who wrote puff the magic dragon

“Puff, the Magic Dragon” was written by Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) and is based on an earlier poem by Leonard (Lenny) Lipton, who is credited as co-writer of the song’s lyrics.

Quick Scoop: Who wrote “Puff the Magic Dragon”?

• The song was written by Peter Yarrow , a member of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary.

• The lyrics were adapted from a 1959 poem about a dragon written by Leonard (Lenny) Lipton , who later received shared songwriting credit.

• Peter, Paul and Mary recorded the song in 1962, and it was released in early 1963, becoming a major folk hit.

In short: when people ask “who wrote Puff the Magic Dragon?” the most accurate answer is that it was written by Peter Yarrow, based on a poem by Leonard Lipton, and both are credited as its creators.

Tiny bit of background

• Lipton’s original poem about a dragon was written while he was a 19-year-old student at Cornell University in 1959.

• Yarrow later found the poem, reshaped it into song lyrics, and set it to music, creating the version the world now knows as “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”

• After the song became famous, Yarrow tracked Lipton down so he could formally share credit and royalties with him.

TL;DR:
The song “Puff, the Magic Dragon” was written by Peter Yarrow, using and adapting a poem by Leonard (Lenny) Lipton; both are officially credited as its writers.

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