Eloise (books)

''Eloise'' is a series of children's books written in the 1950s by

Kay Thompson Kay Thompson (born Catherine Louise Fink; November 9, 1909''"In the St. Louis Registry of Births, in the volume covering the period July 1909 – January 1910, on page 85, is the following entry: "Catherine Louise Fink, November 9, 1909."''

and illustrated by Hilary Knight. Thompson and Knight followed up '' Eloise'' (1955) with four sequels. Eloise is a young girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the
Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
with her nanny, her
pug The Pug is a breed of dog originally from China, with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often light brown (Fawn (colour) ...
dog, Weenie, and her turtle, Skipperdee.

History
The character was developed by the author based on her childhood
imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...
and
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
, with a voice in which Thompson spoke throughout her life, according to her biographer, filmmaker
Sam Irvin Sam Irvin (born June 14, 1956) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author and film teacher. Irvin's directing credits include '' Guilty as Charged'', '' Oblivion'', '' Elvira's Haunted Hills'', and all ...
. Thompson's goddaughter,
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
, was often speculated as a possible model for Eloise. The illustrator stated that the image for Eloise was based on one that his mother, Katherine Sturges Dodge, had painted, during the 1930s.Barnes & Noble: Meet the Writers series
, retrieved 9 April 2015

Books

Original
* '' Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown-ups'' (1955) * ''Eloise in Paris'' (1957) * ''Eloise at Christmastime'' (1958) * '' Eloise in Moscow'' (1959) * ''Eloise Takes a Bawth'' (2002), posthumously published

Subsequent
Other modern Eloise titles released by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
include ''Eloise's Guide to Life'' (2000), ''Eloise at Christmas'' (2003), ''Eloise's What I Absolutely Love Love Love'' (2005) and ''Love & Kisses, Eloise'' (2005). The same publisher began producing Eloise stories "in the style of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight" to their early-reader Ready-to-Reads line in 2005. By 2007, 11 titles had been released in that line. Thompson's time on the set of the 1957
musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...
''
Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny F ...
'' inspired a new ''Eloise'' cartoon—'' Eloise in Hollywood'' (2006).
Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
narrates a collection of four Eloise stories—"Eloise", "Eloise in Paris", "Eloise at Christmastime", and "Eloise in Moscow", released by Simon & Schuster Audio in October 2015. They are available in audiobook and CD and book.

Dramatic adaptations
In 2003, two
made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
s based on the first two books were made by
Walt Disney Television Disney General Entertainment Content, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's General Enterta ...
, titled ''
Eloise at the Plaza ''Eloise at the Plaza'' is a 2003 American made-for-television comedy film based on the Eloise series of children's books drawn and written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. It stars young Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise, an irrepressible six-year-ol ...
'' and ''
Eloise at Christmastime ''Eloise at Christmastime'' is a 2003 American-Canadian made-for-television live-action film based on the 1958 book of the same name written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The film was released on November 22, 2003 and was prod ...
'', starring
Sofia Vassilieva Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva (born October 22, 1992) is an American actress. Notable roles include portraying the children's book character Eloise in '' Eloise at the Plaza'' and '' Eloise at Christmastime'', Ariel DuBois in the Emmy-winning ...
as Eloise and
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
as Nanny. In 2006, an
animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
based on the characters of the books, premiered on Starz! Kids & Family, featuring
Mary Matilyn Mouser Mary Mouser is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Samantha LaRusso in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'', and Lacey Fleming on the ABC series ''Body of Proof''. She also took over the role of Karen Grant, Fitz & Mellie's daught ...
as Eloise and
Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. By ...
as Nanny. A
direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
animated feature entitled ''Eloise in Africa'' was announced in February 2009 but was never finished. It would have been made entirely at
Animation Collective Animation Collective was an American internet and television animation studio based in New York City, best known for its internet and television series using Adobe Flash, Maya and other software. Founded and owned by Larry Schwarz in 2003, Animati ...
’s New York City facility. In 2011, an
animatic A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in the ...
from the film was uploaded onto
Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software as ...
. A movie based on ''Eloise in Paris'', starring
Jordana Beatty Jordana Beatty (born 30 January 1998) is an Australian award-winning actress best known for playing the title role of Judy Moody in the feature film ''Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer'' and Susan Parks in the 10th anniversary tour of '' Bill ...
as the title character and
Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
as Nanny, was being developed by
Charles Shyer Charles Richard Shyer (born October 11, 1941) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Shyer's films are predominantly comedies, often with a romantic-comedy overtone. His films include '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), ''Irreconcila ...
, director of ''
Alfie Alfie may refer to: Theatre and film * ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton * ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine * ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film * ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...
'' and ''
Father of the Bride The Father of the Bride is commonly one of the wedding ceremony participants. Father of the Bride may also refer to: * ''Father of the Bride'' (novel), 1949, by Edward Streeter ** ''Father of the Bride'' (franchise), media franchise based on the 1 ...
'' but little, if any, development on the film has been announced, and it was reported in 2010 that Thurman filed and subsequently settled a lawsuit against
Handmade Films HandMade Films was a British film production and distribution company. Notable films from the studio include ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'', ''Time Bandits'', ''The Long Good Friday'' and ''Withnail and I''. History Foundation HandMade Fil ...
for £6m after production stalled and the company failed to meet her initial pay-or-play fee. In 2020 it was announced that the film re-entered development at MRC Film, to be written by ''
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' screenwriter
Linda Woolverton Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
and produced by Handmade Films. Television *''
Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology series, anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology dr ...
'', "Eloise" (broadcast on November 22, 1956) *'' Eloise: The Animated Series'' (broadcast from October 8 to November 12, 2006) Movies * ''
Eloise at the Plaza ''Eloise at the Plaza'' is a 2003 American made-for-television comedy film based on the Eloise series of children's books drawn and written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. It stars young Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise, an irrepressible six-year-ol ...
'' (2003) * ''
Eloise at Christmastime ''Eloise at Christmastime'' is a 2003 American-Canadian made-for-television live-action film based on the 1958 book of the same name written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The film was released on November 22, 2003 and was prod ...
'' (2003) * ''Eloise in Paris'' (Cancelled) * ''Eloise in Africa'' (Cancelled) * Untitled ''Eloise'' live-action film (TBA)

Legacy
A portrait of Eloise was hung in the lobby of the Plaza until it closed for renovations in 2005. The portrait was re-hung in May 2008 after three years in storage. Filmmaker
Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (, born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is known as the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series ''Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations a ...
sports an Eloise tattoo and produced the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
documentary short, ''It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise'', chronicling the life and career of series co-author and illustrator Hilary Knight.

See also
*
Evelyn Rudie Evelyn Rudie (born March 28, 1949) is an American playwright, director, songwriter, film and television actress, and teacher. Since 1973, she has been the co-artistic director of the Santa Monica Playhouse. As a costume designer, she uses the pseu ...
*
Suzuki Beane ''Suzuki Beane'' is a humor book written in 1961 by Sandra Scoppettone and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh. The novel is a downtown satire on Kay Thompson's ''Eloise (books), Eloise'' series (1956–59). First published in hardcover by Doubleday ...

References

External links
* * Irvin, Sa
LIFE Magazine article (26 Nov 1956)''Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise''
Simon and Schuster; New York; 2011, p. 122. {{Eloise Fictional characters from New York City Characters in children's literature Series of children's books Child characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1955