Six Dr. Seuss Books Won’t Be Published Due To ‘Hurtful And Wrong’ Racist Images

Topline

Six Dr. Seuss books will stop being published due to racist and insensitive imagery, the business managing the author’s legacy said in a statement, a decision that fits within a wider reckoning in the past year over the ongoing use of historic but insensitive material that has spanned movies to famous brand names. 

Key Facts

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, in a statement issued on the deceased author’s birthday, said the discontinued “books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong” and that stopping sales is part of its broader plan to “ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families.”

The organization said the decision had been made last year after significant discussion and deliberation, including consulting panels of experts and educators. 

The discontinued titles are: “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” “The Cat’s Quizzer,” “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” and “If I Ran the Zoo.” 

Other criticized Seuss books, such as “The Cat in the Hat,” will still be published, but the organization said it is “committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio.”

Key Background

The decision to stop publishing several Seuss books—which have long been criticized for their racial undertones—fits within a broader movement reckoning with the continued use of racist and insensitive material in modern society, following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement last year. In media and literature, this includes work like “Gone With The Wind,”  which last year was temporarily removed from streaming service HBO Max and reinstated with a historical context disclaimer, and brand names  like Mars Inc.’s Uncle Ben’s (now ‘Ben’s Original’), Eskimo Pie and Pepsico’s Aunt Jemima pancake mix (now the Pearl Milling Company) that have reassessed their packaging and branding to rely less on dated and racist tropes.

Surprising Fact

Even in death, Seuss’ (who was also known as Theodor Seuss Geisel) work enjoys enduring and lucrative popularity, with the author ranking second on Forbes’ highest-paid dead celebrity list of 2020 (after singer Michael Jackson). Book sales, alongside television and film deals, helped the deceased author rake in $33 million.

Tangent

President Joe Biden neglected to mention Seuss in his Read Across America Day speech Tuesday, an event which deliberately takes place on the author’s birthday. Both of Biden’s two immediate predecessors had mentioned the author during their presidencies. 

Further Reading

6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published for racist images (AP)

How Dr. Seuss Got Rich In A Very Grinch-Like Year (Forbes)

‘Gone With The Wind’ Is Back On HBO Max With A Warning About The ‘Horrors Of Slavery’ (Forbes)

Aunt Jemima Gets A New Name After Racism Backlash (Forbes)

Uncle Ben’s Changes To Ben’s Original Amid Rebrand Of Racist Labeling (Forbes)

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