In an Old House in Paris that was Covered in Vines, Lived Twelve Little Girls in Two Straight Lines.

Over 75 years ago, Ludwig Bemelmans introduced us to one of the most adored female characters of children's literature, Madeline.  Turned into quite the franchise after all of these years, Madeline has multiple books, T.V. shows, movies and toys.  I loved both the books and the cartoons as a child, mostly because Madeline was also a petite little girl, like me.  She was always known for being the smallest of the girls.

Madeline is a young girl who lives in a boarding house with eleven other girls, her dog Genevieve  and their teacher Miss Clavel.  While there are multiple books about her, such as Madeline's Christmas, the original story is about Madeline's life in Paris and how she goes on an unexpected adventure to the hospital, which doesn't scare her at all. 

Madeline's cartoon show took Madeline on multiple adventures which were based off of the original stories and were titled The New Adventures of Madeline.  You can watch several of these episodes on YouTube and one of my favorites was Madeline and the Old Violin.  

There was also a great 1998 live action adaptation of Madeline that starred a little girl named Hatty Jones.  The movie incorporated several of the original stories by Belemans but also had its own take on it as Madeline is kidnapped by carnival workers.  

The sheer fact that Madeline has survived over 75 years is incredibly impressive, especially as each generation of children varies in what seems to be popular.  I believe part of her success is the fact that she has been seen in so many varieties.  I remember having a CD of songs from the television show, as well as having a computer game based off of the books.  I didn't know this when I was a child, but she now has her own website, as well.  

Do you remember any of these parts of the Madeline franchise?  What was your favorite?  Did you ever want to live in Paris with the twelve little girls?