•
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.”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.