Eloise (books)

''Eloise'' is a series of children's books written in the 1950s by

Kay Thompson Kay Thompson (born Catherine Louise Fink; November 9, 1909''"In the St. Louis Registry of Births, in the volume covering the period July 1909 – January 1910, on page 85, is the following entry: "Catherine Louise Fink, November 9, 1909."''

and illustrated by
Hilary Knight Hilary Atwood Knight (born July 12, 1989) is an American ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for PWHL Seattle of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She is also captain of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She ...
. The series consists of '' Eloise'' (1955) and four sequels. Eloise is a young girl who lives in the "room on the tippy-top floor" of the
Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with her nanny, her
pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...
dog, Weenie, and her turtle, Skipperdee.

History
The character was developed by the author based on her childhood
imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and a social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reali ...
and
alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
, with a voice in which Thompson spoke throughout her life, according to her biographer, filmmaker
Sam Irvin Sam Irvin (born June 14, 1956) is an American film director, film and television director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author and film teacher. Irvin's directing credits include ''Guilty as Charged (film), Guilty as Charged'', ''Oblivion (19 ...
. Thompson's goddaughter,
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...
, was often speculated as a possible model for Eloise. The illustrator stated that the image for Eloise was based on one that his mother, Katherine Sturges Dodge, had painted, during the 1930s.Barnes & Noble: Meet the Writers series
, retrieved 9 April 2015

Books

Original
* '' Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown-ups'' (1955) * ''Eloise in Paris'' (1957) * ''Eloise at Christmastime'' (1958) * '' Eloise in Moscow'' (1959) * ''Eloise Takes a Bawth'' (2002), posthumously published The first three sequels — Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise in Moscow — were withdrawn from publication by Thompson in the mid-'60s, but returned to print after her death in 1998.

Subsequent
Other modern Eloise titles released by
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
include ''Eloise's Guide to Life'' (2000), ''Eloise at Christmas'' (2003), ''Eloise's What I Absolutely Love Love Love'' (2005) and ''Love & Kisses, Eloise'' (2005). The same publisher began producing Eloise stories "in the style of Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight" to their early-reader Ready-to-Reads line in 2005. By 2007, 11 titles had been released in that line. Thompson's time on the set of the 1957
musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...
''
Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny ...
'' inspired a new ''Eloise'' cartoon '' Eloise in Hollywood'' (2006).
Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released reco ...
narrates a collection of four Eloise stories — "Eloise", "Eloise in Paris", "Eloise at Christmastime", and "Eloise in Moscow", released by Simon & Schuster Audio in October 2015. They are available in audiobook and CD and book.

Adaptations
In 2003, two
made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...
s based on the first two books were made by
Walt Disney Television The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...
, titled '' Eloise at the Plaza'' and '' Eloise at Christmastime'', starring
Sofia Vassilieva Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva (born October 22, 1992) is an American actress. Notable roles include portraying the children's book character Eloise (books), Eloise in ''Eloise at the Plaza'' and ''Eloise at Christmastime'', Ariel DuBois in the ...
as Eloise and
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
as Nanny. In 2006, an
animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
based on the characters of the books, premiered on Starz! Kids & Family, featuring Mary Matilyn Mouser as Eloise and
Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was a British and American actress. During a career that spanned five decades, she won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, two Em ...
as Nanny. A
direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strateg ...
animated feature entitled ''Eloise in Africa'' was announced in February 2009 but was never finished. It would have been made entirely at
Animation Collective Animation Collective was an American independent internet and television animation studio based in New York City, best known for its internet and television series using Adobe Flash, Maya and other software. Founded and owned by Larry Schwarz in ...
's New York City facility. In 2011, an
animatic A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proces ...
from the film was uploaded onto
Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
. A film based on ''Eloise in Paris'', starring Jordana Beatty as the title character and
Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...
as Nanny, was being developed by
Charles Shyer Charles Richard Shyer (October 11, 1941 – December 27, 2024) was an American filmmaker. Shyer's films are mainly comedies, often with a romcom overtone. His writing-directing credits include '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), ''Irreconcilable Dif ...
, director of '' Alfie'' and '' Father of the Bride'' but little, if any, development on the film has been announced, and was reported in 2010 that Thurman filed and subsequently settled a lawsuit against Handmade Films for £6m after production stalled and the company failed to meet her initial pay-or-play fee. By 2020, the film re-entered development at MRC Film, and was to be written by ''
Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...
'' screenwriter Linda Woolverton and produced by Handmade Films. Television * ''
Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...
'', "Eloise" (broadcast on November 22, 1956) * '' Eloise: The Animated Series'' (broadcast from October 8 to November 12, 2006) Films * '' Eloise at the Plaza'' (2003) * '' Eloise at Christmastime'' (2003) * ''Eloise in Paris'' (cancelled) * ''Eloise in Africa'' (cancelled) * Untitled ''Eloise'' live-action film (TBA)

Legacy
A portrait of Eloise hangs in the lobby of the Plaza. They also have a room at the Plaza called The Eloise Suite. Filmmaker
Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...
sports an Eloise tattoo and produced the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
documentary short, ''It's Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise'', chronicling the life and career of series co-author and illustrator Hilary Knight. American singer
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
revealed her daughter Daisy Dove Bloom has hair "like Eloise."

See also
* Evelyn Rudie * '' Suzuki Beane''

References

External links
* * Irvin, Sa
LIFE Magazine article (26 Nov 1956)

''Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise''
Simon and Schuster; New York; 2011, p. 122. {{Eloise Fictional characters from New York City Characters in children's literature Series of children's books Child characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1955 Children's books set in hotels Children's books set in New York City Book series introduced in 1955 Fictional characters who break the fourth wall