NEW YORK, NY.- This spring, the New-York Historical Society celebrates Mo Willems’ beloved children’s book characters, including The Pigeon, who is bus-obsessed; comedy duo Elephant and Piggie; and famed Brooklynites Trixie and Knuffle Bunny. On view March 18 through September 25, 2016, The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems follows a multifaceted journey across a career that started on Sesame Street and led to award-winning books like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2003). Organized by The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, and recently on view at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA, the New-York Historical Society’s unique presentation of the exhibition highlights particular elements of Willems’ life and career in New York to show how the city influenced the creation of his iconic characters.

“Mo Willems’ work boldly and artfully melds the humor and wonder of youth with a complex understanding of the human experience, so it speaks to readers of all ages,” said Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. “The Art and Whimsy of Mo Willems reveals how Willems’ personal experiences in New York inspired his writing. We look forward to celebrating both his work and the city as artistic muse.”

The exhibition brings together approximately 90 works from some of Willems’ most popular series, as well as selections from stand-alone classics such as Leonardo the Terrible Monster (2005) and That Is NOT a Good Idea! (2013), featuring original art, preliminary sketches, animation cels, and sculptures. The exhibition presents Willems’ inspiration, unique process, artwork, and characters in an immersive and child-friendly space, featuring an imaginative New York cityscape on the gallery walls, two reading areas with copies of his books for browsing or special reading events, and a family audio guide narrated by Willems.

Exhibition highlights include:

· Animation cels and sketches from Willems’ early projects, including a student film created at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as professional work for Sesame Street, Sheep in the Big City, and other television shows

· “Walking the Williamsburg Bridge to Work,” a graphic short story in which Willems narrates his personal experience of 9/11

· A video about Willems’ process of creating memorable characters like The Pigeon, Elephant and Piggie, Cat the Cat, and Knuffle Bunny, alongside preliminary sketches, pitch copies, dummy books, and production workflow charts as well as final drawings and published illustrations

· An early dummy book of Knuffle Bunny, depicting the stuffed animal as a bear, not a bunny

· Wire sculptures and other personal work

· Works that creatively address the emotional lives of his characters—and, by extension, his young readers—such as the importance of self-exploration and personal expression in Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed (2009) and kindness in the face of opposition in Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct (2006)

· Illustrations from The Thank You Book, the finale to the Elephant and Piggie series, due to appear in June 2016