Life in Busytown

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Richard Scarry was born in Boston Massachusetts on June 5, 1919. Scarry is best known for his whimsical characters like Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Hilda Hippo, Mr. Frumble, and Mr. Fixit, who all live in the fictional community of Busytown. Scarry was a skilled illustrator and author who had a knack for making his animal characters come to life by giving them human characteristics. His use of anthropomorphism made his characters more endearing to his audience.

When he was a child Scarry’s parents ran a small chain of department stores in Boston. After completing high school, he attended the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts from 1939 to 1942, where he learned how to draw. 

In 1943 Scarry was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in World War II. Scarry was stationed at the Allied Headquarters in Algiers. He was assigned to a unit that was tasked with bolstering soldiers’ morale and entertaining the troops. He was told to “tell the troops why they are fighting and send them news from home.” To do his job better Scarry requested that a copy of Time Magazine be delivered each week to his office in Algiers. He would read the news and craft a newsletter to the troops that included maps and posters he drew. This was Scarry’s first practice in communicating to people through his drawings.

After the war, Scarry moved to New York to pursue a career as a commercial artist. He was encouraged to try illustrating children’s books and was sent to Western Publishing company which was working on a new line of children’s books called Little Golden Books.

In 1949, Scarry illustrated his first book, “Two Little Miners,” written by Margaret Wise Brown. While living in New York, Scarry met his wife Patricia Murphy, who was a writer. Scarry found his first success in 1963 with the book "Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever." Scarry published more than 250 books that sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.

A animated television show based on the characters from Scarry's books ran from 1994-1998. The show was called the "Busy World of Richard Scarry."

In the early 1980's Scarry's eyesight began to worsen as he suffered from the effects of macular degeneration. On April 4, 1994 Richard Scarry passed away after a heart attack likely caused by complications caused by esophageal cancer.  

Since his passing Scarry's wonderful and imaginative characters have continued to brighten the words of so many inquisitive children. The Alachua County Library District has put together a selection of his works for you to discover and enjoy.