‘If you’re that easily offended, stay at home in bubble wrap!’ Furious parents slam ‘horrific’ censorship by Roald Dahl publisher after it removed ‘offensive’ language from his books – as 98% of MailOnline readers say text should be left alone
- Furious Brits have blasted efforts by sensitivity gurus to change literary classics
- It comes after Roald Dahl’s beloved books were extensively rewritten by censors
- A MailOnline poll revealed 98 per cent of people want author’s books left alone
Furious Brits have slammed efforts by ‘woke’ sensitivity gurus to rewrite and censor Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s books, removing ‘offensive’ language, branding it ‘horrific’ and ‘ridiculous’.
Publisher Puffin has hired sensitivity readers to rewrite chunks of the author’s text to make sure the books ‘can continue to be enjoyed by all today’, resulting in extensive changes across Dahl’s work.
Considerable edits have been made to descriptions of the characters’ physical appearance – the new editions no longer use the word ‘fat’, which has been cut from every book, and the Oompa Loompas are now gender neutral.
But the move has triggered a wave of outrage, with 98 per cent of MailOnline readers demanding the best-selling author’s works are kept in their original form.
Now parents have said they will be boycotting the updated novels as the changes were branded as ‘absolutely insane’, with one saying: ‘If you’re that easily offended, then stay at home wrapped in bubble wrap.’
Extensive changes have been made to the works of Roald Dahl, including the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory being made gender-neutral
The word ‘fat’ has been wiped from every one of Dahl’s books, with Augustus Gloop only described as ‘enormous’
Now parents have taken to Mumsnet to vent their fury at efforts to re-write Roald Dahl’s literary classics as a poll by the MailOnline revealed 98 per cent of people want the best-selling author’s books to remain unchanged
‘I find the whole thing utterly horrific and shudder to think that there are enough people in the profession to cheer this on,’ wrote one person on popular parenting forum Mumsnet.
‘Write your own books and leave other books alone. If you are that easily offended, then stay at home wrapped in bubble wrap.’
READ MORE: Rishi backs Roald Dahl fans in war with publisher over editing his beloved books: PM ‘agrees with BFG that you shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words’
One parent raged: ‘This is absolutely insane. These are children’s books that have been beloved for decades. I won’t be buying the new versions for my two little ones… seriously, what’s going to be targeted next? Shakespeare?’
While a third person wrote: ‘I seriously hope nobody buys this!’ with another user adding: ‘I have to agree the whole thing is ridiculous!’
Another added: ‘They have removed “crazy” but not “nutty”… Seems kind of random. Sooner or later someone with crooked teeth will complain, and they will need to do another reprint.’
One person questioned why the word ‘fat’ had been removed to describe Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
‘If they were seriously worried about fat-shaming, they could have removed any reference to Gloop’s size and just had him as a greedy character, leaving it to the reader’s imagination what he looked like. You don’t need to be obese to get stuck in a glass pipe,’ they said.
The comments were echoed by the former child actor who played Augustus Gloop in the original Willy Wonka movie, who has insisted there’s ‘nothing harmful’ about how the character is described.
Publishers Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company have changed how Gloop (pictured far left in 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) is described, with the character no longer called fat in new versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Now child star, Michael Böllner, of the original 1971 movie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which starred Gene Wilder, has spoken out to defend the author
The German actor played the glutinous boy Augustus Gloop, who departs the film after he falls into the chocolate river in Wonka’s factory. He said: ‘I don’t think this chocolate factory story was politically incorrect at all
German actor Michael Böllner played the glutinous boy Augustus Gloop in the 1971 movie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. which starred Gene Wilder.
Speaking out this week in defence of Roald Dahl, the 64-year-old said he did not think the book needed to be rewritten and the story was ‘very good’.
‘I don’t think this chocolate factory story was politically incorrect at all,’ he added.
‘Down here in Bavaria, we are used to people making jokes at us a little, and we are kind of very well known for being very fond of all our traditional food and that’s ok.
‘It is really fine. So I don’t have feeling like it was cruel or politically incorrect or anything.’
In the latest edition of The Witches, 59 changes have been made to avoid offence. Pictured: The 1990 film of the book
In the new version of The Twits, Mrs Twit’s ‘fearful ugliness’ has been chopped to ‘ugliness’
He added: ‘Performing on the set never made me sad or anything like this, really on the contrary.
‘So from my point of view it is really fine I think – fine with the book and story, and I definitely don’t think it has to be rewritten at all.’
It comes as Rishi Sunak hit out at attempts to alter Dahl’s books, with the Prime Minister quoting the author’s BFG character to warn you shouldn’t ‘gobblefunk’ with words.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said it was ‘important’ literary works were ‘preserved and not airbrushed’, citing the ‘right of free speech and expression’.
The spokesman said: ‘When it comes to our rich and varied literary heritage, the Prime Minister agrees with the BFG that we shouldn’t gobblefunk around with words.
‘I think it’s important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved and not airbrushed. We have always defended the right to free speech and expression.’
The Prime Minister had concerns about rewriting the books – and quoted Dahl’s BFG in a warning not to ‘gobblefunk’ with words. Pictured: BFG film poster
Rishi Sunak poses with his daughter on the red carpet at the world premiere of the Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical film last year
Hundreds of changes have been made to Dahl’s books, with some passages not written by the author being added
Acclaimed writer Sir Salman Rushdie has also branded the moves as ‘absurd censorship’.
It was previously revealed that following the use of sensitivity readers, the publishers had decided to cut words such as ‘crazy’ and ‘mad’ from the books.
References to the colours ‘black’ and ‘white’ are also said to have been removed, with the BFG not able to wear a black cloak and the description turning ‘white with fear’ axed.
This comes as children’s authors have given their opinion on the controversy.
His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman said Dahl’s books ‘should be allowed to fade away’ rather than changed if they were regarded as offensive.
‘If Dahl offends us, let him go out of print,’ Pullman told Radio 4’s Today programme. ‘Read all these [other] wonderful authors who are writing today, who don’t get as much of a look-in because of the massive commercial gravity of people like Roald Dahl.’
Best-selling author Philip Pullman (pictured in 2019) has said that publishers stop censoring Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books and instead just let his work go ‘out of print’
Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, has removed so-called colourful language from books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda to make them ‘more acceptable’ to modern readers (file photo)
Unlike the literary experts calling the censorship ‘absurd,’ Sir Philip argued that changing Mr Dahl’s texts will not cause lasting damage to the industry. Pictured: Roald Dahl in 1988
He pointed out there were probably millions of second-hand editions of Dahl’s books in school libraries, classrooms and charity shops, saying ‘are you going to round up all the books and cross them out with a big black pen?’.
Appearing on Nicky Campbell’s Radio 5 Live talk show, John Dougherty, award-winning author of about 30 children’s books, said the alterations made to Dahl’s books sounded like ‘overreach’.
He said there was no reason the BFG should not have black cloak, saying this ‘seems absurd’.
How the stories changed
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
2001 – Mrs Salt was a great fat creature with short legs, and she was blowing like a rhinoceros
2022 – Mrs Salt was so out of breath, she was blowing like a rhinoceros
THE TWITS
2001 – Mrs Twit may have been ugly and she may have been beastly, but she was not stupid
2022 – Mrs Twit may have been beastly, but she was not stupid.
MATILDA
2001 – Get your mother or father
2022 – Get your family
THE BFG
2001 – ‘BFG,’ she said, ‘would you please tell these rather dim-witted characters exactly what to do.’
2022 – ‘BFG,’ she said, ‘would you please tell them exactly what to do’.
THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE
2001 – We eat little boys and girls
2022 – We eat little children
ESIO TROT
2001 – ‘I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! I’ll be your slave for life.’
2022 – ‘I beg you to tell me Mr Hoppy! You’ll be my hero for life.’
FANTASTIC MR FOX
2001 – Bunce, the little pot-bellied dwarf, looked up at Bean…
2022 – Bunce looked up at Bean…
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
2001 – They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot an elephant
2022 – They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot their prey
Hundreds of changes were made to the original text, extinguishing Dahl’s colourful and memorable descriptions, some over fifty years old, to make his characters less grotesque.
Mrs Twit’s ‘fearful ugliness’ has been chopped to ‘ugliness’ and Mrs Hoppy in Esio Trot is not an ‘attractive middle-aged lady’ but a ‘kind middle-aged lady’.
Gender is also eliminated with books no longer referring to ‘female’ characters.
Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, once a ‘most formidable female’, is now a ‘most formidable woman’, while her ‘great horsey face’ is now called ‘her face’.
Oompa-Loompas who were once ‘small men’ are now ‘small people’ and Fantastic Mr Fox’s three sons have become daughters.
Passages not written by the late author, who died in 1990, have also been added by the publisher to complete their new editions.
In The Witches, a paragraph describing them as bald under their wigs is followed shortly by a new line: ‘There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.’
A witch posing as a ‘cashier in a supermarket’ now works as a ‘top scientist’ and Matilda reads Jane Austen instead of Rudyard Kipling.
Mental health was another focal point for sensitivity readers with the words ‘crazy’ and ‘mad’, which Dahl used in a comic fashion, removed from his books.
The word ‘black’ was removed from the description of the terrible tractors in 1970s The Fabulous Mr. Fox. The machines are now simply ‘murderous, brutal-looking monsters.’
The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, previously said it worked with Puffin to review the texts because it wanted to ensure that Mr Dahl’s ‘wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.’
The language was reviewed in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective which is working to make children’s literature more inclusive and accessible. Any changes were ‘small and carefully considered,’ the company said.
The firm claimed the analysis started in 2020, before Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company and embarked on plans to produce a new generation of films based on the author’s books.
A spokesman for the organisation added: ‘We want to ensure that Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.
‘When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout.
‘Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.’
They added: ‘As part of our process to review the language used we worked in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature.
‘The current review began in 2020, before Dahl was acquired by Netflix. It was led by Puffin and Roald Dahl Story Company together.’
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