Peck's Bad Boy facts for kids
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Henry "Hennery" Peck, also known as Peck's Bad Boy, is a well-known character from stories. He was created by George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916). Hennery first appeared in a book called Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa in 1883.
Since then, the Bad Boy has been in many books, plays, and movies. Hennery is known for being a very mischievous prankster. He loves to play tricks on people! Because of his famous pranks, the phrase "Peck's bad boy" is now used to describe anyone who causes annoyance or embarrassment with their playful, sometimes naughty, behavior.
The idea for Hennery came from a real person named Edward James Watson. He was a telegraph messenger boy whom George Wilbur Peck met in the early 1880s. It seems that Edward Watson even helped Peck come up with many of the stories! Peck himself wrote a letter to Watson, saying he was "my friend E. J. Watson, who, as a boy, gave me the first idea that culminated in the Peck's Bad Boy Series."
Hennery's Adventures in Books
Hennery Peck's stories were first popular in books. Here are some of the books where you can read about his adventures:
- Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa (1883)
- The Grocery Man and Peck's Bad Boy (1883)
- Peck's Bad Boy Abroad (1905)
- The Adventures of Peck's Bad Boy (1906)
- Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1906)
- Peck's Bad Boy with the Cowboys (1908)
Hennery on Screen: Movies and Films
Hennery's popularity grew so much that his stories were made into movies! Here are some of the films featuring Peck's Bad Boy:
- The Bad Boy and the Groceryman (1905)
- Peck's Bad Boy (1908)
- Peck's Bad Boy (1921)
- Peck's Bad Boy (1934)
- Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus (1938)
- A part of the stage play Peck's Bad Boy was even shown in the 1942 movie Yankee Doodle Dandy. In that scene, Douglas Croft played a young George M. Cohan in the main role.
Hennery on Stage: Plays
Before movies, plays were a popular way to tell stories. Hennery Peck also had his own stage play:
- Peck's Bad Boy (1884) by Charles Felton Pidgin
