Captain Underpants spinoff books will no longer be published due to racist undertones
To all those Captain Underpants book fans out there, it looks like you might want to stick to the original series. According to Deadline, the spinoff graphic novel, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future will no longer be published by Scholastic due to “passive racism.”
Author Dav Pilkey is believed to have agreed with the decision. It is also being reported that all copies that are currently in circulation will be taken back to the distributor.
“Together, we recognize that this book perpetuates passive racism. We are deeply sorry for this serious mistake,” the company said in a statement.
The publisher did not go into details surrounding the decision to axe the book outside of that comment. They have issued an apology, and all copies that have been ordered internationally have been cancelled. The article goes on to explain that they will reach out to schools and libraries to have the title cut from their reading lists.
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Meanwhile, Dav Pilkey has had to do damage control of his own by issuing an apology on YouTube. According to Deadline, he has said that the book was never intended to be offensive and was meant to show inclusivity. Though, it had only recently been bought to his attention of what type of content it was regarding the racist undertones the graphic novel presented. He extended the apology out to his Asian audience and to any person who has been offended by the novel since its publication in 2010.
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The Captain Underpants spinoff is not the first children’s book to be cut from publication in recent weeks. Six Dr. Seuss books were removed from publication due to claims of alleged racism as well, suggesting publishers are attempting to take greater action toward promoting equity and inclusion.