''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
''

Dr. Seuss on the Loose'' starring

Paul Winchell Paul Winchell ('' né'' Wilchinsky; December 21, 1922 – June 24, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, humanitarian, inventor and ventriloquist whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted ''The Paul Winchell ...

as the voice of both characters, and more recently an animated TV series of the same name on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a film ...

(which also gave the originally unnamed character Sam pesters the name "Guy-Am-I").

Plot

Sam-I-Am offers an unnamed man a plate of

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

eggs and ham. However, the man refuses repeatedly throughout the story, saying "I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am." Sam further asks him to eat that food in various locations (house, box, car, tree, train, dark, rain, boat) and with a few different animals (mouse, fox, goat), but is still rebuffed. Finally, Sam-I-am asks the man to try them, and he accepts the green eggs and ham. When he declares that he likes them, he happily says, "I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam-I-Am."

Background

''Green Eggs and Ham'' is one of Seuss's "

Beginner Books Beginner Books is the Random House imprint for young children ages 3–9, co-founded by Phyllis Cerf with Ted Geisel, more often known as Dr. Seuss, and his wife Helen Palmer Geisel. Their first book was Dr. Seuss's ''The Cat in the Hat'' (19 ...

", written with very simple vocabulary for beginning readers. The vocabulary of the text consists of just 50 words and was the result of a bet between Seuss and

Bennett Cerf Bennett Alfred Cerf (May 25, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American writer, publisher, and co-founder of the American publishing firm Random House. Cerf was also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearanc ...

, Dr. Seuss's publisher, that Seuss (after completing ''

The Cat in the Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red bow ...

'' using 236 words) could not complete an entire book without exceeding that limit. The 50 words are: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you. "Anywhere" is the only word used that has more than one syllable.

Reception and cultural impact

''Green Eggs and Ham'' was published on August 12, 1960.A 50 -year feast in 50 words
, ''Marketplace.'' Retrieved August 13, 2010. By 2001, it had become the fourth-best selling English-language children's hardcover book yet written.Menand, Louis
"A Critic at Large: Cat People: What Dr. Seuss Really Taught Us"
''The New Yorker''. December 23, 2002. the book has sold 8 million copies. In 1999, the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

(NEA) conducted an online survey of children and teachers, seeking the 100 most popular children's books. The children ranked ''Green Eggs and Ham'' third, just above another Dr. Seuss book, ''

''.Kids' top 100 books
''NEA: National Education Association''. Retrieved November 26, 2006. The teachers ranked it fourth.
''NEA: National Education Association''. Retrieved November 26, 2006. Teachers ranked it fourth again in a 2007 NEA poll. '' Scholastic Parent & Child'' magazine placed it #7 among the "100 Greatest Books for Kids" in 2012. That same year, it was ranked number 12 among the "Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' – the first of five Dr. Seuss books on the list. USMC-120302-M-PG598-001

The book has become sufficiently ingrained in the cultural consciousness that U.S. District Court Judge James Muirhead referenced ''Green Eggs and Ham'' in his September 21, 2007, court ruling after receiving an

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

in the mail from prisoner Charles Jay Wolff, who was protesting against the prison diet. Muirhead ordered the egg destroyed and rendered his

judgment Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle ...

in the style of Seuss. Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...

read the book on the floor of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

during his filibuster over the funding of

Obamacare The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

. Musician

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...

has stated that his moniker is inspired by the story. On September 28, 1991, following Dr. Seuss' death earlier that week,

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson ( né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

recited an excerpt of ''Green Eggs and Ham'' on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves as ...

'' during a special tribute segment.

Adaptations

TV, film, and stage

In 1973, ''Green Eggs and Ham'' became the third of the three Theodor Geisel stories, joining '' The Sneetches'' and ''

The Zax ''The Sneetches and Other Stories'' is a collection of stories by American children's author Dr. Seuss, published in 1961. It is composed of four separate stories with themes of tolerance, diversity, and compromise: "The Sneetches", "The Zax", ...

'', to be adapted into the television special '' Dr. Seuss on the Loose'', which featured a connecting narration by The Cat In The Hat. The cartoon was voiced by

. The book was also released as a ''Beginner Book Video'' on VHS which included ''The Cat In The Hat'' in 1994. The story was featured as one of the segments brought to life in stage-play fashion in the 1994 TV-film '' In Search of Dr. Seuss''. It is adapted as part of ''

Seussical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while in ...

'' as a number during curtain call. A 2D hand-drawn animated television series based on the book, ''

Green Eggs and Ham ''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2019, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide. The story has appeared in several adaptations, starting with 1973's '' Dr. Seuss on the Loos ...

'' premiered on

on November 8, 2019. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and A Very Good Production and distributed by

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

. The cast features

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the A ...

as Guy-Am-I (the unnamed character in the original book) and

Adam DeVine Adam Patrick Devine (born November 7, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, singer, screenwriter, and producer. He is one of the stars and co-creators of the Comedy Central comedy television series ''Workaholics'' and '' Adam Devine's House Par ...

as Sam-I-Am, with

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom '' Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for "The Puppy Episode". Sh ...

serving as executive producer. The fox (named Michael and voiced by

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...

), mouse (nicknamed Squeaky by Sam and voiced by

Daveed Diggs Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeff ...

), and goat (simply named The Goat and voiced by

John Turturro John Michael Turturro (; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his contributions to the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers ...

) appear as secondary recurring characters. In December 2019, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season, which was titled ''The Second Serving''.

Parodies

The ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until ...

'' episode "The Warners and The Beanstalk" parodies both ''Green Eggs and Ham'' and ''

Jack and The Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Cole ...

''. After Ralph T. Guard in the role of a giant captures Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, the Warners try to get him to eat 'gold eggs and meat', but the giant refuses each time, saying, "I does not like gold eggs and meat. It's you who I would like to eat". The opening lines are spoofed by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

as "I am sad. Sad, I am. I would not eat blue figs and lamb" in "Papers for Papa". The ''

Johnny Bravo ''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired from ...

'' episode "Cookie Crisis" has Little Suzy as a Buttercup Scout trying to get Johnny to buy her cookies. Johnny is on a strict diet and attempts to avoid her, but she keeps following him at every turn. The '' Green Eggs & Sham'' live album by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

punk rock band

Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including " If the Kids Are United" and " Hurry Up Harry". T ...

, released in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, parodies the book title itself. The ''

Regular Show ''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the course of eight seasons a ...

'' episode title "Pam I Am" is a pun on the character Sam-I-Am, but not the story itself.

Upstate New York Hazardous Materials Warning incident

The quote "Would you. Could you. On a train?" was unexpectedly used on a misinformed

Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and both ...

activation targeting viewers in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

shortly before the 2016 Hoboken train crash in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,6 ...

on September 27, 2016. The quote was used on a Hazardous Materials Warning message that was accidentally activated on Utica's NBC television station

WKTV WKTV (channel 2) is a television station in Utica, New York, United States, affiliated with NBC, CBS, and The CW Plus. Owned by Heartland Media, the station has studios on Smith Hill Road in Deerfield (with a Utica postal address), and i ...

during an evening newscast.

Restaurant

Universal's Islands of Adventure Universal's Islands of Adventure (also known as Islands of Adventure or IOA), originally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an ...

, in Seuss Landing, there is a restaurant called Green Eggs and Ham Cafe that originally served green eggs and ham sandwiches, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers, and fries. As of 2019, the restaurant now serves tater tot-based meals, including green eggs and ham tots.

Video games

''Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham'' is a

single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...

handheld A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical k ...

video game for

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

based on the 1960 book of the same name published by

NewKidCo NewKidCo International Inc. ( TSE:NKC; OTC BB: NKCIF) was an American video game publisher of children's titles based on popular licensed characters, for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft consoles. It went out of business in 2005. The publisher was ac ...

and released in November 2003. The book was also made into a Living Books adaptation for the PC in 1996, and there were similar differences to reflect the new media such as Sam-I-Am sings his opening lines.

Selected translations

* לֹא רָעֵב וְלֹא אוֹהֵב (''Lo ra'ev ve-lo ohev'', 1960, Hebrew ) * ''Huevos verdes con jamón'' (1960, Spanish, ) * ''Groene eieren met ham'' (1960s, Dutch, ) * 火腿加綠蛋 (''Huǒ tuǐ jiā lǜ dàn'', 1992, Chinese, ) * ''Prosciutto e uova verdi'' (2002, Italian, ) * ''Virent ova! Viret perna!'' (2003, Latin, ) * ''Kto zje zielone jajka sadzone?'' (2004, Polish, ) * ''Les œufs verts au jambon'' (2009, French, ) * ''Grünes Ei mit Speck'' (2011, German, ) * ''Ovos Verdes e Presunto'' (2016, Portuguese, ) * ''Grønne egg og Skinke'' (March 2021, Norwegian)

References

External links

* {{Ham Adaptations of works by Dr. Seuss Books by Dr. Seuss Constrained writing 1960 children's books Eggs in culture American picture books Random House books