Flower Power

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Yeldarb86's avatar
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For a while, I've been revisiting a forgotten classic. www.tudou.com/programs/view/6z…

When Dr. Seuss died in 1991, he left behind a legacy of colorful characters, fun stories, and nourishing verses in whimsical worlds that taught kids how to read, and entertained adults just as well. But he also left behind several unfinished projects that would be completed in the years ahead.

The first of these was Daisy-Head Mayzie. An unfinished manuscript, supposedly dating to the 1960s, was found by his widow Audrey in 1994, and was quickly adapted into a TV special. The finished book would come out around the same time.

Daisy-Head Mayzie is about a girl who grows a daisy out of her head. (She literally can't survive without it!) But she's not so much bothered by the flower itself, which is actually in sync with her thoughts and actions, but the growing commotion surrounding it. It eventually brings her fame and fortune, but unlike what happened to Gerald McBoing-Boing, it does not make her happy. The world can marvel at what she is, but does anyone love her for who she is?

While it can be guessed as to why Dr. Seuss held onto this floral fable, it's very easy to see why his wife saw fit to let Mayzie McGrew see the light of day. It has a common trademark of Seuss' classics about a regular person dealing with the puzzles of life, as would many children reading his books. But the girl here is so infectiously innocent in such a discerning society, that this was BEGGING to be seen and understood.

The animated special aired only a few times on TNT in early 1995, back when Dr. Seuss specials were a constant on that channel. It has since been featured on VHS/DVD.

But if there are to be anymore Dr. Seuss movies, Daisy-Head Mayzie should be highly considered. Of course not as a cynical live-action film, but as an animated film that could convey this story more broadly. It leaves such a wonderful impression on anyone who has dealt with changes in their lives, even if said change was as modest as a small flower.



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vasglorious's avatar
No, no, no, no, no!  TV specials, Movies NO!  Hollywood always messes up Dr. Seuss' classic stories up, worse then the Yerdle the Turtle ruining the fun for the other turtles.  

But Daisy-Head Mayzie dose sound interesting, I'll have to check it out.