Almost Midnight... And A Sneak Peek of Things To Come

A sneak peek at the "eleventh hour" of 2014...

...but not just at the upcoming live-action Cinderella. (Although I'd be remiss if I didn't post this:)

Today's last-post-of-2014 is really to let you know that the cogs of Once Upon A Blog are turning again and that, despite more than a bit of rust (here and on your Fairy Tale News Hound) that you WILL be getting daily* fairy tale news again very shortly...

Just like this, from Stitch Kingdom today:

Walt Disney Studios has announced via a teaser video (embedded below) that shortly before midnight ET on New Year’s Eve 2014, it will be sharing a brand new exclusive look at its upcoming film Cinderella (March 13, 2015), the live-action adaptation of the classic Disney animated film. The sneak peek will air during ‘Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’ on the ABC television network.

Here's the official "Countdown to #Midnight" teaser just released:

The fairy tale continues in 2015 and Once Upon A Blog will be with you as it does. #insertwildcheering

And we will continue to bring news from many other fairy tales and fairy tale happenings around the globe, just like we always have. #missionstatement

For tonight, watch for magic and have a very

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

* Or as close to it as possible - 2014 has not been kind and we are still living with it's wake. Your support as we do our best in this is greatly appreciated!

Of Vinegar and Brown Paper...

Broken Crown by Vu Mai (from his Sims Medieval renders)

My apologies for the lack of fairy tale news. I'm working on repairing my crown, which is taking a little longer than expected. I've been advised to take still another week for recovery but hopefully I will be back to blogging by the second week in July.

Keep an eye out for rogue uses of fairy tales while I'm away, would you?

"Visualising Little Red Riding Hood" A Paper by Sarah Bonner - UPDATED LINKS (& additional excerpts)

Daughter by Kiki Smith 1999

UPDATED LINKS FOR ACADEMIC PAPER POST FROM 2009:

Apparently the article that I originally posted on HERE has gone out of date where it was originally hosted but, after a reader recently asked for help, I've found it again HERE, complete with references. 

Here's my original note regarding the paper: 

This is a pretty fascinating exploration for anyone interested in fairy tales being interpreted in a visual medium. While academic in tone, it's still very readable and looks at everything from advertising and fashion to artistic renderings.

Visualising Little Red Riding Hood

Gérard Rancinan. Little Red Riding Hood, 2003
©Gerard Rancinan

In recent years contemporary artists have been appropriating and re-inventing traditional fairy tales. 

Subverting and interrogating received meanings, artists are challenging the traditional parameters of tales which convey ideas of gender role and racial identity. The fairy tale is being translated from literary text into visual culture. 

The artists recoding the tales address shifts in cultural attitude, engaging predominantly with issues of identity and discrimination.

Some additional excerpts:

The visual fairy tale has developed extensively in the twentieth century through advances in film and animation technologies. Improved technology has also led to wider dissemination of the fairy tale. The language and motifs of the tales are internalised within the culture, rendering fairy tales sophisticated communications devices that influence consumer trends, lifestyle choices and gender models. The translation from text to image relies on the repeated use of tropes particular to “Little Red Riding Hood.” The presence of the wolf and red hood is sufficient to identify the tale to the reader/viewer. Where the written text demands an investment of time and offers an accumulated meaning, the image, in contrast, imposes a direct communication: the presence of a red hood immediately identifies the tale to our cultural unconscious. The simplicity of these motifs belies the complex history and interpretation that lend the tale its meaning; and despite changing historical contexts, these tropes endure. One effect of fairy tales’ adoption by visual media is that their significance is underestimated: they are rendered invisible by their very ubiquity.  

The visual aspect of the literary fairy tale began with the inclusion of illustrations printed alongside the text. At this juncture a visual language was introduced to the tales. The broad print dissemination ensured the association and consumption of the accompanying image, effectively creating a visual language, a series of motifs immediately recognisable to the viewer. The illustrator’s selection of significant scenes has served to internalise the images in a collective unconscious to the extent that the images can exist without the text as reference.

And with regard to the image shown above:

Taking the traditional fairy tale, artists are reviewing and re-inventing the tales in both parody and critique. Gérard Rancinan, Paula Rego and Kiki Smith have all produced significant bodies of work referencing fairy tales, and all respond subversively to recent cultural pressures, particularly in relation to identity construction. In their work on “Little Red Riding Hood,” a dialogue about identity and discrimination engages viewers, challenging their experience of fairy tales and introducing cultural revelations. Rancinan’s interpretation of “Little Red Riding Hood” [Figure 1] engages with the literary tale and subverts its meaning. Surrounded by blood-spattered hanging sheets and dangling from a hook, Red Riding Hood is cast as a cross-dressing male ballet dancer watched by a wolf behind bars. The traditional tale echoes through the motifs, and Rancinan, through selection and inversion (female cast male, wild animal caged) renders meaning ambiguous. Referencing the violence of to this tale, Rancinan upsets the formulaic and saccharine fairy tales as offered by Disney. Rendered like a crime scene, Rancian’s image abandons the forest and suspends the ominous relationship between Red Riding Hood and the wolf against a backdrop of polythene sheeting. Barthes’ anxiety returns as questions outnumber answers. 

Kiki Smith. Daughter, 1999

And with regard to Kiki Smith's work:

Daughter (1999) is a four foot high sculpture of a girl wearing the tell-tale red cape and hood [Figure 8]. Despite the fact that she is immediately identifiable as Little Red Riding Hood, there remains an uncertainty as her face sprouts hair suggesting a morphing bestiality, invoking both the werewolf myth and the freakish bearded lady of the circus arena. In this work Smith undermines the clear cut definitions of wolf and girl as given in the literary tale, instead inviting the possibility of duality. 

By her difference Daughter is made a spectacle as something other. The viewer is challenged to accommodate and reconcile what we know of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. The opposites of predator and prey embodied in Daughter force the viewer to review their experience of the tale and, to an extent, themselves, recognising the equal presence of innocence and malignance. In this work the artist imagines that Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf have come together as outcasts and given birth to Daughter. Helaine Posner suggests that “their improbable offspring becomes the embodiment of male, female, and animal characteristics, the unique progeny of disparate beings” (10). In Daughter unification is found to challenge the parameters of good and evil predicated in the traditional Grimm tale.

There is MUCH more fascinating commentary to read so, if you haven't already, please do. 

As it gave me the option to embed, I am doing so below. Hope it's helpful!

Read More or Download

Aaaand here's the OUABlog OUAT Forum (Just in Time to Discuss Last Night's Episode)

Next up on the Once Upon A Blog Forums for fairy tale folk: the OUABlog OUAT forum! (Heh.)

If you haven't been following recently, as you can see from the banner above, the Wicked Witch of the West has taken over the second half of this season and, at this point, we're kind of grateful she did. Overall, the Oz factor is a plus.

Since I wasn't on such a huge learning curve this time around in creating a forum, I took a little extra time to start off some topic threads and pose some questions, getting ready for you all to talk about Sunday night's episode "Bleeding Through".

I know it's always hard to be first on the scene but we'd love to see what you have to say. I know there are a ton of OUAT fans among my readers and now's a chance to show your love, share your wishes and express your "if only!" bugaboos.

Here's the link: OUABlog OUAT Forum and you should see a OUAT Forum tab at the top of the page, under the header, that you can access any time. 

And here's what it looks like at time of writing... again with some extra text and arrows to show you around.

What are you waiting for?

Let's chat!

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...

Housekeeping & Getting to the Red Heart of Papercuts

Queen of Hearts & Card Army - out of real cards by Rei_Areaaaaaaa

I've been doing a little blog-housekeeping, checking links (the Pinterest one is now fixed!) and trying to catch up on archiving the stories on the Pinterest Fairy Tale News Headline boards. Although I'm not there yet, I'm getting close to completing the archiving for last year and the plan is to get to the rest as soon as possible so I can post fairy tale headlines there again on a daily basis.

In the meantime, since there's a whole heap of stuff happening here that doesn't result in any reading for you, and I'm resisting the urge to play rather than work, here's The Queen of Hearts, made out of cards. (Sorry -the only info on the artist is the identity above that I linked to.)

(Let the puns begin!)

I particularly like a brief exchange on Reddit regarding them:

Human_Sandwich: Very nice. How did you learn how to do that? Are you into origami? 

Superplayah: As an origami artist, you are refering to our much hated brethren, the kirigami artists. For centuries we have battled with them, and to our dismay, their scissors and x-acto knifes cut through our creations too well. Eventually the origami artists figured out how to turn the tides of the ever raging war by making modular origami that could have any damaged pieces replaced by an equally capable piece. People that disagreed with the conflict left their respective warring nations and founded their own bastard of a nation where origami artists place minor cuts into creations to achieve greater detail and kirigami artists make strangely shaped papers to create even stranger pieces. We called them abominations, disliked and rejected by purists of both sides. They preach that greater detail and freedom results from their style of art but it is only a ruse to corrupt purists and gain support. Only one side can win and it is only a matter of time before the war ends and we see who the real gods of paper are! 

LegacyCrono: But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked 

MrPaperchips: I'm going to bet on the side that has the knives.

Wow - beware the paper cut! This scenario sounds like it would fit right in the book actually.

More news very soon. :)

Happy 2014.. and to a New Year Filled With Possibilities

Happy New Year fairy tale folk!

Here's to a whole new set of possibilities

and the special magic of the fairy tales we love so much,

enriching our lives every day.

Cheers!

*clinks glasses*

The following video is from a fun little fashion shoot I found this week, with a dose of fairy tale thrown in for good measure, and a lovely little song about possibilities, something I wish for us all this new year.

Happy new year. Forest fairy tale from Elena Pronina on Vimeo.

PS Since this is now officially the Year of the Horse I thought I'd start with some horse fairy tales as I get back into the swing of posting. Look for a new post around midday today... ;)

Thank You

Roses for Beauty by Robert Gould

Just a quick post to say thank you so much for each and every kind expression of sympathy regarding our loss. I have passed on your care, love and comforting words, and each was very much appreciated. Thank you for your support at this difficult time.

I will be returning to daily posts shortly.

Sincerely,

Gypsy Thornton

Note: Apologies for the incorrect title of Mr. Gould's illustration. I can't find any reference to it anymore. My memory is that it was inspired by the Beast waiting for Beauty to return.

In Memorium

Our family suffered a great loss this week: our beloved brother passed away early this Thursday morning.

Please send thoughts and prayers for his dear wife and two wonderful boys, in particular.

As a fire fighter he saved many, many lives and will be dearly missed, not only by his regular family, but by his extended fire-fighter-family and local community as well.

Though we had some short notice and were able to tell him how much he meant to us and to say goodbye, (he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just 3 months ago), at only 48 he is gone far too soon.

We miss you John.

[Note: Posting may continue to be erratic for a little while but I will continue to bring you fairy tale news as I can.

Thank you for your understanding. And tell the people dearest to you that you love them, every chance you get.]

Magic At Home & The Return Of Your Regularly Scheduled Fairy Tale Programs (And Daily News)

Once Upon A Time  Fan Art by Carllton

I've had the most lovely and unexpected week! Not only did I have my "Wonder Kinder" home with me all week but my best friend - who I hadn't seen in nearly a decade - flew in from Australia  at the last minute to spend Thanksgiving and a few days with us!! Sometimes the best magic is very close to home.

I'm thankful for my family and a very special friend, for whom much time passing between visits means only strengthening our friendship. (I know there's a tale like that somewhere but I'm too tired to hunt it down right this second.)

Now that we are all returning to our regularly scheduled juggling, not only are the fairy tale series shows back on again (yay!) but I should be able to get back to daily fairy tale news reporting (barring any monsoons of madness).

See you tomorrow!

(NBC) Grimm Cookies - Design for Shirt Woot design contest by InfinityWave

The Facebook Fairy Tale News Extras You (May Have) Missed (So Far...)

Treasure Hunt

by `Foxfires (Aimee Stewart)

No, this is not what it looks like when I'm writing, researching and archiving fairy tale news in the middle of the night (-sigh-) but I wish it did!

In case you haven't had a chance to check out Facebook or Twitter for the fairy tale news extras and bonus bits, here's a roundup of what you've missed so far.

Please note: YOU DO NOT NEED A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT (or a Twitter one either) to view these! They are both public pages and you can go check on them anytime you wish.

NOTE: This is going to read like a huge long list of headlines with extra stuff in between. I'm including the blog headlines to give you a sense of how it all reads on FB & Twitter.

I'm also just going to link you twice, once HERE and once at the end, to the Facebook account which has all the links and videos and articles etc etc (since it's already very-late-o'clock, we are not all quite at 100% health here yet and you are all very smart cookies and don't need link-hand-holding, right? ie just click on the FB link, scroll to the date where the story is and voila!)

All shall be revealed (and there's a lot of it!) after the jump... (and yes, it is my first time inserting a "jump" so let me know if it's not working like it should please!)

Once Upon A More-Than-Just-A-Blog!

Gypsy Thornton aka InkGypsy aka Fairy Tale Newhound updating everything!

That's right.

There's more going on here than just blog posts! 

OUAB on Facebook

(And I've been doing a little updating/cleaning house here too as you may have noticed if you look around the tabs on the menu above.)

I also have accounts on Facebook (both a page for Once Upon A Blog on which I post fairy tale news headlines and more, and my personal one, Gypsy Thornton). There's also a Twitter account (@inkgypsy) which sends out fairy tale news headlines and links too. 

OUAB on Twitter

What I'm most excited to share with you is that I have a very active (and super shiny!) Pinterest account, set up as an extension of Once Upon A Blog, with LOTS of fairy tale goodies to discover. (At the time of posting I have 227 separate boards and over 21, 000 images pinned!! *faints*) I already have a separate and permanent page here at the blog site (see menu bar at the top of the blog) to link you to all the fairy tale art boards by tale name and will update it as I add new ones.

227 boards to browse on Pinterest so far!

I am a visual thinker and Pinterest has been a wonderful way for me to explore myth, fairy tale and other related things I love, do research and to generally fill up my "creative juices jar".

I have many (many!) different boards that are fairy tale, folklore and/or myth based, either by story, aspect or theme, so there's a lot (a lot!) to explore. Think of it as a labyrinth of wonders that includes an "exit" button you can use at any time... should you really wish to leave... ;)


I've been creating boards for specific fairy tales for a while now, the purpose being to collect a variety of art styles (photo, illustration and more) and various/unusual representations of a tale. Seeing different ways a story or story moment has been captured (by artist, photographer and/or writers) helps me think about the tales in a fresh way. It's a good way to make unusual connections and get inspired to go make my own art or stories and I hope it will do the same for you.

A few of the OUAB Fairy Tale Mood Boards on Pinterest

The list of tale specific boards is very long (and only going to get longer!) so I'm going to just leave it all on the dedicated page for you to browse there.

With so many tales to choose from this will be a work in progress for, possibly, ever. No board is ever really "complete" and there are always more tales to explore. I tend to add fairy tale images almost every time I'm on Pinterest, either to existing boards or to new ones, so there will be new things to find every week (pretty much!).

Go check the page OUAB Fairy Tale Boards on Pinterest on the menu at the top of the blog for a list of all the tales I have created boards for so far, as well as other fairy tale related goodness. There is a LOT to explore!

Go! Explore! Enjoy!

Quick Blog Update & Brief Notes on Mozart's "The Magic Flute"

Papagena by Erin Kelso (aka Bluefooted on deviantArt)

 Why have I been so quiet on the blog? We've had a few rather stressful things come up, the major one right now being that we have to move before the end of the month and, due to various other emergencies (like cars insisting on retiring and furry kids needing surgery, we haven't yet found anywhere. (Eek!)

Papagena by Anne Smith

So I am splitting my time between doing a lot of driving, a lot of searching and spending a lot (a lot!) of time on the phone (my ear folds are hurting!). Any down time goes to "toss or pack" so I haven't had much time to blog. I have found, however, that Pinterest is REALLY easy to explore and play around with while being put on hold or when telling the 40th person the same information. Again.

So the Once Upon A Blog boards on Pinterest have expanded quite a bit over the past few days and there's plenty of luscious new fairy tale-like images to explore now. I've added some more tale-specific boards, expanded the ones already there, expanded the creature/folk boards and added two more fashion-focused boards, but with a twist. They are "Dressing the Seelie Court" and "Dressing the Unseelie Court" - a fun theme I haven't seen people do yet. (I've also added some "peoples of the world boards" - I'm so inspired to see the environments tales and variants come out of!) There are so many awesome fairy tale themed boards on Pinterest, including by readers of this blog and other fairy tale bloggers, I try not to replicate what others are doing too much and hopefully you'll discover some new and fun things there, as well as discover more fairy tale people too.

Papageno by Kurt Wenner

It's actually been good visual therapy for coping with the current argh! here so if you'd like a hit of delectable fairy tale visuals feel free to visit. You can find the Once Upon A Blog Boards HERE.

I'll do my best to keep blogging when I can (I have so much I want to blog on!) but I'm guessing posts will remain light to scarce over the next few days - at least until we secure a place to go. For some reason, trying to find a place is like a fulltime job with extra duties this time round.

Wish us luck and good fortune would you?

PS Heidi: I COMPLETELY relate to your wish for a Baba Yaga house-on-legs right now!

Papagena by Hans Reiser

PPS In case you didn't get the hint, one of the new boards is for The Magic Flute - a fairy tale opera story I can't quite believe hasn't been tackled by mainstream filmmakers (Lotte Reiniger and Kenneth Branagh being the exceptions - anyone seen the 2006 Branagh film set during WWI?).

So much good stuff in that tale. It's been called Mozart's Wizard Of Oz (re quest, fantasy and individual character trials) so you may find some interesting parallels if you're not already familiar with it.

Personally I think it could use a lush animation treatment.