Random House Children's Books to Relaunch Seussville

Posted on March 1, 2002

Random House Children's Books has announced the relaunch of Seussville, the official website of Dr. Seuss. In association with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Seussville has been recreated with unique art featuring the characters from the world of Dr. Seuss. Seussville receives more than 200,000 visitors a month. The National Education Association's Read Across America, whose mascot is the Cat in the Hat, celebrates children reading in the company of caring adults each year on Dr. Seuss' birthday.

Originally launched in 1995, Seussville includes a catalogue of Dr. Seuss books, interactive games, and printable activities. The relaunch of Seussville reflects changes on the site that include expanding on existing concepts, as well as bringing new ideas and fun to visitors. The new Seussville will feature seven new games, written in Flash, including the "Seussville Story Maker." The "Seussville Story Maker" enables kids to create their own stories using Seussian background art, characters from Horton Hears a Who!, musical accompaniment, and their own original script. The result is a three-act, animated story, complete with a musical soundtrack.

"Our goal is to provide an upgraded site that's safe and especially fun for the young audience that Dr. Seuss was writing for. Using the wonderful assets from the Dr. Seuss treasury, I think we've created something that Dr. Seuss fans of all ages will enjoy," says Mary Beth Kilkelly, Director, New Media Marketing & Electronic Publishing at RHCB.

In addition to the new activities, there is an archive of over 80 interactive and printable activities and games based on books and characters created by Dr. Seuss. The new site also features a lengthy biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel, written by children's literature journalist Miriam Drennan, an ongoing listing of Dr. Seuss events around the globe, and a catalog with a complete listing of books by Dr. Seuss, all official licensed products, and instructions on finding booksellers and dealers of licensed merchandise. Random House, Inc. does not sell merchandise directly from its websites.

Dr. Seuss was born as Theodor Seuss Geisel in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the author and illustrator of 44 books for children, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Dr. Seuss is the bestselling author of children's books in the world. More than 400 million copies of Dr. Seuss books, translated into 15 different languages, have been circulated around the world.