So did the original Tom Swift, but there were some subtle differences. All the black characters in the first few Nancy Drews were evil and threatening. Tom’s black helper shuffled, spoke funny, but while being portrayed in a racist way was a positive character, even heroic in some books.
He got replaced by the fat Texan cook in the Tom Swift Jr. series. Just as stereotyped.
I would worry more about the moral ideas the books are telling, rather than whether they use the correct word-of-the-decade.
…which means, if you’re atheist, you should be more concerned about books that show religion as the only source of morality.
Well, this isn’t proof of use of the word “nigger,” but the Wikipedia article definitely claims the chapter Bad Tuesday has been bowdlerized because of racism. FWIW, the first relevant google hit on* Mary Poppins nigger* is this thread.
The only thing I can contribute to this thread (besides Curious George and his ether trip, which I remember from my childhood - hey - that reminds me - there’s a Bugs Bunny cartoon with ether - is that intact?), is the native depictions in Little Nemo in Slumberland, which wouldn’t appeal to the modern kid anyway.
The Grimm Brothers weren’t exactly beacons of tolerance themselves. Read The Jew Among The Thorns.
Ah! Yes, I did read that version as a child… okay, then, yes, I can see that chapter being perceived as racist, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the word nigger was used. IIRC, Michael uses Mary Poppins’ magic compass to meet various people from different parts of the globe (Africans, Eskimos, …Indians? I forget the others). However, my takeaway message was something more like “Those imaginary people seem really cool. Michael is a real jerk.” In particular, a) yeah, they were horribly stereotyped, but they were far nicer than the protagonist, and b) they were so clearly fantastic stereotypes that it didn’t even register on me that they weren’t imaginary, the same way that I didn’t really believe I was going to see talking animals or women hanging the stars in the sky. Though I would have liked to!
Did you actually read that Tintin? Thomson and Thompson are being followed and made fun of because of their anachronistic and stereotyped dress. The twins are portrayed as being dead wrong in their stereotypes.
Here’s what the blog you linked to says.
I would have thought Tintin was somewhat modern - in portraying an alternative lifestyle approvingly, shacking up with a much older Captain Haddock. 
I’ve got my mother’s 1940 edition of Mary Poppins right here, and the chapter 'Bad Tuesday" does not contain the word ‘nigger’ at all. It’s got racist elements, but not that word.
When they go south, they meet a man and a woman, *“both quite black all over.” *
A few lines later it says, “On the knee of the negro lady sat a tiny black piccaninny with nothing on at all.”
A few lines later: “Ah bin ‘specting you a long time, Mar’ Poppins,” she said, smiling. “You bring dem chillun dere into ma li’l house for a slice of water-melon right now.” The implication is that they’re in Africa, but the dialogue sounds like they’re on the set of Gone With The Wind.
Racist and dated, sure, but the word ‘nigger’ is never used.
I’m religious, and I’d still be concerned about books that show religion as the only source of morality. I’m not sure I can think of any examples of such, though.
Uh, nobody’s saying they should be.
But didn’t you yourself say that “egregious” slurs/epithets should be changed to protect children?
Wasn’t it Vic Morrow, who played the win-at-every-cost hypercompetitive coach of the rival team, who did that instead of Matthau? As I remember the scene, Morrow thought his pitcher was slacking in the league championship game against the Bears so he went out to the mound and ended up knocking him around.
Yeah, I remember Vic really ended up losing his head in that flick.
No, not that flick.
Vic didn’t join the Rotary Club until Twilight Zone: The Movie.
Of course I’ve read the books.
That particular panel was the first one I found in a quick Google search. It’s perhaps not the best example, since it involves people making fun of Dupond and Dupont (aka Thomson and Thompson) as you point out. Even so, anyone who’s read the book would agree that there are still several Asian characters who are drawn in a style that would be pretty offensive nowadays - check out the Japanese character Mitsuhirato, for one.
“. . .and that, children, is why the elephant has a trunk”.
How is that “offensive”? It just looks like a caricature to me. To me, “offensive” needs to be deliberately mean-spirited and trying to cause emotional harm to the target. I can’t imagine Herge doing that.
When the olympic team from South America (was it Argentina or Brazil?) made the slant-eyed faces and Americans went nuts, they responded, basically, that they were just being silly and didn’t mean anything negative by it, and (U.S.) Americans are obsessed with race/racism and see it everywhere. That’s basically how I feel about this.
Eh. I grew up reading and re-reading egregious religious glurge like Teddy’s Button, and this dreadful book about an orphan boy who is adopted by an organ grinder and shows him the way to Christ right before the old bugger keels over from cirrhosis, leaving organ and money conveniently to said orphan boy, and I turned out a perfectly sound atheist, albeit with a soft spot for orphan boys with organ grinder’s monkeys.
Not quite children’s movies but…
Sixteen Candles–Date rape is fun!
Revenge of the Nerds–Date rape is fun!
