Meet Eloise!
She is Eloise. And She is Six.
She lives at the Plaza and absolutely loves it.
And should you find yourself at the Plaza one day,
you may find yourself in Eloise's way.
But don't dilly dally, or hesitate to say "hello,"
for Eloise
has become one of New York City's most
beloved pop culture icons
that you should get to know.
She's had adventures in Paris, and Moscow,
for she likes to travel and she always knows how
to make a splawsh when she takes a bawth.
Christmastime at the Plaza is
Eloise's favorite time of the year,
The Plaza is bustling with frenetic cheer;
And there are a lot of things to be done,
OF COURSE this doesn't bother Eloise,
it's a perfect excuse for her have lots of fun.
Eloise is New York's most beloved Children's character,
with dolls, stickers, and toys
designed after her.
She came to life in two television movies that
chronicled her antics and showed us exactly who she is.
She is Eloise. And she is six.
You can stay in her room at the Plaza, if you wish.
Designed in oodles of pink,
in 2010, Betsey Johnson brought to life the iconic setting for
the character created by Catherine Louise Fink.
Hillary Knight is the illustrator who brought Eloise to life.
Without his drawings, Eloise might not be the same
little girl at the Plaza who rose to fame.
She is Eloise. And she is six.
She has a turtle, Skipperdee, and a dog, Weenie
she proclaims looks like a cat.
She lives at the Plaza. And she loves the color pink.
She'd love you to become acquainted with her,
so give her books a read, and
Meet Eloise.
Meet Eloise: an original poem by Danielle Sutton
Exactly Who is the Author of Eloise?
Whenever I think of the Children's Book, Eloise, the image of a
blonde haired little girl dressed in a white blouse, black pleated
jumper, knee high socks, and Mary-Jane shoes scribbling her name in pink
crayon comes to mind. Eloise isn't the average six year old. And that's
why generations of readers have fallen in love with her.
Eloise was the brainchild of vocal coach/actress turned author, Kay
Thompson. Kay Thompson (born November 9, 1909 as Catherine Louise Fink)
was a child piano prodigy. By the time she was 16, she had performed
with the St. Louis Symphony as a soloist. Despite her early success as a
pianist, Kay, nicknamed Kitty, wasn't happy playing piano. Her real
passion was singing. To hone her talent as a burgeoning singer, she
began singing with local dance bands, where she ultimately became a band
vocalist. It was around this
time, Kitty moved to California to make the move to radio, ultimately
landing spots as a singer on the Bing Crosby-Woodbury Show, and a spot
singing alongside the harmony group, The Mill Brothers. Her stint with
The Mill Brothers eventually led to her receiving her own radio show,
Kay Thompson and Company which she acted as host and producer. Kay
recorded a a handful of songs during the mid-late 1930s.
Kay made her movie debut in the 1937 musical, Manhattan Merry-Go-Round in which she performed two songs with her choir.
In 1939, Kay teamed up with Andre Kostelanetz (who she had previously worked with in radio) on a show called Tune-Up Time. Tune Up Time was a turning point in Thompson's career. Judy Garland appeared as a guest on one of the episodes. Her guest appearance resulted in a long standing friendship between Thompson and Garland. Thompson also married Tune Up Time's producer, William Spier in 1942.
In 1943, Thompson began working with MGM Studios as the Studios vocal arranger, vocal coach and choral director. She worked with Arthur Freed on many of his musicals including: Ziegfield Follies, The Harvey Girls, The Kid From Brooklyn, Till Clouds Roll By, The Pirate and Good News. During this time she worked closely with stars such as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne and June Allyson.
In 1947, Thompson left MGM to star in her own cabaret act with the Williams' Brothers (Andy Williams was one of the Williams' Brothers) According to Sam Irvin's book From Funny Face to Eloise, Kay Thompson's cabaret act put her on the map. "She just was everywhere," says Irvin. "She was chic and new and
different. She wrote the material; she designed the wardrobe that she
wore, which was slacks. You know, most restaurants back then had dress
codes, and she'd show up and try to defy the code and get in. Some
places she didn't get in, but she'd make headlines with it, and she
would use that to help sell her line of pants, which were marketed
exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue." (Irvin, From Funny Face to Eloise)
Though Thompson was a crucial component behind the scenes at MGM, she did not receive many acting roles. The role she is best known for is Maggie Prescott, the fashion editor in the film Funny Face. She also starred in the movie Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon.
The Birth of Eloise
Though Thompson officially came up with Eloise in 1954 during a singing gig, the character of Eloise had been alive within Thompson dating several years back. In 1947, Thompson was late to a rehearsal with the Williams' brothers. When asked why she was late, she replied in a little girl's voice with the remark: "I am Eloise and I am six!" Though the remark was said just to be funny, the line would later go on to be the famous first sentence of the famous children's book, Eloise. Thompson was known to often speak like a child herself. In many ways, the creation of Eloise was an outlet for her alter-ego self. Kay is also believed to as a child had an imaginary friend named Eloise.
Eloise's appearance is believed to have been modeled after a young Liza Minnelli, who was Thompson's goddaughter. Like, her character, Thompson lived at the Plaza Hotel, and was known to have a brazen, larger-than-life personality.
Eloise Lives On
Following Thompson's death in 1998, Eloise dolls, and other Eloise merchandise became available for retail sale. Thompson did not believe in capitalizing off her character; however given the immense popularity of the scamp six year old, there was a market for everything Eloise (from calendars to stationary to toys)
Subsequent Eloise books began surfacing in 2000. Some of these books include: Eloise's What I Absolutely Love Love, Eloise's Guide to Life on How to Eat, Dress, Travel, Behave, and Stay Six Forever, Love and Kisses, Eloise, Eloise at Christmas and Eloise: The Ultimate Edition,
The previously unreleased 1964 book, Eloise Takes A Bawth was released for the first time in October 2002.
A TV movie starring Sofia Vassilieva aired in April 2003. Another installation of an Eloise TV movie, Eloise at Christmastime aired in November 2003.
Eloise: the Animated Series came out in 2006.
In July 2010, room 1832, known as the "Eloise Suite" opened at the Plaza Hotel in NYC. Betsey Johnson designed the room.
Though Eloise mania has seemed to hit a low now, Eloise is still a beloved character in Children's Literature. And one of my all time favorite Children's Book Characters.
The Complete List of Eloise Books:
Eloise (Published 1955)
Eloise in Paris (Published 1957)
Eloise at Christmastime (Published 1958)
Eloise in Moscow (Published 1959)
Eloise Takes A Bawth (Published 2002)
Simon & Schuster also released "other" Eloise Books:
Eloise's Guide to Life (Published 2000)
Eloise at Christmas (Published 2003)
Eloise's What I Absolutely Love, Love, Love (Published 2005)
Love and Kisses, Eloise (Published 2005)
