Words like “fat,” “ugly,” and “crazy” were removed from Roald Dahl’s books, but the editor said the “hard-edged spirit” of the original text was retained

A child reads a Roald Dahl book in an elementary school. Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

• The language in the latest editions of some Roald Dahl books has been changed, The Telegraph reported.

• Sensitivity readers removed words like “crazy,” “fat,” and “ugly” from the books.

• The Roald Dahl Story Company said the changes mean the books “can continue to be enjoyed by all.”

The latest editions of Roald Dahl’s popular children’s books have been altered to remove words like ‘fat’, ‘ugly’ and ‘crazy’, The Telegraph first reported.

Roald Dahl, who died in 1990, is one of the most successful authors of all time. His 43 books – including more than 20 children’s books – have sold more than 250 million copies, according to WordsRated.

In a note at the beginning of the new editions, cited by The Telegraph, publisher Puffin said some texts had been rewritten to ensure Dahl’s books “can still be enjoyed by all today.”

The Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the copyright of Roald Dahl’s books and has worked with Puffin to update the lyrics, said that “the irreverence and hard-edged spirit” of the original books have not been lost.

Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company hired sensitive readers from Inclusive Minds, which bills itself as “a collective of people passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature.”

Many of Roald Dahl’s books have been adapted into films or TV shows. Fully booked/Instagram

According to The Telegraph, the word “fat” has been dropped from all of Dahl’s children’s books. Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now just “huge” instead of “hugely fat”. Aunt Sponge from James and the Giant Peach isn’t “fat” anymore.

The editor also removed the word “ugly.” Instead of being “ugly and bestial,” Mrs. Twit from The Twits is now just “bestial.” The publisher has also dropped terms like “crazy” and “crazy,” which Dahl used on numerous occasions.

The reprints also attempt to modernize the portrayal of women in the books. The implication that something might be “unladylike” was switched to “undignified” in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

The publisher has also replaced references to “female” characters: In “Matilda,” Miss Trunchbull — once a “Most Impressive Woman” — is now a “Most Impressive Woman.”

In The Witches, a paragraph explaining that the dreaded witches are bald under their wigs now adds: “There are many other reasons women might wear wigs, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.”

They have also opted for gender-neutral terms where possible. “Moms and Dads” have become “Parents” and the “Cloudmen” from “James and the Giant Peach” are now “Cloudmen”.

A representative for the Roald Dahl Story Company told Insider, “We want to make sure that all children today continue to enjoy Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters. When new editions of books written years ago are released, it’s not uncommon to review the language used, along with updating other details, including a book’s cover and page layout. Our guiding principle was to keep the storylines, characters and irreverent and hard-edged spirit of the original text. Any changes made were small and carefully considered.

“As part of our language review process, we worked with Inclusive Minds, a collective for people passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature. The current review began in 2020, before Dahl was acquired by Netflix, jointly run by Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company.”

Netflix bought the rights to Dahl’s stories in October 2021 for an undisclosed sum estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.

Puffin and Inclusive Minds did not immediately respond to insider requests for comment outside of normal business hours.

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