The Cat in the Hat is a great nominee. I never saw the book as a kid (I was too old for it by the time it was published), but as a parent I hated it. To me it was just the wrong message for my kids. Get away with whatever you can while Mother is gone and then blame someone else? Thanks, great idea.
Another objectionable message was preached by Tootle, who was coerced into Staying On the Rails No Matter What, even though he wanted to run free like the horse. I wanted my children to run free and not be swallowed up by convention. Who needs to be a big, shiny corporate engine anyway, if it doesn’t make you happy?
And that damnable Little Engine who made us all feel like losers if we Couldn’t just by saying we Could. I had to assure my sons that self-confidence and belief in oneself are important, but that sometimes we do fail at things, and it isn’t always because we didn’t try hard enough.
And Dumbo! Let’s hear it for falsehood and deception as a basis for achievement! Good one, Walt. We can’t all build our kingdoms on fantasy.