Mimi Smartypants reminisces about Curious George.
You know, I always liked Curious George because he was a fuckup. His fuckups were presented as a result of his being “curious,” which rang true to me as a kid. I never went on an ether binge, but I did plenty of odd and dangerous things in the name of experimentation, such as riding my tricycle down the stairs and flushing a sock down the toilet. The original books always featured CG’s fuckup, the hilarious consequences, and then the resolution: would that you hadn’t been so curious, George, but all’s well that ends well.
There’s more, though. Go read it. Very funny.
I wonder if today’s “anxiety parents” have banned Curious George and his ilk out of fear that their offspring will….monkey see, monkey do.
(sorry. sorry.)
I always wondered about the man with the yellow hat. who is he?? what’s his deal?
Actually, there’s something kind of Zen about the books. Or maybe Jungian – archetypes, and all that.
The man in the yellow hat just is. I do not think he is intended to represent a particular man, and yet there is a sense of particularity about him that is unsettling…sort of like hearing a few notes of music and thinking you know what song they came from, but being unable to name it.
There’s also a duality between George and the man – maybe the id and the superego? The animal and the civilized?
I bet one could make a college course based on the ideas of trying to do “deep” interpretations of picture books. (I’d love to see an exploration of Richard Scarry’s love of turning food – carrots, bananas, donuts – into cars).