Curious George Gets Read One Too Many Times in This Household.

There was once a monkey named George. He was a good little monkey but curious, so George got into shit.

One day the Man With the Yellow Hat went out, because that's all he ever did—he simply drove off, leaving a monkey to fend for himself, like that makes any sense. Once he was alone, George became interested in something. He looked at it, but not being satisfied with looking, he then poked at it, or perhaps he rode it, or he ate it, and before long he was in serious trouble.

The Law or the Authorities or Personnel came after him, but lucky for George they were slow and ungainly and shook their meaty fists at him, which slowed them down further, and George managed to jump on top of a bus, or hide in a shirt. Just then, a larger crisis loomed, one in which (improbably) a being of monkey size and/or flexibility was needed. George helped, of course, and saved the day just as the Authorities arrived. Everyone agreed that while George is a pain in the ass and ruins just about everything, he is also good in a pinch, when one requires the services of a monkey.

Then George got a medal or a pie, having learned exactly nothing from his mistakes.

Comments

[slouching mom]

Brilliant, Alice. BRILLIANT. Do you KNOW how many years I had to read Curious George, given that I have two boys four years apart?

Yeah.

[Ginny]

I always hated those books. Dang monkey.

[Mrs. Who]

That is funny and so true - every book is alike! On a serious note, did you know the authors of that book had to escape from Nazi Germany with copies of the "Curious George" manuscripts in their backpack? True story!

[rimarama]

Hahaha. I always found it disturbing the way the Man with the Yellow Hat stuffed George in a bag and shipped him home. Isn't that called poaching? Or something.

[Leaf, probably...]

While never having actually read a Curious George, I feel like I have read them all after than post.

[maria]

I loved the C.G. books as a child and have been horrified by each and every one of them while reading them to my daughter. Now I hide them.

[SuburbanCorrespondent]

One more reason to hate the Nazis - they let the Curious George manuscript slip out of Paris in 1940.

But, hey, if you've got a formula that works, why change it? I've sort of gotten beyond the fear and loathing into a sort of peaceful acceptance of the inevitable Curious George story arc. (And, without drugs!) I've even been known to read the books with expression from time to time. 12 years of that monkey will do that to you.

[tulip]

"Then George got a medal or a pie, having learned exactly nothing from his mistakes."

My only thought on reading this? "Yum. I want a pie!"

This is what happens when you have to read these fucking books too many times!!!!

[Janssen]

Hilarious! I haven't read a CG book in years, but your descriptions of the policemen with their meaty fists brought it all back to me.

[braine]

^ after "serious trouble": Then all the fun was gone.

I've seen that sentence reused a couple of times in the various books. All the fun. Gone. Sucks to be a monkey.

[kate]

totally. couldn't agree more.

[Sue]

In the original book, yellow hat man not only kidnaps George from Africa or wherever they were, he sells him to a zoo. And we're supposed to think yellow hat man is the GOOD guy. ??!!

[kristen]

word! not 6 hours ago i was bitterly telling my mother the curious george story arc. i've hidden most of the books, but "curious george goes to the amusement park" and "curious george goes to the beach" are still lurking somewhere. i must root them out.

[melinda]

wasn't Carl supposed to be watching him?

(At least the curious george books have WORDS!)

[Michele]

Sadly, this is a pretty good summation of my own life.

I do like the Curious George TV show though, because George actually hoots and squawks like a monkey and is not one of those disturbing Disney animals who talks like a human (or like Alice's coffee table).

[kate]

You forgot the part where they give George a cigar. What 4 year-old (or monkey, for that matter) needs to be encouraged to smoke?

[jenB]

I (well Charlotte really)has probably seen the movie version about a gazillion times. Mark likes to read the old skool versions. Won't be so funny when she lights up a stogie.

and don't forget he HAS NO TAIL

[cagey]

Lovely!

I cannot wait to read the sequel The one that finally reveals that George is actually an APE, not a monkey. Sorry, that is a pet peeve of mine. The same one that gets me when I see a cartoon spider incorrectly drawn. I suspect that I may care too much about these sorts of things. Whatever.

[Juju]

My husband likes to point out that monkeys have tails and apes do not. So, technically, George is an ape. And now, we cannot get through a CG story without my daughter re-informing me that George is an ape.

One of our favorite sayings in our house is, "It's not easy for a little monkey to be patient."

[All Adither]

Will The Man with the Yellow Hat never be visited by the Humane Society or CPS or whomever? He's so negligent. And he lets George smoke pipes and run around NYC alone.

[Rachel]

Brilliance. BRILLIANCE.

[Trishfreak]

I want to know how they never got kicked out of the condo they lived in on the tv show. That damn monkey flooded the basement, got Hunley locked out, made the carpet cleaner man spill dirty, nasty water all over. Clearly someone needs to find a new place to live.

Oh. My. God. It's on right now. My mother in law has the tv on mute but on PBS. Good grief.

[jozet at Halushki]

Exactly.

George screws up and then fixes his problem by getting involved a larger mess and saying,"Hey look over there!"

George is nothing but a bad influence and should come with parental advisory warnings like the Old School Sesame Street video.

[jules]

Oddly this post describes almost exactly, in an abstract way, my Thanksgiving.JulesHouse of Jules

[mod*mom]

hi! where's all the pictures? i'm kidding, but my blog is the opposite, i have lots of pictures + hardly any words, but lately i'm starting to write more. i'm pretty visual.