GOLDEN BOOK BACKS

My favorite thing about Little Golden Books has always been the back cover. After an enjoyable read such as The Monster at the End of This Book the art on back served as a literary dessert of sorts. Its lure was inescapable and I became a loyal student of that Golden parade of licensed characters. And so I present you with four variations of their rearmost illustrations. (They enlarge when you click 'em.)

1971
The logo takes on a life-giving quality in this gorgeous ensemble. The eyeballed 'gb' looks onward as the crowd revels in its warmth. It's a picture perfect world; A cat touches up the paint job, a fireman inspects every detail, and the little bear has never slept better. The only thing even close to troubling is the sight of Donald Duck delighting in the fact that Tootle the Train is spilling coal.

Mid 1970s (copyright date was torn out)
Now this was the tale that I longed to read! The one where every last Golden Book personality embarks on an epic cross-country adventure by rail.
It's a story peppered with sidesplitting banter between Bugs and Micky who share adjacent train cars. It would include the riveting explanation behind Raggedy Ann and Bambi's dismissal from the train. And readers would struggle to maintain their composure as the tug boat experiences the spectacles of the landlocked American countryside for the very first time.

1977
Suddenly.. it's Big Bird. And sorry kitty, you're old news. Enter a couple of real metropolitan hipsters.. Bert and Ernie. Bert's a staunch traditionalist.. a real square type. Watch as his button-down world gets shattered by Ernie's all-out, in-your-face outrageousness! Together they're the original odd couple.


1987
Inevitably the aesthetics fell apart in the late 80s. In a most disturbing move, Tootle the Train has donned a Hawaiian lei. These days I find myself delighting in the fact that he's still spilling coal.