Hairy Maclary

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Hairy Maclary , a small, black, and dirty dog, is the main character in a series of children's books of the same name by the New Zealand author Lynley Dodd . Since the publication of the first book in 1983, the books are popular with several generations of New Zealand children. The author does not give any precise information about the dog breed of her protagonist. He has some characteristics of a terrier , but could also be an Affenpinscher or a mix of breeds.

Publication history

Lynley Dodd's first book, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy , was published in 1983, became extremely popular and made the author a children's book legend in New Zealand. Since then, eleven more books have followed with the stories and adventures of the little dog Hairy Maclary and his friends, and nine books in which his friends each played the main roles. Her books are also known abroad. In May 2014, the first Hairy Maclary book was published for the first time in Māori .

format

The books are written in fluent meter . The text is complemented by Dodd's bold and colorful illustrations . Words and pictures are equally important in keeping young readers' attention.

Usually the books are published in " hardcover ". This makes it easier for young children to hold and look at the books.

Sales figures

More than 40,000 copies have been sold in New Zealand . That makes Lynley Dodd one of the most popular New Zealand children's authors of all time. Worldwide sales of the books are approaching seven million copies.

action

The books describe the everyday adventures of Hairy Maclary and his canine friends . The actions are simple; often they revolve around Hairy Maclary's problems with the local cats .

characters

Hairy Maclary

Hairy Maclary is the protagonist of most (but not all) of the stories. He is small but brave. Its coat is long and unkempt; he has little button eyes. Despite its small size, Hairy Maclary is very lively. He paddles carefree through the city, which is well captured in the pictures. He is always ready for mischief with his friends and with the cats of the city.

Other figures

The names of the dogs contain English rhymes and puns that are not easy to translate. As a rule, the puns are related to the physical characteristics of the dogs. Recurring characters include Hercules Morse (a mastiff ), Bottomley Potts (a Dalmatian ), Muffin McClay (an old English Sheepdog ), Bitzer Maloney (a greyhound ), and Schnitzel by Krumm (a dachshund ). The cats Scarface Claw and Slinky Malinki are the enemies of the dogs in many of the stories. Zachary Quack, a lively little duckling, also appears in later books. The characters are not humanized; they behave entirely according to their animal characteristics as dogs and cats. They don't speak, but the stories are told through the rhyming narratives and illustrations.

Framework and cultural background

The stories take place in the streets and park near Donaldson's Dairy. The scenes shown in the images are typical of small New Zealand cities and suburbs. A "dairy" is a small shop in New Zealand that sells everyday items such as bread, milk and newspapers. There's a dairy in every neighborhood, so the homely scenes in the books are well known to New Zealand children. This enables them to identify with the characters and scenes and is no doubt part of the appeal of the books.

Adaptations

Hairy Maclary and his friends and enemies no longer exist only in their books. Some of the stories were produced as audio books. In 1997, New Zealand company Gnome Productions produced a series of ten short 5 minute animated films based on the books. In 2010, a stage performance of the story was produced: "Hairy Maclary and Friends." It was performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , where it was very popular: the performance took place in front of a sold out house and had to be extended because of its great success. The play was a great success in the UK and Australia and came in 2013 on the occasion Hairy Maclarys 30th birthday to New Zealand. The show was popular with New Zealand children and adults alike, though a reviewer noted that Hairy Maclary, a New Zealand cult figure , was now 'too British'.

Hairy Maclary website

Hairy Maclary has its own website with games, activities, detailed character descriptions, information on how to purchase the books, and downloadable material for a Hairy Maclary themed party.

sculpture

A Hairy Maclary sculpture project is planned and its inauguration in Tauranga, Lynley Dodd's hometown, is imminent. The sculpture is made of bronze and contains most of the figures from the books. It will be installed near a children's playground and is designed to "bring the characters you love to life and will leave a legacy for generations to come."

Books in a row

  • 1983 - Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
  • 1984 - Hairy Maclary's Bone
  • 1985 - Hairy Maclary Scattercat
  • 1987 - Hairy Maclary's Caterwaul Caper
  • 1989 - Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the Vet
  • 1990 - Slinky Malinki
  • 1991 - Hairy Maclary's show business
  • 1993 - Slinki Malinki, Open the Door
  • 1994 - Schnitzel from Krumm's Basketwork
  • 1996 - Schnitzel from Krumm Forget-Me-Not
  • 1997 - Hairy Maclary, Sit
  • 1998 - Slinky Malinki Catflaps
  • 1999 - Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack
  • 2002 - Schnitzel from Krumm, Dogs Never Climb Trees
  • 2003 - Scarface Claw
  • 2005 - Zachary Quack mini monster
  • 2006 - Slinky Malinki's Christmas Crackers
  • 2007 - Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks
  • 2009 - Hairy Maclary, Shoo
  • 2012 - Slinki Malinki Early Bird

literature

  • Betty Gilderdale: Introducing Twenty-One New Zealand Children's Writers. Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton, 1991.
  • R. Robinson and N. Wattie: The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Oxford University Press, 1998.
  • Fiona Terry: “More Hairy Maclary, Please” (interview), in: The Times, August 9, 2008, p. 15.

Web links

  • Hairy Maclary . Penguin Group (NZ),accessed on September 21, 2014(English,JavaScript-animated website of the publisher with games for children and little information).
  • Hairy Maclary . New Zealand History,accessed September 21, 2014(English, a photo and some history information).
  • Hairy Maclary Sculpture Project . Hairy Maclary and Friends Tauranga Waterfront Sculpture Project,accessed on September 21, 2014(English, video about the project).
  • Hairy Maclary Series . NZ Film,accessed on September 21, 2014(English, information about ten animated short films on one DVD).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Hairy Maclary . New Zealand History , accessed September 22, 2014 .
  2. ^ Rochelle Gribble : Hairy Maclary nō te Tēri a Tānarahana . Kiwi Families , accessed September 22, 2014 .
  3. ^ Marti Friedlander : Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy is Celebrating 25 Years. . Beaties' Book Blog , May 20, 2008, accessed September 9, 2014 .
  4. ^ Hairy Maclary Series . New Zealand Film Commission , 2017, accessed April 15, 2019 .
  5. ↑ About . The Hairy Maclary & Friends Show , archived from the original on February 17, 2014 ; accessed on April 15, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  6. ↑ Charlotte Simmonds : Why make a Kiwi icon so British? . In: Theater Review . Words for Action , July 20, 2013, accessed September 9, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Homepage . The Hairy Maclary Sculpture Project , archived from the original on December 18, 2014 ; accessed on April 13, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).