The Cat in the Hat (TV special) song parodies, however only Seuss is credited. The Cat in the Hat (TV special) The Cat in the Hat is an American animated musical television special first aired on CBS on July 4, 1971, based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss children's book of the same name, and produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. With voices by Allan Sherman and prolific vocal performer Daws Butler, this half-hour special is a loose adaptation with added musical sequences. As the story opens, it is too rainy and cold to play outside, so Sally and Conrad sit bored and look out the window. Their mom announces
The Cat in the Hat there were a lot of Dick and Jane devotees, and my book was considered too fresh and irreverent. But Bennett Cerf at Random House had asked for trade rights, and it just took off in the bookstores." Geisel told the Morgans, "Parents understood better than school people the necessity for this kind of reader." After three years in print, "The Cat in the Hat" had sold nearly one million copies. By then, the book had been translated into French, Chinese, Swedish, and Braille. In 2001, "Publishers Weekly" placed it at number nine on its list of the best-selling children's books