Bidspirit auction | Dr. Seuss Mulberry St. Unicorn

Dr. Seuss Mulberry St. Unicorn Clay Sculpture 1938 - Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) (American, 1904-1991). Painted clay or ceramic wall-mount sculpture titled ”Mulberry Street Unicorn” depicting the titular, whimsical animal, 1938. With label along the verso of the wooden mount indicating the date and title. The label along the underside reads: ”Although he has contacted strange and perplexing wild life in all parts of the globe, Dr. Seuss frankly admits that the habits of the Unicorn leave him absolutely baffled. 'The Unicorn, ' writes Dr. Seuss, 'seems to do nothing but just sit and think. About what, no one knows. One can only eliminate certain thoughts as improbable, such as thoughts about xylophones, zippers and Zog of Albania. Mounted by the Dr. Seuss Zoo, Inc. 424 Madison Avenue, New York City.” Lot Essay: Beginning his career as a political cartoonist and advertising illustrator, Theodor Seuss Geisel, known globally as Dr. Seuss, possessed a sharp visual intelligence that seamlessly translated into the kinetic, surreal world of his books. Titles such as ”The Cat in the Hat” (1957), ”Green Eggs and Ham” (1960), and ”How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (1957) introduced a new model for children's literacy, emphasizing playful phonics, moral nuance, and a fantastical visual imagination. Over his lifetime, his books sold over 600 million copies and were translated into more than 20 languages, making him a towering figure in global publishing and education. Beyond commercial success, his work subtly reflected deeper currents: anti-authoritarianism, environmental concern, and the absurdity of prejudice, rendered accessible through deceptively simple verse and hallucinatory characters. What remains less widely known, but increasingly recognized, is Theodor Geisel’s eccentric body of sculptural work, most notably his ”Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy.” These mounted creatures, assembled from hand-sculpted materials such as clay, reflect a bizarre and delightful collision of natural history and pure imagination. Geisel approached these sculptures not as curiosities, but as elaborate visual jokes, each one a surreal hybrid of biological accuracy and cartoonish exaggeration. At the core of this collection are his original clay models: handmade works offering a rare and intimate look at Geisel’s creative process, before the intervention of casting, replication, or commercial display. Taken together, the ”unorthodox taxidermy” sculptures reveal a lesser-known dimension of Geisel’s genius: an artist deeply invested in form, texture, and visual mischief, whose influence reaches well beyond the printed page. Height: 8 1/2 in x width: 5 in x depth: 6 1/2 in. Condition: Please email us at condition@revereauctions.com for a condition report or additional photos.