Ms Rachel has called for three classic nursery rhymes to be permanently retired over their racist origins and lyrics.
The children’s YouTuber, 43, whose real name is Rachel Anne Accurso, singled out “Jimmy Crack Corn,” “Oh! Susanna,” and “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” as songs that should no longer be taught to kids. She made the comments in a video statement shared with her millions of followers, building on her pattern of using her platform to address social issues alongside her educational content.
“So the ones that really need to be retired are racist ones,” she said. “Jimmy Crack Corn, Oh! Susanna, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”
The New York-based creator has built a massive following and fortune through her popular children’s videos, becoming a go-to source for parents who rely on YouTube and iPads to entertain and educate young viewers. Her influence has made her one of the most prominent voices in early childhood content online.
Both “Jimmy Crack Corn” and “Oh! Susanna” originated in minstrel shows, where white performers wore blackface to mock Black Americans. Though the lyrics have been updated over time, “Jimmy Crack Corn” still explicitly references slavery in its narrative. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” widely known in its modern version about catching a tiger by its toe, originally used a racial slur instead of “tiger.”
Ms Rachel’s intervention comes as part of her broader efforts to shape what children consume, extending beyond her own video productions to critique established elements of early childhood culture.
The creator has been equally outspoken on geopolitical matters. She recently donated to Palestinian aid efforts and publicly backed Macklemore after the rapper was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour for his pro-Palestine advocacy. Macklemore subsequently launched a “Free Palestine” tour.
“It’s not wrong to say Palestinian people should be able to be free, and Palestinian kids should be able to grow up,” she wrote in a statement at the time.
“It’s wrong to be silent during a genocide,” she continued.
“I will match Macklemore’s donation and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza,” she added.
“Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed and children continue to be killed every day,” she wrote.
“We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
That donation pledge and her broader political commentary have drawn both support and criticism, but have not diminished her mainstream appeal among parents seeking screen-time options for young children.
Her nursery rhyme stance places her within ongoing debates about how to handle children’s media with problematic histories, with some arguing for contextual education and others, like Ms Rachel, advocating removal from circulation entirely.