The Gammage Cup is a children's book by Carol Kendall. It tells the story of a race of little people called The Minnipins who, despite inner divisions, must come together to defend their village and the valley in which they live against an evil, grotesque, and cannibalistic race of humanoid creatures called The Mushrooms or The Hairless Ones. The book includes several references to the "real world" including the poem Mary Had a Little Lamb and several common abbreviations such as ltd., co., bros., etc. The book was highly praised and became a Newbery Honor book and an ALA Notable Children's Book. It was first published in 1959 in the United Kingdom as The Minnipins and was later published by Scholastic in November 1991 and by Harcourt in 2000. Audiobook and cartoon versions were also created.

The Gammage Cup

Cover art from the scholastic edition
Author	Carol Kendall
Illustrator	Erik Blegvad
Language	English
Series	The Minnipins Series
Genre	Speculative fiction, Fantasy
Publisher	Harcourt Brace, Scholastic
Publication date	1959
Media type	Print ( paperback)
Pages	283
Awards	Newbery Honor, ALA Notable Childrens Book, and Ohioana Book Award
ISBN	0-590-45103-0
Preceded by	The Other Side of the Tunnel
Followed by	The Whisper of Glocken

The story is mainly told in the past tense from a third person point of view. The writing tends to follow Muggles in a subjective manner, however sometimes events are told objectively. The narrative shifts away from Muggles during some chapters towards the end to relay key events such as Mingy's efforts to block the mine and the rousing of Slipper on the Water by Walter the Earl. Each chapter is numbered and is headed with a poem or maxim such as "When something happens, something else always happens"' or "You can never tell/from a Minnipin's hide/what color he is/deep down inside" (chapters 8 and 9 respectively). All of the maxims are attributed to Muggles and most of the poems to Gummy. Some of the poems however are attributed to various periods.

The story is set in a fictional valley named the Land Between the Mountains. The valley is surrounded by four mountain ranges, namely, Snowdrift (to the north), Frostbite (to the south), The Sunrise Mountains (to the east), and The Sunset Mountains (to the west). This valley is populated by twelve villages of Minnipins. The Minnipins are a race of "little people" rather like hobbits. ^[1] They are very industrious as is described by Kendall when she writes, "[The Minnipins] fished and tended their famous watercress beds and grew their own peculiar reeds, which could be milled into flour or used fir thatching or pulped into paper or woven into cloaks of mothwing softness" (2). The novel takes place in the eleventh village, named Slipper on The Water, and various areas in and around the gold mines in the Sunset Mountains. As well as on a nearby Knoll where the outlaws live. The date of the story is given as the year of Gammage 880.

Slipper-on-the-Water is one of twelve Minnipin villages in a valley known as the Land Between the Mountains. Slipper-on-the-Water is unique because it is home to a clan known as the Periods. The periods are descendants of Fooley the Magnificent or the Great Fooley who constructed a balloon and flew to the land beyond the mountains and came back bringing a case of curiosities some four hundred, forty years before the book opens. They hold high offices in Slipper-on-the-Water, have a very high opinions of themselves and have a "Council of Periods" that rules the village.

Also living in the village are a group of Minnipins referred to as "Them" by the other villagers. These include: Gummy, a carefree poet who writes silly poems, Walter the Earl, who hunts for treasure that he believes to be hidden in his back yard, and Curley Green, artist and painter of "blobs". These Minnipins shun the tradition-based existence of other Minnipins and do things such as wear different-colored cloaks and have different color doors and cloaks instead of the traditional standard of green doors and green cloaks. Two other Minnipin villagers who later become one of "Them" are Muggles, who is a candy maker and runs the Fooley Museum who tends toward untidiness and is thought to be rather simpleminded, and Mingy, the village Money Keeper.

One night, Muggles wakes up and sees what she at first thinks is the sunrise in the Sunset Mountains in the West but are actually fires. She also sees Gummy staggering around back to Walter the Earl's house. At first she thinks that seeing the fires on the mountains was only a dream, but later on in talking to Gummy and realizes that it was not a dream.

While digging for treasure, Walter the Earl discovers a vault under his house and finds iron chests that contain ancient scrolls, swords, armor and military trumpets which are very old. The scrolls reveal that Fooley the Magnificent was a foolish person who stole a ride in a toy maker's balloon at a fun fair and somehow made it back as a hero. They also contain ominous warnings from Walter the Earl's fore bearer Walter the Obtuse that hint that the vault will be found when it is needed for the protection of the Minnipins.

The mayor returns from the annual meeting of village mayors with news that there will be a contest to find the most prosperous, happiest, prettiest, and finest village in the Land Between the Mountains. The winning village will win the most valuable thing in the valley: The Gammage Cup, a Vessel of Wisdom that was carried to the main village of Watersplash some 880 years before.

The villagers are excited to participate in the contest but the Periods members convince the rest of the villagers that "They" will ruin their chances to win the Gammage Cup because they don't want to conform to the norms of the village (having green doors and green cloaks). During a town meeting some of the Periods want to "outlaw" them. The Mayor tries to fix the situation, but Walter the Earl prevents him from doing so and says that they will be "outlawing Slipper on the Water". Mingy, the curmudgeonly money keeper who resists spending money for "fancying up the village" is also outlawed.

The "Outlaws" paddle up the Watercress River, then up the Little Trickle to Gummy's stone cabin on The Knoll. They move in but find out that it is too small for all of them to live inside and decide to sleep outside until a new house is built. The sheer amount of work that is needed leads them into a hectic work pattern in which nothing seems to get done until Muggles steps forward to organize their working efforts. After much progress is made, they have a chance to go exploring the Old Mines in the Sunset Mountains. Walter the Earl brings an iron sword from the vault that he found. While they are in the cave, it glows (as a warning) as they heard odd tapping sounds in the caves. After they return to The Knoll they begin to doubt what they have seen in the cave, however when a similar phenomenon occurs a short time later they are convinced that something dangerous is afoot. Supposing that the legendary enemies of the Minnipins known as The Mushrooms have returned and are preparing to attack, they decide to hold a council of war.

After much disscussion, Muggles decides that Mingy is the best member to scout out who or what is in the Old Mines. He will hike to Mingy's Rock to watch from a distance and will leave a message by the rocks in case he was captured. The rest of the "Outlaws" will be close in the hill behind Mingy's Rock with swords in case he needs help. Everyone is in place and Mingy spies movement of several creatures on the face of the mountain. They are a head taller than Minnipin, hairless with mushroom colored skin and wear tight, brownish-white clothes that let their round bellies bulge out. They are the Hairless Mushrooms and there are 200 or more of them continue to pour out of the mine, all of them have big ears and appear to be listening intently. Mingy tries to get back to the others but gets his foot stuck in the rock. The rest of the Outlaws rush to save Mingy as the Mushrooms swarm to capture him. They chase most of the Mushrooms away but four of them capture Mingy and carry him into the mountain. Gummy chases them into the Old Mines and returns after he is hit by a poisonous spear.

The group head back to Gummy's cabin on the Knoll to tend to Gummy's wound which is getting worse. His wound gets so bad that he is delirious and can't be moved. Curly Green and Muggles stay and defend him while Walter the Earl will head back down to Slipper-on-the-Water to raise an army to fight the Mushrooms.

Walter the Earl tries to tell the Periods mayor and council about the coming Mushrooms army but they will not listen. He decides to raise the village without the help of the Periods. He is successful, however after he is almost ready to begin marching to the mountains the Periods dissuade the villagers by threatening them with fines and by telling them that Walter the Earl has become deranged from living apart. The villagers are uncertain what to do when suddenly an eerie chanting is heard from the mountains.

Meanwhile, deep in the Old Mines caves, Mingy's hurt foot wakes him up and he sees that the Mushrooms want to kill him but the Mushroom with the biggest belly who appears to be the boss says no. Later, one of the Mushrooms is scratched by a poison spear and Mingy sees that a pot with some white stuff is used to fix him up. Mingy thinks that it might help his foot too. After the Mushrooms leave to fight, he puts some of the white stuff on his hurt foot which gets better and thinks about how he could help the Minnipin army to fight the Mushrooms.

The Mushroom army attacks the cabin where Gummy, Curly Green and Muggles are hiding. Gummy becomes weak because of the poison from the spear and Curly Green is knocked out while Muggles wards off the Mushrooms who tried to get in through the windows and doors using the magic swords. Just as they were about to break in, the Minnipin army attacks and a fierce battle ensues. As the Mushrooms flee back into the Old Mines caves, Mingy sets a heap of sleeping mats which he piles in front of the entrance on fire, making it impossible for the Mushrooms to escape. They rush back out to escape the flames and are defeated by the Minnipin army. Mingy happily comes out of the cave holding the pot with the white stuff to cure Gummy and all the injured Minnipins soldiers.

The Period village council is sorry that they made the Outlaws leave the village and no longer care about winning the Gammage Cup contest anymore. On their way back to the village, Gummy and Curly Green announce their engagement, as do Mingy and Muggles.

The villagers hangs garlands and streamers to celebrate the safe arrival home of the soldiers and the five Outlaws, who are now respected and honored, and paint all the doors of their houses different colors. The mayor gives a speech, and so does Muggles. Someone strikes up a song and everybody goes out into the meadow beyond the village to dance and to celebrate.

While the villagers celebrate, the three judges of the contest arrive. Witnessing the happy scene, they decide that Slipper-on-the-Water is the most deserving village and leave the Gammage Cup in the town square.

• Muggles - Minnipin candy maker who accidentally becomes involved with "Them". In the village she is often referred to as being "poor simple Muggles", however she manages to find herself in her life at the knoll. She also decides to marry Mingy at the end of the book.

• Gummy - Gummy is an extremely idle and carefree Minnipin who wears yellow and makes up scribbles (rhymes that do not follow Mary Had a Little Lamb).

• Walter the Earl - Apparently descended from a long line of earls, Walter the Earl looks for treasures that he believes are hidden in his yard.

• Curly Green - Curly Green is usually seen wearing a sky blue dress and a scarlet cloak. She paints but does no real work.

• Mingy - The money keeper, he opposes any frivolous spending and advocates a village sick fund instead of making the village nice for the judges.

The Periods are descendants of Fooley the magnificent. They are each given one of the "names" from Fooley's book. They also tend to have positions of prominence in the Minnipin society. They are the main voices for outlawing "Them". &. is also a period name but no one can think of how to pronounce it and it is discontinued.

• Wm.-The village poet. He writes real poems (for Minnipins real poems are only those with the same meter and rhyme scheme as " Mary Had a Little Lamb" since Fooley brought a copy of it back from the land beyond the mountains) not "scribbles" (poems that do not follow " Mary Had a Little Lamb") like Gummy does.

• Geo.-The village painter (has bad spelling).

• Co.-The town clerk, very outspoken against the outlaws.

• Ltd.-The mayor of Slipper on the Water appears to be rather kind and benevolent but is easily swayed by the other periods. He tries to convince the village to rethink outlawing "Them" and invites them back when Muggles and Gummy come to pick up things that they needed but couldn't bring in one trip to the knoll. Both offers are refused. The first one by Walter the Earl who declare that "they" will be outlawing slipper on the water; and the second one by Muggles, who despite her love for the village feel that she belongs and is no longer "poor simple Muggles" in her life on the knoll.

• Etc.-Invented the read lights that the villagers use. Speaking about these lights Gummy says: "Etc. lit a little light/and now we have it every night/it may burn orange a quince jelly/but let's admit it's rather smelly" (94).

There are also periods named St., Rd., Ave., Eng., and Bros.

Most of the villagers are distinguished by their trade and their name. The two often correspond in such names as "Blaze the Firefighter" and "Sud the Soapmaker". The outlaws and periods are never mentioned by occupation.

• Dingle the Miller-Also the village songmaster.

• Fin Longtooth- The oldest inhabitant, owns a fishing tank that he runs during fairs.

• Thatch the Roofer

• Reedy-Wife of Crambo the basketmaker, a friend of Muggles before she is outlawed.

• Spill the Candelmaker-Poor because Etc.'s reed light make his business less profitable. Helped out by Mingy before Mingy is outlawed.

• Gammage-The revered first leader of the Minnipins in the valley.

• Fooley-A foolish Minnipin who accidentally left the valley in a toy balloon and was able to come back bringing a case of curiosities from his voyage. After his return, he and his descendants became the revered and unquestioned leaders shortly after his return.

• Walter the Seventeenth Earl aka Walter the Obtuse-One of Walter the Earls predecessors who buries the swords, armor, and other items in his yard.

• The Three Strangers-The judges of the contest for the Gammage Cup who leave it at Slipper on the Water after seeing the celebration after the victory over the mushrooms.

No mushrooms are mentioned by name however it is recorded that there are about three hundred of them, all of whom are killed and burned in a funeral pyre. The mushrooms speak in a strange language of which only four phrases are recorded in the book. The only Mushroom mentioned specifically is the one with "the biggest belly" who doesn't want Mingy to be killed.

The only phrases of the Mushroom language recorded in the book are:

• Kin-Death -A battle cry calling for death of the Minnipins also used by Mushrooms lobbying for the death of Mingy.

• Week -A sound of fear made by the Mushrooms when attacked by the swords.

• Nath -Used by the Mushroom with the biggest belly in response to "Kin-Death" while deciding Mingy's fate. Most likely meaning no.

• Slurth en kath -Related to food. The giving of this order leads to Mingy being fed a bowl of stew.

One of the foremost themes in the book is that of conformity verses nonconformity. Kendall uses five characters who don't fit in with their society but are able show their worth in saving it. The New York Times Book Review called the book a "fable about conformists and non-conformists". ^[2] This was also noted by the reviewer from the Black Gate who saw the book as "a warning against 1950's conformist tendencies". Another theme in the book is that of uniting in the face of a common foe. Although the Periods and the outcasts are initially in opposition to one another, they are forced to reconcile their differences when they are all threatened by the Mushrooms. Also the themes of individualism are prevalent throughout the book. When Muggles is invited to come back to the village by Ltd. after the judges have gone she explains to him the she is no longer "poor simple Muggles" (184) like she used to be and has gained individuality in her life at the knoll. Horn Book noted that the book offers "insights into the value of individualism". ^[3] Muggles' heroine-ism makes the book appear feminist. Kendall neither confirmed or denied this saying "I just write the way it is". ^[4]

The book contains several references to the real world from the things that Fooley brings back from his balloon ride.

• The names of the periods are derived from common abbreviations for example, Ltd. means limited, Co. means county, Bros. means brothers, etc.

• Paintings are family trees and vice-versa. This is because Fooley brought back a painting of a tree in front of a house and when the villagers matched the list written in Fooley's book with the things he had brought back they thought it was a family tree because it was a painting of a tree and they called the family tree a painting because it was the last thing left.

• Fooley also brings back the poem Mary Had a Little Lamb and it is the prevailing opinion that something that doesn't follow its rhyme scheme and meter is not a poem but a scribble and is looked down on as silly and childish.

A review of the book by Horn Book Magazine recalled "This highly creative fantasy...will be a gift book treasured by the entire family"(Back Cover). The New York Times Book Review called it "highly amusing, imaginative, and thought provoking". In 2001, a review in Black Gate described The Gammage Cup as very readable and enjoyable, with a cute turn of phrase and clever notions, though standing "at best in the second rank of the great children's fantasies." The reviewer noted the typical 1950s themes of conformity and the threat from outsiders. ^[5]

• The Gammage Cup was named a Newbery Honor Book for 1960. ^[6] It was also one of Horn Book's best books of 1959 ^[7] and won the Ohioana book award in 1960 ^[8]

Interest in the book was revived ^[5] during the 1999 lawsuit between Nancy Stouffer and J.K. Rowling over the creation of the name "Muggles". An article in the Lawrence Journal-World on June 14, 2000 noted that the name had been used by Kendall "about 30 years [before]". Kendall found the incident "amusing" and was not ill disposed towards either author. Speaking about the copying, she said, "I've got no quarrel with them, [...]. There's only so many ideas. and if you have one then someone else out there probably has the same one, too." ^[4]

The Gammage Cup was first published in 1959 by Harcourt Brace in New York and was illustrated by Erik Blegvad. The copyright for the book expired and was renewed in 1987. It was later published by Scholastic in 1991 and then by Harcourt in 2000 with cover art by Tim and Greg Hildebrandt. The book was also published in the United Kingdom under the title of The Minnipins.

A cartoon version of The Gammage Cup was produced on CBS Storybreak around 1992. The Cartoon was about 26 minutes long and was aired with closed captions in 1993. The cartoon stuck to the main premise of the book but changed the storyline dramatically.

The movie begins with Walter the Earl showing Muggles, Mingy, Curley Green, and Gummy, who are children instead of adults, the museum which already houses the Gammage Cup. The Gammage Cup glows as long as the valley is safe, however when it stops glowing they will be in danger. While Walter the Earl and the children are in the museum the cup suddenly stop glowing and Gammage's sword begins to glow instead, another sign of danger. Ltd. who has been profiting from gold that the Gammage Cup has been magically producing blames this on Walter who is then banished. The children are left behind and try to convince Ltd. that Walter the Earl was right by showing him the sword, however he refuses to believe them. Suddenly the sword begins to pull them magically towards the place where the mushrooms are. When they arrive they save Walter from a group of mushrooms that have attacked him. Mingy is captured after tripping and Walter the Earl takes a spear and goes back to warn the village with Curley Green. The other two are left to hold off the mushrooms with the sword. They are largely successful, however when Gummy is wounded many mushrooms get by them. Back at the village Walter the Earl finally convinces the villagers when they hear the sound of the mushroom's approach. Instead of using magic swords to defeat the mushrooms they use the gold that Ltd. has been hoarding from the Gammage Cup. They chase the mushrooms back through the cave and block the entrance with boulders and gold. Mingy also breaks a bridge to prevent the Mushrooms from coming back. The cartoon ends on a bittersweet note however, because the mushrooms are not destroyed but will return someday. ^[9]

An audiobook version of The Gammage Cup was produced by Recorded Books in 2000. It was read by Christina Moore who was praised by School Library Journal as conveying "the full emotional range of each character". The reviewer also noted that "Moore consistently nails the perfect tone of the story". Commenting on the book's story line in general, the reviewer said "this delightful fantasy is sure to please fans on several levels--humor, suspense, plot twists, winsome characters, and adventure". ^[10]