Five Fast Facts to Celebrate the Release of BAD KITTY: PARTY ANIMAL
Bruel’s first painting of Kitty, currently on display at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts.
Congratulations to Dunham Lit author Nick Bruel on the release of Bad Kitty: Party Animal, the latest installment in his beloved Bad Kitty graphic novel series. To celebrate, we’re sharing five fast facts about the series for all the Kitty-lovers out there!
1. Bad Kitty is modeled after a cat named Zou-Zou that author Bruel had in childhood.
You can’t have an iconic character without an iconic design! While Bruel says that the idea for the series began with the title (Bad Kitty), Kitty’s black-and-white coat is modeled after one of the author-illustrator’s childhood pets. If you find yourself in Virginia, you can visit the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts to see Bruel’s first-ever painting of Kitty hanging on display for a limited time!
2. Bad Kitty: Party Animal follows Kitty as she attempts to steal the spotlight from Puppy on his birthday. In 2009, Kitty got her own party in the book Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty!
Kitty is never satisfied! In Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty! she finds herself wanting a very specific gift for herself—or else. The story also features a wide cast of Bad Kitty characters, including Chatty Kitty, Strange Kitty, Stinky Kitty, Poor Puppy, and Uncle Murray.
3. Bad Kitty wasn’t intended to be a series, or include chapter books—originally, it was meant to be a stand-alone picture book that walked readers through the alphabet.
The first Bad Kitty book takes picture book readers through the alphabet, listing all the ways Kitty can cause chaos for those around her—including eating Uncle Murray! And there is a lot of mischief she can get up to; Kitty goes through the alphabet multiple times!
Oregon Children’s Theatre Company production of Bad Kitty on Stage!
4. In 2016, Bad Kitty took to the stage in an original stage play adaptation of the first five Bad Kitty novels.
Bad Kitty on Stage! is a musical adaptation by Min Kahng that follows the storyline of the first five books in the series. Commissioned by the Bay Area Children’s Theater, multiple productions of Bad Kitty on Stage! have popped up across the United States.
5. The first Bad Kitty story was released in October 2005, making this upcoming October the twentieth anniversary of the series! Join the celebration—and become a party animal!
2025 is an incredibly special anniversary for Kitty and all of her friends, and we hope you choose to celebrate with us. Get ready by adding Bad Kitty: Party Animal to your own bookshelf!
Bad Kitty: Party Animal by Nick Bruel is available in bookstores everywhere now.
