Children’s author R.L. Stine’s popular horror series “Goosebumps” is the latest literary target of publishers trying to satisfy the woke agenda.
The Gateway Pundit reported on the so-called “sensitivity gurus” who scrubbed legendary author Roald Dahl’s children’s books to avoid offending snowflake liberals.
Upcoming reprinting of Ian Fleming’s 1950’s James Bond books are also being rewritten to remove “racially insensitive” words and stereotypes.
The Times of London claimed that Stine “censored over a dozen of his books” to avoid mentions of race or calling characters fat or crazy.
Stine denied the claim and affirmed that the edits were never shown to him.
“Lindsey, the stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.”
Lindsey, the stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.
— R.L. Stine (@RL_Stine) March 6, 2023
The UK Times said it found more than 100 edits in e-book versions of the series of 62 books.
It noted how one character who “acts real cool, like the rappers on MTV videos” now just “acts real cool” — and is described as having “brown skin” rather than being “African-American.”
Mentions of slaves were also removed, as well as black face worn by a character dressed as “a dark and stormy night” for Halloween.
Characters were no longer “roly-poly,” and “plump” ones were described as now “cheerful.” Characters Stine called “overweight” are now merely “huge” and one with “at least six chins” is now “at least six feet six.”
A line about schoolgirls having “crushes” on their headmaster was cut, and a boy who wolf-whistled now merely “whistled loudly,” the UK Times noted. Something dismissed as “girl’s stuff” is now just “not interesting.”