The name 'Fatty'

[tix]

It looks like the sanitising of Beano comics is due to take place - if it hasn't already.

Apparently Spotty is now "Scotty," and Fatty is to be renamed "Freddie."

Wonder if Fred Trotteville's more commonly-used name has been replaced in the Blyton reprints/continuation novels.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I just visited the Hachette website and looked up the Find-Outers books but got a message saying, "Oops! That page can't be found." Never mind, as I copied some information from the page into one of my forums posts in November 2022. Here's the relevant part of my post:

Editing does indeed seem to be done on a regular basis. The [Hachette] page about the Find-Outers books (which are now known as the Mystery books because the Barney series is no longer published) contains the following information:

"In 2016 a change was made to the text of the books to remove most of the references to the character Fatty’s weight and size, making his nickname refer instead only to his initials, for Frederick Algernon Trotteville. Some other text amendments have been made since 2018 for sensitivity reasons."

If the books have to be reviewed and amended as frequently as that, no wonder it's impossible to keep all the titles in print. It would be a mammoth job to keep reading through them and changing them!

As you can see (assuming the text hasn't been altered again since then), Fatty is still called Fatty but he's supposed to have been given the nickname because of his initials rather than because of his weight.

[tix]

Jolly interesting to see that changes have been made.

Guess it had to happen, but even so we can be sure the original scripts will be preserved in Blyton fan collections for a very long time ....... and it's good to learn that Fatty still appears to be "Fatty."

As most of the EB books seem to be involved with some kind of mystery the term "Find-Outers" is used in this neck of the woods, and I think the first book perused was either 'Secret Room' or 'Spiteful Letters' - excellent introductions to the genre.

The tales radiated a comfortable portrayal of English village life - and as the troupe were round about our age we could readily identify.

Hard to think of any favourites because they're all good, although I may be a little partial to 'Invisible Thief.'

[Anita Bensoussane]

My sister, my friends and I used to refer to the Find-Outers series as "the Fatty books".

[Fiona1986]

A few years ago I compared the texts of two copies of The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage - one from 1957 and the other 2014. Here's the bits about Fatty first being fat (or not) -

The children thought it was a shame that Buster had such a silly fat sausage for a master, now they think it’s a shame he had such a silly master.

A couple of other lines are cut entirely :

• the dog’s young master did look rather sausagey and fat.

• “I am rather fat, aren’t I?” he said. “I’ve an awful appetite , and I expect I eat too much.”

• He had already been Tubby and Sausage at school – now he would be Fatty in the holidays.

Also, Daisy remarks that F-A-T describes you [Fatty] rather well. This is now it could be a nickname. When Fatty is called plump, conceited and stupid, it is changed to conceited and the rest.

Incidentally, one reference to the plump boy and one to the fat boy have been left alone.

Weirdly they also remove all the stuff about Fatty boasting about his bruises. And of course they made a whole lot of other entirely unnecessary changes through the book... https://worldofblyton.com/2016/07/27/th ... n-edition/

[Anita Bensoussane]

It's a pity that Fatty's fatness has been censored in modern editions. Lots of people struggle with their weight so why can't we have a much-loved character who has many admirable qualities, and who also happens to love his food and be fat? It's true that the other children make fun of Fatty's size at first but they soon come to realise that it's wrong to associate a plump physique with stupidity or slowness.

[tix]

Colour was sadly lacking in the earlier Blyton books; however that's of small concern because there was little time to dwell on picture-tints when immersed in a tale.

Furthermore back in the Fifties, very few pigments seem to have been used - possibly due to the expense; speaking of which I can't recall seeing any photographs of Enid Blyton's home in colour.

Her autobiography (The Story of My Life) and the 'Stoney-bio images are monotone, but possibly the reprints have a few enhanced pictures.

On March 3rd,1968 happening to be in Penn Road, I pointed an 8mm camera at the famous property (now demolished) and shot thirty seconds of colour movie.

Might this be the only such record in existence?

If so, could I put a price on it?

Regarding Frederick's title once again - it was actually mentioned in the 'EBS Journal' way back in 1998, so the subject is old hat:

Quote: "As any buff knows, the mystery books feature a fat boy who is nicknamed "Fatty." (I wonder if the bowdlerizers will want to get rid of that name too)."

Well!

Have they actually done that?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Fatty is still Fatty at the moment, even though he's no longer fat!

Your colour footage sounds interesting, Tix. I believe there are no colour photos of Green Hedges and that the only colour film that is widely known about is a brief clip showing the house being demolished.

[Splodj]

The children thought it was a shame that Buster had such a silly fat sausage for a master, now they think it’s a shame he had such a silly master.

A couple of other lines are cut entirely :

• the dog’s young master did look rather sausagey and fat.

• He had already been Tubby and Sausage at school – now he would be Fatty in the holidays.

Were sausages plumper in those days, and didn't they have chipolatas?

[Debbie]

I've heard King Charles' hands referred to as "sausage-like" and swollen, so possibly similar thoughts.

Actually I think this is a change that I can support, and I'm more often against changes. I can see how they can take it out without changing the storyline at all-does it matter if Fatty is fat? No, it doesn't. I can't think of any point where it matters at all, not even where he can't get in somewhere where the others can, and as one of the oldest you could see it as just him being bigger than the others.

[Barnard]

If Fatty is no longer ‘fat’ it seems pretty pointless calling him Fatty.

[Anita Bensoussane]

In many stories (though not all), it makes no odds whether a character is fat, thin or of medium build - or what their hair colour and skin colour are, or whether or not they wear glasses or braces, etc. However, readers grow used to picturing a character in a certain way - Pippi Longstocking with red hair, Harry Potter with glasses, Aunt Spiker as thin, Aunt Sponge as fat, Rupert Bear with checked trousers, etc. Fatty has become so firmly established as 'Fatty' that editors haven't felt able to change his name, so why change his appearance for no good reason? Generations of children have loved him exactly as he is. It's not as though there's nothing to him except his love of food - he's an amazing character!

[Barnard]

Without doubt, he should remain Fat and be called Fatty.

[Boatbuilder]

I hope you aren't wishing that he gets Type-2 diabetes, Barnard.

[Courtenay]

Fatty has become so firmly established as 'Fatty' that editors haven't felt able to change his name, so why change his appearance for no good reason? Generations of children have loved him exactly as he is. It's not as though there's nothing to him except his love of food - he's an amazing character!

Well said, Anita. I'm amazed he hasn't been appropriated as a "body positive" ambassador for young readers — although there are some disparaging remarks early on in the books like "silly fat sausage" before the other children get to know him properly, it comes across clearly that Fatty isn't at all ashamed about his weight and is never under any pressure to change the way he looks to suit what anyone else thinks. He's obviously comfortable with himself just the way he is and we as readers are expected to accept him that way too, as I'm sure most of us do. He's always been one of my favourite characters!