R.L. Stine’s popular Goosebumps series of children’s horror novels were edited years ago when they were reissued as e-books, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Times.
According to the newspaper, Stine edited the books to change language addressing ethnicity, body types, and mental illness. More than 100 revisions were made in the series, which debuted in 1992 and spans over 60 titles.
While publisher Scholastic confirmed that changes had been made, Stine denied making any edits to the books himself.
Scholastic issued a statement that reads in part, “When re-issuing titles several years ago, Scholastic reviewed the text to keep the language current and avoid imagery that could negatively impact a young person’s view of themselves today, with a particular focus on mental health.”
On Twitter, though, Stine replied to a user, saying, “[T]he stories aren’t true. I’ve never changed a word in Goosebumps. Any changes were never shown to me.” He later shared a link to an article in the Australian newspaper the New Daily denying that he had a hand in revising the books.
Goosebumps author sets the record straight. https://t.co/tmZj122BtI
— R.L. Stine (@RL_Stine) March 7, 2023
Edits made to the 1996 novel Attack of the Jack-o’-Lanterns include a reference to a man having “at least six chins” changed to being “at least six foot six.” A group of people previously described as being “very overweight” are now described as “huge.”
Also revised in the novel is the sentence “Lee is African-American, and he sort of struts when he walks and acts real cool, like the rappers on MTV videos.” The reference to the character’s ethnicity has been removed, and the sentence now reads, “He sort of struts when he walks and acts real cool.”
Other changes include the word “crazy” being changed to “silly,” “stressed,” and “wild”; and the term “nutcase” being changed to “weirdo.”
News of the revisions comes less than two weeks after a report that Roald Dahl’s U.K. publisher was editing the author’s children’s novels to remove language that some might find objectionable. After a social media uproar, the publisher said it would also offer the original versions of the novels.
And a week ago, it was reported that the company that manages the literary estate of Ian Fleming is revising the author’s James Bond novels to remove racist language.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.