R.L. Stine’s Publisher Makes Woke Changes To Beloved Series “Goosebumps”

R.L. Stine, the author of the popular “Goosebumps” series, has recently spoken out against his publisher, Scholastic, for making changes to his books without his consent. Reports surfaced that Stine had joined Scholastic to edit his books as part of a 2018 e-book re-release, resulting in over 100 edits being made. However, The Times later corrected the error, acknowledging that the books “were changed without his knowledge.”

Stine denied allegations that he removed references to weight, mental health, and ethnicity from his books without permission. He stated on Twitter that he has never changed a word in the “Goosebumps” books and any changes were never shown to him. The revisions were made in the name of inclusivity and included changing the description of an alien from having “at least six chins” to being “at least six feet six” tall and condensing the description of an African-American character to succinctly describe his “brown skin.”

Scholastic defended its decision to review the text, claiming it was done to keep the language current and avoid imagery that could negatively impact a young person’s view of themselves today, particularly in relation to mental health. Some of the changes made include using the word “cheerful” instead of “plump,” removing references to wolf-whistling, and removing descriptions of characters as looking like a “bowling ball” or having “squirrel cheeks.”

This controversy comes on the heels of a similar situation with Roald Dahl’s books, in which the publisher collaborated with the Roald Dahl Story Co. to make hundreds of alterations in order to avoid offending anyone with the original works. The revisions to the books were made in consultation with Inclusive Minds, a group that advocates for inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in children’s literature.

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As part of their review process, they removed words such as “fat” to avoid discriminatory language. However, the censorship of these beloved children’s books has caused outrage among authors and readers. Critics argue that the changes are unnecessary as the original books were only minorly offensive at worst and did not contain explicit content.

It is worth noting that this controversy arises amidst concerns about the availability of books with pornographic or inappropriate content in schools. While some argue that these books are being embraced by the left, the issue of inappropriate content in schools transcends political affiliations and should be addressed regardless of political leanings.

In a now-deleted tweet, Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses,” took to Twitter to express his displeasure, stating that “Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship. Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.” Some critics have argued that the changes are unnecessary and that it is more important to address harmful content on social media.

Alexander J. Williams III