The two will be on hand to celebrate the release of McFarlane Toys' new "Where the Wild Things Are" action figures, based on Sendak's seminal 1963 book of the same name, one of the most important pieces of children's literature of all time.

Sendak and McFarlane will sign purchases of the new Where the Wild Things Are action figures, featuring a Max and Goat Boy two-pack, plus individual figures of Moishe, Bernard, Emil, Aaron and Tzippy, all the story's characters. Using the book as reference, McFarlane Toys sculptors literally translated the characters from two dimensions to three, keeping intact the characteristic cross-hatching style that made the book so popular with kids of all ages. Each figure is packaged with a custom base.

McFarlane Toys is proud to have worked closely with Sendak on these figures. McFarlane has credited Sendak's work as the basis for his interest in monsters.

Sendak is a true visionary in children's literature. In 1964, he received the Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are, and in 1970 became the first American illustrator to receive the international Hans Christian Andersen Award, given in recognition of his entire body of work. Sendak continues to illustrate children's books, and has designed productions of Mozart's Die Zauberfl�teand others. His costumes and designs for Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet became the basis of a successful feature film, and he is the executive producer of Nickelodeon's animated series Little Bear. In 1997, Sendak received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Yale University, and the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.

[Posted 10/02/2000]