23 Charming Stuart Little Facts You Probably Didn't Know About!

Who doesn’t remember Stuart Little, the cute little talking white mouse, adopted by a human family, is surely one of the most cherished memories of all millennials.

But while most of us may remember him through the popular 1999 movie, the story was actually created in 1945. The movies are loosely based on that novel.

There were three Stuart Little movies made, and in all three movies, the character of Mr. Little was portrayed by Hugh Laurie. The voice of Stuart was lent by Michael J. Fox.

The movie, starring Hugh Laurie, directed by Rob Minkoff was very loosely based on the story, however, it did contain the main characters of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Little, their son, and their cat Snowbell.

The second movie was more closely related to the books with the character of Margalo being introduced, who is a bird whom Stuart falls in love with, but who Snowball cannot bear to stand.

In the book as well as the movie, the various adventures that Stuart finds himself in the middle of, be it the boat-making competition or when he tries to find his mother’s ring.

Let’s look at some 'Stuart Little' facts. Afterward, also check Disney characters male and cute Disney characters.

Who created the character of Stuart Little?

The character of Stuart Little was created by revered children’s book author Elwyn Brooks White.

He is also known for writing children’s books classics, 'Charlotte's Web' and 'Trumpet of the Swan'. He was an American Author who started his journey as a Children's Book Author with his novel Stuart Little and went on to become a big name in children’s literature.

Stuart Little's Parents

In the novel, Stuart was born to human parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Little. He was their second son. The idea of a mouse-like child being born to humans was much too off-putting at the time and the novel was highly criticized by several critics.

It was even suggested to White that he should instead plot the child to be adopted by humans rather than birthed by them.

The movie, however, went with a different route and depicted Stuart (voiced by Michael J. Fox)  being adopted by Fredrick C.  Little and his wife.

And the real parents are also depicted as mice, who gave him up for adoption because they were going through a hard time.

In the movie, the mice's parents are shown to be tracking Stuart down once their financial conditions are improved and wanting him to return back with them.

But Stuart feels out of place at their house because by this time he is well adjusted with the Little family and misses them, and so he returns back to New York.

In the movie, the characters of Grandpa Spencer, Grandma Estelle, and Uncle Crenshaw, portrayed by Jeffry Jones are also highlighted to show the impact of family on accepting a different child.

Moral Of The Story 'Stuart Little'

The story of 'Stuart Little' is that of tolerance, acceptance, and overcoming challenges.

In a world of ordinary humans, who have similar physical appearance and attributes, a little boy, barely 2 in (5.0 cm) tall, who looks like a mouse, tries to find his place, even finds love and chases for it to get his happy ending.

While on his journey to find Margalo, Stuart travels long distances, takes up a job, and meets Harriet Ames, another human who is the same size as him.

While trying to impress her, he makes elaborate arrangements, only to find that his plans have been ruined by some kids. He then leaves his pursuit of Harriet and continues his way to find Margalo.

What is the point of 'Stuart Little'?

The point of 'Stuart Little' is to empower children to accept their differences and insecurities and to live a happy life anyway.

It aims to tell children that even if they look different, they should not be bogged down by it, and try to make their place in this world, and as they go along, they will find people who are similar to them in some ways and would bring joy to them.

It is to encourage children to persevere and remain optimistic and hopeful.

Is 'Stuart Little' based on a true story?

The story of 'Stuart Little' is based on a dream that Author E B White had. He dreamt, while on a train journey, about a little boy who would act and behave like a mouse.

This dream came to him in 1926, after which he wrote short write-ups and stories and narrated them to his children. His wife Katherine approached a regular contributor of the New Yorker, named Clarence Day to show the stories in 1935, who then encouraged E B White to pursue this plot further and make it into something big.

In 1938, White wrote a piece in Harper’s magazine, expressing his interest in writing children’s books.

This piece got attention from Harper Magazine’s editor who also encouraged White to write the Stuart Little stories, promising to publish them; and of Anne Carroll Moore, who was a librarian with the New York Public Library. She also asked him to develop the stories further.

In 1939, while all of this was taking place, White wrote to a colleague, James Thurber, that he would soon be finishing the books, however, that did not happen till 1944-45. The original books were illustrated by Garth Williams.

Name Of The Mouse In 'Stuart Little'

The mouse in this tale was named Stuart. He was not really a mouse, but a human, born in the Little family, residing in New York.

While he was born a human, his physical appearance resembled that of a mouse and he was only 2 in (5.0 cm) tall, again adding to his mouse-like appearance. Stuart in the book was a biological son of the Little family as opposed to the movie where he was portrayed as an adopted kid.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 23 charming Stuart Little facts you probably didn't know about! then why not take a look at blue Disney characters, or ladybug characters.