Bert as Gulliver
Gulliver's Travels is a satirical fantasy novel by Jonathan Swift, first published in 1726. Divided into four parts (or voyages), the book follows Englishman Lemuel Gulliver (a scholar, navigator, and sailor) and his strange encounters in previously undocumented lands. These include Lilliput (a land of tiny people), Brobdignag (the inverse, populated by giants), the floating island of Laputa, and an unnamed land populated by brutish humanoids (Yahoos) and talking horses (Houyhnhnms).
While frequently adapted, dramatizations of Gulliver's Travels tended to target children's or family audiences and usually reduced the travels to Lilliput (as with the 1939 Max Fleischer animated feature) and sometimes Brobdignag. The Jim Henson Company produced a TV miniseries version in 1996, aired in two parts and retaining (at least briefly) all of Gulliver's encounters except a side trip to Japan.
Other adaptations include The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (with Ray Harryhausen effects), the Hanna-Barbera series The Adventures of Gulliver, and a loose 2010 comedy version starring Jack Black.
References[]
- The Sesame Street Storytime Calendar 1982 features Bert as Gulliver in Lilliput, with Twiddlebugs as the Lilliputians.
- The 1998 CD-ROM game Grover's Travels starred Grover instead of Gulliver and focused on his stays with the equivalents of the Lilliputians (Twiddlebugs again) and Brobdignagians (Big Bird and Snuffy). During the credits, the Twiddleputian Governor remarks, "Funny, it doesn't look like Ted Danson," referencing the 1996 Jim Henson Company production.
- Big Bird's seagull penpal in Sesame Street Episode 4021 is punningly named Gulliver.
- In the 2002 book What's in Oscar's Trash Can?, Oscar's bookcase contains a copy of Gulliver's Grouches.
Connections[]
- Jack Black played Lemuel Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- Emily Blunt played Princess Mary in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- Billy Connolly played King Theodore in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- James Corden played Jinks in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- Chris O'Dowd played General Edward in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- Jason Segel played Horatio in Gulliver's Travels (2010)
- Meredith Vieira played a Lilliputian in Gulliver's Travels (2010)