With Promotional Stuffed Hippo

THE UNHAPPY HIPPOPOTAMUS

By Nancy Moore, illustrated by Edward Leight

1957

First printing of this tale of a hippo who is so preoccupied with trying to be a person that she forgets the true happiness of being herself — with original (and fashionable) promotional stuffed hippo toy.

Very good plus in good plus dust jacket.

Price: $600.00

THE UNHAPPY HIPPOPOTAMUS

"One day Harriet decided / She didn't want to be a hippopotamus any more. / She didn't know why – she just didn't."

A hallmark of 20th-century children's publishing is the toy tie-in. Here is a perfectly pink midcentury example of the practice: this copy of THE UNHAPPY HIPPOPOTAMUS includes an original promotional plush toy of its weepy main character, Harriet, complete with reflective tears and a delicate hanky with which to wipe them. It is unclear if plush Harriets like this one were widely available for purchase — the hand-drawn features suggest not — but simply seeing a display of books with a character represented "in real life" as a toy would certainly be enough to draw young readers in. A charming example of one of the many sales methods publishers employed to gain a leg up on the competition, and a rare survival.

The Object

First edition. New York: The Vanguard Press, 1957. 11'' x 9''. Original pink cloth-backed color pictorial boards. Original unclipped ($2.75) color pictorial dust jacket. Illustrated in pink, black, and white. [44] pages. With original plush hippo doll made of tulle, felt, and velvet, with hat secured by metal pin and paper label to stomach. Doll with light toning to extremities, a bit of offsetting from black felt; hat with a couple of pinprick holes. Jacket with edgewear and chipping, front panel sunned; large closed tear to upper rear panel, with tape and glue repairs to reverse. Binding with light edgewear. Leaves with occasional tiny spots of soil; two tiny blue pencil marks to first page of text. Sound.

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