Advertising: Lipstick Queen Promotes Frog Lips

Whimsy and advertising today. Fairy tales are often referenced in make-up but usually it's to do with princesses and in recent years, sexy villains. This new lipstick  - released less than a week ago - is slightly different:

A green lipstick that "uses the natural pH in your lips" to produce a unique shade that suits you.

"Things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince!" Poppy King, Lipstick Queen

Get heads turning with Frog Prince, a remarkable emerald green lipstick that transforms into magical rosebud upon contact with the lips. Don't be fooled by the deep green hue of this semi-sheer lipstick - the green reacts with the warmth of your lips turning them an intense, fairy tale rose. No two pairs of lips will look the same as it adapts according to your pH and natural coloring, appearing entirely different yet beautifully flattering on everyone. Vitamin E and Shea Butter keep lips soft, hydrated and deliciously kissable. And just like true love itself, this enchanting shade was made to last. Lips remain their blissful pink all day long from just one lingering, magical Frog Prince kiss.

I'm having flashbacks to the 80's when there were those 'mood lipsticks' that were weird colors (including green) that changed your lips to be some sort of pink color. Trouble is, for me, it always looked like I'd gotten into my mother's lipsticks and used precisely the worst shade possible. Worse? It didn't come off very easily!

Clearly they're having a big campaign push for this particular lipstick and new photos from a sexy photo shoot have been appearing almost every day this week. It started with this one..

And went into this sequence:

Obviously , they're having a lot of fun with it. (But you cannot tell me she looked like a frog before putting this on!)

They also released an 'Ice Queen' lipstick toward the end of last year, which seems popular, though it didn't have a whole photoshoot to go with it. The artwork is nice though.

It’s all about intergalactic gorgeousness with Ice Queen, Lipstick Queen’s shimmering white lipstick flecked with silver and gold. This icy cool shade will tint your lips a sparkling and translucent snowy white, bringing an ethereal beauty to your look, and yet is still transparent enough to allow the natural pink of your lips to shine through. Ice Queen is enhanced with ultra-flattering shimmer particles that catch the light to create an ice cool, sexy look.  You can say goodbye too to dry, chapped lips common during the winter months as Ice Queen is formulated with anti-oxidant Vitamin E and nourishing oils to ensure the lips remain comfortable, soft and super-hydrated!

I have no experience with these and I'm not the sort of person who will pay $25 for a lipstick to start with but if you collect fairy tale novelty, these ones might be "just right" for you.

(Jeepers, I sounds like an ad...)

I have to admit - I do like the look of the box.

You can find Frog Prince HERE and Ice Queen HERE.

"Find the One" (aka When Animated Princesses Look for A Bra They Probably Do It Like This)

Ok, I admit it: I rolled my eyes when I first saw news about this campaign  of a fairy godmother helping animated girls find "the one true bra". I was not, however, expecting a whole musical!

Take a look:

Lingerie brand Triumph's sales division and marketing folks (Northern Europe) had this to say about this, quite involved, campaign. The key word to watch for here is "transform" - and I'll admit, they kind of have a good point:

A fairy godmother helps the girl find the perfect bra ("the one"). Ferguson (Triumph & Sports Illustrated model) is then seen (edit: transformed into a real girl) in a changing room, looking in a mirror at her bra as she whispers, "I found it." 

Eszter Szijarto, the head of brand marketing at Triumph, said: "It is really important for us to find new ways of bringing to life the bra finding journey so that we continue to inspire customers to go for a bra fitting. 

"By transforming our model, Hannah, into a cartoon we are treading new ground and by doing so, we aim to create a compelling visual experience that captures the magical feeling of finding the right bra that transforms your life – ‘the one’." 

"Women easily identify with animated characters, which explains the success of animated fairy tales all over the world. 

"Also, the perfect bra and Prince Charming have a lot in common: almost every woman dreams of finally finding the right one."

There's more information HERE.

I want to note - that's a very nice use of the frog prince motif too. Though we never see him transform, he subconsciously reminds the viewer this is all about transformation, right the way through (though the message might have been slightly clearer had we seen the animated girl actually transform into a real one). 

What do you think? Will this encourage girls and women to not settle on their undergarments but to get the right fit? I think at, the very least, it will do a good job of helping mothers of Frozen fans take their daughters bra shopping with a less self conscious atmosphere. 

(This is turning out to be such an eclectic fairy tale news day!)

Article: "Fairy Tale Fathers" by Kristina Wojtaszek

Fairy tale fathers: they tend to be absent, passive, possessive, abusive, foolish or "shadows" (weak). 

But there are a few who are, perhaps, underrated with the circumstances they have to deal with and who do, ultimately, seem to care about their children (Note: the further across the globe you range, the easier it is to find decent father figures in fairy tales but the better known European fairy tales in particular, prove a tough bunch when attempting to find a decent guy!)

Author and blogger, Kristina Wojtaszek of Twice Upon A Time, posted a wonderful tribute to fathers of all kinds everywhere in her blog last year and, being Father's Day today I wanted to point you back to it. She begins:

If you want to really appreciate the father figures in your life, try reading a few fairy tales.  Fairy tales bring out the best, and worst, in every character, but the dads in fairy tales are often excessively dull, single minded, and even downright negligent.  Who can blame the stepmother for donning the pointed hat and hopping on her ill-used broom?  After all, somebody’s got to bring the plot home! 

But there are exceptions.  There are fathers who are worse than evil, like the ones who try to replace their lost wives with their own daughters (who ought to be reigning from asylums, rather than castles) or those daddy Darwin’s who cunningly pit their sons against each other in cruel, and often deadly, competitions for the throne.  But there are fairy tale fathers who’ve risen from the mire and even earned bit of our respect.  Here are three such prime padres:

Go HERE to find out whom Kristina is giving kudos to and why. 

It's lovely and heartfelt and makes you think a little harder about those fathers in fairy tales who had a lot more on their plate than average and yet still did their best to look after their families.

(from) The Frog King by Walter Crane

I would add one note: the tale of The Frog King or Iron Henry (ie The Frog Prince). This is the father of a teenager (most likely), sitting with his daughter at the dinner table and having a conversation and, with no mother in sight, there's a good chance he's a single dad too. Commendably, he insists she be careful of her word and keep her promises, even to a lowly frog (it is assumed, he has NO idea that chances of a naked prince appearing in her bedroom, were on the high side). Although I don't like how spoiled this princess appears to be in this story to start with*, I'm always on the side of this particular King who is trying to get his daughter to behave as a princess should. Plus, how can you not like a King who insists a frog be given a decent meal and cared for as promised?

If you have any to add to the list, feel free to share in the comments. 

And Happy Father's Day to all the father figures of all kinds who, in the words of Ms. Wojtaszek:

"... (have) contributed to the well being of children everywhere; children who would surely have floundered without a father’s care to light the dark and winding forests of their futures."

What she said. (Thank you Kristina!)

When Fairy Tales Stray Beyond Their "Borders"...

This is a funny (as in a little skewed and strange) thing that people have latched onto: that a certain tale belongs in a certain cultural context only. As such, people get very territorial when it comes to certain tales. To me, it's means they're missing one of the best things about fairy tales - that they belong to everyone. Fairy tales show us our differences and our similarities across the world and I think it's one of the reasons they're so important for children to learn when they're young. People everywhere - in every place, culture and society - are just like you, but also unique.

As fairy tale people, you're very likely aware that there are, for example, versions of Cinderella in almost every culture in the world, meaning that the tale type is - by and large - the same, but the context and details are different. Cinderella doesn't "belong" to any ones place or peoples. only the versions of them do (and that could be debated as well, considering how those tales came to be).

There has been a lot (a LOT) of "gender-bending" illustration of Disney characters (and non-Disney fairy tale characters too, but less so) and recently I came across a "race-bending" set of illustrations by an illustration student who hosts a Tumblr titled Let There Be Doodles. While I like imagining what the stories would be like set in a different cultural context, it was the questions and responses that followed the posting of these illustrations that caught my attention.

And I was delighted to find SurLaLune being linked to as a resource for the many versions of different stories as well (Heidi - your work is so very, VERY important and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. xx)

People really are concerned and curious and I'm grateful that this exchange, at least, was done with respect and courtesy! (I left all typos and phrasing intact to keep the original spirit of the exchange):

Anonymous asked: So I want to appologise before I ask if this sounds mean spirited, I'm trying really hard not to be. But WHY would you do race bent disney characters? Like, I get wanting more POCs and that's hella. I'm all for it. But fairy tales don't make since out of their cultural context(i.e. Meg as an Egyptian, Cinderella as a Geisha, even Jasmine as African instead of Middle Eastern). So why that change? Sorry again if this sounds mean, I'm just really confused here.

(( No, you’re fine, no worries! :)
Before anything else, I’d like to point something out. Fairy tales are constantly being taken out of their cultural context. Most of the fairy tales that we know now were taken out of their original cultural context and altered. Aladdin was originally set in China. The Frog Prince was Latin, and was altered over and over again in several countries. The stories have been and can be altered in many ways. *shrugs*

Anyway, I’m not necessarily trying to alter an entire story (although it would be fun) I’m just working with character design. I create racebent characters simply for fun and because I’d love to see more diversity in our media. :) ))

To the anon who said fairy tales don’t make sense outside their cultural context…

There are actually many variations of the Cinderella story. 

As well as Sleeping Beauty. 

The Little Mermaid is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, but there are a fewvariations on that theme as well (though not nearly as many as the previous two, but I’m sure there are more.) 

There’s like a bunch of them for Snow White. 

I’m not gonna touch Hercules (or, as he’s more properly called since the movie takes place in Greece, Heracles) or any of the Hans Christian Andersen based stories like The Snow Queen/Frozen (except, of course, for The Little Mermaid.)
Fairy tales don’t have to make sense. It’s all about the story, or the message contained within it (like with Aesop’s Fables.)

And, in case you're wondering, there were people that had a problem that it wasn't just white princesses that were getting "race bent", but that's actually the point. The tales belong to the world. The variations of the tales can crop up anywhere and the tales will still be "the tales".

I don't think I really need to add much more commentary to this. I'm just really glad the conversation is happening out in social media (and going viral as a result). It's another way people are learning that there are many, many tale variations all over the world and that we share more with each other globally than many people realize.

What are your thoughts on this?

Fairy Tale News Hound Digs Up More Than She Can Chew, er, Post (aka Article Roundup From Between the Coffee Stains in a Reporter's Notebook)

It's no secret that I barely get to a quarter of the fairy tale news stories I dig up and there are always a good handful I regret not sharing so I'm going to try something and we'll see how it goes.I'm going to list a group of stories I haven't had time to post on that I think are worth checking out, giving you links to the various key articles and web pages so you can both be aware of these things happening and research them yourself if they catch your interest. 

This won't be uber-regular as it could turn into a column all by itself (!) but from time to time, hopefully I can pass on a plateful of fairy tale goodies that you can follow up on at your leisure.

My big challenge, considering I'm already interested in them, is to keep my summaries brief and concise so this post doesn't turn into an encyclopedic-sized essay.... 

(Note: Most of these are from last week and any events mentioned are still running/exhibiting.)

• Tolkien Medieval and Modern: On Fragments, Soup, and Rapunzel

Beren and Luthien by Helena Panassol 

From a blog that, studies and critiques Tolkien's work comes a parallel with Rapunzel:

"...the Silmarillion presents a reconstruction of the story of Rapunzel, in which Luthien, trapped in a “wooden house” at the top of “the greatest of all the trees,” causes “her hair to grow to a great length,” and “of the strands… twine[s] a rope” and “climb[s] from her prison” (Silmarillion 203). "

I wish it expanded on it a little more but there's enough there for you to start your won research if you're intrigued. 

• Crazy (and possibly-wrong) predictions made from the new Maleficent banner poster

A fun post with some silly thoughts that also points out the two-sided nature of the banner and that the dual (and dueling) sides of Maleficent that are likely to be explored in the movie. This does appear to be the driving force of the movie but the article also kind of want to make a whole list of more silly predictions for fun now too. :) The article also touches briefly on the discomfort being felt by money-makers on Wall Street at the darkness of the film (which is the key talking point about the movie this week).

"... if you didn’t already predict a rosy reception to Sleeping Beauty: Dark Side Edition, you can start placing your bets...""... the structure of the poster symbolizes Malificent’s inner struggle: one side is dark and thorny, and the other is lush and community-oriented..."

• "Wicked" (Live Action) Movie Has Started Gearing Up, Though Nothing Is Official Yet

Try not to get TOO excited just yet... except it's hard not to perk your ears up when the composer is already so enthusiastic.

"..."Wicked" composer Stephen Schwartz... revealed that the "Wizard of Oz" origin story has already "started gearing up" for the big screen. Although, he admitted that there are still no concrete plans for the Wicked movie adaptation. However, after years of false starts, it seems that this year could possible the year for "Wicked" in the big screen.
"... his creative team are already thinking about what to consider in order to do so.
"What are we going to change?" Schwartz said. "What are we going to keep? How do you use a whole new language and medium to tell the story? [We can] really look at it again and say, 'Oh, we can do this, and we've always wanted to do that and we couldn't onstage, but we can in a movie.' We're actually having a blast."

• Weird Science: Can A Frog Turn Into A Prince? How Many Lies Could Pinocchio Tell Before It Became Lethal?

Third year natural science undergrads ask these questions (and more in the same vein) seriously and come up with some interesting answers.

"Pinocchio could only sustain 13 lies in a row before the maximum upward force his neck could exert cannot sustain his head and nose. The head’s overall centre of mass shifts over 85 metres after 13 lies, and the overall length of the nose is 208 metres."Lengthy, extensive lies are advised against, for the health and well-being of Pinocchio." 

"...It is theoretically possible to gain enough energy for the transformation of a frog to a prince from the kinetic energy of air alone."However, extraction of such amount of energy is practically impossible for present science, as it would require extracting all kinetic energy from the air molecule."This would result in an environment of absolute zero temperature. While solar heating would slowly provide the air with energy again, the health of the prince/frog and any other person (princess) in the area cannot be assured.

(A separate article HERE on Rapunzel's hair - what type of hair it would have to be, how strong, anchor points etc)

• Red Caps: New Fairy Tales for Out Of the Ordinary Readers by Steve Berman

A brief but good introductory review of this fairy tale anthology that lives on the dark side of the border.

Red Caps might be a rock band. Or they might be something more sinister, a fey source of sounds that are but the backdrop to thrills and misadventures. These thirteen stories provide readers jaded by the traditional, Old World fairy tales with tempting new stories that will entice bored readers from their suburban ennui. Closets are waiting to be explored. Escape from work camp leads to a dangerous encounter on a wet road. That high school year book is magical and might be mocking you…or helping you find love. And isn’t love one of the central premises of the fairy tale? 

These teenage boys and girls need not fear that their love has no worth, because Steve Berman has written for them princesses who love maidens and adorkable students who have wondrous and smart boyfriends. Readers can be assured that, if the tale does not end happily, it ends most memorably.

• "The Mermaid and the Shoe" and "The Mermaid's Shoe" double book review

Both are inspired by Andersen's mermaid but they take their own journeys.
Cate from Something to Read for the Train also had a recent review worth reading (HERE) on the first book as well.

"Not every little mermaid has to follow in the wake of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale. Two new mermaids with tales all their own swim to the surface in “The Mermaid and the Shoe,” written and illustrated by K.G. Campbell, and “The Mermaid’s Shoes,” written and illustrated by Sanne te Loo. These modern mermaids make for a refreshing and amusing departure from their famous predecessor."

• Who Brought the Filipino Folklore to NBC's Grimm? (Not for the faint of heart.)

Sergeant Wu, a character not (currently) "clued in" to the world of the Other on NBC's Grimm has to deal with seeing an Aswang - a fascinating Filipino folklore addition to the world folklore rearing its head on Grimm these day. Scary as all hell, we still like seeing folklore and fairy tales from all over the globe appearing in our modern multi-cultural world.

"A big thanks to Filipino-American actor Reggie Lee! The Filipino folklore ruled in the United States TV ratings which additionally emphasizes Filipino-American actor Reggie Lee, who plays Sergeant Wu on supernatural TV series “Grimm”. “Mommy Dearest” is the fourteenth episode of Season 3 of Grimm..... In Reggie’s interview, he related his part in helping create the story, how he gave the writers three mythical Pinoy creatures to choose from, and they wound up picking the aswang. “Binigay ko yung manananggal, yung dwende saka tiktik. But they really, really fell for the tiktik. So I was really happy that they stayed true to the Filipino story”, he said."

• Theater: A Mermaid Tale to Ward of Racism and Fascism? (staged by India's Theatre Nisha)

A very interesting use of the tale - read the excerpt (& the article) for a brief overview. The link above on Theater Nisha takes you to their production photos on Facebook.

Theatre Nisha’s version though, is not as happy as Anderson’s, reveals Sunandha. Where in the book she becomes a ‘daughter of the air’, on stage dies of a broken heart. “We wanted to give a context for the mermaid - a contrast and, at the same time, draw parallels to her story with modern day incidents,” explains the director.
On stage, Ariel not only rebels against what she is expected to do, but her actions are a metaphor for several incidents relating to women and their safety. “Through Ariel, we are confronting issues of honor killing, racism, fascism and maybe a little bit of jingoism that’s gotten a hold of us these days,” she says.
The characters are quite fluid – no one actor portrays the mermaid all by herself..."

• Article: The Colors in Fairy Tales by Seven Miles of Steel Thistles

Snow White's Apple
by Benjamin Lacombe

An article that caught my eye and stayed with me this week, about colors in illustrations contrasted with the mention of specific colors in fairy tales, as well as the conciseness of language used in fairy tales as opposed to retellings. Reminds me of discussions on the SurLalune boards.

"A fairytale does not have to try hard.  In keeping everything simple, it also keeps everything fresh. ‘Close by the King’s castle lay a great, dark forest’ leaves almost everything to your imagination, and then comes the ‘old lime tree’ and the cool well, and that’s as much as anyone needs to know.  A novelist might add a description of the well, providing it with a carved marble parapet or a rustic stone wall.  It might be beautifully written and very fine – but in a fairytale, it would merely get in the way....Colours in fairytales are strong, simple, basic, and meaningful.... White, black and red are meaningful colours because they are rare in nature and therefore noticeable. White is the colour of innocence, the colour of an untrodden fall of snow under which the whole landscape is transformed. A white dove is an emblem of peace, a black raven a signifier of wisdom. In some variants ofSnow-White, it is a raven which the queen sees against the snow, a more likely and a sharper contrast than an ebony window-frame. Black is unusual. Most birds are brownish: even today with our dulled attention to nature, we notice black crows and white swans.  Before chemical dyes, black was an expensive colour for clothes: it stood out: most people could not afford to wear it. And red of course is the most meaningful of all colours, the most emotionally charged.  Red is the colour that accompanies childbirth, wounds, war, accidents. Red is the stuff of life and death.... Colours in fairytales aren’t decoration, they aren’t even ‘just’ descriptive. They carry information.  They are a form of emphasis. And they can be relied upon. A golden head which rises to the surface of a well may be strange, but won't be evil. ..."

• 1908: Costumes for the Blue Bird at the Moscow Art Theater

A collection of photos I haven't seen all together before. Some of it is that odd-vintage style but some of it is really wonderful. 

Seeing it all together, gives you a good idea of the mood this particular production evoked in the audience.

“The Blue Bird is a 1908 play by Belgian Maeterlinck. It premiered at Constantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre.  

The story is about a girl, Mytyl, and her brother Tyltyl seeking happiness, represented by The Blue Bird, aided by the good fairy Bérylune.”

• STC (Sydney Theater Company)'s Pinocchio is a beautifully designed, upbeat, musical spectacular. (April 11 to May 4th)

This looks like a lot of fun. Unfortunately I'm currently on the wrong continent...

Pulling no punches, this production is designed for a world raised on American idol. From the original fairy-tale Myers and O’Brien have created a 21st century music theatre spectacular for all ages. Conceived by the Windmill Theatre and the multi-Helpmann Award winning creative team behind last years hit play School Dance, this very physical, funny and heartfelt musical comedy looks set to accomplish that rare and wonderful feat – breaking new ground on a story we all thought we knew!

• Disney teams up with HSN (Home Shopping Network) for exclusive and high(er) end movie-related merchandise for Maleficent, Cinderella and The Hundred-Foot Journey.

The promise of exclusive behind-the-scenes and making-of movie content is quite tempting to go check out, especially because... MALEFICENT!

“We’re about content-driven retail. That’s the beauty of our business model.”...Disney welcomed HSN’s fashion director and other executives on set to gather inspiration for the movie’s aesthetics via conversations with the art department, costume designers and other crew members. That intel was shared with HSN’s merchandise and marketing teams, as well as its go-to designers, who put together an exclusive collection comprising curated items as well as products designed specifically for the event.... Following the 24-hour launch event later that month, HSN will air Countdown to Maleficent specials in primetime every night leading up to the film’s May 30 release. ...(HSN and Disney) indicate that the programming will build upon the precedent set by their Oz partnership, which featured props, set pieces and trailers from the film as well as appearances by star Mila Kunis and the movie’s makeup artist."

UPDATE 4-12-14: I neglected to add a link to HSN in case you want to check them out. Apologies! You can find the site HERE and this HERE is where news on the Maleficent merchandise & specials will be updated. If I get any advance news I will be sure to share that with you too.

• Harry Potter movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, confirmed to now be a trilogy.

Fan Made poster (source)

Slightly older news but if you haven't heard it yet, you need to know: Yes, the Harry Potter spin-off will now be  "three megamovies" and J.K. Rowling will be doing the screenplay (it's her screenwriting debut). 

And check out the fan-made Harry Potter-styled moving poster! I have a strong feeling we are on the verge of "gif posters" as being the new official advertising medium as well. You heard it here first.. ;) 

"That is when Warner announced that Ms. Rowling had agreed to adapt for the big screen her “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a 2001 book billed as one of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbooks. Three megamovies are planned. 

The main character will be a “magizoologist” named Newt Scamander. The stories, neither prequels or sequels, will start in New York about seven decades before the arrival of Mr. Potter and his pals."

• Cymbeline is getting a modern reboot in film form. 

Known as Shakespeare's fairy tale or a Roman-era Snow White, this film is currently in production with no release date yet announced. Although this is older news because it's been happening for a while now, I haven't mentioned it yet as details have taken a really long time to trickle in, a trailer released late last year has been removed from everywhere and it's still pretty under the radar overall. It would appear, though, that we're finally getting closer to seeing the film finished and released. 

The cast is stellar, including Dakota Johnson as Imogen (that's the Snow White character), Milla Jovovich as Queen, Ethan Hawke as Iachimo and Ed Harris as Cymbeline. 

(See the link on the title for a little more information and the 'reboot' link for film style details.)

Phew! I'm going to stop there as that's an awful lot for one post but this is by no means everything happening with fairy tales in the last week. Seriously. I'll bring you some more news tomorrow...

Art: Zan von Zed's Fairy Tale Femmes

"East of the Sun, West of the Moon"

A new artist discovery (for me) this year is Australian artist Zan von Zed, who's angularly featured and swan-necked ladies definitely have a fairy-tale-with-a-twist feel to them.

"Darling It's Better.." (Little Mermaid - on wood)

She mainly works in pencil but also in oil, watercolor and enhances some pencil with digital as well.

"Frog Prince"

While Ms. Zed has a number of online homes she hasn't offered up very much about herself, her influences (other than that she likes turtles) or art education. She is, however, very generous with her video tutorials/behind-the-scenes and takes the time to respond to most questions on her Facebook and Instagram accounts (links listed below).

Snow White's Stepmother
(I'm guessing, but I'm also not the only one who thinks this -BTW this is "just a sketch"!)

I'm including a few extra illustrations that, although aren't specific tales, still feel like they belong in one.

Looks like a Russian (snow) fairy tale

Officially this is "A Time Before Pants" but I'm thinking Mary Queen of Scots
(A castle crown - how great is that?)

This reminds me of Janet from Tam Lin (though it might just be Mary pre-Queen of Scots)
I'd love to see this finished

Amazing and beautiful, classic yet modern, the faces say so much without extreme expressions and those hands..! More please. Especially fairy tale - more fairy tales please!

Zan von Zed's art - and products and prints - can be found in the following places:

• Society 6
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Behance

Once again - do stop by Behance and click "Appreciate This" or drop a comment on her Facebook page or Instagram. Let's keep this artist working and hopefully we'll see a series of illustrations on a tale in the future. *crosses fingers*