Sweet Pickles

A Sweet Pickles book

Sweet Pickles is a series of 40 children's books by Ruth Lerner Perle, Jacquelyn Reinach, and Richard Hefter and published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston, having sold over 50 million copies.^[1] The books are set in the fictional town of Sweet Pickles and are about anthropomorphic animals with different personalities and behavior. There are 26 animals—one for each letter of the alphabet. The books were published in 1977 and went out of print in the mid-1990s. The authors also created Stickybear and the Strawberry Library.

The series' name is a pun; in each book, the main character gets into a "pickle" (a difficult situation) because of an all-too human personality trait. The front endpapers of the books portrayed the 26 characters, and the back endpapers portrayed a map of the town.

The books were advertised with television commercials and a catchy jingle. There also existed a similar series, The Alphapets, on which Ruth Lerner Perle collaborated in the early 1990s. Some speculate that the reason the series was retired was because despite that it was an alphabet series with one book for each letter of the alphabet, the books did not teach the alphabet like the alphabet series of today which feature words throughout the story beginning with the respective letter.

The Sweet Pickles books were read in various episodes of the CBS television series Captain Kangaroo.

In 2012, the brand celebrated its 35th anniversary and the books are being re-released as digitally enhanced E-Books. Professional sound effects, narration and character voices performed by award-winning voice actors have been added to the books to create a fun and engaging reading experience for the whole family. The first 26 Books (A-Z) will be available at all major E-Retailers by Summer 2012. The E-Books were developed by Bento Box Interactive. Bento Box Interactive is a spin-off company of Bento Box Entertainment. ^[2]^[3]

Characters

These people living in the town of Sweet Pickles are 26 animals, with their names beginning with each letter of the alphabet.

Accusing Alligator
Gender: Female
Manager of the Tower Apartments. Always blaming everyone for things.
Bashful Bear
Gender: Male
Quiet and shy
Clever Camel
Gender: Female
Owns the town's Fix-It shop. She is known for being able to fix anything.
Doubtful Dog
Gender: Male
Doubts anything and everything, including himself.
Enormous Elephant
Gender: Female
Owner of the town's supermarket. Tends to overeat.
Fearless Fish
Gender: Female
She is a town daredevil, known for her motorcycle and her special helmet.
Goof-off Goose
Gender: Female
Always putting off her chores for later.
Healthy Hippo
Gender: Male
The town's physician, known for his health tips.
Imitating Iguana
Gender: Female
She always tries to imitate everyone else.
Jealous Jackal
Gender: Male
Is always wanting everything that everyone else has.
Kidding Kangaroo
Gender: Male
The town's practical joker, tends to annoy everyone with his joking.
Loving Lion
Gender: Male
Loves everyone in town, or tries to.
Moody Moose
Gender: Male
Very emotional, smiling one minute, crying the next.
Nasty Nightingale
Gender: Female
Always doing nasty or hurtful things to everyone in town.
Outraged Octopus
Gender: Female
Very outspoken, and not afraid to put a stop to bad things in town.
Positive Pig
Gender: Female
Always believes that no matter what happens, it's all for the best.
Questioning Quail
Gender: Female
She is very indecisive, and is never able to make up her mind.
Responsible Rabbit
Gender: Male
The town's banker, who never seems to deviate from his constantly busy schedule.
Smarty Stork
Gender: Male
The town's postmaster who seems to have an answer to every question.
Temper Tantrum Turtle
Gender: Female
Throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her own way.
Unique Unicorn
Gender: Female
The oldest citizen in town who is not too old for having fun. Her often used catch-phrase is "Things aren't what they used to be."
Vain Vulture
Gender: Male
Always looking at his reflection and thinks he's good looking.
Worried Walrus
Gender: Male
Worries about absolutely everything, no matter how innocuous.
X-Rating Xerus
Gender: Female
She writes signs and doesn't allow anything. She has a stamp in one hand, and a pencil in the other.^[4]
Yakety Yak
Gender: Male
The town's taxi driver who is always chattering and talking.
Zany Zebra
Gender: Male
Known for his unorthodox behavior, and isn't afraid to be different.

Books in the series

Sweet Pickles is a fictional town with animal residents, whose misadventures impart basic values, ethics and social skills to children. A variety of techniques are employed in the series, such as comedy, music, story-telling, and active play. There was one book for each of the 26 Sweet Pickles characters, each representing a letter of the alphabet:

Who Stole Alligator's Shoe?: Accusing Alligator blames everything and everybody for anything that happens. She's not nice, and she's as mean as Nightingale.
Scaredy Bear: Bashful Bear is so shy he is afraid to try almost everything. He is known as scaredy bear. Too scared to see horror movies.
Fixed by Camel: Clever Camel is very practical and she can fix anything, including Kidding Kangaroo.
No Kicks for Dog: Doubtful Dog doubts anything and everything, including himself.
Elephant Eats the Profits: Enormous Elephant loves to eat and eat and eat and eat.
Fish and Flips: Fearless Fish careens around town on her motorcycle wearing her special helmet and tries to prove how fearless she is.
Goose Goofs Off: Goof-off Goose is a procrastinator. She is always putting things off.
Hippo Jogs for Health: Healthy Hippo always has the latest and greatest answer for keeping fit. This week it's jogging.
Me Too Iguana: Imitating Iguana doesn't see how unique she is, and wants to be just like everybody else.
Jackal Wants Everything: Jealous Jackal is convinced that everyone else is better off than he is.
Who Can Trust You, Kangaroo?: Kidding Kangaroo does not know when to stop joking, clearly annoying all he sees.
Lion Is Down in the Dumps: Loving Lion would like to love everybody all of the time.
Moody Moose Buttons: Moody Moose constantly changes his mood.
Nuts to Nightingale: Nasty Nightingale is so mean that she upsets and hurts everyone she meets. She make everyone cry.
Octopus Protests: Outraged Octopus is not afraid to say “No!” when she sees bad things go on around town.
Pig Thinks Pink: Positive Pig is absolutely sure that no matter what happens, she believes it is all for the best.
Quail Can't Decide: Questioning Quail can not make up her mind.
Rest, Rabbit, Rest: Responsible Rabbit is so busy that he never takes time to relax.
Stork Spills the Beans: Smarty Stork has answers for every question, including who delivers babies.
Turtle Throws a Tantrum: Temper Tantrum Turtle will do almost anything to get her own way.
Happy Birthday, Unicorn: Unique Unicorn may be the oldest citizen in town, but she is not too old for fun.
Kiss Me, I'm Vulture: Vain Vulture is self-centered and thinks he is better than everyone else.
Very Worried Walrus: Worried Walrus worries a lot—especially about riding a bicycle.
Xerus Won't Allow It: X-Rating Xerus thinks that telling people what is not allowed will solve all problems, but she understands that isn't always the case.
Yakety Yak Yak Yak: Yakety Yak always talks and never listens.
Zip Goes Zebra: Zany Zebra is not afraid to be different, which really annoys Alligator, Dog, and Kangaroo.

A poster and a plastic book case (which included a personalized decal set) was included with the subscription.

Additional Weekly Reader books

There were also 14 additional Weekly Reader books:

A Bad Break
The Grand Prize
The Great Race
Ice Cream Dreams
Quick Munch Lunch
Rainy Day Parade
Robot S.P.3
The Secret Club
Some Friend
Wait! Wait! Wait!
Wet All Over
Wet Paint
What A Mess
What's So Great About Nice?

Avon Books and products

Splashes and Bubbles and Foam and Other Soapy Things (AKA Avon Presents: All About Body Care, a Fun Book and Record)
Curls and Bangs and Tangles and Other Hairy Things (AKA Avon Presents: All About Hair Care, a Fun Book and Record)
Smiles and Grins and Giggles and Other Toothy Things (AKA Avon Presents: All About Tooth Care, a Fun Book and Record)
Avon Pick a Pack of Sweet Pickles Puzzles (a pack of puzzles)
Avon Accusing Alligator Bubble Bath
Avon Loving Lion Non-Tear Shampoo
Avon Outraged Octopus Toothbrush Holder and 2 Toothbrushes
Avon Zany Zebra Hairbrush
Avon Fearless Fish Face Mask and Face Soap
Avon Yakety Yak Taxi Cab Sponge and Bar of Soap

Advertising jingle

Sweet Pickles books were advertised on television as a subscription-type sale format. The ads' jingle was played at least twice during the commercial.

Smart moms know

How kids' minds grow

Upon Sweet Pickles

External links

YouTube: Sweet Pickles Bus commercial

Notes

↑ Weisman, Jon , "Variety", May 2, 2011, accessed June 17, 2011
↑ http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/11/4553680/classic-sweet-pickles-books-now.html
↑ http://technorati.com/entertainment/article/welcome-back-to-the-town-of/
↑ Xerus is a genus of African ground squirrel, often used to supply an animal beginning with "X".