Children not only read children’s books, they sometimes inspire them as well. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that some of the most classic characters of all time were based on someone the author knew in real life – perhaps that’s why the not-so-fictional people seem to come right off the pages (well… that, plus good writing, obviously). Here are six of the most famous.
1. Alice Liddell was the real-life inspiration behind Alice in Wonderland. Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, became friends with the Liddell family when he was working as a photographer in Oxford in the mid-1800s. The Alice stories were a series of yarns Dodgson spun for Alice and her sisters.
2. Liza Minelli. Yes, THAT Liza Minelli! Eloise author Kay Thompson was Minelli’s godmother and was thought to have been inspired by Minelli’s antics growing up in a very strange, hotel-filled lifestyle. When asked if Minelli was indeed Eloise, Thompson simply responded, “I am Eloise.” So… maybe, maybe not. But it sure puts a whole new spin on the series!
3. Christopher Robin Milne. The son of Dorothy and Alan Alexander Milne received a teddy bear on his first birthday, and his attachment to Edward the Bear sparked an idea in his father’s head. The name Winnie came from a famous bear who lived at the London Zoo at the time. His schoolmates made fun of him, though, for being the Christopher Robin in the Winnie the Pooh books.
4. Michael Llewelyn Davies was one of a band of brothers author J.M. Barrie became friendly with before writing Peter Pan – if you’ve seen Finding Neverland, you already know that. Davies was the fourth of five sons born to Arthur and Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and although Barrie used them all as inspiration, especially for the Lost Boys, it’s Michael who is thought to have been The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up himself. Michael was an infant when Barrie was writing about Peter as an infant, and was almost five when Barrie wrote Peter Pan. When both Llewelyn Davies parents died, Barrie became the legal guardian of the boys, who called him “Uncle Jim.” Sadly, Michael died in a somewhat suspicious drowning when he was just 21 years old (it’s speculated that he and his male lover may have had some sort of a suicide pact).
5. Sean Harris. The name might not be familiar to you, but the character almost certainly is – Ron Weasley. J.K. Rowling based Harry’s BFF on her own – sort of. She said she didn’t set out thinking that she would write a character just like her best friend, but that as she wrote and developed the character, he just sort of took on some of the same characteristics. Rowling dedicated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to the real-life Ron.
6. Dorothy Louise Gage, L. Frank Baum’s niece, at least loaned her name to the famous Dorothy Gale from Kansas. The real Dorothy died when she was just five months old and Baum’s wife was so upset by the death of her niece that Baum decided to create sort of a memorial for the little girl by immortalizing her in his books. Dorothy Gale’s personality and characteristics were, in part, derived from Baum’s mother-in-law, suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage.
I was really interested in finding the real-life inspirations behind Harriet the Spy and Ramona Quimby, but couldn’t dig up a bit of research that says they came from anywhere but the authors’ brains. Do you know of any beloved children’s characters who were based on a real person? Share them in the comments!
Have a Q10 request? I’m on Twitter and I’m all ears! Err… all keys. Something.
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I’ve heard Lewis Carroll took naked pictures of Alice Lidell.
Also, when you can only find six of something, I require a list of four of something else to go along with it. I’m THAT OCD.
posted by Zach on 8-19-2009 at 3:07 pm
There also was a rumor that JM Barrie had a particular “interest” in the boys. I frankly don’t buy that. Nor the Alice as a Playboy Bunny bit. I think it’s just people starting rumors to soil the stories.
posted by Nathan on 8-19-2009 at 3:25 pm
Roald Dahl’s granddaughter’s name is Sophie, the same as the main character in my favorite book of his, The BFG. I’m not sure if the real-life Sophie inspired the character Sophie, or if Mr. Dahl simply named the character after her.
posted by meg on 8-19-2009 at 3:27 pm
Nathan – It is fact that Lewis Carroll took photos of Alice Lidell and other young girls in provocative poses; totally nude or scantily clad. Several photos have survived, my brother was reading a biography about Caroll when he came across one of the shocking photos in the book.
Whether he took them for his (and possibly the girls’) sexual enjoyment or simply as art studies is unknown.
Whatever the case, it would be illegal if done today though.
posted by Nerak on 8-19-2009 at 3:45 pm
Just a note regarding Winnie the Pooh. The bear may have resided in the London Zoo later on in life, but a lieutenant called Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub in White River, Ontario, Canada. He named her ‘Winnipeg’, after his hometown of Winnipeg, or ‘Winnie’ for short. It’s a source of pride for us Canadians, just wanted to point it out.
posted by Dare on 8-19-2009 at 3:50 pm
I doubt there is a real Ramona. Beveryly Cleary is/was well known for not really liking children.
posted by Mr. Fish on 8-19-2009 at 3:50 pm
I always heard that nude photos of children were a Victorian era fad, and Carroll was taking them at the parents’ request. Kinda like other photography we would find weird today like photos of dead people, etc. However, I hadn’t heard about provocative poses or the images being sexual, if so, then yuck.
posted by Shasta on 8-19-2009 at 4:00 pm
Isn’t Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia based on C.S. Lewis’own granddaughter? I’m quite sure it says so in the forward of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.
posted by Christielea on 8-19-2009 at 4:09 pm
I read Ramona Quimby, age 8 to my 3rd grade class last year. I had a student who reminded me of Ramona SO much! I never told her though!
posted by Jenny on 8-19-2009 at 4:12 pm
Princess Valerie in the Phantom comics was based on creator Lee Falk’s daughter, Valerie.
posted by Bob G on 8-19-2009 at 4:40 pm
Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia was inspired by a young girl visiting Lewis as a child evacuee, much like the Pevensie children. Her name is Jill Freud.
posted by Macie on 8-19-2009 at 4:41 pm
Lucy Barfield was C.S. Lewis’ Goddaughter who he wrote the story for.
posted by Nerak on 8-19-2009 at 4:43 pm
I’ve NEVER heard it suggested that Beverly Cleary disliked children! Her characters so well reflected children’s intellect and thought processes. I couldn’t imagine someone writing so well about children and reveling in their good and mischief not loving children.
posted by Dave on 8-19-2009 at 4:45 pm
@Dave:
Shel Silverstein was known for not liking children, but kids love his poetry (search mental_floss for the article on him), so perhaps Cleary didn’t like children either. Maybe not probable, but it is possible!
posted by nutmeag on 8-19-2009 at 5:26 pm
Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) was a mathematics tutor at Christ Church College, Oxford. Photography was just a pass-time.
posted by Faust on 8-19-2009 at 5:27 pm
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss was inspired by Hitler and his quest for absolute power.
posted by Andy Smith on 8-19-2009 at 5:31 pm
Robert Munsch wrote most of his stories about real people.
Aaron’s Hair was written about singer/songwriter Aaron Booth, from the band Royal City (Rough Trade/Asthmatic Kitty)
http://www.robertmunsch.com/books.cfm?bookid=67
posted by Five on 8-19-2009 at 5:48 pm
Brian Jacques wrote many of his family members and friends into his books…
“Jacques has said that the characters in his stories are based on people he has encountered. He based Gonff, the self-proclaimed “Prince of Mousethieves,” on himself when he was a young boy hanging around the docks of Liverpool.[3] Mariel is based on his granddaughter. Constance the Badgermum is based on his grandmother. Other characters are a combination of many of the people he has met in his travels.”
I love wikipedia…
posted by Kate on 8-19-2009 at 6:04 pm
I love to hear about Alice Liddell, there aren’t that many famous Liddell’s other than Eric Liddell and Chuck Liddell and of course Alice.
posted by Luke Liddell on 8-19-2009 at 6:22 pm
It’s also well known that Dr. Seuss was incredibly uncomfortable around children.
posted by Dr. Whizgig on 8-19-2009 at 6:50 pm
I find the idea of Beverly Cleary not liking children ridiculous. There’s nothing in her two-part auto-biography remotely hinting at that. Quite the opposite. One thing’s for sure, though. Based on the way I devoured her books when I was younger, and the way my children enjoyed them a generation later, kids sure love her. (She recently turned 93 – God bless her – and last I heard she was working as a consultant on a Ramona and Beezus movie.)
posted by Henry H. on 8-19-2009 at 7:03 pm
@macie – Jill is a character in one of the later books in the Chronicles of Narnia
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 8-19-2009 at 7:50 pm
I’ve read that the names of all the children in the Narnia series were named for children who had died in a train accident when C.S. Lewis was writing the first installment. Interesting little tid bit I thought
posted by Monkeh on 8-19-2009 at 8:09 pm
Arthur Ransome has gone out of fashion (except among a few of us old fogies) but the children in his 1930s “Swallows and Amazons” series were real — my daughters were excited to meet the youngest one, Bridget (then an old lady) in England in 1994.
posted by Gollum on 8-19-2009 at 10:22 pm
Luke Liddell:
If you want more info on Alice Liddell, check out the book “Beyond the Looking Glass: Reflections of Alice and her Family” by Colin Gordon. Might be out of print, but is an interesting history. Sadly, 2 of Alice’s 3 sons died in WWI. She passed away in 1939.
posted by Marty on 8-19-2009 at 10:36 pm
Anne of Green Gables was inspired by LM Montgomery’s own life. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her elderly grandparents. Also, her cousins actually owned Green Gables and she grew up not far from the farm.
posted by Laura K on 8-20-2009 at 1:19 am
Charles Dodgson only took nude photos of girls if their parents allowed it, and if the girl herself seemed comfortable with the idea. He wrote that if a girl seemed to show a “modest shrinking” from it, he felt it was a solemn duty owed to God to drop the matter altogether. Or something like that. He also insisted that the photos be destroyed at his death, so any that might have survived have survived by accident.
There has been a lot of ink spilled over whether Dodgson was a pedophile. I do find it an open question as to whether or not he was sexually attracted to little girls, but given that the frenzied searching to find evidence that he ever acted on his desires has turned up nothing, I see no reason to suppose he was ever anything but respectful towards them.
I really love those books and get all worked up when anyone suggests they’re anything other than genius, childish fun.
posted by jkate on 8-20-2009 at 6:43 am
Set in today’s day and time, Me and My Best Friend is about a young boy, his faithful companion and their exciting adventures.
Henry and Liam are the best of friends and they do everything together. They can run and play all day long. But when Henry the puppy gets tired and tries to take a nap, three-year-old Liam keeps waking him, wanting him to play some more. Will Henry get any rest?
Get your children involved with this beautifully illustrated book. Your child will love to match up words and pictures, and find Liam, who keeps hiding in his bedroom. Perfect for the young reader!
About the Author
J.S. Huntlands is the author of Nick Twisted Minds and is currently working on more books in this series, as well as 23 more books in the Me and My Best Friend series. Huntlands is a full-time writer, as well as a mom to a wonderful four-year-old boy. This book is dedicated to her son in hopes that he never forgets his best friend.
posted by JS Huntlands on 8-20-2009 at 7:21 am
I was made fun of for being named after the Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh as well… It’s the price you pay for your parents letting your 4 1/2 year old brother name you, I guess.
posted by Christopher Robin Vachio on 8-20-2009 at 8:48 am
A few years ago I was doing research about Winnie the Pooh to see what inspired the story. I was deeply saddened to learn that the real Christopher Robin threw his toys (a bear, rabbit, etc.) away when he got older. Can you imagine what they would be worth if he hung on to them???
posted by Amy on 8-20-2009 at 9:18 am
Maurice Sendak got the inspiration for “Where the Wild Things Are” from relatives who stayed too long during the high holidays when he was a child.
posted by emily on 8-20-2009 at 10:09 am
@Amy-
Most of the toy animals that belonged to Christopher Robin Milne now reside in the children’s room at the main branch of the New York Public Library. (See link on my name).
Unfortunately, when I was there in November, they were not on display as a “new habitat”was being prepared for them.
Christopher Milne, who died on April 20, 1996, wound up working as a bookseller and writer as an adult, apparently having come to terms with his famous literary offspring.
posted by Steven on 8-20-2009 at 10:18 am
@Steven -
Oh my goodness! Thank you! Hopefully they are on display when I visit there in October!
posted by Amy on 8-20-2009 at 1:06 pm
As someone else mentioned, Robert Munsch based many of his books on real kids – he was the babysitter for my dad’s friend’s family – the story of the real Elizabeth (paper bag princess) was published alongside the 25th anniversary edition.
posted by anaximander on 8-20-2009 at 8:52 pm
@JS Huntlands – I know you like your book – but that’s known as spam. Unless you based them on real characters – and said so in the comment.
@ Gollum – that’s really interesting about the Swallows & Amazon kids being based on real kids. I hope they didn’t accidently go to sea too.:)
Also, wasn’t Peter Rabbit named after Beatrix Potter’s nephew or godson or something?
posted by kaekae on 8-22-2009 at 8:42 am
One of Enid Blyton’s lesser known books was “Bimbo and Topsy” about a kitten and a puppy. The owners of the animals in the story were named for Blyton’s daughters Gillian and Imogen. I don’t know if the pets were based on real ones too, although it seems likely.
posted by Meredith on 8-23-2009 at 11:51 pm
I do believe Beverly Cleary was an elementry school teacher, that’s what I was told when my elementry school teacher read it to us and said she knew her.
posted by Ashleigh on 8-26-2009 at 11:23 pm
@Partially Deflected- I know the book to which you refer, and it was written as the first book, but PUBlISHED later.
posted by Sara in AL on 10-12-2009 at 5:26 pm
@kaekae- She wrote for the little boy she was a nanny for. She based Peter on her own rabbit.
posted by Sara in AL on 10-12-2009 at 5:28 pm
@ Laura K
although her life story was similar to Anne of Green Gables LM Montgomery said that she related to her character Emily Starr of Emily of New Moon more so between the two stories you probably have a resemblence of what Montgomery was like as a child
posted by Zoe on 10-13-2009 at 12:07 am
I recently traveled through White River on a roadtrip out west with friends, we made sure we stopped and got photos with the Pooh statue…..http://www.whiteriver.ca/article/winnie-the-pooh-6.asp
posted by Leslie on 9-17-2010 at 7:42 am