Identifying the second-stringers from Little Golden Books

Not all of these characters are still superstars in 2026.

Like generations of American children since the 1940s, I grew up with Simon & Schuster's Little Golden Books. I was born in the mid-1970s, so my fondest memories of that venerable, much-loved literary franchise are of the titles released during that specific time period. From about 1973 to 1978, the standard back cover art for Little Golden Books featured a train populated by various licensed characters. Just seeing that familiar, friendly picture brings back a wave of nostalgia for me. I must have spent many accumulated hours studying it in my younger days, and I was glad to see it again on social media earlier today.

Upon closer inspection, though, I have a question: Who the hell are some of these characters?

Sure, there are the superstars I recognized immediately: Bert and Ernie, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Big Bird, Bambi, and Raggedy Ann. But that only accounts for about half of the characters depicted here. Who are the others? 

The mid-1970s back cover artwork for Little Golden Books.

Gustaf Tenggren.

Let's go through them one at a time. As you'll soon see, they all come from the world of children's literature, as opposed to being licensed from TV shows or movies.

• The Little Red Caboose: No, he's not The Little Engine That Could. In fact, he's at the opposite end of the train. The LRC is the title character from a 1953 book by Marian Potter with illustrations by Tibor Gergely. It's the story of a neglected, overlooked caboose that gets the opportunity to be a hero when it prevents a train from sliding down the side of a mountain.

• Scruffy the Tugboat: This was a 1946 book by Gertrude Crampton, again illustrated by Tibor Gergely. It's about a toy tugboat who believes he is destined for bigger things than floating in a bathtub. His life changes dramatically one day when his owners take him to a brook and he gets, as they say, more than he bargained for.

• The Poky Little Puppy: Admittedly, I did remember this one. I should, since this 1942 story by Janette Sebring Lowrey with illustrations by Swedish artist Gustaf Tenggren is the biggest-selling hardcover children's book in American history. The title character is a puppy who lags behind his rambunctious siblings. Ultimately, the puppy's pokiness has both advantages and disadvantages.

• The Lively Little Rabbit: Gustaf Tenggren also illustrated this 1943 story by Adrian Ruskin Batterham about, yes, a lively little rabbit who escapes from and ultimately chases away a predatory weasel with help from his furry and feathered friends.

• The Saggy Baggy Elephant: The prolific Tenggren illustrated this 1947 story by Kathryn and Byron Jackson about Sooki, an elephant who is teased by a parrot and feels insecure about his appearance until he meets others of his kind.

• The Tawny Scrawny Lion: I recognized this character immediately, too. Those eyes are unforgettable. Kathryn Jackson reteamed with Tenggren for this 1952 bestseller about a lion who hunts all the other animals in the jungle but is unsatisfied with his life until he meets a family of rabbits.

• The Fuzzy Duckling: Jane Werner Watson wrote this classic 1949 story brought to life through charming illustrations by Alice and Martin Provensen. It's the tale of a curious duckling who gets (temporarily) separated from his family but meets numerous other animals along the way.

• Tootle: Do you remember Tootle? Created by the same writer and artist behind Scuffy the Tugboat, he was an eager young train engine who had a lot to learn about his profession, including the #1 rule: "Stay on the rails no matter what." Even though Tootle is one of the biggest-selling children's books of all time, the title character has been eclipsed by another talking train engine who debuted at around the same time.

I hope you've enjoyed this refresher course about classic children's books of the 1940s and '50s. I'm sure that, at one time, I knew and loved most of these characters. They've just faded from my brain over the course of a half-century. If nothing else, this article has given me new appreciation for the work of Gustaf Tenggren (1896-1970), a talented illustrator who also labored on such classic Disney films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Pinocchio (1940). Why isn't this guy more famous?