I remember how these irreverent parodies of Cabbage Patch Kids drove teachers and parents crazy. My mother oddly enough wasn't one of them. She didn't want me to become a Satanist by watching MTV or some 'drugged out hippie' and forbid me from listening to the Grateful Dead, but she actually bought me Garbage Pail Kids and loved them herself.
Now jump ahead 20 years and there's a new version of Garbage Pail Kids. But it's not a series of trading cards and stickers. No, this generation's GPK is a little book called Bad Children's Books.
The book itself looks like a Little Golden Book and inside is over 100 pages of very familar looking 'kid-lit parodies... shameless spoofs... and offensively tweaked covers.' That's not my words- that's actually what's on the cover.
On the book's Amazon page are several reviews from what are considered some very liberal publications. From their blurbs, you can tell that they on in on the joke. From a majority of the customer reviews, you can tell that some readers were in on the joke. (In fact, the one negative review that this book got wasn't about content but that the print wasn't easy to read!)
But in mid-December of last year, a social media flurry of complaints moved author and illustrator Arthur C. Gackley (Not his real name, it's a pseudonym) to request that publisher Harry N. Abrams to not only cancel a second print scheduled for later this year, but to pull all copies from shelves as well. The main complaints were that the book targeted people of different races, religions, and orientations. (Yes, the book makes fun of a lot of things, including what I just mentioned but it doesn't target anyone.)
As a result, the book has instead of going the way dinosaur has in fact become a cult classic. It's sold out on Amazon and you can only get the book from independent sellers who now price the book anywhere from $30 (on Amazon) to $2000+ on eBay. Even my favorite charity, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has come to the Bad Little Children's Book aid and is in talks to helping publish a second edition despite cries for the book's demise.
Bad Little Children's Books has become a bit of a cult classic in this Madman's family as well. In late November, I was at Barnes and Noble with my wife, mother-in-law, and wife's sister. I saw the book on display, flipped it a few times and then showed it to my wife. In turn, my wife showed it to her mom and sister and for the next hour, they all 3 sat at a table in the store, taking pictures of pages and telling everyone they knew about this crazy book. They didn't buy the book that day, but when we found out that the book was being discontinued, my wife and I ended up buying several copies for family members. Needless to say, the book has become a legend and source of much needed non-PC laughs.
Should this book be required reading in schools or colleges? No, it's not appropriate for that. Should parents use discretion with the book around children? Yes, Yes YES! But there's more to it than just a few hurt feelings. When the call to censor this book hit Twitter people on social media weren't just asking the publisher to stop the second print. No, some folks on social media as went so far as to call for all existing copies to be seized (from homes and stores) and destroyed! Even though a book (that clearly marks itself as parody) maybe be offensive to some, it in no way should be banned or worse, burned! But we seem to go through this every couple of weeks with some social justice warrior believing that they have to save the world from what they deem to be in poor taste.
I have a very dark sense of humor. It's who I am. After a day filled with social anxiety, I need some absurdity and craziness in my life to help take the edge off. That's why I find a book like this funny. It's also why I shared it with my bride as her job as a social worker requires her to let off a little steam with a healthy helping of the bizarre. Bad taste can often be what helps those in tough situations or places of employment get through another day.
Besides, anything that can help brighten my wife or her family's day with a giggle or two is alright with me.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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