Quiet and Refined Is What Grown-ups Like Best: Moral Messaging in the Theatrical Adaptation of The House at Pooh Corner In Which Tigger’s Bounce Is No Longer Allowed; Or, How to Avoid the Bureau Drawer
Presenter Bio
Lisa Murphy, M.Ed. is the owner of Ooey Gooey, Inc. an early childhood educational consulting company. Lisa has been involved with early childhood education for over 35 years, has published five books with Redleaf Press, and is currently celebrating 30 years of presenting workshops for both domestic and international early childhood audiences. She has received many play-focused awards from national and international early childhood groups and is a frequent guest on various podcasts talking about the importance of play. Her keynotes and workshop sessions have been called humorous, energetic, content-rich, and inspiring. Lisa is currently enrolled in a second Masters degree program at Hollins University, studying children's literature - she is thrilled to be here today!
Session
Adaptation Studies
Start Date
12-7-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
12-7-2026 12:15 PM
Abstract
In order to restructure A.A. Milne’s "The House at Pooh Corner" into a traditional Three Act Narrative for the stage, Bettye Knapp’s adaptation extremely exaggerates Tigger’s antics and behavior to establish Tigger’s “Bounce” as the central conflict which will be set up in Act I, confronted in Act II, and brought to resolution in Act III. Tigger’s exaggerated personality, along with specific stage directions and dialogue between other characters sends thinly veiled moral messages to the audience about bounciness and high-spirited behavior that doesn’t appear in the original text. By hijacking the character of Tigger as an overt vehicle for signaling preferred adult behaviors like compliance and conformity, Knapp presents Tigger through a stereotypical lens shaped by unfounded, predetermined behavioral expectations; sending numerous moral messages to the “Tiggers” in the audience that if they want to avoid being abandoned in the forest, isolated on a shelf, or stuffed in the bureau drawer (or put in the Time Out chair) they best take heed and remember that quiet and refined is what grown-ups like best.
Quiet and Refined Is What Grown-ups Like Best: Moral Messaging in the Theatrical Adaptation of The House at Pooh Corner In Which Tigger’s Bounce Is No Longer Allowed; Or, How to Avoid the Bureau Drawer
In order to restructure A.A. Milne’s "The House at Pooh Corner" into a traditional Three Act Narrative for the stage, Bettye Knapp’s adaptation extremely exaggerates Tigger’s antics and behavior to establish Tigger’s “Bounce” as the central conflict which will be set up in Act I, confronted in Act II, and brought to resolution in Act III. Tigger’s exaggerated personality, along with specific stage directions and dialogue between other characters sends thinly veiled moral messages to the audience about bounciness and high-spirited behavior that doesn’t appear in the original text. By hijacking the character of Tigger as an overt vehicle for signaling preferred adult behaviors like compliance and conformity, Knapp presents Tigger through a stereotypical lens shaped by unfounded, predetermined behavioral expectations; sending numerous moral messages to the “Tiggers” in the audience that if they want to avoid being abandoned in the forest, isolated on a shelf, or stuffed in the bureau drawer (or put in the Time Out chair) they best take heed and remember that quiet and refined is what grown-ups like best.