PUB Grimm Magically "Pops Up" Full of Fairy Tales for Halloween 2019 (& Will Soon Disappear...)

Photo by Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

NB: Dr. Brittany Warman and Dr. Sara Cleto (Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic) surprised us by not only posting about this magical, TEMPORARY space recently, they also visited (and made us thoroughly jealous!). Since we were already in the process of collecting a whole lot of images to share, we thought we'd go ahead and finish - since it is significant fairy tale news that has people talking in DC! Nothing we mention will top Brittany and Sara talking about being there, though. So you may consider this a 'companion post', of sorts. We'll be linking to the Carterhaugh post shortly... In the meantime, we've packed in a LOT of images, so be sure to click to enlarge so you can spot the many nods to lesser-known Grimm's tales too.

An Immersive Fairy Tale Halloween Experience in DC 

Once upon a time, in a pop-up bar in Shaw, Drink Company spun the haunting fairytales of the Brothers Grimm into a life-size storybook. Their third annual Halloween bar transforms the fables into PUB Grimm, opening Monday, October 17 (through November 3). 

“Halloween is not just about dress up and make believe,” says Drink Company president Derek Brown. “It’s also just about going to a different place and feeling like a different person and that’s embodied by the fairytales.” (Washingtonian)

Photo by Drink Company

As you can see by the posting date, we're running out of time to let you know about this briefly available, full-blown Fairy Tale experience for those of legal drinking age and above, in Washington DC, which has been created especially for Halloween in 2019 (and will only last till November 3rd!) so we will let the official press-release articles and interviews explain a lot. We have, however, collected as many different photos as we can from many different sources, to give you an idea of just how detailed and unique PUB Grimm is.

Photos in order:

1. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          2. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

3. IG @stephchoiii                                                 4. IG @noblelady09

However - what's VERY important to know is that two of our fairy tale friends - the wonderful folklorists, Brittany Warman and Sara Cleto, who created the AFS Award-Winning Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic, actually go to spend an evening there very recently, on their tour of places of "Urban Enchantment" and wrote about it - along with a lot of very delightful photos - on the Carterhaugh blog HERE. We can show you pictures and explain the concept. They can give you an idea of just how wonderful and magical the experience actually is so we recommend popping over there to enjoy their post (and more - there are lots of fairy tale goodies there for our readers!).

To transport patrons, special projects manager Adriana Salame-Aspiazu checked out versions of the Grimm fairytales from the Library of Congress dating back to the 1850s and early 1900s. Prints from the German storybooks are hung across the pub, telling the tales of scheming witches and mystical twists of bad luck. 

The stories leap from the pages into three-dimensional installations. A canopy filled with hundreds of thorns is inspired by “Sleeping Beauty’s Briar Rose,” or a Rumplestiltskin-style wheel spinning straw into gold. In the Grimm tales, Rapunzel’s witch had a green thumb and her planter sits in front of a castle, cheekily stocked with “Rapunzel lettuce” (a variety of salad greens). Salame-Aspiazu describes the decor as “the balance of whimsical and more Halloween scary.” (Washingtonian)

Photos in order:

1. IG - @mypinterestlife                2. IG - @einfachmalte

3. IG @mjex19                                4. IG - @amberfaise

5. IG @rkduggins                           6. IG - @beingdave

Well, this is amazing, but what is a "Pop-Up Bar" (PUB) anyway? 

Here's a little info from Drink Company's website, explaining their mission:

PUB is a rotating pop-up bar that houses thematic bars created by Drink Company such as Miracle on 7th Street, Cherry Blossom PUB and Game of Thrones PUB. Our first pop-up bar was in the Winter 2015 when we partnered with Cocktail Kingdom to create the first "Miracle" franchise outside of New York City. Since then we have held multiple themes and welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors. 

PUB specializes in elaborate decorations created by our design team alongside specialty cocktails that draw from the classics with fun, irreverent names and garnishes. At PUB, guests are treated to immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences.   www.popupbardc.com

Photos in order:

1. Twitter @SeyKimESQ                  2. IG @ksaniaprophoto

3. Facebook - Drink Company       4. IG - @drinkcompany

5. IG - @drinkcompany                   6. IG - @jan_marthorn

Previous Pop-Up Bar themes have usually been tied to the season in some way (for example, the scary side of fairy tales, makes it a bar specifically for the Halloween festival) and they are, as they advertise, immersive in the experience. Not only do they look amazing (sight), they take pains to choose appropriate soundtracks and sound effects (sound), they encourage guests to dress thematically or in costume (touch), and create a specially themed drinks menu with accompanying thematic snacks (taste). They even take into account the all-important cherry in the cap of the social media generation's experience with today's tendency to "Insta" everything (ie. short for "Instagram", or take pictures of oneself to show you were there, and post them online). Each PUB takes great pains to add a lot of "Insta" options in their decoration, both in the background for atmosphere but also interactive sets and props.

Photos: Left - Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things                                         Right - IG @mypinterestlife

Other themes have been wow-worthy too. Readers will likely be very interested in taking a look at some pictures HERE from the Game of Thrones Summer Bar in DC. Last year they had Pub Dread (images in the video in the linked article), while a Stranger Things PUB appeared in Chicago in 2017, and there has been a Cherry Blossom & Southern Efficiency PUB, and a "Mario" (video game themed) PUB with the "Miracle on Seventh Street" being a very popular Winter holiday-themed PUB (incorporating Christmas, Hannukah, Winter and more), having made more than one appearance. It's well worth clicking on the link HERE to check out all the different holiday 'rooms'. (We're curious to see what they top it with for 2019!)

In the meantime, here are a LOT more photos of the interior details and many nods to fairy tales most folks wouldn't pick up on (without a guide anyway). For instance, did you notice the lion's head near the Cinderella chair? Or the illustration on the wall to the left? How many references can you find?  (Hint to get you started from The Washington Post: Throughout the five rooms, there are allusions to some of the Grimms’ gorier stories, such as “The White Bride and the Black One” and “One-Eye, Two-Eyes and Three-Eyes”... (Sources for the photos are listed in order before the next text block.) Enjoy!

Photos in order:

1. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          2. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

3. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things          4. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

Photos in order:

5. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things        6. IG @misoandsushi

7.  IG @mjex19                                                     8. IG @nearlywitches.cos

Photos in order:

9.  Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things       10. IG @hellcatshaus

11. Twitter @dccitygirl_                                           12.  Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

Here are folklorists and fairy tale friends, Dr. Brittany Warman (left & middle) and Dr. Sara Cleto (right)using their Insta-power to lure you to PUB Grimm...

Photos in order:

13.IG - @jan_marthorn                                                  14. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

15. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things           16. Twitter @dccitygirl_

17. IG - @drinkcompany                                                18. Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic

Photos in order:

19. IG @rkduggins                                                    20. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

21. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things       22. IG - @jan_marthorn

23.Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things        24. Nicholas Karlin for Brightest Young Things

From the Drink Company, Pop Up Bar (PUB) DC 'About' Page, which will change very shortly to reflect the next theme, so we are including all the information here for the fairy tale record:

Drink Company Presents PUB Grimm, Brothers Grimm Halloween Pop-up

Drink Company proudly announces PUB Grimm, a Halloween pop-up experience in Washington, D.C. that celebrates the darker side of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, opening Friday, October 18th. In true Pop-Up Bar (PUB) fashion, the over-the-top décor will transport guests to the Black Forest with Hansel and Gretel’s house, Rapunzel’s tower, and the wicked queen's mirror.

“Revisiting Grimms’ fairy tales has been a fantastic creative journey for me,” says Special Projects Manager, Adriana Salame-Aspiazu, “I want it to be that for our guests too." At PUB Grimm, guests can traverse the thorny hedge from Briar Rose as straw is spun into gold. See Rapunzel’s golden hair under the full moon. In a royal castle, test their luck fitting into Cinderella’s shoe, but hopefully keep their toes!

The cocktails at PUB Grimm also represent a journey through the stories and season. “I love fall—apples, hoody weather, Halloween,” says drinks creator, Paul Taylor, “Creating these cocktails from classics, I wanted them to connect back to the theme, stories I grew up with, and embody my favorite season.”

Taylor created a special menu of cocktails for the PUB, including The Glass Slipper (Monkey 47 Gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters, spruce oil), The Fairest Apple of Them All (Smooth Ambler American Whiskey, maple, apple cider, vinegar, bitters), and Crumby Directions (Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey, ginger, honey, lemon, smoked Allspice).

PUB Grimm has also partnered with chef Mike O’Brien from The Berliner who will serve classic brats, frankfurters, soft pretzels and more alongside Taylor’s creations. (A bar inspired by the Black Forest open during Oktoberfest has to serve German food!). And has partnered with the D.C. Public Library Foundation (DCPLF), which will present a Drag Queen Story Hour every Saturday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. where drag performers will read classic fairy tales in costume and a portion of the proceeds from drinks will benefit the DCPLF.

Photos in order:
(ILLUSTRATION) IG - @jan_marthorn (DRINKS) IG @east.coast.bite, IG @east.coast.bite, Photo by Drink Company, Photo by Drink Company, IG - @montyhobbs, IG - @munchtravelogue.

PUB Grimm

1843 7th St. NW

will be open

Tuesday through Saturday,

October 17 through November 3

IG @gmatuzs22

References & Sources for Photos:

• Brightest Young Things by Nicholas Karlin for Medium (from the press event evening & photos taken for BrightestYoungThings.com promotion) pre-opening photos - many more shots here
• Pop Up Bar DC - official website
• Jump Into the Brothers Grimm Fairytales at DC's Halloween Pop-Up Bar by Danielle Byck for the Washingtonian
• Twitter posts using hashtag #PUBGrimm
• Instagram posts using hashtag #PUBGrimm

Puppet Film: 'Vasilisa' - Complete with Spooky Doll & Lots of Bones

Frequent readers know we're happy to chat Baba Yaga stories any day of the year, but we don't think we've yet shared this spooky little amateur puppet film, by Justine Hanchar, which tells the story of Vasilisa the Fair, almost in entirety, and it's perfect for the 'Halloween' season.

It's a little dark on the lighting side of things, and an older film so expect it to be a little murky in places and somewhat grainy but it adds to the spookiness if you're watching it as a story.

Puppet films tend to be endearing but, to give you a heads-up, we got Little Otik vibes from Vasilisa's doll, which, interestingly, made that little magical creature a perfect match to foil the cannibalistic tendencies of Baba Yaga.


While it's still a family-friendly little film, it's definitely spooky and you may wish to preview it specifically for when Vasilisa gives her mother's doll food; the doll feeding is... unforgettable.

We especially like that the end of the tale includes the vengeance of the flaming skull on the step-family and Vasilisa burying the skull before it can cause more damage!

Note: The horsemen, who are three of the many servants of Baba Yaga, appear in this film in the wrong order. After walking all night the first horseman Vailisa sees in the story is the white, not the red. The white horseman signifies the liminal pre-dawn ("My Bright Dawn"), the red represents day or sunrise or midday* ("My Red Sun") and the black, the descent of night ("My Dark Midnight"). The fact that there are two horsemen that ride so closely together is interesting. The grey between night and daybreak (the twilight before daytime) is important enough a time to have its own servant/horseman.

Enjoy! (And Happy Halloweek!)

One word of caution: we did attempt to find out more about the creator and animator but she appears to have only made this one film, and there are suspicious links and weird dead-ends in searching for further information. It's a pity. A lot of thought and effort went into making this film and we'd love to see more work using fairy and folktales by her (and her family, who appeared to have jumped in to help her in many aspects, according to the credits).

* Depending on which source you use.

Graphic Novel: Metaphrog's Feminist "Bluebeard" Coming May 2020

Publisher Papercut, has just acquired a new fairy tale graphic novel and it's one to watch for fairy tale and folktale folks.

The Eisner award-nominated graphic novel creators of The Little Mermaid (winner of The Excelsior Award Junior 2018) and The Red Shoes, Metaphrog, are already getting high-level kudos from The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard, and others well-known in the field, making it quite an anticipated addition to the world of graphic novels. (Images below are linked to their page on Amazon - each has an extensive preview available.)

Metaphrog, who have as the tag-line on their website 'The Dark Side of Fairy Tales: More Than Just Graphic Novels' are no strangers to adapting fairy tales for modern readers.

John Chalmers & Sandra Marrs of Metaphrog

We loved fairy tales as children and we still love them now. We especially love them dark. Fairy tales bring the magic back into our lives, they tell us about ourselves and about others, about human nature, and link us to our ancestors: fairy tales have been told and retold for generations. Lotte Reiniger, the silhouette animation pioneer and creator of The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) said: ” I believe in the truth of fairy-tales more than I believe in the truth in the newspaper.” Here we reimagine our favourite tales as graphic novels and hope to have created an immersive, lasting reading experience. (Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers aka Metaphrog)

Metaphrog, which consists of artist Sandra Marrs and writer John Chalmers, commented “’Bluebeard’ is one of the darkest fairy tales and resonated with us when we were children because of this darkness. It felt necessary to create a feminist retelling and so we developed our heroine’s backstory to highlight her struggles in the patriarchy. We hope the result is a compelling, suspenseful read. ‘Bluebeard’ is seldom seen in children’s books nowadays and has never been adapted into a graphic novel, and we wanted our version to appeal to adults and children alike.” (Multiversity Comics)

If the tale of Bluebeard fascinates you too, check out Metphrog's Tumblr account HERE which has a lot of Bluebeard artwork from different sources, movie clips, book covers and more. (And, yes, you can expect to see a little Beauty and the Beast in there too, since BatB is considered the flip side of the Bluebeard coin.)

Little Mermaid Wave by Metaphrog

Near the end of 2017 both members of Metaphrog were interviewed by Threadless, as they had just created a line of merchandise for the first time through the company, using their artwork. The interviewer, Carlyn Hill, asked specifically about Metaphrog's views on fairy tales and we thought we share that here. Here's an excerpt of the interview with Sandra ('S) and John ('J') of Metaphrog:

What inspires you most about finding the dark side of fairy tales? What are some of your favorite stories to put a darker twist on? 

S: Fairy tales and folk tales often have a dark side, and that darkness holds a lasting power and helps get the core message of the story across. The darkness and light of such stories are held in balance. 

J: For example, in The Red Shoes, although the story is dark and treats themes of obsession, possession, and hope, it still has a lightness and a strangeness. The reader is encouraged to suspend disbelief. 

What do you think the importance of fairy tales – both light and dark – is for all of us as story lovers and as human beings? 

J: Fairy tales and folk tales tell us what it is to be human. They tell us about ourselves and about others. Their messages are so powerful that they speak to us still, even after centuries. Sometimes there is more truth in a story than there is in the news.

Photographer unknown

 

S: Human beings need stories. Not only as something to provide escapism but also to allow us to learn and grow, to sympathise and empathise. Some stories carry powerful warnings while others provide hope or allow us to suspend disbelief and dream. 

J: Both of us felt the thrill of reading as children and fairy tales, in particular, made the hairs on our necks stand on end.

Official synopsis of Bluebeard: A Feminist Fairy Tale:

“Award-winning duo Metaphrog transform the classic folktale into a feminist fairy tale, about the blossoming of a young child to womanhood striving for independence. Eve spends an idyllic childhood of long summer days with her sweetheart Tom, and together they dream of exploring the world. But that dream is soon shattered as she comes of age. The mysterious Bluebeard is looking for a new bride and has his sights set on Eve, and rumour has it that his former wives have all disappeared. What will Eve find in the castle beyond the enchanted forest? A forbidden chamber, a golden key and the most terrifying secret, take on a new life in this gothic graphic novel.”

Bluebeard: A Feminist Fairy Tale will be available through all major booksellers on May 2020 in both the UK and the US. You can pre-order through Amazon (US) HERE right now.

Note: The Red Shoes and Other Tales includes another Andersen story, "The Little Match Girl", and an original story, "The Glass Case". ("... about a boy who runs away to be with a living doll in a museum—and then turns into one." Description from School Library Journal)

NB: Amazon links are for your convenience. We do not receive any commission from them and are not currently an affiliate.