I have never seen a Punch & Judy show, perhaps it’s an English thing, and never understood it, so thank you for the explanation. I was vaguely aware that the original Grimms’ fairy tales were much darker. Is the DEFA animation from the same people who gave us The Singing Ringing Tree? Absolutely baffling, weird colour palette too. Have you ever seen our public safety films aimed at children? Terrifying tales of the dangers of rivers, quarries, and railway power lines. And I didn’t have Zippy, Rainbow, and by extension Bungle on my Thursday morning bingo card. Good read Katja.
I sometimes forget how English some things are that I take for "British" things. Then again, I'm often amazed to find the opposite too. Public information films are a good point. They are gruesome but I wouldn't put them under the umbrella of folk tales as such.
A question if I may? It came to me when I was out on the Triumph. Did the DDR rewrite German fairytales to make them compatible with the political ethos of the state? And do you know if the SED commissioned new fairytales?
Very interesting article. I may be the only Brit of a certain age never to seen a Punch and Judy show in its entirety. I suspect my mother didn't think it funny at all with its wife beating and kept me away from it ! I will have to ask her. She doesn't like dolls either and that might extend to puppets. I did play with dolls though.
I was one of the few children who never enjoyed puppet shows. I hated the 'audience participation' element as a kid, which seemed to make all the children in the room scream at the say-so of someone sitting in a box. Max and Moritz and Struwwelpeter, on the other hand, did fascinate me and leave a long-lasting impression.
When I watched some examples online, I found a news clip of a "professor" complaining that his show had been cancelled from a school because there was a women's safe house next door. So this is clearly still a thing.
Thanks for the interesting article. I wasn't aware of BR's opposition to Sesame Street. That program was/is so much more than those 3 things and most of the characters were do-gooders. It taught kids new words and how spell, how to help their neighbors and family members, how things we used everyday were made and where; it celebrated birthdays and mourned losses. It was interracial. That said, Cookie Monster's terrible grammar wasn't a good example! :)
Fascinating piece, Katja. A reminder that so many tales meant for children were very dark. Just as Science Fiction stories tell us more about the society in which they were written than they do about any imagined futures they depict, children’s literature also tells us about the values of the society where and when it was created, particularly with regard to that society’s ideas about children.
Interesting, though, how long-lasting some of these stories are, bridging social norms, technological progress and ideas about childhood. It's only very recently that we have started taking issue with the brutality of fairy tales, for instance.
That’s true, too, Katja, though I think it’s fair to say that conservative ideas about childhood, such as the importance of obedience, be seen and not heard, etc, were still in evidence until at least the middle of last century, though they had to compete with emerging, more liberal ideas. Perhaps there was a greater range of content?
I have never seen a Punch & Judy show, perhaps it’s an English thing, and never understood it, so thank you for the explanation. I was vaguely aware that the original Grimms’ fairy tales were much darker. Is the DEFA animation from the same people who gave us The Singing Ringing Tree? Absolutely baffling, weird colour palette too. Have you ever seen our public safety films aimed at children? Terrifying tales of the dangers of rivers, quarries, and railway power lines. And I didn’t have Zippy, Rainbow, and by extension Bungle on my Thursday morning bingo card. Good read Katja.
I sometimes forget how English some things are that I take for "British" things. Then again, I'm often amazed to find the opposite too. Public information films are a good point. They are gruesome but I wouldn't put them under the umbrella of folk tales as such.
A question if I may? It came to me when I was out on the Triumph. Did the DDR rewrite German fairytales to make them compatible with the political ethos of the state? And do you know if the SED commissioned new fairytales?
Indeed Katja. Gruesome films seared into my mind😉
Very interesting article. I may be the only Brit of a certain age never to seen a Punch and Judy show in its entirety. I suspect my mother didn't think it funny at all with its wife beating and kept me away from it ! I will have to ask her. She doesn't like dolls either and that might extend to puppets. I did play with dolls though.
I was one of the few children who never enjoyed puppet shows. I hated the 'audience participation' element as a kid, which seemed to make all the children in the room scream at the say-so of someone sitting in a box. Max and Moritz and Struwwelpeter, on the other hand, did fascinate me and leave a long-lasting impression.
That was terrific. I wonder if the unexpurgated wife beating Mr Punch is still the norm at the seaside?
When I watched some examples online, I found a news clip of a "professor" complaining that his show had been cancelled from a school because there was a women's safe house next door. So this is clearly still a thing.
I can see that might be a bit awkward!
Rainbow Theme Lyrics
(Rainbow)
Up above the streets and houses
Rainbow climbing high (Rainbow)
Everyone can see it smiling
(Rainbow) Over the sky
Paint the whole world with a rainbow.
I've been humming that tune all morning
You're welcome :)
Thanks for the interesting article. I wasn't aware of BR's opposition to Sesame Street. That program was/is so much more than those 3 things and most of the characters were do-gooders. It taught kids new words and how spell, how to help their neighbors and family members, how things we used everyday were made and where; it celebrated birthdays and mourned losses. It was interracial. That said, Cookie Monster's terrible grammar wasn't a good example! :)
I totally agree. It did catch on big style in Germany, and I grew up with it, though they ended up making a German version.
Fascinating piece, Katja. A reminder that so many tales meant for children were very dark. Just as Science Fiction stories tell us more about the society in which they were written than they do about any imagined futures they depict, children’s literature also tells us about the values of the society where and when it was created, particularly with regard to that society’s ideas about children.
Interesting, though, how long-lasting some of these stories are, bridging social norms, technological progress and ideas about childhood. It's only very recently that we have started taking issue with the brutality of fairy tales, for instance.
That’s true, too, Katja, though I think it’s fair to say that conservative ideas about childhood, such as the importance of obedience, be seen and not heard, etc, were still in evidence until at least the middle of last century, though they had to compete with emerging, more liberal ideas. Perhaps there was a greater range of content?
A very interesting cross-cultural analysis, Katja. thanks!