Cat in the Hat for President Takes a Bow in Geisel Library Exhibit

By Jan Jennings I November 15, 2004

Alexandra Rosen Gagné, curator of the Cat in the Hat for President exhibition at Geisel Library, shows one of the numerous Dr. Seuss-inspired pieces on view. The book is Cattus Petasatus – or The Cat in the Hat in Latin.

From the image of the Cat in the Hat decorating a cornflakes box, to that inimitable hat as a tiny, finely crafted Limoges porcelain box of limited edition, to a salty political cartoon, Dr. Seuss's feline character pops up throughout American culture, eliciting every reaction from a sly smile to an outright laugh. And never, not ever, is there the slightest doubt that this is one cat with infinitely more than nine lives.

The Cat in the Hat for President, an exhibition illustrating the influence that artist/author Theodor Seuss Geisel has had on American popular culture - and beyond - is on view through Jan. 2 in the Geisel Library. There is even a copy of Cattus Petasatus, the Cat in the Hat in Latin.

The bulk of the pieces in the exhibition, which marks the 100th anniversary of the artist's birth, come from Geisel's personal collection of creative works and memorabilia given to UCSD by his widow, Audrey Geisel, in 1994. But exhibition curator Alexandra Rosen Gagné did not stop there. "I found so much additional material on the Internet," says Rosen Gagné. "And I have added many local recent items. The hardest thing to do was to narrow the exhibition down."

Individual items include, most recently, a sweatshirt commemorating the Seussentennial celebration of the 2004 San Diego County Fair and a presentation of the first day issue of the Dr. Seuss stamps, March 2, 2004. Then there's a 1979 photograph of Ted and Audrey Geisel as grand marshals of the Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit - with the huge Cat in the Hat in the back seat. And there is a photo of a Dr. Seuss float in a Tournament of Roses Parade.

An April 25, 1986 letter from Ronald Reagan heralds Dr. Seuss as a "living American treasure .... You, like your unforgettable characters and your inimitable style, will remain young forever," Reagan wrote.

Taking in the Dr. Seuss exhibition at Geisel Library are students Annie Yang, left, a senior in Muir College, and Stephanie Rebolo, a third year student in Roosevelt College.

There are numerous recipes for Green Eggs and Ham and variations thereof, and there are copies of newspaper headlines referring to less than savory people or causes as the Grinch.

"To me it is so interesting that we have things ranging from a photograph of Dr. Seuss graffiti in a mural in West Hollywood (in 1994) to a serious protest project by MIT students using a Seussian theme," says Rosen Gagné.

She points out that "Geisel's works, instantly recognizable, and infinitely adaptable, have been studied by scholars in such field as medicine, advanced math, psychology, management theory, philosophy, political science, linguistics, poetry, sociology, and library science, as well as education and children's literature. Further, the catchy rhymes, appealing artwork, and malleable characters have been liberally appropriated by other writers and artists for use in works ranging from simple references and lighthearted spoofs to sharply partisan satires."

Gene Zigler wrote "What If Dr. Seuss Wrote Technical Manuals? A grandchild's guide to using grandpa's computer," and Dave Fuller wrote "If Dr. Seuss Wrote for Star Trek: The Next Generation ."

Then there is the political side. "Robert Coover wrote a 1968 article, The Cat in the Hat for President, for the New American Review," says Rosen Gagné. In Philip Nel's 2004 book, Dr. Seuss: American Icon, he too devotes a section to the Cat in the Hat for President.

Though it is likely too soon for Seussian spoofs and cartoons to appear regarding the current political climate, memorabilia of past elections remain fresh.

There is the "Gore-I-am: A Look at the 2000 Election" poem ending with "I will not let the vote count stand! I do not like it. Al Gore I am."

There is the Clinton cartoon, "Clinton Hatches an Egg," with the image of Clinton reading a newspaper headline, "President way ahead in polls," and commenting "I said what I said, and I meant what I meant. And I'll get re-elected one hundred percent."

There is the CD, "One Bush, two Bush, old Bush, new Bush." A June 6, 2001 TV Guide spoof reads "The Cat in the Chad."

Pop culture twists of Seussian genius aside, Rosen Gagné is quick to point to the initial reason Ted Geisel is so well known: "Because the Dr. Seuss books have been so well received and so universally read for the last half century, the Cat, along with other luminaries of the Dr. Seuss canon, and the Seussian style itself, have become part of the collective American consciousness."

The Cat in the Hat for President is the third and final exhibition mounted by the UCSD Libraries during the 2004 Seussentennial, a yearlong celebration of the man and his work. The exhibit is located on the first floor of Geisel Library adjacent to the Mandeville Special Collections Library.