Horrid Henry
Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "about". Template:Italic title Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox media franchise Horrid Henry is a children's book series by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. It has been adapted for television, film[1] and theatre.[2][3][4]
History
Following the birth of her son Joshua in 1989,[5] Francesca Simon was asked by Judith Elliott, an editor at Orion Books, to write a story about a horrid child.[6][7][8] She also wanted to write about sibling rivalry and families where one child was considered "perfect" and the other "horrid".[9][10][11] Inspiration also came from Cain and Abel, Oedipus Rex, Seinfeld, and Simon's own childhood, growing up in California the eldest of four siblings (including her sister Anne), desperately wanting to be an only child. They lived in small houses with confined spaces, with their father Mayo writing upstairs and telling them to be quiet.[12][13][5] Simon also stated that she would be perfect and work hard at school, but be horrid and slam doors at home, describing herself as a "mixture of both Henry and Peter".[14] Three more stories were written by Simon at Elliott's request to form a full book.[15]
The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion.[5] The books are a slice of life series featuring the titular Henry, a wildly misbehaved boy who will typically be faced with a problem and then will often retaliate in interesting ways that involve trickery, rule-breaking and elaborate practical jokes. Henry has a younger brother, Perfect Peter, who is the exact opposite.[16] Henry despises Peter, whom he refers to as a "worm" or "toad". Almost every character is known by an alliterative nickname (Rude Ralph, Moody Margaret, Brainy Brian, etc.) with a few exceptions e.g. Mum, Dad and Miss Battle-Axe.[17] Many of the books' stories were inspired by events from Simon's life and those of people that she knew, with additional ideas coming from her imagination.[9][18][19] Each title in the main series consists of four short stories with black and white illustrations. The titles in the Early Readers series, aimed at younger readers, each consist of a single story with colour illustrations. Each story in that series, except Don't Be Horrid, Henry!, was originally published in a main series title. Don't Be Horrid, Henry! is an original story about Henry as a toddler, illustrated by Kevin McAleenan.[20] Eleven fact books, written from Henry's point of view, have also been published along with eight joke books, eleven colour books and at least twelve activity books as well as a series of annuals. Up until 2015, 24 official Horrid Henry titles were published in the series. The series was published in 31 languages and has sold more than 21 million copies worldwide.[21][22][23]
The Horrid Henry stories are read on audiobook by actress Miranda Richardson and published by Orion Audio. Released between 2000 and 2019, the audiobooks were produced by Peter Rinne and Nicholas Jones (for Strathmore Publishing), with music composed by Rinne and Dik Cadbury.[24][25][26]
In April 2009, the US Sourcebooks' Jabberwocky imprint released four Horrid Henry paperbacks nationwide, which included Horrid Henry, Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb, Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine and Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy. Sourcebooks has released additional Horrid Henry titles including activity pages, event kits and a teacher's guide.[21] In 2019, a special one-off 25th Anniversary book, Horrid Henry: Up, Up and Away, was published.[22]
Books
Main series
| Pre-2019 title | Year of first publication | Current title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horrid Henry | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry | Series premiere and originally intended to be a single-book |
| Horrid Henry and the Secret Club | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Secret Club | |
| Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Tricking the Tooth Fairy | Originally published as Horrid Henry and the Tooth Fairy |
| Horrid Henry's Nits | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nits Nits Nits! | Also published internationally as Horrid Henry's Head Lice |
| Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Get Rich Quick | Originally published as Horrid Henry Strikes It Rich |
| Horrid Henry's Haunted House | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Haunted House | |
| Horrid Henry and The Mummy's Curse | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Mummy's Curse | |
| Horrid Henry's Revenge | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Perfect Revenge | |
| Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bogey Babysitter | |
| Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Stinkbombs | |
| Horrid Henry's Underpants | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Underpants Panic | |
| Horrid Henry Meets The Queen | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Queen's Visit | |
| Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Mega-Mean Time Machine | |
| Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Football Fiend | Published internationally as Horrid Henry and the Soccer Fiend |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas Cracker | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Christmas Cracker | |
| Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Abominable Snowman | |
| Horrid Henry Robs The Bank | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bank Robber | |
| Horrid Henry Wakes The Dead | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Waking the Dead | |
| Horrid Henry Rocks! | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Rock Star | |
| Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Zombie Vampire | |
| Horrid Henry's Monster Movie | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Monster Movie | |
| Horrid Henry's Nightmare | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nightmare | |
| Horrid Henry's Krazy Ketchup | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Krazy Ketchup | |
| Horrid Henry's Cannibal Curse | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Cannibal Curse | |
| N/A | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Up, Up and Away |
Extra Book
- Horrid Henry's Bedtime (2005; published for World Book Day)
Early Readers
| Title | Year of first publication | Story originally published in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don't Be Horrid, Henry! | Script error: No such module "sort". | N/A (original story) | Originally illustrated by Kevin McAleenan. Current illustrations by Tony Ross adopted in 2006. |
| Horrid Henry's Birthday Party | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Secret Club | |
| Horrid Henry's Holiday | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry (first book) | |
| Horrid Henry's Underpants | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Underpants Panic | |
| Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Get Rich Quick | |
| Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Football Fiend | |
| Horrid Henry's Nits | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nits!, Nits!, Nits! | |
| Horrid Henry and Moody Margaret | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry (first book) | |
| Horrid Henry's Thank You Letter | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Underpants Panic | |
| Horrid Henry Reads a Book | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Stinkbombs | |
| Horrid Henry's Car Journey | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bogey Babysitter | |
| Moody Margaret's School | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bank Robber | |
| Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bogey Babysitter | |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas Play | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Christmas Cracker | |
| Horrid Henry's Rainy Day | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Abominable Snowman | |
| Horrid Henry Meets the Queen | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Queen's Visit | |
| Horrid Henry's Sports Day | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Get Rich Quick | |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas Presents | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Christmas Cracker | |
| Moody Margaret's Makeover | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Abominable Snowman | |
| Horrid Henry and the Demon Dinner Lady | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Perfect Revenge | |
| Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Tricking the Tooth Fairy | |
| Horrid Henry's Homework | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Mummy's Curse | |
| Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bogey Babysitter | |
| Horrid Henry's Sleepover | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Stinkbombs | |
| Horrid Henry's Wedding | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Tricking the Tooth Fairy | |
| Horrid Henry's Haunted House | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Haunted House | |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas Lunch | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Christmas Cracker | |
| Horrid Henry's Mother's Day | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nightmare | |
| Horrid Henry and the Comfy Black Chair | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Haunted House | |
| Horrid Henry and the Mummy's Curse | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Mummy's Curse | |
| Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Abominable Snowman | |
| Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Mega-Mean Time Machine | |
| Horrid Henry and the Fangmangler | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nits, Nits, Nits | |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas Ambush | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Christmas Cracker | |
| Horrid Henry's Stinkbomb | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Stinkbombs | |
| Horrid Henry's Swimming Lesson | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Mummy's Curse | |
| Horrid Henry's Christmas | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Get Rich Quick | |
| Horrid Henry's School Fair | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: The Haunted House | |
| Horrid Henry and the Zombie Vampire | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Zombie Vampire | |
| Horrid Henry's Hike | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Mega-Mean Time Machine | |
| Horrid Henry's Injection | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Secret Club | |
| Horrid Henry's Nightmare | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Nightmare | |
| Horrid Henry's Newspaper | Script error: No such module "sort". | Horrid Henry: Bank Robber |
Fact books
| Title | Year of first publication |
|---|---|
| Horrid Henry's Bodies | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Dinosaurs | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Sports | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Food | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Bugs | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Kings and Queens | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's World Records | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Animals | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Ghosts | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Space | Script error: No such module "sort". |
| Horrid Henry's Crazy Creatures | Script error: No such module "sort". |
Joke books
- Horrid Henry's Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's Jolly Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's Mighty Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's versus Moody Margaret
- Horrid Henry's Hilariously Horrid Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's Purple Hand Gang Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's All Time Favourite Joke Book
- Horrid Henry's Jumbo Joke Book
Colour/collection books
- Horrid Henry's Big Bad Book
- Horrid Henry's Wicked Ways
- Horrid Henry's Evil Enemies
- Horrid Henry Rules the World
- Horrid Henry's House of Horrors
- Horrid Henry's Dreadful Deeds
- Horrid Henry Shows Who's Boss
- Horrid Henry's A-Z of Everything Horrid
- Horrid Henry's Fearsome Four
- Horrid Henry's Royal Riot
- Horrid Henry's Tricky Tricks
- Horrid Henry: Holiday Horrors (2021)[27]
- Horrid Henry: Rainy Day Disaster (2022)[28]
- Horrid Henry: Party Pandemonium (2023)[29]
- Horrid Henry: Terrible Teachers (2023)[30]
- Horrid Henry: A Yucky Year (2023)[31]
- Horrid Henry: Food Fight (2024)[32]
- Horrid Henry: World's Worst Holiday (2024)[33]
- Horrid Henry: Monster Mayhem (2024)[34]
- Horrid Henry: Fiendish Foes (2025)[35]
- Horrid Henry: Summer of Doom (2025)[36]
Activity books
- Horrid Henry's Brainbusters
- Horrid Henry's Headscratchers
- Horrid Henry's Mindbenders
- Horrid Henry's Colouring Book
- Horrid Henry's Puzzle Book
- Horrid Henry's Sticker Book
- Horrid Henry Runs Riot
- Horrid Henry's Annual
- Horrid Henry's Classroom Chaos
- Horrid Henry's Holiday Havoc
- Horrid Henry's Wicked Wordsearches
- Horrid Henry's Mad Mazes
- Horrid Henry's Crazy Crosswords
Television adaptation
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Film adaptation
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". On 23 June 2010, Vertigo Films announced that a live action 3-D film of Horrid Henry was in production. The film's plot focuses on Henry and The Purple Hand Gang fighting to prevent the closure of their school by an evil private school Headmaster.[37] The film was released on 29 July 2011 in the United Kingdom and 11 January 2013 in Australia.
Reception
- In April 2008, Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman won the Galaxy Children's Book of the Year Award.[38][39][40]
- Horrid Henry has twice been nominated for BAFTA's Best Animation; in 2009 and 2010.[41][42][43]
See also
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- Horrid Henry (TV series)
- Horrible Harry, a different character
References
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General sources
- Robert McCrum interview in the Guardian
- Q&A with Francesca Simon
- Telegraph interview with Francesca Simon
- The Stage review of Horrid Henry Live and Horrid