As this article argues, there have been several waves of translation, but at all times larger ideological currents have played a big role in determining which books were translated and how. This article examines the history of the translation into Japanese of perhaps the most quintessentially American children's author – Theodor Geisel or ‘Dr. Drawing on legal research, analysis of the products themselves, conversations with Dr Seuss Enterprises and with his biographers, the article concludes that Seuss's Disneyfication is a symptom of a legal system designed to benefit capitalism more than moral or artistic values. After losing a 1968 case against companies that marketed 'Dr Seuss' products based on his 1932 Liberty Magazine cartoons, Dr Seuss accepted his lawyers' (and the court's) conclusion that trademark is more powerful than copyright, and approved the production of a vast array of Seussiana. However, the Disneyfication of Dr Seuss is not strictly a posthumous phenomenon. And, as this article points out, posthumously licensed products are more likely to encourage consumption for its own sake, whereas ones licensed during his lifetime tend to encourage creative or imaginative play. Since his death, Dr Seuss's name and characters have been used to promote cereal, credit cards, and action figures (among other things) this strategy has led many to cite Suess's indifference to money and his reluctance to exploit his characters for commercial gain. This essay takes a critical look at the Disneyfication of Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991), examining how a man whose books encourage critical thinking became a brand name, and is increasingly becoming an affirmation of consumer culture.
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