Here's Why 'Captain Underpants' Spin-off Book Is Being Pulled Over Racism Concerns
A Captain Underpants spin-off book has been pulled by publisher Scholastic over racism concerns.
Dav Pilkey's 2010 graphic novel 'The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future' will no longer be published and all copies in circulation are set to be returned.
"On Monday, March 22, 2021, with the full support of Dav Pilkey, Scholastic halted distribution of the 2010 book The Adventures of Ook and Gluk," Scholastic said in a statement. "Together, we recognize that this book perpetuates passive racism. We are deeply sorry for this serious mistake."
The publisher said they have removed the book from their websites, stopped all domestic and international orders, contacted retail partners and sought a return of all inventory, including schools and libraries.
"It is our duty and privilege to publish books with powerful and positive representations of our diverse society, and we will continue to strengthen our review processes as we seek to support all young readers," the publisher added.
Pilkey also shared an apology letter, explaining he had intended the book to "showcase diversity, equality, and non-violent conflict resolution."
"But this week it was brought to my attention that this book also contains harmful racial stereotypes and passively racist imagery," the author said in a statement on Friday. "It was and is wrong and harmful to my Asian readers, friends, and family, and to all Asian people ...I hope that you, my readers, will forgive me, and learn from my mistake that even unintentional and passive stereotypes and racism are harmful to everyone."
Scholastic and Pilkey did not cite specific examples from the book that they found to be problematic.
The story follows the characters Ook and Gluk, who live in the fictional town of Caveland, Ohio, in 500,001 B.C. The pair travel through time to the year 2222 where they meet Master Wong, a martial arts instructor who teaches them kung fu.
The decision to pull the book from circulation came shortly after a Change.org petition set up by Billy Kim, a Korean-American father of two, gained traction online.
Kim said he recently borrowed the book for his young children from his local library but was disappointed to see the "multiple instances of racist imagery and stereotypical tropes".
The father cited examples from the book including a "Kung Fu master wearing what's purported to be a traditional-style Tang coat, dashes for eyes for the Asian characters, stereotypical Chinese proverbs, and a storyline that has the Kung Fu master rescued by the non-Asian protagonists using their Kung Fu skills (despite the fact that they were taught said skills from the supposed master)". The petition also included a screenshot of controversial illustrations.
Pilkey's Captain Underpants series and Dog Man graphic novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages.
According to the author's website, his stories "explore universally positive themes that celebrate the triumph of the good-hearted."
In 2017, the Captain Underpants character was the subject of a DreamWorks Animation and Twentieth Century Fox film starring Ed Helms and Kevin Hart.
The ban follows a similar decision to no longer publish a number of books by the beloved children's author Dr. Seuss over their racist and insensitive imagery.
Six books by the author will no longer be reprinted in the future.
