Trivia

According to Harburg, he acquired his nickname (derived from "yipsl," the Yiddish word for "squirrel") as a child.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1958 Tony Award, book, with collaborator Fred Saidy, and his lyrics with music by Harold Arlen, for Best Musical nominee "Jamaica."

After attending a performance of the Broadway musical "The Wiz," an Afro-American adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz," in the mid-70s, Harburg was moved to put his reaction to the show into verse, and it bears repeating:

"From F.D.R. to Nixon. /From "The Wizard" to "The Wiz." /It doesn't quite seem possible, /But, oh, my country, 'tis.".

Pictured on a 37¢ USA commemorative stamp issued in his honor on 28 April 2005.

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 364-366 (as Yip Harburg). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.