The sorts of wolves Perrault warned about still exist today. Beware of chat and friend-requests from people you don't know... We're all susceptible to being preyed upon by strangers pretending to be something they're not. The internet and the woods have a lot in common these days.
There is this idea that fairy tales are old and irrelevant. If you're reading this blog, we're thinking you might not believe that. If you're a regular reader here, you know we don't believe that either. In fact, the whole reason for this blog is to show how very actively people are using and re-using fairy tales today. Fairy tales have this magical ability to stay recognizable, even as they adapt to be relevant to the person, society, or culture making use of them. (It's something we love to track!)
For most people, however, it can be difficult to see how such old (ancient, really), tales could have any use today. We have a tendency to believe our predecessors were less evolved - or at least less enlightened - than we are, so how could such old things possibly have any relevance now? Turns out, people haven't really changed at all.
Did you know you can actually ask your Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Apple's Siri this question in real life and get a real answer? (Try it!) There are even actual "smart mirrors" you can talk to and get information from while you are getting ready. And yes, they give beauty tips...
One company, GoCompare, wanted to see if these tales would still be recognizable if reframed in today:
"Hidden amongst magical imagery, mystery and wonder, fairy tales offer an allegory for real life. Mapping the transition from childhood to adulthood, a young hero or heroine is often faced with obstacles they must overcome to achieve their heart's desires, while learning right from wrong. They're tales as old as time, but what do they look like in the modern world?" - From the Title page of GoCompare's Once Upon the Internet campaign. *
*Sadly, the campaign was in 2018 and the page is no longer active. We got additional information from the illustrator and designer, Elizabeth Howlett(also known as Beth Creates)who was hired to create scenes showing how different fairy tales might "adapt to the modern world". We think she did a FABULOUS job!
No need for making the best of a pumpkin; thanks to companies like Uber and Lyft, you can order your own carriage to go with your ball outfit. (Apparently, the Prince got tired of dating apps and decided to try an old-fashioned party - though these days a masked party might add some twists to that story too.)
Unfortunately, it looks like the "tale retelling" story portion of the campaign has been lost to the internet void, but even if you only vaguely know these tales, you immediately get what's going on.
There's something in these tales that shows us, even when we're told "old versions", that we recognize ourselves in them. This campaign goes a long way to showing why that is. These are the same old tales; they just use different tech. These are still our stories.
Enjoy.
Puss in Boots as Social Media Influencer and promoter of "cancel culture" on Ogres of all kinds. And he's a cat - so of course he would go viral on Instagram.
Got wi-fi? You can figure out how to do almost anything yourself these days with Instructables, or get collated advice from the enthusiastic Reddit community! (The only question here, is "which sub-reddit" to ask?) (Illustrator Howlett warns of Rumplestiltskin sliding into your DMs...)
Bitcoin has made millionaires out of ordinary Jacks, but there are definitely risks; at least as much risk as magic beans
Shopping online can be hazardous, especially when it comes to fashion. "BNWT" stands for Brand New With Tags but sometimes the online promise (and picture) is too good to be true. Until you put it on, you have no idea that you've just been swindled by some clever, lying tailors.
Poor Three Bears; looks like their AirBNB income just took a hot with a bad review from an unfair customer.
Ah the Snapchat filter: creating glimpses of your possible future. Thanks to the selfie filter obsession that makes so many different transformations possible, we don't even know what most people really look like anymore!
You know those times you wish you were closer to New York City to visit? This is one of them. Identity Theater Company (ITC) is "a group of differently abled artists devoted to exploring and challenging issue of the human condition," and is taking a look at body image, the perception of beauty, and therefore power, status and acceptability, in a different take on Sleeping Beauty.
We want to take all the children...
Press release:
Nicholas Linnehan has reworked a age-old fairy tale to suit our modern world. The character formerly known as Sleeping Beauty wakes up in a world where warts are in fashion ... and she has them. While she's en vogue, she can't wrap her brain around this drastic change, nor can anyone around her. "Sleeping Ugly," as she has renamed herself, flees her village and bumps into the Ugly Duckling, who, like Sleeping Beauty/Ugly, is the subject of bullying for his appearance. The two become fast friends.
Meanwhile, the Ogress Queen, here called Malificent, is still obsessed with being the fairest of them all. She believes that Sleeping Ugly's new fashionable warts hold the key to her problem. She strikes a deal with Sleeping Ugly to take her warts. As part of the deal the Ugly Duckling will get to become a beautiful swan. Malificent casts a spell and each character gets exactly what they want, or do they? They've all gotten what they want but will they live happily ever after? Sleeping Ugly examines the concepts of beauty and body image and social presences regarding them.
ITC strives to present works that cultivate understanding, promote tolerance, and engage its participants in meaningful discussions.
Identity Theater presents Sleeping Ugly; written and directed by Nicholas Linnehan in a special showing on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 7 pm at 215 East 99th Street @ The Underground Theater. Tickets: $12. RSVP to identitytheater@aol.com.
While we're on the topic, we'd like to highlight another company that's encouraging people to take another look at how we consider ourselves and others. They're called The Ugly Duckling Inc and encourage healthy body image, particularly for those struggling with self-esteem and eating disorders. The company was inspired by Jennifer Morrison's character, Emma Swan, on ABC's fairy tale series Once Upon A Time.
This is an initiative inspired by Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon a Time. In February, 2013, Jennifer gave her Twitter supporters the name #TheUglyDucklings, explaining: “The idea behind The Ugly Ducklings is truly about self-identity and beauty. The story shows that sometimes life gives us challenges before we discover our true selves. The Ugly Ducklings is meant to suggest beauty, love and fullness of life in the end. It’s all about the journey”.
You can read more about Ugly Duckling IncHERE, and all the work they've done to help people become healthier in mind and body. We're not sure what the current status is though, as they have been a little quiet for the past year or so.
After the fan-happy musical-wedding episode this weekend, ABC's Once Upon A Time is only one episode away from the end of the season, and still no series renewal in sight. On Monday morning, fans got a bit of a blow as Jennifer Morrison, who plays the lead, Emma Swan, announced she had decided not to renew her contract with Once Upon A Time. While previous rumors indicated the cast would be whittled down by about half, if the show were to continue (including without Snow, Charming or Henry) there's a good chance Morrison's decision will have a detrimental impact on the series continuing at all.
From Jennifer Morrison's Instagram:
jenmorrisonliveAs I reached the end of my 6 year contract on ONCE UPON A TIME, I was faced with a significant decision. ABC, Eddy Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz very generously invited me to continue as a series regular. After very careful consideration, I have decided that creatively and personally, it is time for me to move on. Emma Swan is one my favorite characters that I have ever played. My 6 years on ONCE UPON A TIME has changed my life in the most beautiful ways. I am absolutely blown away by the passion and commitment of the Oncer fans. I am so honored to have been a central part of such a special show. I will be forever grateful to Adam, Eddy, and ABC for giving me the gift of playing Emma Swan. As I move on to other creative endeavors, I will continue to attend the fan conventions whenever my professional schedule allows. I always look forward meeting the fans. If ABC Network does in fact order a season 7, I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch ONCE UPON A TIME. The creativity of the show runners has always inspired me, and I cannot wait to see the ways that they continue to develop and reinvent the show. #Onceuponatime#EmmaSwan#UglyDucklings
The show's 'ugly duckling' ('beautiful duckling'?) Emma Swan has more than played out her story line of homeless waif looking for her home, finding her family, her destiny, losing her faith and going to the dark side (being a 'Black Swan') then becoming the Savior all over again. However, it was bringing Emma Swan to Storybrooke that got the story rolling, and while we've been introduced to many interesting folk with their own intriguing stories along the way, it's safe to say the show has revolved around Emma staying and cementing her home in Storybrooke through the entire six season to date. How to keep the interest of fans overall without her character would be quite a challenge at this point.
Once Upon a Time was once a great show that married the lighter, sweet elements of fairy tales with their darker implications — that of the boogeyman under your bed or the pervasive mommy issues that pop up throughout folklore.
But what was once an intriguing revisionist fairy tale show became glorified Disney fan fiction, where you could see Elsa from Frozen team up with Prince Charming against warlord Bo Peep, or witness Mulan falling in love with a battle-scarred Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. (Sadly, these all sound wackier and more fun on paper than they were on screen.) Anchoring this growing cast of Disney and public domain characters was Jennifer Morrison‘s Emma Swan, whose bounty-hunter-turned-Savior — and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — provided the catalyst for the story. Now after six seasons, Morrison announced that she won’t be returning to the show as a series regular, calling the show’s fate into question. Does this mean the (happy) end for Once Upon a Time?
While Emma isn't always the reason, or even the most common reason people return to the show (#TeamRegina), she has remained central to all the main storylines, so even a(nother) reset would have issues. The other reasons fans return and have such a passion for the show, however, aren't insignificant, so the potential for continuing remains, but it's going to take some tricky negotiations of stories, along with finding that sweet spot of Disney-nostalgia-with-a-twist, to keep viewers tuning in.
But... Wasn't the Musical a Good Thing for OUAT?
Short answer: "YES".
And how did fans like the musical episode? (And what did our Fairy Tale Newsroom think?) We know ratings were down, but that seems likely due to the Princess Diana special airing the same evening, which, we're guessing would have a decent overlap in audiences, so there's that. Fans, however, have been overall very positive through to rapturously downloading the soundtrack to play on a loop, so, after the dust settles and this show joins the nostalgia show shelf, this episode will be returned to as a highlight. (You can hear/relive some of the songs HERE.)
"But was it any good?" - we hear you asking. The thing is, musicals are hard. We get that. Musical episodes, in non-musical shows, are really hard. Unlike what most fans (and cast) expected, the show chose to create entirely new songs for the special episode which has about as many advantages and disadvantages as the cast singing favorite Disney songs would have. Tough choices! Our take was that the songs (almost all sung in flashbacks, which was a little odd to get used to) were better written than expected, but the staging and choreography suffered from not having as much fun as the lyricists did, and they really could have done with many more good callbacks to the Disney movies - or at the very least key early episodes from the series - to cement that 'like' factor. It helped that the cast were (largely) up to the task, and that it's expected to have a good dose of cheese (please!). In fact, for this show, a cheese-free musical effort would have flopped badly.
We saw some great sparks between this couple - reminding us - again, where it all began
While we're not quite ready to see OUAT on Broadway (what a thought!), Snow and Charming's opener 'Happy Beginnings' was a really good way to set the tone, in fact we have to wonder why we didn't hear more of Snow, in particular, singing throughout the series, and Charming could apparently match her quite easily as needed. It would have fit Snow's character extremely well (although we would have suggested more bluebirds, though perhaps not attacking them as she did in an earlier season like the pics below... although that would have been a perfect moment for a musical, if Snow wasn't her Mrs. Charming -self!).
In fact, the opener worked so well, it was sort of odd to see people go back to speaking after that (and we never quite understood why speaking was allowed - minor quibble). While the back and forth between flashback song-wish/curse happening in The Enchanted Forest and the present day dramatically spoken lines of Black Fairy threatening Emma and all she loved, (emphasis on the drama) was a little clunky, the concept of 'The Song In Your Heart' was a good frame for the episode, and neatly book-ended the show's main story arcs - from the very beginning - in a satisfying way too.
Always difficult to pull off a 'song battle', it's doubly difficult in a show that has had full on dragons and demons and universes cut in two. Clearly it was a tough sequence to stage (and very much worked for some fans and not at all for others) but Emma's Theme near the end was quite a (nice) surprise in the way it was handled, especially as we already knew it was Emma's actual musical theme, present since the beginning of the series, done as a proper song, and effectively pulled it all back together in time for a wedding.
And yes, we could not help but be reminded of the Buffy musical episode... (which we heartily applaud and adore by the way). Not quite as well thought through and balanced, but admirable nonetheless.
As odd and 'expectedly inconsistent' as the episode was, with different music styles and voice strength throughout, (although, we loved Rumple's fake-out!) it was still a very worthy effort, though we do feel there were a ton of missed opportunities, especially in the wedding. If there were ever a time to revisit the beginning, or to have fun with all the Disney fairy tale wedding tropes, this would have been it, but the oddly sterile and fake location put a damper on what should have been the episode's jewel. (Considering the very-possible looming 'FIN' factor it's a little arrgh!-inducing.)
Different fans around the web have had different song favorites, as expected, but overall, the show was a bold - and smart - move that worked. Its success is well-deserved, especially considering the consistent struggle with ratings this season and last, and should be held up as a 'high note' to end on.
So Now What?
Now what indeed. Next week - the final two hour, two part episode of season six - the show runners promised a wrap up of all the loose ends of the whole series and to leave no cliff hangers in case the show is not renewed. From the very quick preview, it looked like exactly that, something that might bring home that high note that this week's musical episode was a little loose on at times. Now that Emma is leaving, and things are looking more solid than they have for a while, although we will always lament the end of fairy tales being told weekly on TV, perhaps it would be a good place to accept, and sign, ~The End~.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE BELOW!
Here is the press release for the final double episode of the season, The final Battle Parts I & II:
THE BLACK FAIRY’S CURSE LANDS OUR HEROES IN FAIRY TALE LAND WITH LITTLE HOPE OF RETURNING HOME, AND EMMA IS IN THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF ABC’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’
“The Final Battle Part 1 & 2” – Henry awakens to a cursed Storybrooke and discovers Emma has been in the mental hospital, and the Black Fairy is the new mayor. Henry attempts to help Emma regain her memory while Gold tries to find out what has really happened to Belle. Meanwhile, Snow, Charming, Regina, Zelena and Hook are trapped in a crumbling Fairy Tale Land and desperately try to figure out a way to be reunited with Emma and Henry, on season finale of “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, MAY 14 (8:00–10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network.
“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.
Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Raphael Sbarge as Archie/Jiminy Cricket, Beverly Elliott as Granny, Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin, Peter Marcin as Chief, Giles Matthew as Gideon, Andrew J. West as Young Man, Alison Fernandez as Little Girl, Ingrid Torrance as Severe Nurse and Jaime Murray as Black Fairy, Karen David as Jasmine, Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark/Sneezy, Faustino Di Bauda as Walter/Sleepy, Sara Tomko as Tiger Lily and Olivia Steel Falconer as Violet.
“The Final Battle Part 1 &2” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Part 1 was directed by Steve Pearlman, and Part 2 was directed by Ralph Hemecker.
And there's also a handy (and fun) "Once Upon a Time: 12 Things to Know After the Musical Episode" article HERE from ENews if you're wanting to know a little more of both the behind-the-scenes for the musical episode, but particularly how it sets up the two part finale.
And yes, it talks about the possibilities of both the series ending and what might happen (the contingency plans the creators have) should it be renewed, along with some potential new characters (name actors) included/teased in the final episode.
Preview for The Final Battle:
There are SO many callbacks to the first episode in that promo! Let's hope this is everything they've promised.
Hans Christian Andersen's stories are getting retold to help children, with a little help from UNICEF and their celebrity friends. The project is called GivingTales.
Have a look at the neat behind-the-scenes promo video:
From LookToTheStars(emphasis in bold and underlined, is mine):
Developed in association with Sir Roger Moore, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, GivingTales features the voice talents of world-renowned actors including Ewan McGregor, Unicef UK Ambassador, Stephen Fry, and Dame Joan Collins. Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless fairy tales have now been modernised, condensed and paired with vivid illustrations that capture the universal and timeless life lessons synonymous with Andersen’s stories.
“I’ve been a long time admirer of Hans Christian Andersen’s work, and I think it’s a wonderful collection of fairy stories for children and adults alike,” said Sir Roger Moore.
..Three additional stories are available in the first series: The Emperor’s New Clothes (Dame Joan Collins, DBE), The Little Match Girl (Ewan McGregor, OBE) and The Ugly Duckling (Stephen Fry).
Today’s children are increasingly accustomed to consuming content in one short sitting. While paper books may be giving way to digital versions, classic fairy tales never grow old. There’s a big need to adapt traditional stories into shorter, animated versions, so they can captivate and inspire another generation of young readers.
“Taking care not to lose the essence of what makes Hans Christian Andersen’s stories so great, GivingTales has condensed the stories down so they can be enjoyed in minutes, not hours. Using the voices of renowned actors gives them new life in a memorable and entertaining way,” Jacob Moller, CEO of GivingTales.
“We’re overwhelmed by the initial support we’ve received, both from the celebrities affiliated with our project, as well as our ongoing relationship with the Unicef UK. Together, we hope to make a difference in the lives of many of children around the world,” said Klaus Lovgreen, Chairman, GivingTales.
These newly retold and illustrated/animated stories have been developed by an award winning team that creates digital entertainment content, by making apps for Apple's App Store and GooglePlay. The first stories are becoming available this weekend (the first with Roger Moore as the narrator, retelling The Princess & the Pea, is free), with more stories and content to come in future weeks and months.
As part of the company’s mission to educate and support children, GivingTales kft is committing 30% of its revenue to Unicef UK to help children around the world.
Today - April 2nd - is the birthday of beloved literary fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen. Born in 1805, he would have been 209 this year.
I saw this drawing by well known political and newspaper cartoonist David Levine and thought it went very well with one of Andersen's famous sayings, taken out of his autobiographical fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling:
"Being born in a duck yard does not matter,
as long as you are hatched from a swan's egg!"
Speculation suggests that Andersen was the illegitimate son of prince Christian Frederik (later King Christian VIII of Denmark), and found this out some time before he wrote the book, and then that being a swan in the story was a metaphor not just for inner beauty and talent but also for secret royal lineage. (Edit FTNH: Theories still persist that Andersen was the bastard son of King Christian VII of Denmark.) Bruno Bettelheim observes in The Uses of Enchantment that the Ugly Duckling is not confronted with the tasks, tests, or trials of the typical fairy tale hero. “No need to accomplish anything is expressed in “The Ugly Duckling”. Things are simply fated and unfold accordingly, whether or not the hero takes some action.” In conjunction with Bettelheim’s assessment, Maria Tatar notes in ’’The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen’’ that Andersen suggests the Ugly Duckling‘s superiority resides in the fact that he is of a breed different from the barnyard rabble, and that dignity and worth, moral and aesthetic superiority are determined by nature rather than accomplishment. (Source: Wikipedia)
Of course, that didn't stop Andersen from trying to accomplish as much as he could manage, to continually improve on his achievements and forever seek out recognition and acceptance. At the time of his death, however, he was already considered a National Treasure. And now, over 200 years later, he is even more beloved all over the world.
The Three Little Pigs Potential Synopsis: Thomas Giles is a successful farmer, a faithful husband, a loving father, and a mad scientist. When three of Giles' genetically engineered pigs escape, he embarks on a race with town officials to hunt them down before it is too late.
Just a little light post for you all. :)
There's a lot of both excitement and eye-rolling about the continuing trend of making fairy tales into big budget movies in Hollywood so the folks over at College Humor thought they'd have some fun with it.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf Potential Synopsis: Prankster Aaron Jeckles has been crying wolf for years. When he takes one of his jokes too far, though, Jeckles quickly gets more attention than he's ever wanted… from a pack of wild beasts. Now, it's up to him to save his town.
Perhaps my perspective is different from the average College Humor reader (one hopes!) but I also find something thought provoking about the posters and the silly synopsis.
The Ugly Duckling Potential Synopsis: Haunted by the derision of the other ducklings, Cyngus flees from the public eye. It is only after he reaches adulthood does he realize his true swan identity… and the power that it yields.
There's more at the link HERE, including one about Goldilocks and magic porridge - which, come to think of it,we really haven't seen yet, and there are a lot of magic porridge tales in the world...
Garri Bardin’s The Ugly Duckling (Russian animation 2010)
What's so new about these trends you ask? Isn't everything getting a dark make-over these days?
Not quite in this manner. This has popped up quite a few times in the past week or so with the fairy tale pages spreading far and wide through Chinese social media so I thought it was worth a full post rather than just the darkly retold fairy tale pages link I put on Facebook last week.
This time we're talking about children's books - LITTLE children's books. Children's books with death, torture and revenge for the end of the story and no "happily ever after "anywhere in sight.
Netizens expressed disbelief over the dark ending of these children’s stories, which the online media Shanghaiist calls a “very Chinese twist.” (Source)
Although around 90% of children's books in China are imported (with their happily ever afters intact) the 10% published there showing a new trend of telling a different sort of story - on two levels:
If what a person reads and learns in his childhood does have an impact on who he will grow into, then the story may shed some light on…well…a hell lot of why China is what it is today.
"And they lived happily ever after," is how a kid's fairy tale usually ends, but a number of classic fairy tales have been adapted here in China with different endings: the ugly duckling does not grow up into a swan but gets caught by a peasant woman and made into a dish; Cinderella is burnt to death as a burial object of the prince; and the sleeping beauty turns out to be a witch who takes revenge on the prince that gave up on trying to save her.
Such adapted fairy tales also include The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast. Compared with the original versions of these classics, they contain more of the dark side of life that occurs in modern-day society. And because they have such dark endings, they have been dubbed "dark fairy tales" by Chinese netizens.
(See the post on FB earlier in the week, showing The Ugly Duckling pages HERE.)
While these "new" stories are widely spread online and from printed books, they raise controversial discussions on whether they are appropriate for children.
... (Some children's book publishers do not think) the new adaptations are good enough to exceed the classics. "Having been handed down for centuries, the classics contain meaningful educational benefits. [If there is no good cause,] I don't think the later generation should carelessly adapt them."
...Yet, there are opposing opinions both among professionals and common people.
Disney: Lilo & Stitch
A staff member surnamed Zhao at Blossom Press, one of the publishers of the adapted The Ugly Duckingstory, told reporters from Shanghai Morning Post that they were made aware of the controversy around the story and reread the piece several times but did not think there was anything inappropriate. "It is a fairy tale that is down-to-earth," she said, adding that there's no single writer for the new version of the story, but that it was adapted by a group and was examined carefully before being published.
Also, some supporters argue that dark fairy tales can help raise children's awareness of possible bad things they might come across in daily life, especially since recent years have seen more and more violence against children in China.
In a reader's opinion column in the Southern Metropolis Daily, an opinion holder with the name Wang Pan took the "dark version" of The Ugly Duckling as one example and wrote, "In real life, many children, [just like the duckling,] are rebellious. They do not listen to parents' warnings and leave home alone, and later meet some accidents." Wang believes it is more meaningful to warn the children than make them daydream of becoming a swan.
...while disapproving of the "dark versions," Yang (Hongying, a popular children's author in China,) believes that adaptations have appeared in the market because the foreign classics are no longer applicable to the lives of modern Chinese children.
"So some people can make a selling point by adding in something more relevant to the society. But those made under the guise of a classic can do more harm."
And here's how The Ugly Duckling ends:
Chinese "Dark Fairy Tale": The Ugly Duckling
“At home, the lady prepared to kill the ugly duckling. The ugly duckling struggled like crazy. He cried: ‘Please don’t! I’m a swan!’ The lady didn’t understand a single word. She pressed him hard and killed him. ‘This is the most difficult duck I’ve ever handled,’ she murmured. Then, using her excellent cooking skills, she made the ugly duckling into a wonderful dish.”
“The darkest thing about this story is that it teaches kids not to be themselves and to follow the masses,” one netizen wrote... (Source)
You can read the whole article HERE and there's an interesting discussion on Reddit HERE. All the Ugly Duckling pages can be found HERE.
(Note: Unfortunately, in order to get more information on any other stories I need to have an account for a Chinese social media site so I'm unable to find sources, images or more details about the other stories right now. If anyone does, please do leave a link or extra info in the comments. I'm sure we'd all like to learn more.)
Remember my recent post about the use of red against a single color to illustrate and bring out the symbolism in a fairy tale? These beautiful embroidered designs from StitchPunk - Urban Threads, released in August 2011, do the same and with quite a few fairy tales.
I'm not really a crafty and needlework person, though I have been known to work on a tapestry or two, but beautiful and graphic art in any medium is fascinating to me. Embroidery, needlework and stitching of every kind is making a contemporary comeback with some creative and very non-traditional uses of the craft (like embroidery on metal HERE and stitched portraits HERE. You can see a whole lot more unusual stitching via these artist links at Mr. X Stitch HERE.)
Rapunzel
Jack & the Beanstalk
So much you could infer from the blood red beans Jack threw away!
Snow White
Red Riding Hood
I find it interesting to see where the red appears. Some, like the two above, are obvious while others, such as the Jack & the Beanstalk one, less so.
Sleeping Beauty
When I see red roses surrounding Sleeping Beauty in this context of a series of fairy tales, it makes me think of roses blooming out of the blood from her pricked finger. Vampire roses... hm. Yet another version of Sleeping Beauty.
Hansel & Gretel
The red in the candy for Hansel and Gretel is a nice touch. Candy, in this case (as well as others) equals danger!
Cinderella
I like that they used the Aschenputtel version of Cinderella for the text, though they substituted rose blooms for bleeding. (Gives a whole new meaning to the pharse "love lies bleeding..". Even more if you change the punctuation: "Love. Lies. Bleeding.")
The Little Mermaid
I'm not sure it was intentional, but the shape of the hair looks a lot like a ragged tongue here.
The Ugly Duckling
These designs are available for machine embroidery or as designs for hand embroidery and can be purchased HERE.
They have a few other designs such as a fairy tale castle (see below for design and an example of use), a book of fairy tales and a mushroom house in the same series and style.
I always wanted to do a contemporary Jack and the Beanstalk quilt & stitching wall hanging for my son (his name is Jack) but I quickly realized it would be an expensive and long term trial and error project. Projects like the ones shown here (and the non-traditional embroidery works I've linked to) make me want to dust off that project again.
