• For the skatepunk band see The Stupids (band)
  The Stupids (band)
  The Stupids are a skate punk thrash band created by Tom Withers.-Career:Formed in Ipswich, England in the 1980s, The Stupids recorded three sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in the 1980s, and toured the United States and Australia as well as Europe the United Kingdom and most recently Japan...
  
  
• For the 1996
  1996 in film
  Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
  
   film, see The Stupids (film)
  The Stupids (film)
  The Stupids is a 1996 American comedy/adventure film directed by John Landis. The film is based on The Stupids, characters from a series of books written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall....
  
  

The Stupids are a fictional family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 which appear in a series of books written by Harry Allard and James Marshall

James Marshall (author)

James Edward Marshall , who also wrote as Edward Marshall, was a children's author and illustrator....

. 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 26 on the American Library Association

American Library Association

The American Library Association is a non-profit 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 more than 62,000 members....

's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000. http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.htm 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

1996 in film

Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...

, a film version was released starring Tom Arnold

Tom Arnold (actor)

Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...

, directed by John Landis

John Landis

John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...

; It was a box office disappointment. The film details the family's pursuit of their trash, which they believe to be stolen, and the "conspiracy" they uncover in the process.