F - R - A - C - T - U - R - E - D FAIRY TALES

What is a Fractured Fairy Tale? Usually, the fractured tale is a folktale that is retold to find unexpected humor in the way it portrays characters, uses a different vernacular (speech), has plot deviations (changes) and twists, or uses writing ploys.

A Short History As best we know: 1939: James Thurber: “The Little Girl and the Wolf” Late 1950’s: Rocky and Bullwinkle Show had a segment on Fractured Fairy Tales (“fractured fairy tale” phrase coinedRocky and Bullwinkle Show 1986: Jon Scieszka authored The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. The floodgates were opened! Now: books, plays, DVDs, and even video games

Storytellers often create their own fractured tales. However, fractured versions may only be funny within a culture since they often rely on the humor, references, and word play unique to that culture. An interesting fractoid: fractured fairy tales are not at all popular in Europe. They are a uniquely “American” genre!

What makes them f - r - a - c - t - u - r - e - d - ? Reverse gender roles (Cinderfella) Tell the story from another point of view (Three Pigs as told by the wolf) Place the story in a different setting – Wild West, Mexico, the North Pole, modern city Have well-known folk tale characters meet in a completely different story Use politically correct language - Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for our Life and Times

F F T F-A-V-sF F T F-A-V-s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs The Frog Prince, Continued Sleepless Beauty Stinky Cheese Man The Jolly Postman

Son of Rumplestiltskin Good website of FFT: redfairytales.html redfairytales.html