Is There No Colour Red In Mary Poppins? | Disney FAQ

Is there no colour red in Mary Poppins?

When discussing turning Mary Poppins into a film, P.L. Travers had apparently insisted that they do not use the colour red in the film at all.

The reason for this is not exactly apparent. Some sources online suggest it has something to do with her not wanting to be reminded of her father coughing up blood, but largely it’s believed that she said this just to annoy Disney.

The idea that Travers demanded no red also features in the film Saving Mr Banks, when she claims she had simply gone off the colour.

Despite this request, there is plenty of red in the final Mary Poppins film. We see Mary Poppins wearing a bright red coat. Her outfit during Jolly Holiday is decorated with red. Mr Banks even wears a red carnation in his lapel.

The simple answer here then is that it is not true that there is no red in Mary Poppins. In fact, when you look for it, there’s really rather a lot of it!