The Hundred and One Dalmatians facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Dodie Smith |
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| Original title | The Great Dog Robbery |
| Illustrator | Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
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Publication date
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1956 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 199 |
| OCLC | 1111487296 |
| Followed by | The Starlight Barking (1967) |
The Hundred and One Dalmatians is a famous children's book written by Dodie Smith in 1956. It tells the exciting story of a family of Dalmatian puppies who get kidnapped. The book was first published in a magazine called Woman's Day under the name The Great Dog Robbery. It follows two brave Dalmatians, Pongo and Missis, as they try to save their puppies from a place where fur is made. There's also a sequel, The Starlight Barking, which came out in 1967 and continues the adventure.
Contents
Plot Summary: The Great Puppy Rescue
Pongo and Missis are two Dalmatians living happily with their human owners, Mr. and Mrs. Dearly. The Dearlys also have two nannies, Nanny Cook and Nanny Butler. Mr. Dearly is very good with money and has helped the government. Because of this, he gets to live in a nice house in Regent's Park without paying taxes. The dogs like to think of the humans as their pets, even though the humans believe they are the owners.
One day, while out walking, the Dearlys and their dogs meet Cruella de Vil. She is a very rich woman who loves fur clothes. She even married a furrier, a person who makes fur items. Cruella sees Pongo and Missis and says she wants a coat made from Dalmatian skin.
Later, Missis gives birth to 15 puppies! It's a lot of puppies, so the humans help care for them. Mrs. Dearly finds another tired, liver-spotted Dalmatian in the rain. She names her Perdita, which means "lost." Perdita helps feed the puppies. She tells Pongo about her own lost puppies and her search for them.
Cruella de Vil visits the Dearlys' house again and tries to buy the puppies. The Dearlys refuse to sell them. So, Cruella hires thieves to steal the puppies. The humans can't find them, but the dogs have a secret way to communicate. It's called the "Twilight Barking." Dogs all over the country can send messages to each other.
Through the Twilight Barking, Pongo and Missis learn their puppies are at "Hell Hall." This is the old family home of the de Vil family in Suffolk. Pongo and Missis try to tell their owners the word "Suffolk," but dogs can't make the "S" sound. So, the brave dogs decide to find the puppies themselves. Perdita stays behind to look after the Dearlys.
Pongo and Missis travel across England, getting help from other dogs along the way. They meet an Old English Sheepdog named the Colonel. He shows them Hell Hall. Inside, they find not just their 15 puppies, but 97 puppies in total!
Cruella de Vil arrives at Hell Hall. She tells the Baddun brothers, who are in charge, to quickly prepare the dogs for their fur. Pongo and Missis know they must save all the puppies right away. They escape the night before Christmas Eve. One puppy, Cadpig, is very small and weak. A two-year-old boy named Tommy lends them a toy farm cart. Two puppies pull the cart in shifts, carrying Cadpig.
The Dalmatians almost get caught by travelers. Another dog from the Barking Network helps them. They break into a chimney sweep's shop and roll in soot. This makes them look like black dogs, helping them hide. They travel through fields and hide in a cathedral. Cruella almost catches them on the road. But they hide in an empty removal van with help from a Staffordshire terrier. The van is going back to London.
Once in London, Cruella's Persian cat helps the dogs. The cat has many reasons to dislike Cruella. The Dalmatians then destroy all of Cruella's expensive furs. Finally, the dogs return to the Dearlys' house. Pongo and Missis bark until Mr. Dearly opens the door. All the puppies rush inside and roll on the carpet to clean off the soot. The Dearlys recognize them and celebrate with steaks for everyone.
Mr. Dearly finds a label on the toy cart with Tommy's name and address. This helps him figure out where the puppies had been. The Dearlys also try to find the owners of the other puppies. It turns out those puppies had been bought, not stolen. Perdita's old owner, who didn't care much for her, is happy to sell her to the Dearlys.
Cruella's cat, now without a home, visits the Dearlys. The cat tells them that Cruella's fur business was ruined. Cruella had to leave the country and sell Hell Hall. When the Dearlys visit Suffolk to return Tommy's cart, they realize their house is too small for 97 puppies and three adult Dalmatians. So, Mr. Dearly buys Hell Hall. He plans to start a "dynasty of Dalmatians" there. Finally, Perdita's lost love, Prince, appears. His owners see how much he loves Perdita. They let him stay with the Dearlys, making him their "one hundred and oneth" Dalmatian.
Adaptations
The popular book The Hundred and One Dalmatians has been made into many different movies, TV shows, and stage plays.
Film and TV Shows
Disney turned the novel into an animated film called One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was released in cinemas on January 25, 1961. This movie was very popular and was shown in cinemas four more times over the years. Disney also made a live-action movie version in 1996.
In both the animated and live-action Disney movies, some things are different from the book. For example, there's only one nanny instead of two. Missis and Perdita are combined into one character. Other characters, like many of the other dogs, Prince, Tommy, Cruella's cat, and Cruella's husband, are not in the movies. In the animated film, Pongo and Missis' owners are called "Radcliffe" instead of "Dearly." In the live-action film, Cruella (played by Glenn Close) is a fashion boss. Disney kept the characters Horace and Jasper Baddun in both movies. They are shown as the thieves who steal the puppies. In the book, Horace is named Saul, and they are just caretakers.
Disney also created two animated TV series: 101 Dalmatians: The Series and 101 Dalmatian Street. The first one stars three of the puppies (Lucky, Rolly, and Cadpig). The second one features mostly descendants of Pongo and Perdita. Disney also made sequel movies for their film versions: One Hundred and One Dalmatians II and 102 Dalmatians. In 2021, Disney released a live-action movie called Cruella. This film tells the origin story of Cruella de Vil and how she met Jasper and Horace.
Stage Musicals
The novel has also been adapted for the stage several times.
- Debbie Isitt created a stage version for the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in 2000.
- Bryony Lavery adapted it for the Chichester Youth Theatre in 2014.
- A version was created by Sally Cookson for Tobacco Factory Theatres in 2014.
- A musical opened in Minneapolis in 2009 and then toured the US.
- Another stage musical was planned for the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2020. It was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finally opened in 2022.
Audio Adaptations
In 1996, the BBC made an audio dramatization of Dodie Smith's novel. It featured a full cast of actors, with Patricia Hodge playing Cruella. This audio version is very true to the book and includes all the characters. However, some events are slightly changed. For example, Cruella's husband argues with her more than in the book. Also, the Dearlys never find out Cruella was behind the puppy theft. Amazon Audible later released this production as an audiobook.
