Where the Grickle Grass Grows

Today is Valentine's Day of course, but it is also the 40th anniversary of CBS's airing of The Lorax, a television special based on the book by Dr. Seuss.

Although I wasn't around for the initial airing, I remember watching a taped version of the show when I was a kid. Because of the impression it made on me with its messages about pollution and greed, I thought I should mark the anniversary with a post about it.

I think many of our ways of interacting with the environment have improved since 1972, and I hope that trend continues.

A New Voice for the Trees

Last month, when I found out that a new movie version of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax was in the works, I wondered and worried how the story's original messages of consuming less and preserving nature would line up with the film industry's typical promotional campaign strategies, which tend to rely heavily on consumption (think Happy Meal toys).

It turns out that thanks to a fourth-grade class in Massachusetts, my worries weren't totally necessary. Initially, the film's distributor, Universal Pictures, developed a Web site that contained no information about what people can do to help the environment. When the children discovered this, they petitioned the studio to correct the problem. As this story shows, they were successful.

That's totally awesome. I tip my hat to the children. Dr. Seuss and the Lorax would be proud. Now, we'll have to see how many thneeds are produced in support of the film's marketing campaign.