Golden Books

From its humble beginnings in the Midwest, Golden Books publishers developed into the most successful publisher and entertainment company for children in North America with such classics as Pat the Bunny and The Poky Little Puppy. By the end of the century, in addition to storybooks, Golden Books Entertainment products included children's television productions, audio and video recordings, interactive software, educational workbooks, craft products, puzzles, party accessories, gift-wrap products, invitations, and stationery. As of Golden Books' fiftieth anniversary in 1992, there were more than one thousand Golden Books titles.

In 1907, Edward Henry Wadewitz purchased a small printing company for less than three thousand dollars. He and his partner, Roy A. Spencer, operated it in the basement of a building in Racine, Wisconsin. Incorporating small publishers, puzzle makers, playing card manufacturers, and stationery engravers and adding high-volume printing equipment, the company grew under the name of Western Printing and Lithographing. The leap toward children's publishing began in 1933, when Wadewitz signed a contract with Walt Disney for exclusive book rights to all Disney licensed characters. In 1939, with Simon and Schuster, Western printed Walt Disney's Bambi, the precursor to the Golden Books that would dominate the juvenile book market for the rest of the twentieth century. The series developed, by 1942, into Simon and Schuster's "Little Golden Books" line of hardcover, forty-two page, illustrated story books for children.

Little Golden Books became standard fare in home libraries from that decade on through the 1960s. In part, their appeal went beyond entertainment to include a smattering of educational value: the books' title pages included a note that the stories were "prepared under the supervision of Mary Reed, Ph.D., [who was associated with] Teachers College of Columbia University." But the main attraction came in owning these brightly illustrated, neatly bound, and affordable stories at a time before local public libraries included much in the way of children's literature. For the children who read them and the adults who purchased them, they suggested a value beyond their twenty-five-cent price. The books appeared to be expensive with a distinct, gold-colored, foil trim along their spines. They contained a decorative space on the inside cover that read "This Little Golden Book belongs to" with a line for the child to personalize. And children loved the famous characters in the stories. With these features, the company created a sense that Golden Books provided a special treasure for each child who owned one.

In association with Whitman Publishing Company, Dell Publishing Company, Simon and Schuster Incorporated, and Walt Disney, Western Printing maintained the lead in children's favorites. Western moved its corporate headquarters to Fifth Avenue offices in New York and changed its name to Golden Books Family Entertainment Incorporated. Golden Books printed many popular titles that continue to be sold from generation to generation. Pat the Bunny, first published in 1940, is noteworthy as one of the first touch-and-feel books for children and has been a continual best-seller among children's books. The Poky Little Puppy (1942), one of the original twelve Golden Books, tells the story of an adventurous puppy; its sales exceeded fourteen million copies by the end of the century. Other celebrated publications from the company's early years include books about Lassie, the Lone Ranger, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and other animated Disney characters, and a holiday collection including Frosty the Snow Man, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Baby's Christmas. Religious titles include David and Goliath, Noah's Ark, and My Little Golden Book about God.

The company's early domination of the children's book market enabled it to continually secure contracts with well-known children's authors, illustrators, and entertainers. Golden Books produced popular works by Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, and Mercer Mayer. Jim Henson's Muppets and Sesame Street characters have been featured in Golden Books since the 1970s. Other popular stories to which Golden Books secured printing rights are Winnie-the-Pooh, Tarzan, and Star Wars. In the 1990s, Golden Books bought rights to Shari Lewis productions, including videos and television shows featuring the famous Lamb Chop and Charley Horse puppets. Even a European favorite, Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline, became property of Golden Books with the production of Golden Books Entertainment videos based on Bemelmans' books.

—Sharon Brown

Further Reading:

Jones, Dolores Blythe. Bibliography of the Little Golden Books. Bibliographies and Indexes in American Literature, No 7. Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987.

Santi, Steve. Collecting Little Golden Books: A Collectors's Identification and Value Guide. Florence, Alabama, Books Americana, 1994.