Springfield Museums is excited to announce the arrival of the Grinch! Not the green furry curmudgeon whose heart famously increases by three sizes, but the sleek gray Cadillac Ted Geisel drove in California. The car has come to stay in Ted’s hometown and will be on display in the Wood Museum of Springfield History during the Museums’ yearlong Seuss-iversary! You might wonder why the car is called “The Grinch.” Its custom license plate bears the name of the famous character Dr. Seuss created in 1957 with the children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! There is a story to tell about how Geisel got that plate. Cadillac also has connections to the City of Springfield, as the Museums’ remarkable History Museum staff discovered to their delight.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, was born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. He eventually settled in La Jolla, California, where he drove the gray Cadillac that is currently on display at the Wood Museum of Springfield History. The author that revolutionized reading by making it fun was excited to get a custom license plate that read GRINCH but discovered that someone else already had it! Dr. Seuss, the person who created the Grinch, had to wait to get his own character’s name on his license plate! Geisel took it in stride. According to a 1979 Washington Post article, Geisel had to wait “several years for the plate because when they first applied they learned that an ardent Seuss-lover with four children had already put GRINCH on the license plates and both sides of his RV. He finally moved to Iowa City and released GRINCH back to the Geisels, with a note of apology for having hogged it so long.”
“We were amazed by that story,” said Kay Simpson, President and CEO of the Springfield Museums. “And, of course, we loved the connection to our own Dr. Seuss license plate.”
The Springfield Museums is currently working to get the 750 applications needed to get a Cat in the Hat license plate in production. “We are 250 applications short of our goal,” said Emilie Czupryna, Director of Development. “We are offering extra incentives during our Seuss-iversary year, including Love Dr. Seuss lawn flags for all who apply using their credit card. We are truly hopeful this year will see us to our goal, and we will get those plates on the road.” Many folks have been waiting years, just like Dr. Seuss himself! “We are grateful to all applicants who are staying with us. The greatest part about the plate is that it has a potential for bringing $50,000 a year to the Museums in support of our literacy programming,” Czypryna said. She added that many who applied for the plate remarked that they were pleased to get the charming plate plus support the Museums.
The Springfield Museums announced their Dr. Seuss License Plate initiative in 2018. Although they immediately received more than 500 applications, they have hovered at that number losing some and gaining others over the last four years. “We found out that the Celtics took ten years to achieve their goal of a plate,” Czupryna said, “but we are hoping this is our year and we will not have to wait that long.” https://springfieldmuseums.org/seuss-plate/
The Grinch is on view at the Wood Museum of Springfield History beginning November 5. “A little imagination is all it takes to picture Dr. Seuss himself driving this beautiful car,” said Simpson. “We hope many fans will come see this remarkable connection to our hometown hero and visit The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss and the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden.”
Ted Geisel’s Cadillac will to be on view as part of the Museums Grinchmas Celebration through the New Year.
MORE ABOUT SEUSS-IVERSARY
Seuss-iversary recognizes the 5th anniversary of The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, the 20th anniversary of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, and the opening of Ted’s House and Innovation Center (virtual visits only) and decades of Seuss in Springfield.
With Seuss-iversary, the Springfield Museums spotlight the doors reading opens for everyone—and the fun we can have connecting with each other.
Seuss in Springfield is a collaborative effort of the Springfield Museums, The Dr. Seuss Foundation, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises. The Dr. Seuss Foundation is a sponsor of Seuss-iversary.