Eric Carle Net Worth

What was Eric Carle's Net Worth?

Eric Carle was an American children's book author and illustrator who had a net worth of $80 million at the time of his death. Eric Carle was best known for his picture books "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "The Grouchy Ladybug," and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?," the latter among his many collaborations with educator and author Bill Martin Jr. During his career, Carle illustrated over 70 books, selling more than 150 million copies worldwide.

In late 2019, he sold the rights to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and related intellectual property to Random House for an undisclosed but presumably large payout. Before selling the rights to his catalog, Carle earned an estimated $5 to $8 million per year in book royalties.

Early Life and Education

Eric Carle was born on June 25, 1929, in Syracuse, New York, to Johanna and Erich. His mother was from Germany, and in 1935, she brought the family to Stuttgart. There, Carle attended the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. At the onset of World War II, his father was drafted into the German Army; he was taken prisoner by the Soviets when the war ended, and returned home in late 1947. During the war, Carle was sent to Schwenningen to escape the bombings of Stuttgart. At the age of 15, he was conscripted by the German government to dig trenches on the Siegfried Line.

Career Beginnings

Deeply homesick for the United States, Carle finally returned and settled in New York City in 1952. He worked as a graphic designer for the New York Times before he was drafted into the US Army during the Korean War. Carle was stationed in Germany as a mail clerk. He returned to the New York Times following his discharge, and later worked as an art director at an advertising agency.

Books

The illustrations Carle did for the advertising agency he worked at eventually caught the attention of educator and author Bill Martin Jr., who asked Carle to collaborate on a picture book. The result was "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?," which was published in 1967. Designed to help toddlers associate colors and meanings with animals, the book became a bestseller and helped launch Carle's career. He went on to both write and illustrate children's books after that, starting with his 1968 book "1, 2, 3 to the Zoo." Carle achieved his greatest success the next year with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which went on to become one of the most beloved children's picture books of all time. Since its publication in 1969, it has been translated into over 66 languages and sold over 50 million copies worldwide. The book's concept was originally inspired by a hole Carle punched through a stack of paper—initially intended to become a story about a bookworm, but changed to a caterpillar at his editor's suggestion. Its irregular die-cut pages made it difficult to print until a Japanese printer agreed to the challenge. At one point, the book was selling at a rate of one copy per minute worldwide.

Books both written and illustrated by Carle in the first half of the 1970s included "Pancakes, Pancakes!"; "Do You Want to Be My Friend?"; "Rooster's Off to See the World"; "The Secret Birthday Message"; "Have You Seen My Cat?"; and "I See a Song." Titles he illustrated but didn't write included "Tales of the Nimipoo," "The Boastful Fisherman," "The Scarecrow Clock," and "Do Bears Have Mothers Too?" Carle's most famous book of the decade was "The Grouchy Ladybug," which was published in 1977. In the 1980s, he illustrated for many other authors, including on such books as "Otter Nonsense," "The Foolish Tortoise," and "The Lamb and the Butterfly." Of the books he wrote, his most popular was "Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me," published in 1986.

Carle wrote most of his own books in the 1990s, including "The Very Quiet Cricket," "Dragons, Dragons," "Draw Me a Star," "My Apron," "Little Cloud," and "The Very Clumsy Click Beetle." He also reunited with Bill Martin Jr. for "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?," a companion to the duo's 1967 "Brown Bear" book. The pair collaborated again on "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" (2003) and "Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?" (2007). Also in the '00s, Carle published such books as "Dream Snow," "Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!," "Mister Seahorse," and "10 Little Rubber Ducks." His final three books were "The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse" (2011), "Friends" (2013), and "The Nonsense Show" (2015). In 2003, Carle received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his lasting contribution to children's literature, and he was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2010

Royalties and IP Sale

Eric Carle earned substantial income from his body of work, particularly from "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which remained a consistent global bestseller for decades. Before selling his intellectual property, Carle reportedly earned between $5 million and $8 million per year in royalties from his books. In late 2019, he sold the rights to The Very Hungry Caterpillar and related assets to Random House for an undisclosed but presumably large sum. Though the exact terms were never publicly confirmed, the sale was widely viewed as one of the most valuable intellectual property deals in the world of children's publishing. Over his lifetime, Carle's books generated hundreds of millions of dollars in global revenue and continued to sell at a pace of nearly 1 million copies annually.

Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Jumpstart

Style and Themes

Carle utilized the method of collage in his artwork, using hand-painted paper that he cut and layered to create vibrant images. Often focused on animals, his books were typically inspired by walks in nature he used to go on with his father. In many of his works, Carle added an interactive dimension through die-cut pages, foldouts, or various tactile and auditory features. He explored themes of curiosity, discovery, empathy, and family. Carle intended for his books to provide a source of stability and security for children transitioning between the home and school; in his words, to "counteract this fear" and "replace it with a positive message."

Personal Life and Death

In 1973, Carle wed his second wife, Barbara Morrison. They had two children and split their time between Northampton, Massachusetts and Key Largo, Florida. In 2002, the couple founded the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art near Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Carle and Morrison remained together until the latter's passing in 2015.

On May 23, 2021, Carle died from kidney failure at his studio in Northampton. He was 91 years of age.

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