Honestly, if you grew up anytime between the 1960s and today, you probably have a core memory of squinting at a page, searching for a single red sneaker. That’s the Lowly Worm effect. He isn't just a character; he’s a rite of passage.
Richard Scarry didn’t originally intend for this lanky invertebrate to steal the show. Lowly Worm started out as a background detail. He was a "bonus" for kids to find while they looked at the chaotic, bustling scenes of Busytown. But kids are observant. They obsessed over him. Eventually, Scarry realized the worm with the Tyrolean hat was the real star of the neighborhood.
The Mystery of the One Sneaker
Let’s talk about the outfit. It’s iconic. You’ve got the green Alpine hat (a nod to Scarry’s love for Switzerland), the blue and green sweater, and that lone red sneaker.
People always ask: "Why only one shoe?"
The answer is basically common sense—at least in Busytown logic. A worm only has one "foot." Where would he put a second shoe? It’s that kind of dry, literal humor that makes Scarry’s world so charming. It doesn't try too hard to be cute; it just is.
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Lowly doesn't just walk, either. He's often seen zooming around in his Apple Car. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a hollowed-out red apple on wheels. In the book Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, you can spot him navigating traffic alongside pickle trucks and bread mobile. It’s absurd. It’s perfect.
Does He Have a Skeleton?
There is a weirdly intense debate among fans about Lowly’s anatomy. If you look at the 1994 book Busy, Busy Town, there’s a scene where a nurse says his "insides look good." No bones in sight. Standard worm stuff.
But then, the 1990s TV show The Busy World of Richard Scarry happened. In Season 2, Lowly actually falls out of a tree and breaks a leg. He ends up in a cast and a wheelchair.
Wait. A leg? Worms don’t have legs. They definitely don’t have femurs. Fans have joked for years that Lowly was part of some secret experiment during the TV production era, but by the time the 2007 series Busytown Mysteries rolled around, he was back to being a flexible, bone-free guy. Most purists prefer the book version where he’s just a very talented, very long muscle.
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Why Lowly Worm Matters for Literacy
It’s easy to dismiss these books as just "busy" pictures, but Richard Scarry was a genius at vocabulary building. The Best Word Book Ever (1963) changed how we teach kids to read.
Lowly acts as the surrogate for the child reader. While Huckle Cat and the rest of the gang are doing "adult" things like baking bread or fixing pipes, Lowly is there to observe, help out, and occasionally get into mischief.
- He’s an underdog: He’s tiny in a world of bears and elephants.
- He’s capable: He drives a car, flies planes, and even operates a submarine.
- He’s polite: He’s known for his "worm-shake" (handshake) and generally being the nicest guy in town.
For a toddler, seeing a tiny worm master a giant world is incredibly empowering.
The Swiss Connection
Richard Scarry eventually moved his studio to Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1972. You can see the influence of the Alps everywhere in the later books. That green hat Lowly wears? It’s a traditional Tyrolean hat Scarry bought during a trip to Austria in 1963.
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The architecture of Busytown started looking a bit more like a European village, with half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets. It gave the books a timeless, "old-world" feeling that helps them stay relevant even as the real world gets more digital and sterile.
Voice of a Generation
If you can hear Lowly’s voice in your head right now, you’re likely thinking of Keith Knight. He voiced Lowly in the 90s animated series. Knight gave the worm a high-pitched, earnest, and slightly frantic energy that fit the character perfectly. Sadly, Knight passed away in 2007, but his portrayal remains the definitive version for millions of millennials.
How to Enjoy Lowly Today
If you’re looking to introduce a new generation to the madness of Busytown, don't just grab any random book. Look for the classics.
- The Best Word Book Ever: The gold standard. Just be aware that newer editions have been updated to remove some of the outdated 1960s gender roles (like "Beautiful Mother" being replaced with "Mother" who actually does things).
- What Do People Do All Day?: This is the one that explains how a community actually functions. It’s surprisingly complex.
- The Best Lowly Worm Book Ever: This was actually a "lost" manuscript discovered and completed by Richard’s son, Huck Scarry, in 2014. It’s a great tribute to his father’s style.
Lowly Worm proves that you don't need a complex backstory or superpowers to be a legend. You just need a good hat, a cool car, and a willingness to help your neighbors.
To get the most out of your Richard Scarry collection, try "Goldbugging" with your kids—it's the game of finding the tiny Goldbug character hidden on almost every page, a tradition that started because of the popularity of searching for Lowly. You can also find high-quality plush versions of the Apple Car today if you want to bring a bit of Busytown into the real world.
Next Steps: Check your local library or used bookstore for 1970s-era editions of What Do People Do All Day? to see the original, unedited spreads. If you have the newer versions, compare the "At the Airport" pages to see how much technology (and fashion) has changed since Scarry first put pen to paper.