Earlier in the week, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company the manages the intellectual properties of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, including books, movies, television, and more, made the announcement that they would be ending the publication of six Dr. Seuss picture books. The six books in question were And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer. According to the company’s statement, these books contained outdated, racist imagery of people of color. We will not be showing these images, but trust me, if you saw them, you’d see the problem.
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in their statement.
Alongside this move, Dr. Seuss books were distanced from Read Across America Day, an annual celebration of literacy for children. During his statement on the occasion, President Joe Biden made no mention of any Dr. Seuss books, as opposed to previous presidents who did. This was viewed as slightly awkward, as Read Across America Day is also Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
Dr Seuss books are nine of the top 10 best-selling titles on Amazon after ‘cancel’ row https://t.co/3xiEb4oWIi
— The Independent (@Independent) March 5, 2021
This announcement prompted some backlash from internet-goers who were of the belief that Dr. Seuss was being “cancelled.” Whether a product of this backlash or simply due to a raise of awareness of Dr. Seuss books in the public consciousness, multiple Dr. Seuss books have suddenly shot to the top of the Amazon bestseller list, with the number one spot occupied by The Cat in the Hat, followed by One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham. Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat also topped charts in Amazon’s Canadian bestsellers.
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