I Must Stop This Grinchmas from Coming!
Channel: The Children's Literature Podcast
Date: 06/12/2023

What happens when art becomes "content" - merely a franchise whose main purpose is to make money? How does this change in emphasis happen? While buying and selling products, even creative products, is perfectly normal, where is the line where a franchise has strayed too far from its values or started harming not just the creator's legacy but also other people to make a quick buck?

(And yes, I'm aware of the irony of making a YouTube video that examines the value of "content.")

In this video, based on episode 103 of The Children's Literature Podcast, I explore how the work of great writers slips from the control of its creator into the hands of a (usually) responsible caretaker, but then after this person is gone, corporate interests take over and treat the work merely as an IP to be exploited. This happened to Roald Dahl, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Dr. Seuss.

Not all "content" is horrendous, and some of it is fun and harmless in small doses. But one form is over the line, and that's the rampant and (and rampantly ironic) way that "Grinchmas" has stolen the meaning of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. To combat the pretty crass commercialism of the season, I give some recommendations for books that you and your kids will genuinely enjoy, and which more wholesomely balance the interest in being profitable with the desire to tell a great story.

For more episodes, stories, and fun, visit http://childrensliteraturepodcast.com