Yertle the King Turtle is a character from the Dr. Seuss book Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. He is also the main antagonist in the first season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss and a recurring protagonist in the second season. He is the boss of Uncle Norton, Jane Kangaroo, and the Wickershams, as well, in Episode 118: Horton Has a Hit, where he is the former secondary antagonist.
Biography[]
Yertle was once the king of a pond on a far-away island of Sala-ma-sond. The pond he ruled over had everything the other number of turtles needed, such as food and warm water. The turtles were very happy until Yertle became ungrateful about the throne he sits on due to it being low, and he thought that if he could make it higher, he would be a great ruler of all he can see, so he called the number turtles from one to nine, who serve him to attention. One of the turtles below on the very bottom was named Mack the Turtle, and he disapproves of the Yertle's rule. Yertle proclaims that he is now the king of a cow, a mule, a house, a blueberry bush, and a cat.
Mack begs Yertle to stop this due to the pain he is suffering from all the turtles on him and Yertle on top. Yertle isn't convinced and immediately tells him to shut up and downs him on what a lousy turtle he is for that, and as he continues lamenting on what a king of what he sees, he then creates a challenge for himself and calls over the number turtles from 10 to 209, who trembled in fear on King Yertle's command but had no choice but to come and climb on the stack of nine turtles, which makes it two hundred and nine turtles altogether.
King Yertle again brags about what a great king of all he sees, such as trees, birds, bees, butterflies, and the high fresh air. Mack again complains and begs insanity that he and the others are feeling great pain and that his and the others' shells are cracking. They need food and want to get back down once more, but Yertle again goes off on him, telling him to hush up and that Mack has no right to talk to him, and again brags that he is the king of all he sees.
As he goes off on Mack, he then notices in the clouds that the moon of the evening tonight was rising into the sky, and Yertle becomes confused as to what the moon is that dares to be higher than him. He said that he wouldn't allow it to happen, and he proclaimed that he would call five thousand, six hundred and seven more turtles so that he could be higher than the moon; however, that would be impossible for him to do. Mack gets angry and declares this thing about being a king of all to be over with, so Mack started to burp, and it shook the turtle-made throne. Yertle falls from the top of the throne and into the pond; as he gets up, his face is covered in mud, and Mack becomes the new ruler of the pond in the end.
Behind the Scenes[]
He was allegedly based on Adolf Hitler. He is also the main antagonist in the first season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss and a recurring protagonist in the second season. In the Seussical TV special, he was voiced by Ernie Sabella.
Appearances[]
- Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
- The Tortoise King
- In Search of Dr. Seuss
- The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss
Gallery[]
