Uncle Wiggily

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For the American band, see Uncle Wiggly (band)

Uncle Wiggily Longears is the main character of a series of children's books by American author Howard Roger Garis, seventy-nine of which were published in the author's lifetime[1]. Garis began writing the stories for the Newark News in 1910. Uncle Wiggily, an engaging elderly rabbit, is lame from rheumatism. Whenever he goes anywhere, he always relies on what Garis describes as "his candy-striped walking cane" - this is a cane striped red and white like a peppermint candy cane. The books are illustrated by August Lenox.

Uncle Wiggily is only one of many recurring characters in the series. For example, Pipsisewah is an unsavory bully that appears as a rhinoceros-like creature. His head has a snout with two small horns and beady eyes; he wears a knit or pointed cap, has a cow-like tail, is somewhat stout, and walks upright on two legs. As other characters, he has hands but has hooves for feet. He is normally accompanied by the crow-like Skeezicks, and the two of them rarely get into anything other than mischief harmless to the other characters in the storyline.

There are also several other "bad" creatures in the stories: the Woozy Wolf, Bushy Bear, Skillery Skallery Alligator and the fierce Bobcat, to name but a few. They all seem bent on nibbling the "souse" off of Uncle Wiggily's ears, but he always escapes. In shorter, more formulaic stories, his escape is generally enabled by some implement he has just purchased at the store; often while on an errand for his housekeeper, Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy. For example, Wiggily once used an umbrella to foil the alligator by sticking it down the creature's mouth and opening it, so he couldn't bite the Gentleman Bunny.

Wiggily also encounters friendly creatures like Sammie Littletail (another rabbit), Neddie Stubtail (a friendly bear cub), and many others, whom he often helps get out of some kind of predicament just before one of the "bad" creatures enters the picture.

Most of Garis' work is now in the public domain and a number of the Uncle Wiggily books are available from Project Gutenberg.

Uncle Wiggly's is also the name of a Baltimore based chain of ice cream shops.