Seymour came into being after a couple of weeks of experimenting in my workshop. I had wanted to design a character for "Can You See What I See?" that could quietly inhabit my photographs — to peek out from around objects, blend in with into the scene, or juxtapose with objects in unexpected or amusing ways — a kind of "everyman", or boy as at were. With that in mind I made him out of the very materials often found in my photographs; beads of plastic, glass, and wood; wire, and pipe cleaners (That's the red fuzz on top of his head). I hadn't thought to name him until after I had put him in his first photograph (String Game, book 1). When I showed the photograph to Grace Maccarone, we began to discuss the possibility of a name for him. After many unsatisfactory attempts (Bead Boy, Beadie), I changed the subject and started to talk about something else, and a phrase related to how kids "see more" in my photographs (because of the search and find game) came out in my conversation and Grace said "that's it!" we can call him Seymour!". At least that's how I remember it.
The bead boy named Seymour first appeared in Can You See What I See?. In Dream Machine, Seymour is the guide, who leads you to the nighttime world of Dream City and back. Seymour and the Juice Box Boat is Seymour's first book of his own! In this search-and-find book, you see Seymour gathering tools and materials to create a juice box boat.