetic themes. Many of Dr. Seuss's characters are a perfect option for enjoyable costumes to bring back happy childhood memories. So make sure to pick up a book and also check out WonderCostumes.com to get in character!