FRACTURED FAIRY TALES

Welcome to the wild and wacky world of fractured fairy tales.  First of all - what is a "fairy tale"?  There are several definitions and some include folk tales.  I, personally, think that there is a slight difference.  True, both are old, old stories handed down in the folk or oral tradition long before the written word.  They both include subtle mythology which speaks to the universal human experiences.  Otherwise they would not have survived so long and in so many different cultures.  Both have an element of good versus evil with goodness always prevailing over evil. And both usually have an element of magic that helps the good prevail.  The biggest difference, I believe, is that the fairy tale characters usually include royalty at some point in the story (ex.- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, etc.).  The folk tale characters are usually common folk (ex.- Jack Tales, Grandfather Tales, Hansel and Gretel, etc.) or animals and inanimate objects (ex.- Br'er Rabbit, Three Little Pigs, Gingerbread Man, etc.).

 

So, what is a fractured fairy tale?  It is a fairy or folk tale that has been modified in such a way as to make us laugh at an unexpected characterization, plot development or contrary point of view.

 

I was first introduced to fractured fairy tales on the old T.V. cartoon show called "Rocky and Bullwinkle."  During that show they included a short fractured fairy tale.  It was my favorite part of the show.  Since then, I have loved fractured fairy tales.

 

In the last ten years there have been many new tales told and written in the fracture tradition.  Some of them have been immensely popular like "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and others have simply died on the vine.  At the end of this paper I have included a short bibliography of titles and authors that you may want to check out at  your local library.

 

But, perhaps, you want to try your hand at rewriting a favorite old folk tale adding your own twists and turns and dashes of bizarre humor.  Voila!  You have just created your very own fractured fairy tale.  Here are some ploys used by authors to produce award-winning books. Examples of published works are in parenthesis.

 

	Put the story into verse ("Cinderella with Benjy and Bubbles") or a rap ("The Three Little Pigs" by storyteller Perrin Stifel).
	Tell it from a different point of view.  For instance, did you ever think how the witch felt having two bratty kids nibbling on her newly decorated gingerbread house? ("The True Story of the Three Little Pigs).
	Take a character from the story and tell another story concerning that character.  For instance, tell a story about the woodcutter in "Little Red Riding Hood" or the cow, Milky White, that was traded in "Jack and the Beanstalk."
	Write a different ending.  Perhaps, Jack didn't get away from the giant - what happened then? Or, you could tell what happened after the story ended. ("The Frog Prince, Continued").
	Make the main character a different type of person or even change the person into an animal ("Ruby" and "Cinderella Penguin")
	Add new characters to tell the story (Cinderella with Benjy and Bubbles").
	Have well-known fairy tale characters meet:    ("Adventures of Simple Simon" or the musical, "Into the Woods").
	Or, go completely bizarro, and do a combination of the above. ("Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Stories").
	There is a storyteller, Ed Stivender, who makes up fractured fairy tales in a matter of minutes by using the following formula:

     - select a famous fairy tale character.

     - select another famous fairy tale character.

     - select a modern  saying.

     - select a famous place.

     - select a problem (silly or serious; ex.- environment, a bad hair day, allergic    reactions, literacy, no money, etc.)

	The Giant's Big Toe  by Brock Cole.
	Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen.
	Jack and the Meanstalk by Brain and Rebecca Wildsmith.
	The Book That Jack Wrote by Jon Scieszka
	The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.
	The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka.
	The Frog Prince, Continued by Jon Scieszka.
	Ruby by Michael Emberley.
	Jim Henson Presents Goldilocks, Miss Piggy's Dream by Louise Gikow.
	The Three Bears by Cindy West.
	Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson.
	Cinder-Elly by Frances Minters.
	Cinderella and the Glass Flipper by Janet Perlman.
	Cinderella with Benjy and Bubbles by Ruth Perle.
	The Adventures of Simple Simon by Chris Conover.
	Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Garner.
	"Dreadlocks" video by Alie Larkin.
	"Faerie Tale Theatre" videos on PBS
	"The Heroic Climb of Itsy Bitsy Spider" audio-cassette by David Novak.
	"Into the Woods" musical by Stephen Sondheim.
	Website for listing of Fractured Tales
	Website for listing of Fractured Tales by Original Tale