Curious George, A Monkey without
a Tail
The authors of Curious George, Hans and Margaret Rey, were
born in Germany . Hans grew up near the Hagenbeck Zoo in Germany
, where he frequently spent his time and later earned a living
designing posters. Margaret was an art student and studied art
in Berlin and at the famous Bauhaus School. The Reys went to
Paris for their honeymoon, fell in love with the city, and ended
up living there for 4 years. It was a difficult time in Europe
when Curious George was conceived, as World War II had already
started. Curious Georgia was created during this time of tension
and despair. On the eve of the Nazi invasion of Paris , the Reys,
who were Jewish, fled on bicycles to Lisbon with the watercolors
and a draft manuscript for Curious George tied to their bicycle
racks.
Margaret and Hans both loved animals and over time owned an
assortment of animals which included turtles, monkeys, alligators,
chameleons, newts, and dogs. Among their dogs, they always owned
a cocker spaniel, which made an appearance in most of their books.
All of their books were about animals.
Curious George has been published with different names and
in 16 different languages. In an early French edition, he was
called FiFi. A British publisher feared an association of the
monkey with the reigning monarch, King George VI, in an early
British edition, and changed his name to Zozo out of respect
to the king. Curious was also omitted from his name as this was
considered a slang word for “gay” in London .
The Curious George series consistently has made the list of
books considered to be the most funny by children as they enjoy
the mischievous monkey landing in all sorts of trouble. Despite
its popularity, one couple, did not view it as an appropriate
series for children. Parents in one school objected to the way
Curious George was depicted as a monkey. They asked that all
the books in series be removed from a private school in metro
Atlanta . Susan Grigsby, a board member of the Georgia Library
Media Association, was the library media specialist at the time:
“They objected to the fact that George was not "anatomically
correct." They reasoned that if he was a monkey, as the
story said he was, he was supposed to have a tail. They wanted
their child raised with factual information and, therefore wanted
Curious George books pulled. I went to ALA, found reviews and
articles, and even a history of Curious George and the Reys that
explained why they drew him as they did and still called him
a monkey” (Grigsby 2).
Susan reported the incident to the American Library Association
and Curious George was added to the infamous list of banned children’s
books. Her research on the series was handed over to the administration
who convinced the parents not to proceed.
Why did the Reys draw Curious George without his tail and refer
to him as a monkey? At the time Curious George was written, most
people referred to both monkeys and chimpanzees as monkeys. Today,
we are more careful to make the distinction between the two species
(Curious 1). There are readers that prefer a more fun answer
to the question, however, and like to imagine that perhaps George
may have lost his tail as a result of one of his many humorous
antics.
Some have objected to Curious George for another reason. They
perceive it as a racist tale. "Earnest literary types have
interpreted the first book as a barely disguised slave narrative" (Miller
3). They have interpreted the man with the yellow hat as a European
colonist or poacher that kidnaps helpless George (with human-like
characteristics) from his home in the African jungle and ships
him to America . The yellow man’s outfit is seen as the
outfit that a colonial officer would have worn. George’s
brown color and lack of tail are seen as further evidence of
this as a slave narrative. Once in the city, George is constantly
in trouble, when left by himself, and ends up behind bars (the
zoo) with the other uncivilized creatures. Those that interpret
the story as a thinly disguised symbolic slave account have also
objected to the release of Ron Howard’s movie, Curious
George, during Black History month in February.
The controversial interpretations of Curious George would have
surprised Hans and Margaret Rey. Louise Borden, author of The
Journey that Saved Curious George, states that the man with
the yellow hat was modeled after an absent-minded professor and
good friend that had gone to school with Hans Rey in Germany
. The model for George was his wife Margaret. She posed for Hans
as he drew many of the exhaustive poses and drafts for their
books. In character, she was somewhat like George as well, as
she had a playful nature and was known for her antics. When speaking
about her books, Margaret Rey said: “I don’t like
messages. . . . These are just stories” (Curious 1). The
books did not hold any hidden symbolism for the Reys.
Betsy Razza
Druid Hills High School
“ Curious George — His history and the
making of the 2006 motion picture.” Christian
Spotlight on the Movies . 18 Mar. 2006
Grigsby, Susan. “Curious George.” Email to Betsy
Razza. 17 Feb. 2004 .
Miller, John J. “Curious George Goes Hollywood . Will
the movie be too politically
correct? “ Wall Street Journal. 2 Feb. 2006.