In the wake of the scandal surrounding many of Dr. Seuss’ published works, Universal Orlando issued a statement in which they said that they are “evaluating” the future of a play area in the park that is named after one of the author’s books. The title of the play area is “If I Ran the Zoo,” which is one of the publications that has recently come under fire. According to the New York Post, in addition to “evaluating” this area within the park, Universal Orland has also removed the books from their shelves that have come under fire for racist and insensitive imagery.
Universal Orlando in Florida has a Seuss Landing area that they call, “If I Ran the Zoo,” one of the author’s titles that Dr. Seuss Enterprises said that it would no longer publish going forward. The theme park also has a gift shop called Mulberry Street Store and a Mulberry Street sign, which both tie back to another one of the titles that will cease publication, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. A Universal spokesperson told News 13 in a statement, “Seuss Landing continues to be very popular with our guests and we value our relationship with Seuss Enterprises.” They continued to say that they have “removed the books from our shelves as they have asked and we’ll be evaluating our in-park experience too.”
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While they are “evaluating” the situation, Universal Orlando did make it clear that Seuss Landing will still be around for their visitors to experience for the time being. The company added, “Our guests can plan on continuing to be able to enjoy their favorite experiences at Seuss Landing.” In addition to And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo, the other titles that Dr. Seuss Enterprises will no longer publish include McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer. The company noted that it will cease to publish these titles after consulting with a “panel of experts, including educators.” They said that these titles “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”
Before Dr. Seuss Enterprises shared that they would cease publication of those aforementioned books, Loundon County, Virginia, announced that they would no longer feature the author’s works on Read Across America Day, which falls on March 2. The celebration was founded by The National Education Association in 1998 and deliberately aligned the day to fall on Seuss’ birthday. Loundon County Public Schools issued a statement about the move, explaining that they want “to encourage our young readers to read all types of books that are inclusive and diverse and reflective of our student community.”
