Fairy tales are for kids right? Well not at first they weren't. They were dark tales of murder, rape, incest, cannibalism and mayhem geared toward adults. What changed? Chuck and Josh will drop that knowledge and more in today's episode.
AI Summary
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly dark and disturbing origins of beloved fairy tales before Disney sanitized them for modern audiences. They explore how classic stories like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty originally contained graphic violence, murder, sexual assault, and other adult themes that were meant to serve as cautionary tales for grown-ups rather than bedtime stories for children. The hosts reveal the shocking differences between the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault versions versus the family-friendly Disney adaptations we know today, setting up for a deeper analysis of fairy tale meanings and cultural significance in a planned follow-up episode.
A Christmas Story
1983
1h 33m
★ 7.2
"it's just like when Ralphie comes back home in a Christmas story — Josh made a comparison to A Christmas Story when describing Rapunzel's emotional reaction to seeing her blinded lover."
— Josh
Casablanca
1943
1h 42m
★ 8.1
"I haven't seen Casablanca yet. What? I haven't seen Casablanca. Really? — Josh admitted he hasn't seen the classic film Casablanca, which surprised Chuck."
— Josh
Cinderfella
1960
1h 28m
★ 6.1
"Not Cinderfella. No. Great Jerry Lewis movie. With Dean Martin too, right? — Chuck mentioned the Jerry Lewis comedy Cinderfella when discussing the Cinderella story."
— Chuck
"if it started getting bad, like True Blood or Dexter — Chuck mentioned Dexter as an example of a show that started getting bad but he felt obligated to finish."
— Chuck
Fantasy Island
1977
1h 40m
★ 6.8
"Hervé Vieuchet's tattoo from Fantasy Island played Rumpelstiltskin in a TV version — Chuck mentioned that the actor who played Tattoo on Fantasy Island also played Rumpelstiltskin in a TV adaptation."
— Chuck
"David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude — The 90s Nickelodeon show Hey Dude was mentioned in a podcast advertisement."
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2003
1h 51m
★ 8.0
"It's like Kill Bill. What do you mean? The beginning of Kill Bill. — Josh compared the Sleeping Beauty rape scene to the beginning of Kill Bill when discussing the darker original fairy tale."
— Josh
"like the Coke commercial from the 70s that Mad Men. Never saw the show. — Josh referenced Mad Men when talking about a Coke commercial, but Chuck said he never saw the show."
— Josh
"I don't watch TV shows like Narcos. Remember I told you to watch it the other day? — Josh mentioned not watching TV shows like Narcos and that Chuck had recommended it to him."
— Josh
Once Upon a Time
2011
★ 7.4
"there's a new TV show out, too. I don't know if it's still out that had a lot of these characters. Like once upon a time — Josh mentioned the TV show Once Upon a Time which features fairy tale characters."
— Josh
Orange Is the New Black
2013
★ 7.6
"there weren't tablets you could take to the beach to watch Orange as a New Black — Josh was discussing how people in the past had to entertain themselves without modern technology like watching shows on tablets."
— Josh
Tangled
2010
1h 40m
★ 7.6
"So Disney's movie Tangled is the Rapunzel version that's been super sanitized. — Josh mentioned Disney's Tangled as the sanitized version of the original Rapunzel story."
— Josh
Trainspotting
1996
1h 34m
★ 8.0
"What's his face? Robert Carlisle is in it from Trainspotting. — Chuck mentioned actor Robert Carlisle from Trainspotting when discussing the Once Upon a Time TV show."
— Chuck
"if it started getting bad, like True Blood or Dexter — Chuck was discussing how he used to feel obligated to finish TV shows even when they got bad, using True Blood as an example."
— Chuck
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