The fascinating 3D covers with lenticular printing were the best part about these picture books from the 60s

Vintage preschool books Puppet Storybooks with 3D lenticular covers

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Baby Gen X loved these Puppet Storybooks with 3D lenticular pictures on the covers

These clever board books were published by Grosset & Dunlap in the late 60s and early 70s. They featured puppets illustrating the story — and closely resembled the Japanese stop-motion animation look that was so popular at the time, such as those seen in Rankin/Bass productions like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

One thing that was extra fascinating to boys and girls was the 3D image added to each book cover. Those pictures featured lenticular printing, giving each one the illusion of depth and motion.

I know there was at least one little girl who, in the early 70s, tried not only to figure out how the image worked… but also wanted to figure out a way to step inside the picture of that house Santa was visiting.

Puppet Storybooks with cover artwork featuring lenticular printing

Puppet Storybooks (1968)

Here are tried-and-true tales for very young children — all selected for simple text and ability to provide reading and listening pleasure, and made even more attractive by beautiful color illustrations of adorable puppets in lifelike poses that are an endless delight.

3-D Puppet Storybooks (1969)

These familiar rhymes and fairy tales have delighted generations of children. Now, with their new 3-D covers and full-color puppet-like illustrations, they’re more irresistible than ever!

Each book has strong laminated pages with rounded corners that make them safe for little ones to handle. They’re bound to keep any youngster happily absorbed for hours on end. $1.25 each.

Fairytales and rhymes in Puppet Storybooks (1970)

The world’s best-loved rhymes and fairy tales come almost literally to life in the pages of these books; colorful puppets act out the story on every page in beautiful full-color illustrations.

What is lenticular printing?

Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens (typically a plastic sheet with grooved ridges) is used to produce printed images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as they are viewed from different angles.

While Puppet Storybooks are out of print, lenticular printing is still a very popular technique for bookmarks!


A Puppet Storybook: Snow White (1969)

A Puppet Storybook: Snow White (1969)

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Henny Penny: A Puppet Storybook (1969)

by T Izawa & S Hijikata – Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

Henny Penny: A Puppet Storybook (1969)


The Three Little Kittens: A Puppet Storybook (1969)

A Puppet Storybook vintage book The Three Little Kittens

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Fun With the Alphabet: A Puppet Storybook (1969)

Pictures by T Izawa – Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

Fun With the Alphabet: A Puppet Storybook (1969)


Cinderella: A Puppet Storybook (1971)

A Puppet Storybook vintage book Cinderella

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Puppet Storybook (1970)

A Puppet Storybook vintage book Goldilocks and the Three Bears


Vintage books for kids: Hansel and Gretel (1970)

A Puppet Storybook vintage book Hansel and Gretel

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The Night Before Christmas: A Puppet Storybook (1970)

This cute retro kids’ book featured a retelling of the classic Christmas poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” by Clement Clarke Moore.

A Puppet Storybook vintage book The Night Before Christmas


Title list: Puppet Storybooks  – all books available as of 1969

0751 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
0752 THE THREE LITTLE KITTENS
0753 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
0754 THE LITTLE RED HEN
0755 HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH

0756 COUNTING RHYME
0757 MOTHER GOOSE
0758 PETER RABBIT
0759 HENNY PENNY
0760 FUN WITH THE ALPHABET

0761 WHAT TIME IS IT?
0762 THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
0763 BABY ANIMALS
0764 HAPPY BIRTHDAY
0765 LITTLE NURSERY RHYMES

0766 A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSES
0767 THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
0768 THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
0769 PINOCCHIO
0770 BEDTIME STORIES

GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC.
New York, N. Y. 10010

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Here is a look inside one of the books in this ’60s series — one with a simple concept: teaching kids the concept of time, and how to use a clock or a watch to keep track of the hours of the day.

It traces the very simple day of a child who lives in a stereotypically nuclear family: A dad who works all day, and a mom who stays home and takes care of the kids — a boy and a girl. 

So, yes, the story itself is not exactly exciting — but the magic comes from the vintage puppets and sets that have been created with a stop-motion animation look.

Retro-style kids’ book: What Time Is It? (1969)

A Puppet Storybook from 1968, with 3D lenticular printing on the cover

Pictures by T Izawa / Published by Grossett & Dunlap – New York

What Time Is It - Vintage Puppet Storybook cover

What Time Is It - Vintage Puppet Storybook


7am: What time is it? It’s wake-up time!

Bobby is still sleepy. But the sun is already up, its bright face peeking over the treetops to the east. It’s seven o’clock in the morning.

7am


10am: After breakfast

After breakfast, Bobby’s mother starts to clean house. Bobby goes outdoors to play. He rides in his wagon and swings high in a swing. Soon it is ten o’clock.

10am


Noon: 12pm

Noontime! That’s another name for twelve o’clock. Bobby’s mother prepares a delicious lunch. Bobby is hungry. He eats everything and drinks his milk. Mmm-m! Yummy!

Noon


2:30pm: Naptime

The big hand on the clock in Bobby’s room points to the six — and that means it’s half past some hour.

The smaller hand has moved past the number two. It’s really between the numbers two and three. What time is it? It’s half past two. Time for a nice nap.

2:30pm


4pm: Playtime

Bobby finds his coloring book. He looks for a good picture to color. Then he picks out some crayons and goes to work. It’s now four o’clock in the afternoon.

4pm


6:30pm: Evening

What time is it now? It must be the time when Daddy comes home. Yes, there’s Daddy! The two hands on the clock are almost together, near the six. It’s half past six.

6:30pm


8pm: Bedtime

After his supper, Bobby brushes his teeth and gets ready for bed. It is eight o’clock. There may be time for a story. Then Bobby will say good night and go to sleep.

8pm

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Comments on this story

4 Responses

  1. I loved these books as a young girl. I would scratch the cover and get lost in the magic of the stories. The pages were so colorful and animated I would get lost for hours. Thank you for this article. I’m on a quest to try and collect them all.

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