Dr. Seuss was the pen name for Theodor Seuss Geisel, which he of course used to write some of the most enduring tales from our collective childhood, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat and Hop on Pop - the latter of which was the first book that I ever read.
But before he ever wrote any of those classic books, Seuss brought magical creatures to life in a bit of a different way, for a macabre project that might've slipped under your radar.
Brought to our attention by Beautiful Decay, Seuss created a series of taxidermy-inspired pieces back in the 1930s, sculpting fictional characters out of wood and then turning them into wall-mounted trophies. Each piece also had real animal parts incorporated into it, including horns and tufts of hair, which were taken from deceased animals at the Forest Park Zoo, where Seuss' father worked.
Predating the good doctor's greatest creations, the collection of highly unique taxidermy pieces serves as a magical, and slightly creepy, early insight into the fully fleshed-out worlds Seuss would soon bring to life.
Dubbed 'Unorthodox Taxidermy,' the whole collection is currently selling for $1 million, over on eBay, with individual replicas available for more realistic prices, on the official Dr. Seuss website.
Speaking of which, these taxidermy disasters will scare the stuffing out of you!