AFTER A RECORD-HIGH REVENUE
year for Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the
privately held company that over-
sees children’s author Theodor
Seuss Geisel’s estate, Susan Brandt
was promoted to president and
CEO in January. Brandt, who has
been with the company for 24 years,
oversaw a surge in book sales after
the company announced in March
2021 that it would no longer pub-
lish or license six of Seuss’s books,
including his i rst children’s book,
And to Think That I Saw It on Mul-
berry Street (1937), because of racist
and of ensive imagery.
More recently, she’s
credited with spear-
heading ventures that
fuli ll Seuss’s wish to
spread his work across
“all media throughout
the world”—from an
animated Net l ix series
based on Green Eggs
and Ham to a forth-
coming trio of movies
adapted from The Cat
in the Hat and Oh, the
Places You’ll Go! to a
Seuss- themed NFT market place.
Her ef orts have kept the brand not
only relevant, but also thriving.
Brandt spoke with TIME about
the evolution of the Seuss brand.
What do you feel is your respon-
sibility when it comes to manag-
ing such well- established and be-
loved intellectual property?
We’re blessed with a property
that has universal and timeless
themes. As CEO or as any role in the
company—it doesn’t just lay at my
feet—we’re stewards of the DNA of
this property. So while it’s extremely
relevant and important to translate
the property into new and dif er-
ent mediums, our ultimate goal is
to ensure that it’s still a Dr. Seuss
experience, whether you’re going to
a museum, watching a television
show, or entering the metaverse.
We take that very seriously.Can you explain how the com-
pany ultimately decided to dis-
continue six books?
This was not a decision that was
made in a short period of time.
We consulted with a panel of edu-
cators and experts on racial rela-
tions to make our decision about
the best move forward.How do you preserve an au-
thor’s legacy while
acknowledging that
aspects of their work
don’t align with cur-
rent cultural values?
How we conduct
our business did not
change from before
our announcement
to after. We strive to
ensure that our body
of work rel ects and
includes our broad
and diverse commu-
nity. We support chil-
dren and families with messages
of hope, inspiration, inclusion,
and friendship.You worked with Seuss’s widow
Audrey Geisel for years. What
was the most valuable lesson she
taught you?
Audrey was the best. I miss her
dearly. She was a very, very savvy
businesswoman. Ultimately, she
taught me that this is Dr. Seuss.
It should be delightful. It should
be fun. Everything we do should
be good for families and kids in
our communities. She also just
taught me to laugh.be published due to
of ensive imageryTHE LEADERSHIP BRIEFNew Seuss boss seeks
success in progress
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