Universal Orlando Resort has decided it was time to remove a highly controversial and hurtful reference from its original opening day land, Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure.
Seuss Landing Removes ‘Hurtful' Language From Islands of Adventure
References to McElligot’s Pool have been removed from a water feature at the entrance to Seuss Landing inside Universal Islands of Adventure, according to a guest report shared from the park. The same report says an audio reference to the 1947 Dr. Seuss book has also disappeared.
This matters because McElligot’s Pool is one of six titles Dr. Seuss Enterprises stopped publishing and licensing in 2021 after reviewing its catalog for harmful portrayals. Universal said at the time that it had removed the affected books from store shelves and was “evaluating” its in-park experiences.
For now, there is no evidence that Universal is removing Seuss Landing, closing its major rides, or launching a full-land retheme. What guests appear to be seeing is a targeted edit with a five-year paper trail behind it.
McElligot’s Pool References Disappear From Seuss Landing
The latest observation comes from X user GreenCheetah99, who posted images showing the entrance-area water feature without its former McElligot’s Pool wording. The account also reported that the land’s accompanying audio reference has been removed. Universal Orlando has not publicly announced the specific change or explained whether additional McElligot’s Pool elements will be altered.
Seuss Landing remains listed by Universal as one of the themed lands at Islands of Adventure, alongside attractions including The Cat in the Hat, Caro-Seuss-el, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and If I Ran the Zoo. Nothing in Universal’s current public materials indicates those attractions are closing because of this update.
Inside the Magic previously covered Universal’s decision to evaluate its Dr. Seuss in-park experiences following the publishing announcement. At that point, the resort had already removed the affected books from its retail shelves.
Why the Dr. Seuss Book Became an Issue
On March 2, 2021, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that it would cease publication and licensing of six titles: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer.
The company said a review involving experts, including educators, concluded the books “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” Associated Press reporting carried by PBS described the broader issue as racist and insensitive imagery in the affected titles.
McElligot’s Pool follows a boy imagining the extraordinary fish that might reach a small pool through hidden connections to the sea. Among its imagery is a group identified with the outdated term “Eskimo Fish,” depicted in fur-lined clothing. Its withdrawal put new scrutiny on a Universal land that had incorporated the title into physical theming.
Universal Began Evaluating Seuss Landing Years Ago
Universal’s response in 2021 was careful. As Inside the Magic reported at the time, the resort removed the six books from its shelves and said it would evaluate the in-park experience, but it did not announce a wholesale redesign of Seuss Landing.
The If I Ran the Zoo play area subsequently reopened in April 2021. More recently, the All the Books You Can Read bookstore closed with its windows covered in February 2026, while Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous added new menu offerings this summer.
In other words, the land has been changing, but not under a publicly announced single retheme. The McElligot’s Pool edit is the clearest recent example of Universal removing a direct reference to one of the six discontinued books.
Islands of Adventure Is Changing Around Seuss Landing
Islands of Adventure is already in a period of visible change. Inside the Magic has reported on construction at Port of Entry and extensive demolition in The Lost Continent, the neighboring original land that has steadily lost attractions and facilities.
But the projects should not be conflated. Universal has not connected the McElligot’s Pool removal to Port of Entry work, Lost Continent demolition, or a replacement plan for Seuss Landing.
For guests, the immediate impact is therefore mostly thematic, not operational. Families can still enter Seuss Landing and Universal continues to advertise its established ride lineup. The difference is in the connective tissue: the signs, sounds, names, and visual details that make a themed land feel like a coherent story.
What Could Universal Remove Next?
The biggest unresolved question is whether this is an isolated cleanup or part of a longer process of editing references tied to the six discontinued books. Seuss Landing still includes If I Ran the Zoo, and Universal’s official interactive map continues to list that play area by name.
That makes predictions about a “total land retcon” premature. There is no announced closure of Seuss Landing, no confirmed replacement for its attractions, and no public timetable for removing other references. Universal’s 2021 statement established that the resort was evaluating its in-park experience; the newly reported McElligot’s Pool changes show that individual details can still be revised years later.
For longtime Islands of Adventure visitors, that is the real story to watch. The land does not need to vanish overnight to become different. If Universal continues making selective edits, Seuss Landing could gradually evolve detail by detail — and the next change may reveal whether McElligot’s Pool was a one-off removal or the beginning of a broader cleanup.
