- Home
-
Collections
-
Dr. Seuss
-
Our Story
-
Discover More
The crooked smiles and off-beat mannerisms of Seuss’s creatures are like a window into ourselves and those around us; and this became true of all Seussian creatures throughout his entire career.
Dr. Seuss never meant this as a literal translation, but rather something more profound. He instinctively infused his creatures with real emotions, so much so that we never got lost in wondering if we (or those we know)looklike his characters. Instead, his real genius was that we were swept up infeelinglike his characters. The crooked smiles and off-beat mannerisms of these creatures were a clear window into ourselves and those around us; and this became true of all Seussian creatures throughout his entire career.
Dr. Seuss’s rich sculptural heritage began in the early 1930s when his creative bounds expanded to include an inimitable collection of invented “taxidermy” animals, fish, and other Seussian creatures. These works comprise what is now known as theCollection of Unorthodox Taxidermyand its sub-collectionThe Marine Muggs.
Gimlet Fish
Sludge Tarpon
Carbonic Walrus
Flaming Herring
Limited edition reproductions from this collection are some of the most sought-after works from Dr. Seuss’s entire catalog of images, with the majority of these editions now sold out.
To that end, it is with great pride that we announce the release of the final cast-resin Marine Mugg —
The Powerless Puffer.
Hand-Painted Cast Resin Sculpture – Authorized Estate Edition
Limited Edition of 850 Arabic Numbers, 99 Patrons’ Collection, 155 Collaborators’ Proofs, 5 Hors d’Commerce
Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) grew up within walking distance of Springfield’s Forest Park Zoo. When he was just 5 years old, his father was appointed to the Springfield Parks Board, with the Zoo falling under board direction. No one could have imagined the profound impact this turn of events would have on the future transformation of Ted Geisel into a worldwide phenomenon. His dad’s new post allowed Ted behind-the-scenes access to the Forest Park Zoo.
With pencil and sketchpad in hand, Ted would not only visit the Zoo with his father, but doodle the early foundations of animals and creatures that would later inspire some of the most recognized icons of the 20th century. His sister, Marnie, took note of these early drawings, teasing him about his animals having “curiously exaggerated and mismatched features.”
Dr. Seuss’s love for drawing animals played out in the magical creatures that populated his early drawings, paintings, and various commercial projects. Their evolution crescendoed in the 1930s as Ted transformed his characters into three-dimensional sculptures in what he called hisCollection of Unorthodox Taxidermy, bringing these characters into the physical world for the first time.
Sea-Going Dilemma Fish
Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle
The physical presence of these early sculptures seemed to deepen Ted’s understanding of his own creatures and their inherently wacky personalities, so much so that when he returned them to the written page they had become more fully evolved and ready to inspire the decades of paintings, drawings, and children’s books that would follow.
Anthony Drexel Goldfarb
Kangaroo Bird
A fascinating correlation exists between Dr. Seuss’s two-dimensional animals and his sculptural inventions. It’s as if Seuss’s images leapt from the drawing board into three-dimensional incarnations, then seamlessly back to his myriad of books, artworks, and whichever commercial project was nearest at hand, with each artistic medium informing and influencing the other.
Racing North to Get Cool
Most notably, a character reminiscent of the “Powerless Puffer” appeared in Dr. Seuss’s artistically groundbreaking children’s book,McElligot’s Pool. Artworks from that book, such asRacing North to Get Cooland“Sawfish with such a long snout that he needs an assistant to help him about!”highlight a Puffer-like character in various sea-going activities. Additionally, a character similar to Dr. Seuss’s now sold-outSawfishsculpture makes a two-dimensional appearance alongside his Puffer-like assistant.
Sawfish With Such a Long Snout
Powerless Puffer
Sawfish
Ted Geisel and Standard Oil enjoyed a 25-year advertising relationship that saw the Geisels through the Great Depression and also allowed Ted to indulge his artistic creativity. For the January 1937 National Boat Show, he topped himself by presenting his personal collection of sevenMarine Muggssculptures in the Essomarine booth, marking what is believed to be the first public exhibition of these Marine Muggsworks.
$2,695.00
| /
Interested in purchasing this artwork? Acquire Artwork
2,695 USD
International Purchases: Prices are shown in US Dollars only and do not reflect local exchange rates. Local taxes, import duties or shipping & handling are not included. Please contact a gallery for local pricing.
Hand-Painted Cast Resin Sculpture
Authorized Estate Edition
Dimensions: 13.75” x 11” x 7.75”
Limited Edition of 850 Arabic Numbers
99 Patrons’ Collection
155 Collaborators’ Proofs
5 Hors d’Commerce
Adapted posthumously from the original 1930s plaster and oil on wood mount sculpture.
CLICK HERE for a complete overview of this artwork.
Every January the National Boat Show is held in New York City. In 1937 Standard Oil wanted something elaborate from Dr. Seuss for the show. Ted topped his previous efforts by using a collection of his seven Marine Muggs sculptures for the Essomarine booth. The January 1937 issue of Yachting magazine highlighted their appearance: “From the briny depths of the imagination of the famous designer, Dr. Seuss, whose murals have been a feature of Essomarine’s recent Show exhibits, comes a collection of the weirdest denizens of the deep ever imagined in the wildest nightmare of a skipper. The anatomy and peculiar appearance of certain of these creatures have caused so much speculation that their origin has at last been divulged. It is said that many of these monstrosities were sighted in out of the way spots by Seuss Admirals and reported to Admiral-in-Chief Seuss during the course of a year’s cruising.”
The Powerless Puffer is one of the seven “Marine Muggs.”
