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| − | '''Michael J. Smollin''' (b. 1925) is an illustrator of [[:Category:Sesame Street Books|''Sesame Street'' books]]. One of his best-known books is ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book]]''. |
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| + | [[File:1982--Aladdin.jpg|thumb|180px]] |
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| + | '''Michael J. Smollin''' (1925-2010) was an illustrator whose scratchy, distinctive style was one of the defining ''Sesame'' art styles in the 1970s, alongside [[Joe Mathieu]] and [[Michael K. Frith]]. Smollin's first ''Sesame'' storybook, the 1971 [[:Category:Little Golden Books|Little Golden Book]] ''[[The Monster at the End of This Book]]'', was an immediate sensation, selling two million copies in its first year of publication.<ref>Children's Television Workshop Newsletter. Number 27, February 1, 1973.</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Biography== |
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| + | Michael Smollin was born in 1925, and grew up in East Hampton, [[New York|Long Island]]. He attended Cornell University, and served in the infantry in World War II. He was awarded a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds, and returned to the United States to study advertising design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.<ref>"[http://smollin.com/michael/bio/bio.htm Michael Smollin - Artist Profile]", Smollin.com.</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | Smollin worked as an ad executive for many years, but left the industry in order to become a freelance illustrator. He was a frequent contributor to ''[[TV Guide]]'', providing humorous illustrations for articles throughout the 1970s and 80s. |
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| + | |||
| + | ==''Sesame Street'' work== |
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| + | Smollin provided the artwork for the covers and gatefolds of several early ''Sesame'' record albums, including ''[[The Muppet Alphabet Album]]'' and ''[[The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album]]'' in 1971, ''[[Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert]]'' in 1972 and ''[[Merry Christmas from Sesame Street]]'' in 1975. Smollin also drew pictures for five ''Sesame'' calendars between 1976 and 1982. |
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| + | |||
| + | Smollin did not participate in any of the "[[The Sesame Street Storybook|Sesame Street Storybook]]" anthologies of the early 70s. Instead, the versatile Smollin seemed to specialize in the unusual formats -- the large-format ''[[Big Bird's Blunder Book]]'' and ''[[The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick]]''; the rounded ''[[Cookie Monster's Circle Book]]''; and a set of small die-cut storybooks published by Playskool in 1975. Smollin illustrated [[Your Friends from Sesame Street|cloth books]], [[Ernie's Bath Book|waterproof books]], [[Ernie and Bert Can... Can You?|small "chunky" books]] and even [[Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service|books with wheels]]. |
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| + | |||
| + | After the success of ''The Monster at the End of This Book'', Smollin and writer [[Jon Stone]] collaborated on a few more books featuring [[Grover]], including ''[[Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover?]]'' and ''[[Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places]]''. |
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| + | |||
| + | Smollin also illustrated several items of ''Sesame'' spin-off merchandise, including [[Muppet Cuppets|paper cups]], [[Cookie Monster's Colorforms Kitchen|Colorforms playsets]], [[Sesame Street plates (Gorham)|a collectible plate]] and [[Sesame Street Traveling Band|a toy instrument kit]]. |
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| + | |||
| + | Smollin's involvement in ''Sesame Street'' illustration tailed off in the mid-80s, although he returned to illustrate two books in the mid-90s -- ''[[Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes]]'' in 1995, and ''[[Another Monster at the End of This Book]]'' in 1996, a sequel to the classic storybook that he illustrated 25 years previously. |
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| + | |||
| + | In addition to his varied ''Sesame'' work, Smollin also worked on a [[Bob and Ray]] storybook by Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding, a set of joke books based on ''[[The Electric Company]]'', and a set of ''[[Strawberry Shortcake]]'' storybooks. In 1999 and 2000, Smollin collaborated with his son Mark to create a set of [[Lego]] activity books published in Europe. This was Smollin's last professional work before he retired. |
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==Books== |
==Books== |
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| + | <gallery captionalign="left"> |
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| − | *[[A Day in the Life of Ernie & Bert]] (1971) |
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| − | + | Monster1971lgb.jpg|''[[The Monster at the End of This Book]]''<br>(1971)|link=The Monster at the End of This Book |
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| − | + | SSb.jpg|''[[Big Bird's Blunder Book]]''<br>(1972)|link=Big Bird's Blunder Book |
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| − | + | Cookiemonsterscirclebook.jpg|''[[Cookie Monster's Circle Book]]''<br>(1972)|link=Cookie Monster's Circle Book |
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| − | + | Book.mumfordtrick.jpg|''[[The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick]]''<br>(1972)|link=The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick |
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| − | + | Canyoutellmehowtogettosesamestreet.JPG|''[[Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (1975 book)|Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?]]''<br>(1975)|link=Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (1975 book) |
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| + | Countwiththecount.jpg|''[[Count with the Count]]''<br>(1975)|link=Count with the Count |
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| − | *[[The Sesame Street Pretending Book]] (1975) |
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| + | Adayinthelifeofernie&bert.JPG|''[[A Day in the Life of Ernie & Bert]]''<br>(1975)|link=A Day in the Life of Ernie & Bert |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | Pretendingbook-1975.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street Pretending Book]]''<br>(1975)|link=The Sesame Street Pretending Book |
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| − | *[[Big Bird's Red Book]] (1977) |
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| + | Ernieandbertcoloringbook.jpg|''[[Sesame Street coloring books|The Ernie and Bert Coloring Book]]''<br>(1976)|link=Sesame Street coloring books |
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| − | *[[The Day the Count Stopped Counting]] (1977) |
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| + | Inandoutcbook.jpg|''[[The In and Out and All About Coloring Book]]''<br>(1976)|link=The In and Out and All About Coloring Book |
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| − | *[[The Great Cookie Thief]] (1977) |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[Good Night Sesame Street]] (A Fisher-Price Talk-To-Me Book) (1978) |
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| + | RedBook.jpg|''[[Big Bird's Red Book]]''<br>(1977)|link=Big Bird's Red Book |
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| − | *[[Your Friends from Sesame Street]] (1979) |
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| + | Countstoppedcounting.jpg|''[[The Day the Count Stopped Counting]]''<br>(1977)|link=The Day the Count Stopped Counting |
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| − | *[[Ernie and Bert Can...Can You?]] (1982) |
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| + | CookieThief.jpg|''[[The Great Cookie Thief]]''<br>(1977)|link=The Great Cookie Thief |
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| − | *[[Ernie's Bath Book]] (1982) |
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| + | Goodnightsesamestreet.jpg|''[[Good Night Sesame Street]]''<br>(1978)|link=Good Night Sesame Street |
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| − | *[[Ernie's Rainy Day Book]] (1982) |
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| + | Yourfriendsfromsesame.jpg|''[[Your Friends from Sesame Street]]''<br>(1979)|link=Your Friends from Sesame Street |
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| − | *[[In & Out, Up & Down]] (1982) |
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| + | Book.canyou.jpg|''[[Ernie and Bert Can... Can You?]]''<br>(1982)|link=Ernie and Bert Can... Can You? |
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| − | *[[The Sesame Street Players present Mother Goose]] (1982) |
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| + | Erniesbathbook.jpg|''[[Ernie's Bath Book]]''<br>(1982)|link=Ernie's Bath Book |
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| − | *[[Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service]] (1983) |
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| + | Noimage-big.png|''[[Ernie's Rainy Day Book]]''<br>(1982)|link=Ernie's Rainy Day Book |
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| − | *[[Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places]] (1984) |
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| + | Book.inoutupdown.jpg|''[[In & Out, Up & Down]]''<br>(1982)|link=In & Out, Up & Down |
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| − | *[[Goldilocks: Baby Piggy's Dream]] (1985) |
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| + | TheSesameStreetPlayersPresentMotherGooseOriginalVersion.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street Players Present Mother Goose]]''<br>(1982)|link=The Sesame Street Players Present Mother Goose |
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| − | *[[Ernie's Bath Book]] (1986) |
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| + | Ernieandbertsdeliveryservice.jpg|''[[Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service]]''<br>(1983)|link=Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service |
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| − | *[[Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes]] (1995) |
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| + | Book.restingplaces.jpg|''[[Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places]]''<br>(1984)|link=Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places |
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| − | *[[Another Monster at the End of This Book]] (1996) |
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| + | Babypiggygoldilocks.jpg|''[[Goldilocks: Baby Piggy's Dream]]''<br>(1985)|link=Goldilocks: Baby Piggy's Dream |
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| − | *[[Please Do Not Open This Book!]] (2006) |
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| + | Mothergrouch.jpg|''[[Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes]]''<br>(1995)|link=Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes |
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| + | Anothermonster-lgb.jpg|''[[Another Monster at the End of This Book]]''<br>(1996)|link=Another Monster at the End of This Book |
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| + | Book.pleasedonotopen.jpg|''[[Please Do Not Open this Book!]]''<br>(2006)|link=Please Do Not Open this Book! |
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| + | </gallery> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | ==Calendars== |
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| + | <gallery> |
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| − | *[[The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[Sesame Street 1978 Calendar]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | *[[The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games]] |
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| − | + | Ssmag.197305.jpg|''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]''<br>(1973 - 1982)|link=Sesame Street Magazine |
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| + | Cuppets1.jpg|[[Muppet Cuppets]]<br>(early 1970s)|link=Muppet Cuppets |
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| + | Colorforms-kitchen.jpg|[[Cookie Monster's Colorforms Kitchen]]<br>(1974)|link=Cookie Monster's Colorforms Kitchen |
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| + | Colorforms-playtime.jpg|[[Ernie & Bert's Colorforms Playtime]]<br>(1974)|link=Ernie & Bert's Colorforms Playtime |
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| + | Image:Knickerbocker1975.jpg|1975 [[:Category:Knickerbocker|Knickerbocker]] toy catalog|link=:Category:Knickerbocker |
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| + | MerryXmasSSGatefold.jpg|''[[Merry Christmas from Sesame Street]]''<br>(1975)|link=Merry Christmas from Sesame Street |
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| + | 1976 sesame calendar 00 front cover.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar]]''|link=The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar |
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| + | Whitman1977MagicSlateHerry.jpg|[[Sesame Street Magic Slates]]<br>(1976-1981)|link=Sesame Street Magic Slates |
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| + | Countcolorforms1.jpg|[[The Count's Colorforms Castle]]<br>(1977)|link=he Count's Colorforms Castle |
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| + | Playskool1977NumberMatchups.jpg|[[Match-Ups]] games<br>(1977)|link=Match-Ups |
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| + | Calendar.sesame1977.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar]]''|link=The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar |
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| + | Calendar.sesame1978.jpg|''[[Sesame Street 1978 Calendar]]''|link=Sesame Street 1978 Calendar |
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| + | Calendar.sesame1980.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games]]''|link=The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | Calendar.sesame1982-storybook.jpg|''[[The Sesame Street Storytime Calendar 1982]]''|link=The Sesame Street Storytime Calendar 1982 |
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| + | child guidance 1982 traveling band michael smollin art 1.jpg|[[Sesame Street Traveling Band]]<br>(1982)|link=Sesame Street Traveling Band |
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| + | File:TVGUIDE Mar 3 1990.jpg|''[[TV Guide]]'' cover<br>March 3-9, 1990|link=TV Guide |
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| + | </gallery> |
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| + | ==Sources== |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | <references /> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | *''[[Sesame Street Magazine]]'' (1973 - 1982) |
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| − | *[[Colorforms Sesame Street sets]] (1974) |
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| − | *[[Sesame Street Magic Slates]] (1976 - 1981) |
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| − | *[[Sesame Street Coloring Books|The All-Together Coloring Book]] (1979) |
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| ⚫ | |||
==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://smollin.com/michael/ The Books of Michael Smollin] |
*[http://smollin.com/michael/ The Books of Michael Smollin] |
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| + | *[http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Michael-Smollin-680627.php#page-1 Mike Smollin Obituary] |
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| − | |||
[[Category:Illustrators|Smollin, Michael]] |
[[Category:Illustrators|Smollin, Michael]] |
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Revision as of 19:39, 24 April 2016
Michael J. Smollin (1925-2010) was an illustrator whose scratchy, distinctive style was one of the defining Sesame art styles in the 1970s, alongside Joe Mathieu and Michael K. Frith. Smollin's first Sesame storybook, the 1971 Little Golden Book The Monster at the End of This Book, was an immediate sensation, selling two million copies in its first year of publication.[1]
Biography
Michael Smollin was born in 1925, and grew up in East Hampton, Long Island. He attended Cornell University, and served in the infantry in World War II. He was awarded a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds, and returned to the United States to study advertising design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.[2]
Smollin worked as an ad executive for many years, but left the industry in order to become a freelance illustrator. He was a frequent contributor to TV Guide, providing humorous illustrations for articles throughout the 1970s and 80s.
Sesame Street work
Smollin provided the artwork for the covers and gatefolds of several early Sesame record albums, including The Muppet Alphabet Album and The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album in 1971, Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert in 1972 and Merry Christmas from Sesame Street in 1975. Smollin also drew pictures for five Sesame calendars between 1976 and 1982.
Smollin did not participate in any of the "Sesame Street Storybook" anthologies of the early 70s. Instead, the versatile Smollin seemed to specialize in the unusual formats -- the large-format Big Bird's Blunder Book and The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick; the rounded Cookie Monster's Circle Book; and a set of small die-cut storybooks published by Playskool in 1975. Smollin illustrated cloth books, waterproof books, small "chunky" books and even books with wheels.
After the success of The Monster at the End of This Book, Smollin and writer Jon Stone collaborated on a few more books featuring Grover, including Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover? and Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places.
Smollin also illustrated several items of Sesame spin-off merchandise, including paper cups, Colorforms playsets, a collectible plate and a toy instrument kit.
Smollin's involvement in Sesame Street illustration tailed off in the mid-80s, although he returned to illustrate two books in the mid-90s -- Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes in 1995, and Another Monster at the End of This Book in 1996, a sequel to the classic storybook that he illustrated 25 years previously.
In addition to his varied Sesame work, Smollin also worked on a Bob and Ray storybook by Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding, a set of joke books based on The Electric Company, and a set of Strawberry Shortcake storybooks. In 1999 and 2000, Smollin collaborated with his son Mark to create a set of Lego activity books published in Europe. This was Smollin's last professional work before he retired.
Books
Big Bird's Blunder Book
(1972)
(1972)
Count with the Count
(1975)
(1975)
Big Bird's Red Book
(1977)
(1977)
The Great Cookie Thief
(1977)
(1977)
Good Night Sesame Street
(1978)
(1978)
Ernie's Bath Book
(1982)
(1982)
Ernie's Rainy Day Book
(1982)
(1982)
In & Out, Up & Down
(1982)
(1982)
Other Sesame illustrations
Sesame Street Magazine
(1973 - 1982)
(1973 - 1982)
Muppet Cuppets
(early 1970s)
(early 1970s)
1975 Knickerbocker toy catalog
Sesame Street Magic Slates
(1976-1981)
(1976-1981)
Match-Ups games
(1977)
(1977)
Collectible plate
(1981)
(1981)
TV Guide cover
March 3-9, 1990
March 3-9, 1990
Sources
- ↑ Children's Television Workshop Newsletter. Number 27, February 1, 1973.
- ↑ "Michael Smollin - Artist Profile", Smollin.com.