Gelett Burgess, an American Humorist, wrote and illustrated Goops And How To Be Them in 1900. Born in 1866 in Boston he filled his life with books about ill mannered children, romance and mystery. My Grandmother introduced the Goops to our family in 1902. I was raised with the Goops and when I became a Grandmother I re-introduced The Goops And How To Be Them in a crusade to re-establish proper manners. Goops make manners fun!.