Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice

Warning Sensitive Topics

Story Summary: To prove the planet Mars is red because it's covered in spicy red pepper, Skippy goes on a space jaunt replete with craters, crazies, and creatures from Mars.

Story Summary: The main character of this story is a Siamese kitten (Skippyjon) who believes he is a Chihuahua. Along with his alternate personality he imagines he is in Mexico when he enters into his closet. In his closet he becomes a hero and confronts an enormous bumble bee aka as El Blimpo Bumblebeeto Bandito.

Skippyjon Jones was written by Judy Schachner and originally published in 2003. The book follows Skippyjon Jones who is no ordinary kitten. Oh no, he’s actually El Skippito, a great sword-fighter ready to battle bandits the world over! With a little imagination and a whole lot of fun, Skippyjon dons a mask and cape and takes on a bad bumble-beeto to save the day.

Skippyjon Jones has faced criticism from some based on concern that the book reinforces stereotypes of Mexican and Mexican American culture through its text and illustrations.

In the book, Schachner chooses nonsense Spanish language which stereotypes the dialect of some native-Spanish speakers. For example: “Then, using his very best Spanish accent, [Skippyjon] said ‘my ears are too beeg for my head. My head ees too big for my body’ (Schachner, 2003).” The author also chooses to add “-o” or “-ito” to the end of words to make them sound Spanish instead of using the actual Spanish language. For example: “…in a muy muy soft voice, he said, ‘My name is Skippito Friskito. I fear not a single bandito,’” and “Muchos pochos, licky-sticky mango, Gozo bozo, chimi-chimi-chango (Schachner, 2003)!”

In their article Detournement As Pedagogical Praxis Trier (2014) argues that Skippyjon Jones marginalizes and portrays Mexicans as inferior through representations, language, and the overarching theme of a welcomed white savior. The author argues that in addition to marginalizing Latinx characters through representation and language, the series also position Mexicans as inferior, and further enforces the theme of a white savior for a Mexican community; specifically, Schachner’s Chimichangos rejoice upon the arrival of Skippyjon, and beg him to help with a collective problem, communicating messages of marginalization, trivialization, and inferiority of Mexicans (Trier, 2014).

Examples of problematic content from this series includes:

“Then, using his very best Spanish accent, he added, ‘you are steel the beeg Chihuahua dude, the whole enchilada!’”

“‘No, no, no,’ said the poochitos. ‘You seely leetle beast! To the UnderWorld where mummitos rest in peas.’”

“‘Holy Jalapeno!’ exclaimed Skippyjon Jones, pulling a bird from his ear. ‘The leetle bird says there is a Bobble-ito in the doghouse.’”

“‘It ees I, El Skippito Friskito, the great sword fighter, the Great Bumblebeeto eater, … the greatest poco perrito of all,’ says Skippito.”

“‘Stop eet! You are keel-ing me, dudes!’ said Skippito.”

“Then using his very best Spanish accent, he said, ‘You are not a Siamese cat, dude. You are a weeck-ed RED Chihuahua!’”

“‘Si, it is all of us, los Chimichangos,’ said Poquito Tito, the smallest of the small ones. ‘We are going to build a chili polvo pipeline from Mars to Earth, puppito.’”

“‘Whew!’ said Skippito, panting. ‘You boys are right. The spice-ito is HOT! The astronaut-ito was so calor under the collar that he just had to take off his space suit.”

Alternative Book Choices

Reflections and Other Materials

• Reflection One