Don't Monkey With Houghton

Wednesday May 14, 2008
Don't Monkey With Houghton
In Marietta GA, Mulligan Food & Spirits owner, Mike Norman was selling "Obama in '08" t-shirts depicting Curious George eating a banana on them. According to the AJC:
Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey. "We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears -- he looks just like Curious George.""This isn't the first time Curious George has been dragged into the current presidential race," reports the Boston Herald.

"Earlier this year, loudmouth radio jock Rush Limbaugh apologized on air for laughing at a caller's comment that her daughter thought Obama looked like Curious George."

Houghton Mifflin, which owns the rights to Curious George finally issued this official statement on the racial debacle:

"We have seen the news reports of a local bar owner in Marietta, GA allegedly selling T-shirts that depict the Curious George character in a racially insensitive manner. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which is the owner of copyright and trademark rights associated with Curious George, did not, nor would we under any circumstances, authorize or approve such a use, which we find offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents. We are monitoring the situation and weighing our options with respect to possible legal action."

While I don't see any pending Obama children's books, there are over a dozen adult titles coming up between now and election including my favorite sounding title: Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle: 366 Ways He Really Cares by Mathew Honan

Photo Cred: Frank Niemeir/AJC