Working With the Database Archives

Fairy Tales on the Small Screen: Summing up the Salon

Not so long ago, not so far away, a group of project participants and like minded individuals gathered to discuss the classic salon topic of fairy tales and this newfangled invention of television. Well, maybe television is not exactly bleeding edge, but it would certainly be foreign to those creating the genre of fairy tales in salons in the 18th and 19th century. We replicated these social and educational gatherings to celebrate and discuss what might be the end of …

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But HOW are the Fairy Tales Mashed-up in Children’s Television?

Fairy Tale Mashups. We all know about them. We’ve all seen them in many forms, from books to movies to TV. Fairy tale narratives are so short, simple, and familiar that it’s easy to combine them to make something new and fun out of these old stories. Studying the ‘why’ of fairy tale mashups gets to the heart of what we do at the FTTV project, but this particular post is about the ‘how’. HOW are these fairy tales mashed …

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Fairy Tale Mash-ups in Children’s Television: Digital Humanities Strategies (featuring Arthur)

Of all of children’s TV, my favorite show is Arthur, the adventures of that beloved, perpetually-eight-years-old aardvark and all of his friends and family that has been on the air since the year I was born, making it the second-longest running animated series in history. A season 5 episode of Arthur entitled “Just Desserts” (link to watch) (IMDb citation) has always been one of my favorites. After Arthur eats too much candy, he is thrown into an imaginative dream sequence …

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One Fairy Tale Girl’s Experience at a Very Serious Academic Folklore Conference

On the final day of the Western States Folklore Society conference, while waiting for Dr Rudy’s presentation to begin, I had a brief conversation with Dr. Tok Thompson of the University of Southern California. After introducing myself and answering affirmatively that this was my first time at a conference, he said “Oh, be careful, they’re addicting. Once you go to one you never want to stop going to them.” It seems like a strange concept. How can listening to presentations …

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Fat Fairies, Mash-Ups, and Advertisements: the Hypnotic Effect of TV Fairy Tales

On April 7-9, 2016, the FTTV Project Participants traveled from Provo, Utah to Berkeley, California to present their panel at the Western States Folklore Society Conference. Ariel Peterson was first up with her analysis of fairy godmothers that usually appear as fat fairies (whether in actual body type or symbolized by a round dress). Lauren Redding showed off her data about gender comparisons and inclusion of animal characters that she compiled from the FTTV Database. She was able to display many interesting …

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Destination: Western States Folklore Conference

Western States Folklore Society is celebrating 75 years at their 2016 meeting! Three of the FTTV Project Participants are going to UC Berkley this April for the WSFS Conference to present the panel entitled “Fat Fairies, Mashups, and Advertisements: The Hypnotic Effect of TV Fairy Tales.” If you are in the area we would love to have you join us! Take a look at each of the abstracts below. The first paper is titled “Fat Fairies: Stereotype, Body Type, and Personality …

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The Un-Birthday Party: Celebrating the Updated Database

In the quaint room filled with Hogwarts-esque armchairs, Alice in Wonderland admirers gathered together to enjoy a smashing un-birthday party on January 27, Lewis Carroll’s 184th birthday. Herbal tea, cocoa, and cookies were consumed while the FTTV project participants discussed all things Alice and presented the new database layout. Preston presented on the evolution of Alice in Wonderland from Lewis Carroll’s oral story, to published book, to stage production, to screen. He mentioned Disney’s capitalization on the psychedelic colors in their …

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“Hansel and Gretel” and December’s Candy Houses

Nibble, nibble, little mouse, Who is nibbling at my house? It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas: mulled wassail, peppermint canes, and—my own personal favorite—warm, sweet gingerbread. Now’s the season where you can bake soft gingerbread squares in hot lemon sauce or buy packaged gingerbread men. There are gingerbread house competitions and even the local grocery stores sell pre-made gingerbread house kits with packets of melted sugar and candy bits. It’s an entire season of warmth and spices and we have …

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To Research and To Educate

Look—there she goes, the girl in the red hood, red cape, red hoodie, wolfskin. Do you see her? Does she carry a basket full of fresh bread and warm milk? Or does she seek to protect her sweet, sweet tortitas from the dapper wolf? And when she meets that wolf, does she reveal her own small, experienced fangs? Or whip a pistol from her knickers? Hello, my name is Lauren, and I’m a Little Red Riding Hood addict. Fortunately, I’m …

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Glass Slippers and Small Screens: Rags to Riches and the American Dream

This is the powerpoint from Madeleine Dresden’s presentation at the 2014 American Folklore Society Conference in Santa Fe. Glass Slippers and Small Screens: Rags to Riches and the American Dream