Theodore Seuss Geisel, affectionately named "Dr. Seuss," has enchanted readers with his whimsical books for several decades. His distinct art style is hard to miss, and the nonsensical language makes the reading experience more enjoyable. Though recent historical discoveries revealed him to be a controversial figure, his stories are still very much loved to this day.

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Several of Dr. Seuss' books have TV, short and feature-length film adaptations, some of which modern-day viewers may not be aware of. A handful dates back to the 1940s and will look very different from his more recognizable movies. Still, a few iconic titles will ring bells.

10 The Film Version Of Horton Hatches The Egg Took An Odd Direction (1942)

While Horton Hatches the Egg wasn't Dr. Seuss' first book, it was the first to get a TV adaptation. The book was published in 1940, while the short film aired two years later as part of Warner Bros.' Merry Melodies series. Fans may recognize this series since it birthed the famous Looney Tunes cartoons.

The story focuses on an elephant named Horton who's tricked into caring for a bird's unhatched egg. Instead of abandoning the egg like its mother did, Horton promises to keep it warm until it hatches. The 1942 film does have some questionable plot changes, so fans should remain cautious if they plan to watch this film sometime in the future.

9 The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins Derived From Dr. Seuss' Unusual Habit (1943)

Unlike most of his books, Dr. Seuss decided not to use rhymes in The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. However, it doesn't take away from his fun and unique art and storytelling. Surprisingly, this story was inspired by Dr. Seuss' fascination with hat-collecting.

In 1943, Paramount Pictures adapted The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins into a short film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and entranced audiences with its unique use of puppets and stop-motion animation.

8 And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street Got Into Some Controversy (1944)

This may shock modern-day readers, but And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street is actually Geisel's first book using his "Dr. Seuss" pen name. Published in 1937, he created this concept on a vacation ship the year prior, conjuring up the famous lines with its rhythm.

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In 1944, as part of his Puppetoons series, George Pal adapted Dr. Seuss' book into a short, stop-motion film of the same name. While it gained a lot of positive attention in the past, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street recently received heavy amounts of scrutiny due to its racially-insensitive imagery and was pulled from libraries in response.

7 Gerald McBoing-Boing Doesn't Resemble Dr. Seuss' Other Movies (1950)

To fans' surprise, the 1950 film Gerald McBoing-Boing does not look like any of Dr. Seuss' previous or future works. The art style is reminiscent of an old-fashioned cartoon, utterly devoid of Dr. Seuss' distinct art style. But he's still credited with the original story concept.

Gerald is a two-year-old boy learning how to talk, but instead of making words, he can only produce strange sounds. Chaos ensues when his first sound is the titular "boing-boing," scaring his father into attempting to call for a doctor. Writers got more creative with Gerald's growing "vocabulary," still relying on sound effects and gestures instead of language.

6 There's No Book Version Of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)

Many fans may not know that Dr. Seuss wrote a screenplay for one of his movies. It was still too early for any of his books to make a feature film debut, but his works were still recognizable to TV audiences. In 1953, Dr. Seuss helped produce the musical film The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, which has no original source material.

A young boy, Bart Collins, hates playing piano because of his uptight and nearly tyrannical teacher, Dr. Terwiliker. His mother, Heloise, doesn't seem fazed by her son's complaints, making him dread his lessons each day. Bart's life turns on its head when he dozes off, immersing him in a musical nightmare where a maddened Dr. Terwiliker forces children to play piano for all eternity.

5 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Is Still A Staple In Christmas Tradition (2000)

When thinking about a famous Dr. Seuss film, Universal Pictures' How The Grinch Stole Christmas comes to many people's minds. It's the first of Dr. Seuss' books to have a full-length film adaptation and is the second highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, only second to Home Alone.

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Emmy-nominated comedian-actor, Jim Carrey, took center stage as the grumpy, green creature. His hilariously raw depiction as the Grinch makes the movie stand out today, despite the movie's horrendous ratings. Millennial fans who grew up with the 2000 adaptation prefer it over the 1966 short film that airs alongside it during the holidays.

4 The Cat in the Hat Is A Cultural Phenomenon (2003)

Anyone familiar with Dr. Seuss knows The Cat in the Hat, whether in book, movie, or TV form. The 1957 book is one of his most well-known out of his bibliography, with The Cat in the Hat serving as Dr. Seuss' official mascot and making various cameos.

Besides the animated special that aired in 1971, a live-action film reached theaters in 2003. Unlike the special, the movie took liberties in adapting the source material. Shrek and Austin Powers' actor, Mike Myers, starred as the titular cat and showcased his various hijinx around the fictional town of Anville.

3 Horton Hears a Who! Brought Two Famous Actors On The Scene (2008)

While it's not a direct sequel to Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss was happy to reintroduce his titular elephant in his 1954 book Horton Hears a Who!. The book has one of the most famous lines, "A person's a person, no matter how small," serving as a message of Dr. Seuss' willingness for companionship in post-World War II America.

In 2008, Horton Hears a Who! got a movie adaptation by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. After his success as the Grinch eight years prior, Jim Carrey starred as Horton the Elephant and The Office's Steve Carrell starred as the Mayor –audiences were roaring with laughter. The movie delighted most critics who enjoyed the unique music as well as Carrey's and Carrell's stellar performances.

2 Tumblr Brought The Lorax To Life (2012)

Those who frequented Tumblr will remember The Lorax's chokehold on millennial fans in 2013. Adolescents were enamored with Universal Pictures' depiction of The Once-ler, but there's much more to the movie that's praise-worthy. Such as Danny DeVito playing the titular Lorax.

The Lorax was adapted from Dr. Seuss' 1972 book of the same name and is the second to receive a feature film adaptation. The music, colorful art, and humor made the movie a commercial success. However, during its heavy-handed marketing campaigns, it received a lot of backlash due to its contradiction to the book's message on environmentalism.

1 The Grinch Gave Younger Viewers A Staple Christmas Film (2018)

Eighteen years after Jim Carrey's Grinch performance, Universal Pictures thought it was time to recreate the iconic green curmudgeon. Starring Dr. Strange's Benedict Cumberbatch, The Grinch made its way to theaters on November 9, 2018.

The remake, co-produced by Dr. Seuss' widow, Audrey, before her death five weeks after the release, quickly surpassed its predecessor, grossing about $512 million at the box office. Some of The Grinch's plot tweaks appealed to younger viewers, but it remained mostly faithful to the original. However, critics argued that the movie brought nothing new to the Grinch franchise.

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