''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' is a 1955

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 ...

by Crockett Johnson. Published by Harper Collins Publishers, it is Johnson's most popular book, and has led to a series of other books, as well as many adaptations.

Plot

The protagonist, Harold, is a curious 4-year-old boy who, with his

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters ...

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a mixture of w ...

, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. Harold wants to go for a walk in the moonlight, but there is no moon, so he draws one. He has nowhere to walk, so he draws a path. He has many adventures looking for his room, and in the end, he draws his own house and bed and goes to sleep.

Book series

*''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' (1955) *''Harold's Fairy Tale'' (1956) *''Harold's Trip to the Sky'' (1957) *''Harold at the North Pole'' (1958) *''Harold's Circus'' (1959) *''A Picture for Harold's Room'' (1960) *''Harold's ABC'' (1963) *''Harold and His Friends: A Harold and the Purple Crayon Treasury'' (2003) *''Adventures of Harold and His Friends'' (2005) *''Harold's Treasure Hunt'' (posthumous, 2020)

Adaptations

The original story was adapted by

Weston Woods Studios Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near ...

(distribution starting in 1969) and Brandon Films into a seven-minute

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

in 1959, directed by David Piel and narrated by Norman Rose. In 1971,

Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...

directed an animation of ''A Picture for Harold's Room'', and in 1974 an animation of ''Harold's Fairy Tale''. In 1993, these three animations were packaged with a documentary, and sold as the ''Harold and the Purple Crayon and Other Harold Stories'' set. These stories were featured on the popular CBS children's television show ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

'', which ran for 30 years from 1955 to 1984 before moving to PBS for six more. There have also been theater adaptations. In the

couch gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...

for ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' episode " The Bob Next Door", Harold is shown drawing the Simpson family living room during the regular title sequence.

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

also asks Harold to draw him a can of Duff Beer after he finishes with the living room. In 2011, the story was adapted as an interactive book for the

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by Trilogy Studios. In 2019 on ''

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'', Jimmy Kimmel presented a parody, '' Donald and the Magic Sharpie''. The book is spoofed in the ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The write ...

'' episode "Bugs Keith in: I Can't Call Heaven, Doug".

Television series

In 2002, the stories were adapted by Adelaide Productions into a 13-episode television series for HBO narrated by

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

and featuring Connor Matheus as the voice of Harold. The series won a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

for "Main Title Design", and was nominated for an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...

and

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

. The show was also released on VHS and DVD. The series focuses on Harold using his purple crayon to explore a new world. Each episode has Harold focusing on life lessons throughout his journeys.

Episodes

Film

In February 2010, it was reported that

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

was developing a live-action film adaptation of ''Harold and the Purple Crayon'', to be produced by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

and James Lassiter, and written by Josh Klausner. In December 2016, it was reported that the film would also be written by Dallas Clayton. On February 1, 2021, it was reported that Zachary Levi would star in the film, though it was not stated what role he would play. It was also announced that David Guion and Michael Handelman replaced Klausner and Clayton as screenwriters, with John Davis producing. While Zooey Deschanel was added in the cast, it was announced director Carlos Saldanha is attached to direct the new film. The film has set a release date of January 27, 2023. It will also be Saldanha’s first feature film after working on

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was founded on February 22, 1987 by Chris Wedge, Michael Ferraro, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Eugene Troubetzkoy after their e ...

' '' Spies in Disguise'' in 2019, which after the studio went defunct in 2021, he did not work on another film after that.

Broadway musical

On March 11, 2022, a Broadway musical adaptation was announced with songs made by

AJR AJR may refer to: * AJR (motorcycle), Scotland * AJR (band), a pop band from New York City, United States *Abdominojugular test, to measure venous pressure * Academy for Jewish Religion (New York) * ''American Journal of Roentgenology'' * ''Ameri ...

and will focus on an adult version of Harold facing challenges in everyday life without his magical purple crayon.

Legacy

The book inspired programmer

Petri Purho Petri Purho (born 1983 in Kouvola, Finland) is a Finnish game developer and a cofounder of the game studio Nolla Games. He has previously also worked at Finnish independent video game developer studio Frozenbyte. He is best-known for the rogue ...

to create the computer game ''

Crayon Physics Deluxe ''Crayon Physics Deluxe'' is a puzzle video game designed by Petri Purho and released on January 7, 2009. An early version, titled ''Crayon Physics'', was released for Windows in June 2007. ''Deluxe'' won the grand prize at the Independent Games ...

''. The book has been used frequently in children's and art education lesson plans. Based on a 2007 online poll, 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 ...

listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". In 2012 it was ranked number 16 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 ...

''. One of the protagonists in ''

Captain Underpants ''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, ...

'', Harold Hutchins, is named after the protagonist in the book, along with George Beard being named after the protagonist in ''

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series. Geo ...

''. In the book ''This Thing Called Life'' by the author Neal Karlen,

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

's mother Mattie Shaw confirmed that his favourite book as a child was ''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' and was the reason for Prince's love of the colour purple. In

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom '' All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performa ...

's 1999 romantic comedy '' The Story of Us'', Kate (

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer (; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress and producer. A prolific performer whose screen work spans over four decades, she became one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and popular sex symbols during the 1980s ...

) says that ''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' is one of her favorite books and an allegory for her marriage with Ben (

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

). She later explains that Ben just wouldn't "share the crayon", and that she feels she has been living in ''his'' world rather than one she had helped create. In Episode 3 of the third season of '' Legion'' ("Chapter 22"),

Gabrielle Haller This article lists Marvel characters beginning with the letter "H", with a brief description introducing each one. Hala the Accuser Gabrielle Haller Gabrielle Haller was a catatonic Holocaust survivor who awoke from the disorder after Charle ...

reads the book to her infant son,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, who will grow up to be the series' central protagonist.

References

External links

Crockett Johnson Homepage: Books: The Harold SeriesThe Appeal of 'Harold and the Purple Crayon'
NPR -

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

, May 29, 2005
Official website for the television series
at HBO Family. Archived fro

on March 18, 2006. * {{Rough Draft Studios 1955 children's books 2000s American animated television series 2000s preschool education television series 2001 American television series debuts 2002 American television series debuts American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated fantasy television series American preschool education television series Animated preschool education television series American picture books Children's books adapted into films Children's books adapted into television shows Harper & Brothers books Television series by Adelaide Productions Television series by Sony Pictures Television Child characters in literature Animated television series about children HBO original programming