View source for Puff, the Magic Dragon

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{short description|1963 song by Peter, Paul and Mary}}
{{About|the song|other uses|Puff the Magic Dragon (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{cs1 config |name-list-style=amp |mode=cs1}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Puff, the Magic Dragon
| cover      = PuffTheMagicDragon.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Peter, Paul and Mary]]
| album      = '''[[Moving (Peter, Paul and Mary album)|Moving]]'''
| B-side     = "Pretty Mary"
| released   = January 1963
| recorded   = 1962
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = Pop, [[Folk music|folk]], [[Children's music]]
| length     = 3:20
| label      = [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
| writer     = [[Lenny Lipton|Leonard Lipton]]<br />[[Peter Yarrow]]
| producer   = [[Albert Grossman]]
| prev_title = [[If I Had a Hammer]]
| prev_year  = 1962
| next_title = [[500 Miles]]
| next_year  = 1963
}}

"'''Puff, the Magic Dragon'''" (or just "'''Puff'''") is an American folk song written by [[Peter Yarrow]] of [[Peter, Paul and Mary]] from a poem by [[Lenny Lipton|Leonard Lipton]]. It was made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1962 recording released in January 1963.

Lipton wrote a poem about a dragon in 1959,<ref name="Lipton">{{cite web |url = http://www.lennylipton.com/ |title = Lenny Lipton |first = Lenny |last = Lipton |website = Lennylipton |access-date = December 7, 2011 }}</ref> and, when Yarrow found it, he wrote the lyrics to "Puff" based on the poem. After the song was released, Yarrow searched for Lipton to give him credit for the song.<ref>{{SongFacts detail|1276|Puff The Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary|May 31, 2017}}</ref>

==Lyrics==
The lyrics for "Puff, the Magic Dragon" are based on a 1959 poem by Leonard Lipton, then a 19-year-old [[Cornell University]] student.<ref name="Lipton"/> Lipton drew inspiration from [[Ogden Nash]]'s poem "[[The Tale of Custard the Dragon]]".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/Custard.html |first = Ogden |last = Nash |title = The Tale of Custard the Dragon |publisher = Harvard |access-date = December 7, 2011 |archive-date = December 1, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111201160857/http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/Custard.html |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=songfacts/><ref>{{cite book |title = Behind the Hits |first1 = Bob |last1 = Shannon |first2 = John |last2 = Javna |publisher = Warner Books |year = 1986 |isbn = 978-0446389372 }}</ref> 
The song tells the story of an immortal [[dragon]] named Puff and his playmate, Jackie Paper, as they embark on adventures in the [[fictional county]] of Honalee. As time passes, Jackie matures and abandons his childhood games, leaving Puff sad and alone.

Lipton, who was acquainted with Peter Yarrow through a mutual friend at Cornell, used Yarrow's typewriter to commit his poem to paper. He forgot about it until years later, when a friend informed him that Yarrow was seeking him to properly credit him for the lyrics. Upon reconnecting, Yarrow shared half of the songwriting credit with Lipton, who received royalties for the song until his death in 2022. Yarrow later died in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://people.com/peter-yarrow-dead-age-86-bladder-cancer-8770615 |title = Peter Yarrow, Grammy-Winning Musician of Peter, Paul and Mary Fame, Dies at 86 |first = Rachel |last = DeSantis |publisher = People |date = January 7, 2025 |accessdate = January 7, 2025 }}</ref>

In later performances, Yarrow changed the line "A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys" to the more inclusive "A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys".<ref>{{cite web |url = https://seobrien.com/puff-magic-dragon-marijuana-references-song-lyrics |title = Puff the Magic Dragon – Marijuana References in the Song Lyrics |date = May 21, 2000 |access-date = April 14, 2020 }}</ref> The original poem included a stanza about Puff finding a new playmate, but this was not incorporated into the song.<ref name=songfacts>{{cite web |url = https://www.songfacts.com/facts/peter-paul-and-mary/puff-the-magic-dragon |title = Puff The Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary |website = Songfacts |access-date = March 12, 2019 }}</ref>

==Reception==
''[[Cash Box]]'' described it as "a charming folk tune, about a magic dragon, right-up-the-vocal-alley of the remarkably successful folksters."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine |title = CashBox Record Reviews |date = March 9, 1963 |page = 50 |access-date = January 12, 2022 |url = https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1963/CB-1963-03-09.pdf |magazine = Cash Box }}</ref>

==Speculation about drug references==
After the song's initial success, speculation arose—as early as a 1964 article in ''[[Newsweek]]''—that the song contained veiled references to smoking [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.asp |title = Puff the Magic Dragon and Marijuana |date = January 19, 2001 |work = Snopes |access-date = December 7, 2011 }}</ref>  The word "paper" in the name of Puff's human friend Jackie Paper was said to be a reference to [[rolling paper]]s, the words "by the sea" were interpreted as "by the C" (as in [[cannabis]]), the word "mist" stood for "smoke", the land of "Honahlee" stood for [[hashish]], and "dragon" was interpreted as "draggin'" (i.e., inhaling smoke). Similarly, the name "Puff" was alleged to be a reference to taking a "puff" on a joint. The supposition was claimed to be common knowledge in a letter by a member of the public to ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/11/opinion/l-magic-dragon-s-not-so-innocuous-puff-002871.html |title = Magic Dragon's Not-So-Innocuous Puff |newspaper = The New York Times |date = October 11, 1984 |access-date = December 7, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0946534/bio |title = Peter Yarrow - Biography |work = Internet Movie Database |access-date = February 26, 2019 }}</ref>

The authors of the song repeatedly rejected this interpretation and have strongly and consistently denied that they intended any references to [[Psychoactive drug|drug use]].<ref>{{Citation |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSSYD1071420080306 |title = Just A Minute With: Peter Yarrow |date = March 6, 2008 |publisher = Reuters }}</ref>  Both Lipton and Yarrow had stated, "'Puff, the Magic Dragon' is not about drugs."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/the-real-meaning-of-puff-the-magic-dragon |title = How 'Puff The Magic Dragon' Came To Be |work = Great Big Story |access-date = April 20, 2017 }}</ref> Yarrow frequently explained that the song is about the hardships of growing older and has no relationship to drug-taking.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/puff.htm |title = Puff the Magic Dragon and Marijuana |website = Snopes |date = September 14, 2016 |access-date = September 27, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |first = Phil |last = Konstantin |author-link = Phil Konstantin |url = http://americanindian.net/kusi/video/yarrow.flv |type = interview |publisher = American Indian |title = Kusi TV }}</ref> He also said that the song has "never had any meaning other than the obvious one" and is about the "loss of innocence in children."<ref>{{Citation |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OiOlnoyljk |contribution = Puff the magic dragon |type = live |title = YouTube }}</ref> He dismissed the suggestion of it being associated with drugs as "sloppy research".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/puff-still-not-a-drug-song/Content?oid=2169725 |title = Puff: Still Not a Drug Song |work = Chronogram }}</ref>

In 1973, Peter Yarrow's bandmate, [[Paul Stookey]] of Peter, Paul and Mary, also defended the song's innocence in a novel way. He recorded a version of the song at the [[Sydney Opera House]] in March 1973 where he set up a [[Mock trial|fictitious trial scene]].<ref>Released in 1977 on the album "Real to Reel" and distributed by [[Sparrow Records]]</ref> The prosecutor of the trial claimed the song was about marijuana, but Puff and Jackie protested. The judge finally left the case to the "jury" (the Opera House audience) and said if they would sing along, the song would be acquitted. The audience joined in with Stookey and at the end of their sing-along, the judge declared the "case dismissed."<ref>{{cite AV media  | people = Noel Paul Stookey  | date = 1977 | title = Reel to Reel | at = track 4, Puff the Magic Dragon | medium = Audio recording | language = en  | url = http://www.noelpaulstookey.com/03.html  | publisher = Neworld Media }}</ref>

Up to his death in January 2025, Yarrow maintained that the song did not reference marijuana.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/entertainment/peter-yarrow-dies-at-86/index.html |title = Peter Yarrow of folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies at 86 |agency = Associated Press |publisher = CNN |date = January 7, 2025 |access-date = January 7, 2025 }}</ref>

==Notable recordings and chart performance==
In 1961, Peter Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and [[Mary Travers (singer)|Mary Travers]] to form [[Peter, Paul and Mary]]. The group incorporated the song into their live performances before recording it in 1962. The trio's 1962 recording of "Puff the Magic Dragon" entered the top 40 of the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] charts on March 30, 1963, and peaked at number two, kept out of the top spot by "[[I Will Follow Him]]" by [[Peggy March|Little Peggy March]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |url = https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 |title = Top 100 Songs &#124; Billboard Hot 100 Chart |magazine = Billboard }}</ref> It topped Billboard's [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary charts]].<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Whitburn |first1 = Joel |title = The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits |date = 2004 |publisher = Billboard Books |location = New York |isbn = 0-8230-7499-4 |page = 488 |edition = 8th }}</ref> It also reached number ten on Billboard's R&B chart.<ref>{{cite book |title = Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004 |last = Whitburn |first = Joel |author-link = Joel Whitburn |year = 2004 |publisher = Record Research |page = 458 }}</ref> In Canada, the song reached number five in April 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1985&Itemid=52 |title = CANAda's (TED KENNEDY) WEEKLY SINGLES CHART FROM 1963 - hitsofalldecades.com |website = hitsofalldecades.com |access-date = January 17, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181017082223/http://hitsofalldecades.com/chart_hits/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1985&Itemid=52 |archive-date = October 17, 2018 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (1963)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia 
| style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
|Canada ([[CHUM Chart]])<ref>{{cite web |url = http://chumtribute.com/63-04-22-chart.jpg |title = CHUM Hit Parade - April 22, 1963 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|New Zealand (''Lever Hit Parade'')<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search+lever&qsongid=684#n_view_location |title = flavour of new zealand - search lever |website = Flavourofnz.co.nz |access-date = April 26, 2021 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Middle-Road Singles]]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
|U.S. [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/60s_files/19630511.html |title = Cash Box Top 100 5/11/63 |website = Cashboxmagazine.com |access-date = April 26, 2021 }}</ref>
|align="center"|2
|-
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1963)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1963.htm |title = Top 100 Hits of 1963/Top 100 Songs of 1963 |website = Musicoutfitters.com |access-date = April 26, 2021 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|16
|-
|U.S. Easy Listening<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.musicvf.com/top_ac_songs_of_1963 |title = Top Adult Contemporary Songs of 1963 • Music VF, US & UK hits charts |website = Musicvf.com |access-date = April 26, 2021 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|19
|-
|U.S. ''Cash Box''<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1963YESP.html |title = Cash Box YE Singles (Pop) 1963 |website = Tropicalglen.com |access-date = April 26, 2021 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|24
|-
|}
{{col-end}}

== Notable cover versions ==
During the autumn of 1966, Swedish pop band Fabulous Four, which included [[Lalla Hansson]] recorded the song; the session was produced by keyboardist [[Benny Andersson]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title = Puff the Magic Dragon / Fabulous Four |url = https://smdb.kb.se/catalog/id/001461920 |access-date = December 1, 2022 |publisher = [[Svensk mediedatabas]] }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/5086583-Fabulous-Four-Fabulous-Four-1965-68 |title=Fabulous Four – Fabulous Four, 1965-68! |date=1984 |last=Persson |first=Lennart |type=LP |language=sv |publisher=CSP Records |author-link= |pages=1 |id=CLP 5003}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2022}} later of [[ABBA]] fame.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Palm |first = Carl Magnus |title = Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA |publisher = [[Omnibus Press|Omnibuss]] |year = 2001 |isbn = 978-0-7119-8389-2 |location = London |pages = 86–87 }}</ref> Released as a single in November of that year, it was the group's first release on [[independent record label]] Hep House, started by Andersson's band [[Hep Stars]], following Fabulous Four's departure from [[Fontana Records]].<ref name=":1" />{{better source needed|date=December 2022}} The single, backed by a cover of [[Woody Guthrie]]'s "[[This Land Is Your Land]]",<ref name=":0" /> became a hit. It debuted at number one on ''[[Tio i Topp]]'' on November 26, 1966, staying there for three consecutive weeks before being replaced by [[Donovan]]'s "[[Mellow Yellow]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last1 = Hallberg |first1 = Eric |title = Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961–74 |last2 = Henningsson |first2 = Ulf |publisher = Premium Publishing |year = 2012 |edition = 2nd |pages = 452–453 |isbn = 978-91-89136-89-2 }}</ref> On sales chart [[Kvällstoppen]], the single reached number three on December 20, 1966.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Hallberg |first = Eric |title = Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P3: Sveriges Radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor |publisher = Drift Musik |year = 1993 |isbn = 9163021404 |location =  |pages = 325 }}</ref>

==Adaptations==
A 1978 animated television special, ''[[Puff the Magic Dragon (TV special)|Puff the Magic Dragon]]'', adapted the song. It was followed by two sequels, ''[[Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies]]'' and ''[[Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody]]''. In all three films, [[Burgess Meredith]] voiced Puff. In September 1979,  a picture-book based on the animated feature, written by [[Romeo Muller]], known for his contributions to the [[Rankin-Bass]] holiday TV specials, was published by Avon Books.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The New York Times | date=September 16, 1979 | title=Display Ad: Children love what Camelot has | id={{ProQuest|120730663}}}}</ref> In December 2016, it was announced that [[20th Century Animation|Fox Animation]] would produce a live-action/animation film based on the song with [[Mike Mitchell (director)|Mike Mitchell]] as director.<ref>{{cite magazine |url = https://deadline.com/2016/12/puff-the-magic-dragon-movie-trolls-director-mike-mitchell-fox-animation-1201865404/ |title = Peter, Paul & Mary Tune 'Puff The Magic Dragon' In Fox Deal With 'Troll's Helmer Mike Mitchell |first = Mike Jr. |last = Fleming |magazine = Deadline |access-date = December 9, 2016 }}</ref> As of November 2020, the progress of this project had no updates, leading some fans to conclude that it has been quietly canceled.<ref>{{Cite web |date = November 14, 2020 |title = Puff The Magic Dragon Updates: Is The Animated Adventure Still Coming? |url = https://screenrant.com/puff-magic-dragon-movie-updates-release-date-story/ |access-date = July 24, 2022 |website = ScreenRant |language = en-US }}</ref> 

The song was adapted for a children's pantomime, which played at Sydney's [[Seymour Centre]] in 1983.<ref>{{Citation |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19830821&id=x4ZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2949,7111984 |title = What's On For the School Hols [sic] |newspaper = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] }}</ref>

A 2007 book adaptation of the song's lyrics by Yarrow, Lipton, and illustrator [[Eric Puybaret]] gives the story a happier ending with a young girl (presumed by reviewers to be Jackie Paper's daughter)<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/247045 |title = New take on Puff the Magic Dragon |first = Peter |last = Goddard |work = The Star |date = August 18, 2007 |access-date = December 7, 2011 }}</ref> seeking out Puff to become her new companion.  The lyrics remain unchanged from the Peter, Paul, and Mary version; the young girl is only seen in the pictures by illustrator Puybaret. On the last page of the book, she is introduced to Puff by an older Jackie Paper.

The tune was used by Versatec, a computer printer company, in the promotional LP ''Push the Magic Button'' for the song of the same name.<ref>{{Citation |url = http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/sound-recording/versatec/push_the_magic_dragon/Song%20List.doc |title = Push the Magic Button |type = songlist |publisher = [[Computer History Museum]] |work = Archives }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

American fabulist [[Robert Coover]] wrote about the later lives of Puff and Jackie Paper in "Sir John Paper Returns to Honah-Lee", the first story in his collection ''A Child Again'' (McSweeney's Books, 2005).<ref>{{cite news |newspaper = The Santa Fe New Mexican |date = October 6, 2006 |page = 100 |title = Absolutely fabulist |last = Prince |first = David |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113338897/sir-john-paper-story/ }}</ref>

==Parodies==
In the mid 1970s, an American Jewish band named Ruach created a parody version of the song entitled "Puff the Kosher Dragon". In the course of the song, Kosher Puff eats [[kosher]] food, has a [[bar mitzvah]], fights [[anti-Semites]], and finally marries and brings up his children as loyal members of the faith.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwYXOA0kBY |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/aPwYXOA0kBY |archive-date = December 11, 2021 |url-status = live |title = Puff the Kosher Dragon |website = YouTube }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Ruach song has been noted<ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=VuOZAJzvzOQC&dq=puff+the+kosher+dragon&pg=PA252 |title = Discovering Jewish music |first = Marsha |last = Bryan Edelman |publisher = Jewish Publication Society |year = 2003 |isbn = 9780827610279 }}</ref> as one of the first examples of a modern Jewish band using a popular secular tune.

Both tune and elements of the lyrics were adapted in the controversial parody "[[Barack the Magic Negro]]", written and recorded by [[Paul Shanklin]] for [[Rush Limbaugh]]'s radio program, after the term was first applied to then presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]] by movie and culture critic [[David Ehrenstein]].  In a ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' op-ed column of March 19, 2007, Yarrow condemned the act as "shocking and saddening in the extreme," stating that "taking a children's song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism…  It is almost unimaginable to me that Chip Saltzman, who sent the CD [as a Christmas greeting to NRC members], would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."<ref>{{Citation |url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-yarrow/my-response-to-the-mean-s_b_153808.html |title = My Response to the Mean-Spirited "Barack the Magic Negro" |newspaper = [[The Huffington Post]] |first = Peter |last = Yarrow |date = January 28, 2009 }}</ref>

==Vietnam War gunship==
During the [[Vietnam War]], the [[AC-47 Spooky]] gunship was nicknamed the "Dragon" or "Dragon ship" by the Americans because of its armament and firepower. The nickname soon caught on, and American troops began to call the AC-47 "Puff the Magic Dragon".<ref>{{cite web |last = Pike |first = John |date = October 17, 2016 |title = AC-47 |url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ac-47.htm |publisher =  |website = [[GlobalSecurity.org]] |access-date = September 9, 2019 }}</ref> [[Robert Mason (writer)|Robert Mason]]'s ''[[Chickenhawk (book)|Chickenhawk]]'' states, in reference to the Peter, Paul, and Mary song playing on a turntable: {{"'}}Puff the Magic Dragon' was making me uncomfortable. It was the saccharine song that had inspired the naming of the murderous [[gatling gun|Gatling-gun]]-armed C-47s. I couldn't listen."<ref>{{Cite book |last = Mason |first = Robert |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=iqa_CnEijSgC |title = Chickenhawk |publisher = Penguin Books |year = 2005 |isbn = 9781101175156 |oclc = 656959792 |author-link = Robert Mason (writer) }} {{Page needed|date=April 2018}} <!-- Verified in another edition: https://books.google.com/books?id=XXXaAAAAIAAJ&q=uncomfortable --></ref>

==In popular culture==
*The song is a favorite of Jack Byrnes in the 2000 comedy film ''[[Meet the Parents]]''. Greg Focker makes light of the urban legend of the song being about drugs, which an irritated Jack has never heard.<ref>{{cite web |title = Meet the Parents |url = http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/meet.htm |website = LearningfromLyrics.org }}</ref> In the film's sequel, ''[[Meet the Fockers]]'', Jack has rigged his RV's horn to honk out the first notes of "Puff, the Magic Dragon".<ref>{{cite web |title = Meet the Fockers (2004) – Deep Focus Review – Movie Reviews, Critical Essays, and Film Analysis |url = https://deepfocusreview.com/reviews/meet-the-fockers/ |website = Deep Focus Review |date = December 6, 2010 }}</ref>
*[[Elon Musk]], founder of [[SpaceX]], said his [[SpaceX Dragon|Dragon spacecraft]] was named after "Puff, the Magic Dragon".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.space.com/10440-millionaire-private-space-capsule-splashes-successful-maiden-voyage.html |title = Millionaire private space capsule splashes: successful maiden voyage |last1 = Chow |first1 = Denise |date = December 8, 2010 |website = [[Space.com]] |access-date = May 15, 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Children's literature}}
*[[List of Billboard Middle-Road Singles number ones of 1963]]
*"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]", another song thought to be about the use of drugs, which was denied by its author
*"[[Crystal Blue Persuasion]]", also not about drugs according to its author

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Puff, the Magic Dragon.ogg|date=January 5, 2006}}
* {{Cite news |first = Tim |last = Furlong |date = July 17, 2009 |url = http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/celebrity/The-True-Meaning-of-Puff-the-Magic-Dragon.html |title = Puff the Magic... Stoner? |publisher = [[WCAU]] |location = Philadelphia |access-date = September 9, 2019 }}
* {{Cite web |last = Mikkelson |first = David |date = May 25, 2007 |title = Puff the Magic Dragon and Marijuana |url = https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/puff/ |publisher = [[Snopes]] |access-date = September 9, 2019 }}  Disputes the drug-reference interpretation.

{{Peter, Paul and Mary}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Puff, the Magic Dragon| ]]
[[Category:1962 songs]]
[[Category:1963 singles]]
[[Category:English children's songs]]
[[Category:Fictional dragons]]
[[Category:Glen Campbell songs]]
[[Category:Songs involved in controversies]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Sweden]]
[[Category:Peter, Paul and Mary songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Albert Grossman]]
[[Category:Songs about children]]
[[Category:Songs about fictional characters]]
[[Category:Songs based on poems]]
[[Category:Songs written by Peter Yarrow]]
[[Category:Warner Records singles]]
[[Category:Works about dragons]]