Babes in Toyland

Fairy Tales are not only told for the enjoyment of children but for adults too. As said from the movie March of the Wooden Soldiers “ A delight for youngsters... A treat for grownups”, perfectly describes this movies classic tradition.
March of the Wooden Soldiers originally named Babes in Toyland is a film made in 1903 based on many different fairytales. Its main characters center the women who lived in a shoe, little bo peep, and Tom Tom the piper’s son. There are many other characters such as the three little pigs, Santa Clause, little boy blue, the bogeyman and many more fairytale characters.
Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee are kind hearted but brainless toymakers who live in the home of The Women who lives in a shoe. She’s unable to afford her rent to Silas Barnaby, but she is offered to live rent free if her daughter little bo peep weds him. Although this may seem like a clever idea for Barnaby, little bo peep is in love with Tom Tom.
The story goes on and Little bo peep marries Tom Tom and everyone lives happily ever after. This movie is a tradition for all ages. Every Thanksgiving it is on and is a reminder that fairy tales are for everyone.

The Lambkin and the Little Fish

Many of the Grimm Brother’s fairy tales end in a horrifying death or a lesson well learned but not in all. In the story it is a little different because there is no death or violence. Although what this story does have like many others is an evil step mother who’s jealousy like most take over and react on feelings.
There was once a brother and sister who were very close and had a step mother who envied them like many. She knew a few spells and when the kids where outside playing she turned the brother into a lamb, who wandered around the meadow and the sister into a fish, who swam in the pond next to their home.
After a long time the step mother had company and thought that this would be a good time for the children to die. She ordered the cook to go and kill the fish in the pond and the lamb in the meadow. He later noticed as he was going to kill the lamb that the fish was speaking such beautiful words about the lamb and then realized that both animals where once human. The cook brought the brother and sister to a ‘wise woman’ who bewitched them back to their original human forms. The children moved far away and never seen the step mother again.
Now like most Grimm Brother stories there was not much violence and no death. From this story I didn’t see much of a moral either that would make kids learn much from this story. This is very different from the normal deep stories that are usually told.

Baba Yaga

The Baba Yaga is a Russian fairytale derived from the American Cinderella story. As a typical fairytale the ending is very unlike any other because there’s usually an evil step mother who is jealous of their husbands first born child, but when it comes to the ending usually the step mother is put to jail or moves away to never been seen again.
There was a young girl who’s step mother told her to go to her step mother’s sisters house and ask for a needle and thread, but the girl was smart enough to go to her real aunt’s and ask for advice. Her aunt tells her..

“There is a birch tree there, niece, which would hit you in the eye -- you must tie a ribbon round it; there are doors which would creak and bang -- you must pour oil on their hinges; there are dogs which would tear you in pieces -- you must throw them these rolls; there is a cat which would scratch your eyes out -- you must give it a piece of bacon."

The girl listens to the advice and when she goes into her step aunt’s house, she talks to a cat who gives her advice how to leave. When she does this, the aunt finds out and goes on a hunt for her. The girl listened to the advice that her aunt had given her and did everything she was told to.
When Baba Yaga confronts the dogs to find the girl the dog says, "Long as we've served you, you've never so much as pitched us a burnt crust; but she gave us rolls to eat”, and so on with the others.
The girl then goes home and tells her father how her step mother set her up to try and kill her with Baba Yaga, but the father becomes very wroth with his wife and shoots her.

Bluebeard

Most to all fairytales have a moral taught at the end which is no different in the story King Bluebeard. King Bluebeard is not a common American fairytale but teaches curiosity in spite of its appeal, can lead to regret. Also that when you get something you don’t necessarily need the reward often isn’t long lasted.
The story begins as a young girl and her brother where outside playing a carriage drove up to their home and a man with a bluebeard comes out. He asks the father is he could marry his daughter and with time later weds the young girl.
The man with the bluebeard lived in a castle and had to go away on business for a few days. He gives his wife keys to each door but then hands her a gold key and she is told to never open that door because she is not allowed. She reassures him that she would never, but as time went on she just grew more curious as to what could be behind this locked closet door. She decides to open it to find out but what she sees is not what she had expected.
The young girl then opens the door she sees the corpses of his seven wives before her. She quickly closes the door and is never to mention how she opened it but on the little golden key, there is a blood stain that would not wash off.
When King Bluebeard arrives he asks for the keys, but notices one is missing. He asks for it and with her stalling she later hands it to him without the blood removed from the key. Bluebeard announces to her that he is going to kill her just like the others. She goes upstairs to pray but luckily out the window she sees her brothers coming when she screams and yells for help, they burst down the door and kills Bluebeard just as he had a sword in his hand to kill

Queen of Queers

How would you feel if you read the following. Once upon a time there was a handsome prince who was looking to fall in love. He met a beautiful princess but didn’t find her attractive, then met another princess but found her to be not suitable for him, later met a prince from a far away place and fell in love. They later got married and lived together happily ever after. That’s a story that may sound familiar to young British children. Fourteen elementary schools are testing the reactions of the young readers about different types of families and the gay community.
It’s not the children that seem to have a problem with these fairy tales, but the parents. Conservative and religious families feel this is promoting homosexuality and do not approve of this. Most adults are not as understanding considering when they where this age they did not learn about homosexuality in the third grade or younger.
The idea for new books will be addressing same-sex parenthood. “And Tango Makes Three” will be about a baby penguin who has 2 fathers, another book called “Spacegirl Pukes” will be about a girl who is sent on a space trip withher 2 mothers.
Gay marriage was legalized in Britain in 2005 which therefore allows children to be more understanding as to society in today’s world if read at a younger age.

Cinderella

Cinderella may just be the most commonly used fairy tale in Hollywood. It has been made into many movies derived from the medieval times, musicals, and so much more. Although in every film it has a similar plot. Cinderella is always given a pumpkin that turns into a coach; she has 2 horrible step sisters and a mean step mother who tries to prevent her from meeting the prince and falling in love.
In the Chinese version Cinderella is given gold, pearls, and a dress by a giant talking fish which is in comparison to her fairy godmother. Also instead of glass slippers she’s given fur slippers.
When the prince tries to find who the missing slipper belongs to the Disney story leaves out how the step sisters mutilate their feet to try and make it fit. Cutting off their toes and heels to make the slipper fit. When the Prince realizes that Cinderella is the one for him the birds peck out the step sisters, and mother’s eyes.

Aesop the man himself

Aesop has told many fables but where only passed down by oral tradition. He was born approximately around 620 B.C and there is proof to know where he is from. Many places such as Thrace, Phrygia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Samos, Athens, Sardis and Mesembria all claim to be his birthplace. Modern writers say he may have been of the African origin, because "Aethiopian", a word used by the Greeks mostly refers to dark skinned people of the African decent.
Aesop was born into slavery but has said to been let free after realizing his intelligence. As a free man he decided to take an active role in public affairs. He wanted to learn and to teach others. He traveled and philosophized about life and much more. He was said to have told many great stories such as, the boy who cried wolf, the tortoise and the hair, the lion and the mouse and many more great fables.

Aesop the man himself

Aesop has told many fables but where only passed down by oral tradition. He was born approximately around 620 B.C and there is proof to know where he is from. Many places such as Thrace, Phrygia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Samos, Athens, Sardis and Mesembria all claim to be his birthplace. Modern writers say he may have been of the African origin, because "Aethiopian", a word used by the Greeks mostly refers to dark skinned people of the African decent.
Aesop was born into slavery but has said to been let free after realizing his intelligence. As a free man he decided to take an active role in public affairs. He wanted to learn and to teach others. He traveled and philosophized about life and much more. He was said to have told many great stories such as, the boy who cried wolf, the tortoise and the hair, the lion and the mouse and many more great fables.

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is a story written by the Grimm Brothers. It is a fairy tale about a girl who is left in a cellar of a castle and is forced to turn straw into gold. If she does not complete the task she will be put to death, ordered by the King.
Late into the night when she cries a little man comes in and makes her give something in return for him spinning the straw into gold. The first and second night she gives a necklace and a ring, but by the third night she has no more to offer. So since the king offers to make this lady his wife, the little man says he wants her first born child. Not thinking the lady accepts the offer because she never took into consideration that she may really become the king’s wife one day. A year later she has a child and before she knew it the little man reappeared into her life and wants to take what’s rightfully his.
The little man and the queen make a deal that she has to guess his name in 3 nights. She guessed every name but does not figure it out, but when her messenger tells her he had seen a little man sing, “today I bake, tomorrow brew,the next I'll have the young queen's child.Ha, glad am I that no one knewthat Rumpelstiltskin I am styled”she knew Rumpelstiltskin was his name.
When she told him this he insisted the devil told her this and breaks into two. She keeps her baby and never see’s Rumpelstiltskin again.
That is the more commonly told version of Rumpelstiltskin, but there are some differences which include a young girl given flax to pin into linen, but she is only able to spin into gold, which isn’t as useful because you can’t wear it. In some stories the King is the one who discovers the name. Lastly a main part is the reference to the devil, in commonly revised versions the little man just runs off but does not mention the devil or is torn into two.

The Juniper Tree

As I learn about the darkness the Grimm brothers add to their stories, I came across a fairy tale called the Juniper Tree. The Juniper Tree isn’t any ordinary fairy tale in the least bit, but it does have excitement, cannibalism, and a religious twist.

This story all starts with a husband and wife not being able to conceive a child. As she stands under the Juniper tree she makes a wish to have a son and later dies after giving birth. Her husband remarries for the sake of their child and has a daughter with the new wife. The new wife is very jealous of this little boy and tries to find a way to kill him. She one day tricks him into getting an apple from her great chest and slams the cover which beheads him. The mother then tells her daughter that he is alive and when she goes to tell him something she thinks she accidentally knocks his head off. The mother later tells the father that their son had left to go to the uncle’s house and will be back in 6 weeks. Little does the father know, his son is being fed to him for dinner which is soup. As The bones where getting thrown on the floor, the young sister who thinks she still murdered her brother picks them up and puts them in a scarf under the Juniper Tree.

A bird which sings beautifully then sings….

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.

The bird then goes around and sings to people to collect items which are a gold chain, a red pair of shoes and a millstone. As the bird goes outside by the Juniper tree he gives the father the chain, the sister the shoes, and when the step mother walks outside he then drops the millstone on her head, killing her instantly. The bird transforms back into being the little boy and goes inside with his father and step sister.

From this story you can tell the Grimm brothers had no problem discussing cannibalism and maternal jealousy. The mother had greed and didn’t want to share an inheritance with her step-son. This is far form an ordinary Disney-like tale.

Little Red Hat

Every night as a child before I went to bed, I was always told a bed time story. In each story the prince always rescued the princess or the story was full of magic and enchantment and it always made me have a happy thought by the time the story had came to an end. One of the fairy tales I remember having a happy ending was Little Red Riding Hood.

Little Red Riding Hood was told to bring her grandmother a pot of butter and some cookies to make her feel better, but by the end of her little journey she knew never to talk to strangers again. She encounters a wolf who swallows her grandmother whole and herself too. When the huntsman found the wolf she was left to be alive in the wolf’s stomach. This is the American story now when it comes to Italy and Austria they tell their story a little different.

Little Red “Hat” is told to bring her grandmother some soup to make her feel better. On her way to bringing her home some soup she encounters an ogre who befriends her. Little Red Hat tells the ogre all of her grandmother information and does not realize what he has in mind for her.

"Little Red Hat opened the door, went inside, and said, "Grandmother, I am hungry."

The ogre replied, "Go to the kitchen cupboard. There is still a little rice there."

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took the teeth out. "Grandmother, these things are very hard!"

"Eat and keep quiet. They are your grandmother's teeth!"

"What did you say?"

"Eat and keep quiet!"

A little while later Little Red Hat said, "Grandmother, I'm still hungry."

"Go back to the cupboard," said the ogre. "You will find two pieces of chopped meat there."

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took out the jaws. "Grandmother, this is very red!"

"Eat and keep quiet. They are your grandmother's jaws!"

"What did you say?"

"Eat and keep quiet!"

A little while later Little Red Hat said, "Grandmother, I'm thirsty."

"Just look in the cupboard," said the ogre. "There must be a little wine there."

Little Red Hat went to the cupboard and took out the blood. "Grandmother, this wine is very red!"

"Drink and keep quiet. It is your grandmother's blood!

"What did you say?"

A little while later Little Red Hat said, "Grandmother, I'm sleepy."

"Take off your clothes and get into bed with me!" replied the ogre.

"Grandmother, you have such a big mouth!"

"That comes from eating children!" said the ogre, and bam, he swallowed Little Red Hat with one gulp."

In this story Little Red Hat has no second chanced as in the American version. Its told much differently and would make a child never want to talk to a stranger because they would know that if something is done wrong they may not have the chance to fix their mistake. Not all fairy tales have happy endings.

Once upon a time..

As a child, I grew up reading fairy tales and remembering how magical they were. They always seemed to brighten up my day by just listening to the happy endings and how in every story there was some moral I had just learned. The fairy tales always sparked my imagination by picturing the impossible and the many different characters such as goblins, trolls, fairies, or talking animals.

Later I learned that the fairy tales I once knew to have happy endings were told much differently in other countries. Not only were they told differently, but the endings were no longer as happy as I remembered them to be in my childhood. As I researched fairy tales I learned about the Grimm brothers. The Grimm brothers are known for their great German literature and writing fairy tales through a scary perspective. I realized that America has a way of revising the stories for children, taking out sexual references that the story originally had. Not only has stories been revised but movies too. Walt Disney has altered movies such as The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.