“Boids and Beasties” was a feature that Dr. Seuss developed for “Judge” magazine in 1927. The first critters to appear were turtles, followed closely by elephants and, after a few weeks, by this “drunken whale.” The pairing of Ted’s animals with an intoxicated expression had begun. As Ted’s grandfather and father had been master brewers, it was a natural connection for him, which was intensified by Prohibition and the abrupt end, when Ted was only 16, of the 44-year run of the Geisel family brewery. In his April 6, 1959 LIFE magazine interview, “The Wacky World of Dr. Seuss,” Ted admitted: “My animals all have a way of looking somewhat drunk.” By this time, Ted’s fanciful meandering loopy-ness had become the distinguishing characteristic for all creatures Seussian.
