The Stupids are a fictional

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

which appear in a series of children's books written by Harry Allard and James Marshall. The Stupids draw their humor from the fact that they are incompetent to the point of confusing the most simple concepts and tasks.

Controversy

''The Stupids'' series of books rank number 62 on the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of the entire 2000's decade.100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000–2009
/ref> Challengers of the books claim that they describe families in a derogatory manner and may encourage children to be disobedient. They also claim that they promote low self-esteem and negative behavior.

Books in the series

* ''The Stupids Step Out'' (1974) * ''The Stupids Have a Ball'' (1978) * ''The Stupids Die'' (1981) * ''The Stupids Take Off'' (1989)

Film version

In 1996, a film version was released starring Tom Arnold, directed by

John Landis John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American comedy and fantasy filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977), ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978 ...

; It was a

box office disappointment A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

. The film details the family's pursuit of their trash, which they believe to be stolen, and the "conspiracy" they uncover in the process. The film was also panned by many film critics.

References

American picture books Fictional families Literary characters introduced in 1974 Houghton Mifflin books {{child-lit-char-stub