Scholastic Editing R.L. Stine’s ‘Goosebumps’ Books to Have ‘More Inclusive Language’

Hot off the controversial news regarding Roald Dahl’s legendary novels being rewritten to remove language deemed offensive, R.L. Stine’s publisher is now working to make the author’s young adult Goosebumps series more “inclusive.”

One edit noted in reports from Deadline and The Times reports the description of an alien changing from having “six chins” to him as being “six feet six.” In another book, the term “love tap” was reportedly changed.

The Dahl rewrites caused a massive uproar and it was ultimately announced that Dahl’s books, which include titles — like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  — would be preserved in a “Classic” collection that would be available simultaneously with the more politically correct updates.

Per Deadline:

In the 1996 book Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns, a character is described as “tall and good-looking, with dark brown eyes and a great, warm smile. Lee is African-American, and he sort of struts when he walks and acts real cool, like the rappers on MTV videos.” The revised version now calls the character “tall and good-looking, with brown skin, dark brown eyes and a great, warm smile. He sort of struts when he walks and acts real cool.”

There have reportedly been more than 100 edits to books like Attack of the Jack-O’-Lanterns and I Live in Your Basement! There are dozens of books in the Goosebumps series. The young adult series has been adapted into a television series and a number of films, including two recent features where Jack Black portrayed the author.

UPDATE: This report has been updated to reflect that R.L. Stine refuted the Times report that the author was working with the publisher on edits.