“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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