The Story of Doctor Dolittle frontispiece

Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by

Hugh Lofting Hugh John Lofting (14 January 1886 – 26 September 1947) was an English American writer trained as a civil engineer, who created the classic children's literature character Doctor Dolittle. The fictional physician to talking animals, based in a ...

starting with the 1920 '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in their own languages. He later becomes a naturalist, using his abilities to speak with animals to better understand nature and the history of the world.Schmidt, G. D. (1992). ''Hugh Lofting''. New York: Twayne Publishing Doctor Dolittle first appeared in the author's illustrated letters to his children, written from the

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

when actual news, he later said, was either too horrible or too dull. The stories are set in early

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

, where Doctor John Dolittle lives in the fictional English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouc ...

. Doctor Dolittle has a few close human friends, including Tommy Stubbins and Matthew Mugg, the Cats'-Meat Man. The animal team includes

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

Gub-Gub This is a list of characters from the ''Doctor Dolittle'' series of children's books by Hugh Lofting and movies based on them. Most of the characters were introduced in the first book, the 1920 novel ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. Humans Doct ...

(a pig), Jip (a dog),

Dab-Dab This is a list of characters from the ''Doctor Dolittle'' series of children's books by Hugh Lofting and movies based on them. Most of the characters were introduced in the first book, the 1920 novel '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. Humans Doc ...

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

), Chee-Chee (a

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...

), Too-Too (an owl), the

Pushmi-pullyu This is a list of characters from the ''Doctor Dolittle'' series of children's books by Hugh Lofting and movies based on them. Most of the characters were introduced in the first book, the 1920 novel ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. Humans Doct ...

, and a white mouse later named simply "Whitey". Later on, in the 1925 novel ''

Doctor Dolittle's Zoo ''Doctor Dolittle's Zoo'' was written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting in 1925. In the book, Doctor Dolittle returns from his voyages and sets his house in order. This includes expanding his zoo to include a home for crossbred dogs and a club ...

'', Whitey founds (with the doctor's help) the ''Rat and Mouse Club'', whose membership eventually reaches some 5,000 rats and mice.

Inspiration

One inspiration for his character appears to be the Scottish surgeon John Hunter.

Stories

''The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts Never Before Printed'' (1920) begins the series. The sequel ''The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' (1922) won the prestigious

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

. The next three, ''Doctor Dolittle's Post Office'' (1923), ''Doctor Dolittle's Circus'' (1924), and ''Doctor Dolittle's Caravan'' (1926) take place during and/or after the events of ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. Five more novels followed, and after Lofting's death in 1947, two more volumes of short, previously unpublished pieces appeared. The stories, in order of publication, are: #'' The Story of Doctor Dolittle'' (1920) #'' The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' (1922) #'' Doctor Dolittle's Post Office'' (1923) #''

Doctor Dolittle's Circus ''Doctor Dolittle's Circus'', written by Hugh Lofting and published in 1924 by Frederick A. Stokes, is set in England sometime between the original story and the later voyages narrated by Stubbins. It was one of the novels in the series wh ...

'' (1924) #''Doctor Dolittle Meets a Londoner in Paris'' (1925) #''

'' (1925) #'' Doctor Dolittle's Caravan'' (1926) #'' Doctor Dolittle's Garden'' (1927) #'' Doctor Dolittle in the Moon'' (1928) #'' Gub Gub's Book: An Encyclopaedia of Food'' (1932) #'' Doctor Dolittle's Return'' (1933) #''Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book'' (1936) #'' Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake'' (copyrighted 1923, but not published until 1948) #'' Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary'' (1950) #''

Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' is a collection of short stories written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting, published posthumously as twelfth and last in the Doctor Dolittle series of children's fiction. The stories and illustrations w ...

'' (1952) #*"The Sea Dog" #*"Dapple" #*"The Dog Ambulance" #*"The Stunned Man" #*"The Crested Screamers" #*"The Green Breasted Martins" #*"The Story of the Maggot" #*"The Lost Boy" ''Gub Gub's Book: An Encyclopaedia of Food'' (1932) is purportedly written by the pig. It is a series of food-themed animal vignettes. In the text, the pretence of Gub-Gub's authorship is dropped; Tommy Stubbins, Dr. Dolittle's assistant, explains that he is reporting a series of Gub-Gub's discourses to the other animals of the Dolittle household around the evening fire. Stubbins also says that the full version of Gub-Gub's encyclopaedia, which was an immense and poorly-organized collection of scribblings written by the pig in a language for pigs invented by Dr. Dolittle, was too long to translate into English. ''Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book'' (1936) is a little day-book illustrated with pictures and quotations from the earlier stories. It appeared between ''Doctor Dolittle's Return'' and ''Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake''. "Doctor Dolittle Meets a Londoner in Paris" is a short story included in ''The Flying Carpet'', pp. 110–19 (1925), an anthology of children's short stories and poems with illustrations by

Cynthia Asquith Lady Cynthia Mary Evelyn Asquith (née Charteris; 27 September 1887 – 31 March 1960) was an English writer and socialite, known for her ghost stories and diaries. Richard Dalby, ''The Virago Book of Ghost Stories''.Virago, London, , 1987 (p. ...

. April 2021, Shinichi Fukuoka, the Japanese biologist created a new story ''Dr. Dolittle Saves

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands ( Spanish: , , ) are an archipelago of volcanic islands. They are distributed on each side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, and are part of the Republic of Ecuad ...

'' which appeared in

The Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

Chronology

The main events of ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle'' take place in 1819 or 1820, although the events of the early chapters seem to be spread over several years. ''The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' begins in 1839. Dolittle returned from his journey to the moon in ''Doctor Dolittle's return'' during a full lunar eclipse that was visible low in the sky one late evening in spring. This was the first full lunar eclipse for a couple of years, and it took place in May 1844 in real life. Backstory references indicate that Dr. Dolittle travelled to the North Pole in April 1809, and already knew how to speak to some species of animals at that date, suggesting that the early chapters of ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle'' take place before that date. However, it is possible that the internal chronology is not consistent. The internal chronology of the books is somewhat different from the publishing order. The first book is followed by ''

'' (1924), '' Doctor Dolittle's Caravan'' (1926), '' Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary'' (1950), and '' Doctor Dolittle's Post Office'' (1923). Only then follows the second book, ''The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' (1922), continued by ''

'' (1925). After that, the publishing order is restored; '' Doctor Dolittle's Garden'' (1927) is followed by '' Doctor Dolittle in the Moon'' (1928) and '' Doctor Dolittle's Return'' (1933), ending with '' Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake'' (1948).Schmidt, G.D. (1992). Hugh Lofting. New York: Twayne Publishing The stories, in order of internal chronology, are: *'' The Story of Doctor Dolittle'' (1920) :*"The Green Breasted Martins" (follows Chapter XII in ''The Story of Doctor Dolittle''; collected in ''

'' (1952)) *''

'' (1924) *'' Doctor Dolittle's Caravan'' (1926) :*"The Crested Screamers" (takes place within Part One, Chapter 12 of ''Doctor Dolittle's Caravan''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) :*"The Lost Boy" (takes place within Part One, Chapter 12 of ''Doctor Dolittle's Caravan''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) *'' Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary'' (1950) :*" Doctor Dolittle Meets a Londoner in Paris" (1925 – uncollected) *'' Doctor Dolittle's Post Office'' (1923) *'' The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle'' (1922) *''

'' (1925) *'' Doctor Dolittle's Garden'' (1927) :*"The Sea Dog" (takes place at the beginning of ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) :*"Dapple" (takes place at the beginning of ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) :*"The Dog Ambulance" (takes place at the beginning of ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) :*"The Stunned Man" (takes place at the beginning of ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) :*"The Story of the Maggot" (given a greatly reduced summary at the conclusion to early printings of Part Two, Chapter 4 of ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''; collected in ''Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures'' (1952)) *'' Gub Gub's Book: An Encyclopaedia of Food'' (1932) *'' Doctor Dolittle in the Moon'' (1928) *'' Doctor Dolittle's Return'' (1933) *''Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book'' (1936) *'' Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake'' (copyrighted 1923, but not published until 1948)

Adaptations

There have been a number of adaptations of the Doctor Dolittle stories in other media: Animation: * 1928: ''Doktor Dolittle und seine Tiere'' (''Doctor Dolittle and his Animals''), a silent animated short in German by Lotte Reiniger * 1970–1972: ''Doctor Dolittle'' animated TV series, produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises for

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Co ...

* 1984: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (ドリトルせんせいものがたり) (U.S.-Japan coproduction, not aired in Japan until 1997) * 2011: ''The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle''

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...

animated film, starring

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' ...

, and

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

Audio: * 1933–1934:

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

radio series * 1995–2001: BBC audio books read by

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

Stages * 1973: stage adaptation by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale, which was used during their concert tour to Belgium and Kenya * 1998: '' Doctor Dolittle'' stage musical by

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films '' Do ...

, based on the 1967 film musical * 2007: stage musical adaptation by TheatreWorksUSA, written by Randy Courts and Mark St. Germain Film: * 1967: '' Doctor Dolittle'', starring

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French Without Tears'', in wh ...

* 1998: '' Dr. Dolittle'' and its sequels: ''

Dr. Dolittle 2 ''Dr. Dolittle 2'' (also known as ''Doctor Dolittle 2'') is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film and a sequel to the 1998 film '' Dr. Dolittle''. It was written by Larry Levin, one of the co-writers of ''Dr. Dolittle'', and directed by Steve Carr. ...

'' (2001), ''

Dr. Dolittle 3 ''Dr. Dolittle 3'' is a 2006 American fantasy comedy film and the third film in the ''Dr. Dolittle'' series. It stars Kyla Pratt, the original daughter in the remake series, as Maya. Starring alongside Pratt are Kristen Wilson as Lisa Dolittle ...

'' (2006), '' Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief'' (2008), and '' Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts'' (2009). The first two star

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

in the title role, whereas all five star Kyla Pratt as his daughter, Maya. Norm Macdonald appears in each film as the voice of their dog, Lucky. * 2020: '' Dolittle'', a live action adaptation starring Robert Downey Jr.,

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage rol ...

, and

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...

. Video Games: * 2006: Dr. Dolittle

PS2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

video game produced by Aqua Pacific and distributed by Blast! Entertainment Ltd

Appearances in other languages

A Russian children's novel ''

Doctor Aybolit Doctor Aybolit (russian: Доктор Айболит, ''Doktor Aibolit'') is a fictional character from the children's poems ''Aybolit'' (1929) and ''Barmaley'' (1925) by Korney Chukovsky, as well as from the children's fantastic novella ''Doctor ...

'' (Doctor Oh-it-hurts) by

Korney Chukovsky Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky ( rus, Корне́й Ива́нович Чуко́вский, p=kɐrˈnʲej ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ tɕʊˈkofskʲɪj, a=Kornyey Ivanovich Chukovskiy.ru.vorb.oga; 31 March NS 1882 – 28 October 1969) was one of the most p ...

(first published in 1924) was loosely based on the stories of Doctor Dolittle. The original novel credited Lofting's work, as did Chukovsky in his memoirs. Norwegian playwright, songwriter, and illustrator,

Thorbjørn Egner Thorbjørn Egner (12 December 1912 – 24 December 1990) was a Norwegian playwright, songwriter and illustrator known principally for his books, plays and musicals for children. He is principally associated with his narratives for children includ ...

, made an album called ''Doktor Dyregod'' (Doctor good-toward-animals) with songs and story based on Doctor Dolittle. All the books in the series have been translated into Japanese by Ibuse Masuji and into Lithuanian by Pranas Mašiotas (few decades after appearance of an original).

References

External links

*
''The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle''
full text * (1928 cartoon) * (1970–1972 cartoon) * (1984 cartoon) * ''Doctor Dolittle'' first editions listed with images – https://sites.google.com/site/hughloftingfirsteditionsuk/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolittle, John Book series introduced in 1920 Characters in children's literature Fictional British medical doctors Doctor Dolittle Fantasy novel series Characters in fantasy literature Fictional linguists Fictional veterinarians Literary characters introduced in 1920 Characters in British novels of the 20th century Talking animals in fiction Fictional English people ja:ドリトル先生シリーズ