When I was a child my mother could sometimes avert my naughtiness by warning, "Don't be a Skeezicks!" What is a skeezicks, who was his cohort, and what was the prize they so coveted?

The "Skeezicks" in question must be from the "Uncle Wiggily" stories, but I'm exhausted by the search. Someone else is going to have to identify the "prize" ;-)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Wiggily

Yes! The Skeezicks is a rascal found in the Uncle Wiggily stories. The Wiki article names the cohort and alludes to the prize. Click on "Skeezicks" in that article for a likeness.

Oh, my, this is still not finished. We had just one of these books when I was growing up and I'd nearly forgotten it. My sister recently told me she has several for her children.

If I'd been on my toes, I would have asked for the first specifically termed "bedtime stories" or the first children's adventure stories with talking animals or the first with named villians.

See back cover here
http://books.google.com/books?id=gbZnINBpleoC&pg=PA57&sig=nKenbCPQIt1vkv_CT6MNnd5pfcA#PPT1,M1

and #31 here
[From diamondgalleries.com 2007 article, no longer online]

The answers are given in Frankie's and my links; the prize is edible.

Skeezicks is a crow that cohorts with a rhino called Pipsisewah. They are in the story 'Uncle Wiggily's Snow Man'. The prize was some souse they meant to steal.

The story and illustrations are at:
https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Wiggilys-Snowman-Howard-Garis/dp/B008OMJDOK

Apparently, throughout the series, they also want to eat bits of Uncle Wiggily such as his ears.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Wiggily

Yay, Myra!
They were the crow-LIKE Skeezicks and rhino-LIKE Pipsisewah, but not exactly those creatures.

From #31 on my link above:
"These sordid characters were always trying to eat the dear old rabbit's ears, which they called 'souse'."

This is the classic picture of Skeezicks I remember from my childhood:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/243827767299824198/

Would you care for some pickled rabbit ears? Perhaps I could send you a chocolate bunny.