Puff, the Magic Dragon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Puff, the Magic Dragon" |
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| Single by Peter, Paul and Mary | ||||
| from the album Moving | ||||
| B-side | "Pretty Mary" | |||
| Released | January 1963 | |||
| Recorded | 1962 | |||
| Genre | Pop, folk | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Leonard Lipton Peter Yarrow |
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| Producer(s) | Albert Grossman | |||
| Peter, Paul and Mary singles chronology | ||||
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"Puff, the Magic Dragon" (or just "Puff") is a famous song. It was written by Peter Yarrow from the music group Peter, Paul and Mary. The words came from a poem by Leonard Lipton. Peter, Paul and Mary made the song very popular with their recording in 1962. It was released in January 1963.
Leonard Lipton wrote a poem about a dragon in 1959. When Peter Yarrow found the poem, he wrote the song's lyrics based on it. After the song became popular, Yarrow looked for Lipton. He wanted to make sure Lipton got credit for his part in creating the song.
Contents
Song Lyrics and Story
The words for "Puff, the Magic Dragon" come from a poem written in 1959. The poet was Leonard Lipton, who was 19 years old and studying at Cornell University. Lipton was inspired by another poem called "Custard the Dragon" by Ogden Nash. That poem was about a "realio, trulio little pet dragon."
The song tells a story about an old dragon named Puff. His best friend is a little boy named Jackie Paper. They have many fun, imaginary adventures together. But as Jackie grows up, he starts to lose interest in these childhood games. He leaves Puff alone. The song's story happens "by the sea" in a make-believe place called "Honalee."
Lipton was friends with Peter Yarrow's housemate when they were all students. He used Yarrow's typewriter to write down his poem. He then forgot about it for many years. Later, a friend told him that Yarrow was looking for him. Yarrow wanted to give Lipton credit for the lyrics. When they finally met, Yarrow gave Lipton half of the songwriting credit. Lipton still earns money from the song today.
Peter Yarrow now sings one line a little differently. He used to sing, "A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys." Now he sings, "A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys." He changed it to be fair to both boys and girls. The original poem also had a part that was not put into the song. In that part, Puff found another child to play with after returning. Neither Yarrow nor Lipton remembers this part well. The paper it was written on was lost a long time ago.
Popular Recordings and Chart Success
In 1961, Peter Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. They formed the group Peter, Paul and Mary. The group started singing "Puff the Magic Dragon" in their live shows. They recorded it in 1962. Their recording became very popular.
The song entered the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on March 30, 1963. It reached number two, meaning it was almost the top song in the country! Another song, "I Will Follow Him" by Little Peggy March, kept it from reaching number one. "Puff the Magic Dragon" did reach number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts. It also made it to number ten on Billboard's R&B chart. In Canada, the song reached number four in April 1963.
Weekly Charts
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Year-end Charts
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Other Versions and Stories
The song "Puff the Magic Dragon" has been adapted into many different forms.
- Animated TV Specials: In 1978, an animated TV special called Puff the Magic Dragon was made based on the song. Two more specials followed: Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies and Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody. In all three shows, the famous actor Burgess Meredith was the voice of Puff. In 2016, it was announced that a new live-action and animated movie based on the song would be made.
- Children's Play: The song was also turned into a children's play (pantomime). It was performed in Sydney, Australia, in 1983.
- Picture Books: In 1979, a picture book version of the song was published. It used pictures from the animated TV special. This book was dedicated to Peter, Paul, and Mary. It also included the words and music for other songs from the TV special. In 2007, a new book version of the song's lyrics came out. It was written by Yarrow and Lipton, with pictures by Eric Puybaret. This book gives the story a happier ending. In the pictures, a young girl (who might be Jackie Paper's daughter) finds Puff and becomes his new friend. The song's words stay the same, but the pictures show the new ending. On the very last page, an older Jackie Paper introduces the girl to Puff.
- Jazz Music: In 2007, jazz pianist Jason Rebello released an album called Jazz Rainbow. It included a jazz version of "Puff, the Magic Dragon."
A Military Nickname
During the Vietnam War, a type of military airplane called the AC-47 Spooky gunship was given a special nickname. Because of its powerful weapons, American troops started calling it the "Dragon" or "Dragon ship." Soon, many soldiers began to call the AC-47 "Puff the Magic Dragon." This nickname came from the popular song.
See also
In Spanish: Puff, the Magic Dragon para niños
