Becoming Storybrooke

 Here's a fun little article from earlier in the year. It shows Steveston (a seasonal town in Vancouver, Canada) being transformed to become the set for filming the modern day story lines of ABC's Once Upon A Time.

From the article:

Steveston is playing the part of Storybrooke, Maine, and for the block between 1st and 2nd Avenue, no sign was left unturned in the transformation. While businesses remained open and traffic mostly unaffected, workers were busy into the evening doing everything from planting trees to dirtying signs, and making all the little changes both inside and outside of the storefronts that make a fictional town come to life on screen.

 Why am I posting about this - apart from it being fun? I thought it was interesting to see the Disney-parented ABC perspective on how to add fairy tale touches in a modern-day way. Some changes are obvious and referential of the source material while others are less so. Some of it is fun and whimsy while other changes are to directly facilitate the story.

If this were your task and the location available was your town/city how would you change where you live to become a setting for a fairy tale?

Fairy Tale Bridge on 'Terror Trail' in China

Sometimes you have to risk a little for a worthwhile thing. On this incredibly scary-looking trail (which is certainly not for the faint-of-heart tourist), the rewards are the incredible views and a gorgeous bridge while the risk is... real. Everything could be straight out of a classic tale, leaving you breathless - both from wonder and terror. I find the juxtaposition perfect for a fairy tale.

The location: Yellow Mountain, China - a World Heritage Site since 1990.

The Fairy Tale Bridge

A few of the 76 peaks in the mountain range
& part of the trail

The famous "Sea of Clouds"

If you've never seen photos of this location before yet it seems familiar it's probably because the mountain range has been a popular subject for painters for centuries. It's not hard to see why.

The article on the trail, which shows and describes what the experience is like for those brave enough to try, is HERE.

The Castles That Inspired Perrault's Fairy Tales

I recently came across an ARTICLE that highlighted the "architectural inspirations" for some of Charles Perrault's stories. Apparently there are two castles - that you're still able to see and tour today - that fueled Charles Perrault's inspiration for his versions of two fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty and Puss In Boots.

The Chateau d'Usse is reputedly the castle that inspired "La Belle au Bois Dormant" or "The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods" and even stages scenes throughout the castle from aspects of the story. This castle is also one of the ones that inspired Walt Disney when he was designing the castle for Disneyland.

Here's an excerpt from a glowing review which calls the castle the most beautiful in all of France.:

The most beautiful castle in France is first glimpsed as you approach the Château d'Ussé and an astonishing array of blue-slate roofs, dormer windows, delicate towers, and Gothic turrets greets you against the flank of the Forest of Chinon. Literature describes this château, overlooking the banks of the river Indre, as the original Sleeping Beauty castle; Charles Perrault—author of this beloved 17th-century tale—spent time here as a guest of the Count of Saumur, and legend has it that Ussé inspired him to write the famous story. Though parts of the castle are from the 1400s, most of it was completed two centuries later. By the 17th century, the region was so secure that one fortified wing of the castle was demolished to allow for grand vistas over the valley and the castle gardens, newly designed in the style Le Nôtre had made so fashionable at Versailles. Only Disney could have outdone this white-tufa marvel: the château is a flamboyant mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles—romantic and built for fun, not for fighting. Its history supports this playful image: it endured no bloodbaths—no political conquests or conflicts—while a tablet in the chapel indicates that even the French Revolution passed it by. Inside, a tour leads you through several sumptuous period salons, a 19th-century French fashion exhibit, and the Salle de Roi bedchamber built for a visit by King Louis XV (who never arrived—his loss, as the red-silk, canopied four-poster bed here is the stuff of dreams). At the end of the house tour, you can go up the fun spiral staircases to the chemin de ronde of the lofty towers; there are pleasant views of the Indre River from the battlements, and you can also find rooms filled with waxwork effigies detailing the fable of Sleeping Beauty herself.

You can find the rest of that review HERE and more about the castle in general HERE.

"Le Maistre Chat, ou le Chat Botté" ("The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots") was apparently inspired by the sprawling mansion-like castle estate Chateau d'Oiron and, I must admit, it's the sort of location I usually picture when I hear this story (probably because whichever illustrations I first saw, the artist had done their research!).

This castle/estate, built in the 16th century, now has amazing painted ceilings and numerous rooms dedicated to contemporary art. It seems to be more art museum than historical tourist attraction but still considered stunning on both counts. I couldn't find any pictures that connected it with Puss in Boots but it is well known as the inspiration for the setting of the story.

Here's Puss from Le Monument Ā Charles Perrault in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris, France.

I have no trouble imagining an ogre living here, or a Marquis - or a fake Marquis for that matter.

You can read more about Chateau d'Oiron HERE.

Guess that's three more locations (Perrault's monument included) to add to my itinerary when I eventually take that fairy tale dream trip!

Kingdom of the Dwarfs in Southern China

This truly is where the world of fairy tales crosses into ours (or is it ours crosses into theirs?). Remember Snow White and the little men she stayed with? When you read about a community of people separating themselves to live and work on their own terms it doesn't seem so fanciful that Snow White would stumble across a dwelling with seven hard working and separated people/men and beg lodging.

Before you get on my case about reporting such a thing and using the word 'dwarf' to refer to real people, let me assure you I'm using their terms and that this village in China is a pro-active movement on their part to take control of their lives and stand against discrimination. The Chinese dwarves set out to make their own village and are now attracting tourists - on purpose. That hasn't stopped it from being a great source of controversy for many.

Jobs are hard to find in China right now and jobs for the disabled are even harder. This community of people have turned their disabilities into an asset and are (reportedly) very happy in their village (please note it's coming out of China).

There are a many different opinions on the community, a few being voiced HERE (mostly by Westerners it seems).

From Digital Journal:

The mountain commune in Kunming, China has only one prerequisite; you must be under 4 feet 3 inches tall. Now the village of 120 dwarves has turned itself into a tourist attraction by living in mushroom-like houses that are like castles and dressing up and living like fairy tale characters (Ed. FTNH: Including Snow White's seven dwarves, according to tourist reports).

An illustration from page 17 of Mjallhvít (Snow White) from an 1852 icelandic translation of the Grimm-version fairytale. (Source Project Gutenberg)

The residents have set up their own police force and a fire department.

...They have formed an "Art Troupe" that creates performances for tourists such as acrobatics, magic tricks, songs and dances. The residents charge an entrance fee to get into the village.

Spokesman from the village, Fu Tien, says this (reported by the UK Telegraph):

"As small people we are used to being pushed around and exploited by big people," he said. "But here there aren't any big people and everything we do is for us."

The village is in Southern China near Kunming; a lovely city from all accounts and set in a region of great beauty with such attractions as The Stone Forest and being home to 25% of the world's endangered species. The only thing is, I can't find many pictures to show you at all. There are many of the surrounding area but of the village itself, only the UK Telegraph seems to have pictures to put on the web. I also just noticed Neatorama reported on this today. Perhaps this will send the curious (a.k.a. tourists) - and income - their way.

One more note for you before you relegate all this type to an Eastern way of thinking: You know Coney Island? One of the biggest attractions in the early 1900's used to be Lilliputia (named for the tiny residents of a strange land the Gulliver came across on his Travels of course). It was supposedly a Utopian society of little people that prospered until the whole amusement park burned down in 1911.

Lilliputias midget fire department

Among the most incredible and original attractions was Lilliputian the midget city, 300 midget from the traveling circuses and freak shows of the whole continent was offered a permanent experimental society within the park. As the city only needed to be half size of an ordinary city it was possible to build this utopian cardboard city on a small budget. It was complete with it's own parliament, a beach with midget lifeguards, a midget theatre, stables with small ponies, and a complete midget fire department responding every hour to put out imaginary fires. To exaggerate the scale and enlarge the illusion from time to time giants were instructed to take a stroll within the city..

You can read more about Coney Island and Lilliputia HERE.

Charles Vess Maps "Instructions"

A little while back I posted the announcement that Charles Vess was busy working hard on a illustrated version of Neil Gaiman's poem "Instructions". (You can find that post HERE.) He is now DONE! (40 paintings in two months apparently - I can't wait to see the results.)

Mr. Vess recently posted his illustration for 'mapping' the land which the reader needs 'instructions' to navigate.

To see a larger version, click HERE or on the image and be taken to his site to see it there.

Charles has also posted a few interesting fairy tale maps he's found along the way and I thought I'd do the same.

"The Land of Make Believe" by Jaro Hess. It was created in 1930 and is thought to be one of the first times all the fairy tale 'lands' were put together as if they exist/ed in the same space and time. You can find more interesting information about this map HERE.

The one above is a real map of a tour (it's actually a self-navigated route most of the time unless there's a promotion like the current Disney one) you can take in Germany to sites said to be the inspiration for the local versions of the Grimm's tales. SurLaLune had a brief post about a current Disney version of the tour, which you can find HERE.

I'm surprised there aren't more maps of fairy tales and make believe, available. I'm positive I've seen a map for the whole story of Disney's Snow White (when I was a child - not recently) but I can't find it, or reference to it, anywhere.

Do feel free to post a comment if you have any information, or other maps to share.

Hans Christian Andersen & His Tin Soldier Manhole Cover

When you go someplace new, don't forget to look down...

Manhole cover in Copenhagen with an image of Hans Christian Andersen and his well known character the Brave Tin Soldier.
(Found HERE.)
Here's the full view:Note the fish about to swallow the soldier, the rat he escaped from in the sewers and the little paper boat.

I'm wondering if the elements of this story, particularly the gutters, sewers, a canal (water and waste) and is said to represent Andersen in his younger years, is the reason it was chosen as the design around his image.

Some of the most beautiful manhole covers in the world are in Japan. There is at least one of Momotaro (a.k.a. Peach Boy) who is a well known and loved folktale character. The one shown below is from Okayama City.

Fairytale Town's 50th Anniversary Celebration on August 29, 2009

Want to help a child love fairy tales for life? Take them to Fairytale Town.

While I didn't grow up in California I was still lucky enough to be taken to a local fairy tale park called FANTASY GLADES as a child and I remember the experience fondly still. In fact the souvenir tea towel my mother bought remains my favorite to this day though it was already threadbare before I left school and likely hasn't survived. Seeing life size cottages and models of fairy tale objects made the stories even clearer to me and somehow more personal. Sadly, this park closed in 2002, though there are rumors of plans to re-open it, with the bought attractions, in a different location. I hope they do.There are a few fairy tale themed parks left around the world (apart from Disneyland) and from what I've seen, most if not all have a very intimate sense of child and story about them. If you have or know a child you can take to such a place, do it. The benefits of the experience last a lifetime.If you're around Sacramento at the end of August this year, be sure to pop into Fairytale Town and join in the 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

This park was built to “...depict classics in children's literature and be among the child's first contacts with life and human relations.” (as was printed in the park's very first brochure in 1959). The 2.5 acre outdoor park consists of miniature scale models and play areas on the themes of classic fairy tales, classic (magical) stories and nursery rhymes.A description from their site:

Over 25 bright and colorful play sets give young children a backdrop to act out their favorite stories, to encourage creative discovery, and to exercise their minds and bodies on child-friendly slides throughout the lush grounds.

Home to a friendly menagerie of animals from the pages of favorite children's stories, children can meet Peter Rabbit at Mr. McGregor's Garden and see the sheep that Mary brought to school one day. Small gardeners can help water seasonal vegetable beds and seek out a sprouting alphabet of exotic plants.

Small adventurers can join Robin Hood's band of Merry Men in Sherwood Forest's extensive new play fort. Children can go down Jack's Beanstalk, ride in Cinderella's carriage, and burn off extra energy walking on The Crooked Mile, a favorite play structure for many of our guests young and old.

King Arthur's Castle has been the place for unforgettable birthday parties for three generations.

The official celebration, complete with concert, takes place on August 29th, from 5 to 9pm. Although they hold an annual fundraiser, this year is special and they'll be decorating the park with 50's style decor for a little retro feel among their all new remodeling and upgrades.You can find more information about the park HERE, and buy tickets for their special celebration. You can see some more photos of the park HERE, along with a quick description of some of the highlights of the park.

I think I'm going to suggest they sell tea towels. :)