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Revolting Rhymes

 Revolting Rhymes
type
TVTItem
 Revolting Rhymes
label
Revolting Rhymes
 Revolting Rhymes
page
RevoltingRhymes
 Revolting Rhymes
comment
A collection of six traditional fairy tales re-written as comedic poems by Roald Dahl, and first published in 1982. These versions of the tales subvert many of the expected endings, and like most of Dahl's work, they are full of Black Comedy.The six fairy tales re-written are: Cinderella Jack and the Beanstalk Snow White Goldilocks Little Red Riding Hood The Three Little PigsRhyme Stew was a 1989 Spiritual Successor: Most of its poems are, again, fable and fairy tale retellings ("Dick Whittington and His Cat", "The Emperor's New Clothes", etc.), but it's aimed at a slightly older audience (i.e. teens) and as such is a much bawdier work.In 1990, an adaptation using basic animation (mostly just stills of Quentin Blake's illustrations, slightly modified in some cases) was released, with Prunella Scales and Timothy West serving as narrators. In 2016, a two-part computer-animated adaptation of five of the stories aired on the BBC. For tropes specific to that film, see this page.
 Revolting Rhymes
fetched
2024-03-03T19:45:20Z
 Revolting Rhymes
parsed
2024-03-03T19:45:20Z
 Revolting Rhymes
processingComment
Dropped link to Bowdlerise: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
processingComment
Dropped link to Cinderella: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
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Dropped link to Goldilocks: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
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Dropped link to JackAndTheBeanstalk: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
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Dropped link to LittleRedRidingHood: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
processingComment
Dropped link to SnowWhite: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
processingComment
Dropped link to TheThreeLittlePigs: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Revolting Rhymes
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Revolting Rhymes / int_11630eaa
type
The Gambling Addict
 Revolting Rhymes / int_11630eaa
comment
The Gambling Addict: The dwarfs are compulsive gambling addicts who often go without food because they bet everything they have. Things go better when Snow White steals the Queen's mirror and asks it which horse will win.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_11630eaa
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_11630eaa
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Revolting Rhymes / int_11630eaa
 Revolting Rhymes / int_1777688d
type
Genre Savvy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_1777688d
comment
One of the Ugly Sisters seems Genre Savvy at first, by swapping Cinderella's glass slipper with her own shoe. However, as she's in a Fractured Fairy Tale, this doesn't end well for her. The slipper fits, but rather than face the prospect of marrying her, the Prince chops off her head there and then.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_1777688d
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1.0
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Revolting Rhymes / int_1777688d
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20a14df0
type
Wrong Genre Savvy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20a14df0
comment
Wrong Genre Savvy: One of the Ugly Sisters seems Genre Savvy at first, by swapping Cinderella's glass slipper with her own shoe. However, as she's in a Fractured Fairy Tale, this doesn't end well for her. The slipper fits, but rather than face the prospect of marrying her, the Prince chops off her head there and then. The Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood again seems genre savvy at first. He doesn't even meet Red Riding Hood before he goes to Grandma's house, but knows she'll turn up eventually. The story then follows traditionally with the Wolf dressing up as Grandma and Red Riding Hood saying, "What great big eyes you have Grandma?" and the Wolf replying, "All the better to see you with." But then Red Riding Hood says, "But Grandma, what a lovely great big furry coat you have on." The Wolf replies, "That's wrong! Have you forgot to tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?". He says he'll eat her anyway, but it turns out she's a good shot with a gun.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20a14df0
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20a14df0
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1.0
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Revolting Rhymes / int_20a14df0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20f689e9
type
Adaptational Villainy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20f689e9
comment
Adaptational Villainy: As the rhymes are Fractured Fairy Tales, several characters are put through this: In the original Cinderella, the Prince is a typical Prince Charming. Here, however, he decapitates the ugly stepsisters and then tries to do the same to Cinderella. Jack's mother from Jack and the Beanstalk simply scolded Jack for swapping the family cow for a handful of magic beans in the original tale. Here, she is downright abusive (beating him for half an hour with a vacuum cleaner's handle) and gets eaten by the giant. Little Red Riding Hood turns out to be even more evil than the wolf, as she kills two wolves and the last pig.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_20f689e9
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1.0
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Revolting Rhymes / int_20f689e9
 Revolting Rhymes / int_23473ae7
type
Adaptation Expansion
 Revolting Rhymes / int_23473ae7
comment
Adaptation Expansion: In 1995 a TV movie adaptation of this version of Little Red Riding Hood was made, starring Julie Walters as Red Riding Hood and her Grandma, and Danny DeVito as the voice of the Wolf. The narrator was Ian Holm as a Minpin, which is not in the book but it a Shout-Out to one of Roald Dahl's other novels The Minpins. Some scenes were added of Red Riding Hood inheriting money from her grandmother and the character of the Grandma herself was expanded to be a rough, drunken old hag. While in the book the wolf eats her in "one big bite", here there is a scene of him trying to eat her and getting beaten up and even at some points chased by her, although he manages to eat her by the end of the scene. There are also some creepy dream-like scenes with anthropomorphised animals that have nothing to do with the main plot. Danny DeVito loved playing the part of the Wolf and would later go on to adapt one of Roald Dahl's other novels Matilda into a feature length film.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_23473ae7
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_23473ae7
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Revolting Rhymes / int_23473ae7
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27a40541
type
Furry Confusion
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27a40541
comment
Red Riding Hood is a seemingly innocent girl that kills multiple (sapient) animals just to take their hides.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27a40541
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27a40541
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_27a40541
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27ebe639
type
Prince Charming
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27ebe639
comment
In the original Cinderella, the Prince is a typical Prince Charming. Here, however, he decapitates the ugly stepsisters and then tries to do the same to Cinderella.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27ebe639
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_27ebe639
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Revolting Rhymes / int_27ebe639
 Revolting Rhymes / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_2d4fa515
comment
The handsome prince is an Ax-Crazy maniac who chops women's heads off at the slightest provocation.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_2d4fa515
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_2d4fa515
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_2d4fa515
 Revolting Rhymes / int_48c99e19
type
Death by Adaptation
 Revolting Rhymes / int_48c99e19
comment
Jack's mother from Jack and the Beanstalk simply scolded Jack for swapping the family cow for a handful of magic beans in the original tale. Here, she is downright abusive (beating him for half an hour with a vacuum cleaner's handle) and gets eaten by the giant.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_48c99e19
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_48c99e19
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Revolting Rhymes / int_48c99e19
 Revolting Rhymes / int_4e7c4536
type
Wham Line
 Revolting Rhymes / int_4e7c4536
comment
Wham Line: "The Three Little Pigs": "She has a pig-skin travelling case".
 Revolting Rhymes / int_4e7c4536
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_4e7c4536
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Revolting Rhymes / int_4e7c4536
 Revolting Rhymes / int_54616909
type
Cavalry Betrayal
 Revolting Rhymes / int_54616909
comment
Cavalry Betrayal: The third pig calls Red Riding Hood for help when the Wolf decides to blow up the brick house with dynamite. She arrives, shoots the wolf... and murders the pig too, to make a leather suitcase to go with her fur coats.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_54616909
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_54616909
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Revolting Rhymes / int_54616909
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d443a34
type
Closet Punishment
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d443a34
comment
Closet Punishment: At the beginning of Cinderella, "darling little Cinderella was locked up in a slimy cellar".
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d443a34
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d443a34
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_6d443a34
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d693f7e
type
Fractured Fairy Tale
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d693f7e
comment
Fractured Fairytale: All six of them. Cinderella: The Prince is a psycho who loves chopping off heads, so after he kills her step-sisters Cinderella wishes to avoid marrying him and instead winds up marrying a nice greengrocer instead. Jack and the Beanstalk: Jack never takes anything from the giant, only golden leaves from the top of the beanstalk (which are arguably his anyway, given that he planted the bean in the first place). His foolish, greedy, dirty mother goes to rob the giant and gets eaten. Jack takes a bath so the giant can't "smell the blood of an Englishman" and harvests more leaves, living happily ever after. Snow White: The dwarfs are all gambling addicts and they end up using the magic mirror to be able to win every bet they make in the future. Goldilocks: Goldilocks is a dirty, vile little brat who ends up being eaten by the bears. Little Red Riding Hood: The titular girl is a fur-loving badass who shoots the wolf dead and skins him to make a coat. The Three Little Pigs: When the wolf threatens to blow up the third pig's house, he calls Red Riding Hood to kill the wolf. She does, and then she murders the third pig so that she can have a leather suitcase to go with her fur coats.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_6d693f7e
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1.0
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Revolting Rhymes / int_6d693f7e
 Revolting Rhymes / int_71a34999
type
Painful Rhyme
 Revolting Rhymes / int_71a34999
comment
Painful Rhyme: In her exchange with the Fairy, Cinderella rhymes "Palace" with "j[e]alous".
 Revolting Rhymes / int_71a34999
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_71a34999
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Revolting Rhymes / int_71a34999
 Revolting Rhymes / int_7453bc5b
type
Spared by the Adaptation
 Revolting Rhymes / int_7453bc5b
comment
Spared by the Adaptation: It's very rare you'll see a version where the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk or the Wicked Queen in Snow White survive, but they both do in these versions.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_7453bc5b
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_7453bc5b
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Revolting Rhymes / int_7453bc5b
 Revolting Rhymes / int_759b4c29
type
Flush the Evidence
 Revolting Rhymes / int_759b4c29
comment
Flush the Evidence: One of Cinderella's ugly sisters disposes of Cinderella's lost slipper this way, before replacing it with the slipper from her own foot.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_759b4c29
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_759b4c29
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Revolting Rhymes / int_759b4c29
 Revolting Rhymes / int_79b5990c
type
Mr. Vice Guy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_79b5990c
comment
Mr. Vice Guy: Seven Mr Vice Guys, to be precise:
 Revolting Rhymes / int_79b5990c
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_79b5990c
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Revolting Rhymes / int_79b5990c
 Revolting Rhymes / int_82a64c4b
type
Adaptational Nice Guy
 Revolting Rhymes / int_82a64c4b
comment
Adaptational Nice Guy: Jack doesn't rob the Giant, and only takes golden leaves from the top of the beanstalk.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_82a64c4b
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_82a64c4b
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Revolting Rhymes / int_82a64c4b
 Revolting Rhymes / int_88cee6e2
type
Abhorrent Admirer
 Revolting Rhymes / int_88cee6e2
comment
Abhorrent Admirer: The Ugly Sisters are this to the Prince.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_88cee6e2
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_88cee6e2
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_88cee6e2
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8bd9ed0f
type
Fairy Godmother
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8bd9ed0f
comment
Fairy Godmother: Notable in that she's played fairly straight compared to many of the characters.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8bd9ed0f
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8bd9ed0f
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_8bd9ed0f
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8ed5c6e4
type
Asshole Victim
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8ed5c6e4
comment
Asshole Victim: Jack's mother and Goldilocks.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8ed5c6e4
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_8ed5c6e4
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_8ed5c6e4
 Revolting Rhymes / int_95ef5b0d
type
Symbol Swearing
 Revolting Rhymes / int_95ef5b0d
comment
Symbol Swearing: When Goldilocks breaks the baby's chair:
 Revolting Rhymes / int_95ef5b0d
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_95ef5b0d
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_95ef5b0d
 Revolting Rhymes / int_9fcbdb7c
type
Delinquent
 Revolting Rhymes / int_9fcbdb7c
comment
Delinquent: Goldilocks is depicted as a foul-mouthed Spoiled Brat who breaks into the bears' house, eats all their porridge, feels no remorse for breaking the Baby Bear's chair, and messes up the bears' bedsheets with all the muck underneath her shoes.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_9fcbdb7c
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_9fcbdb7c
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_9fcbdb7c
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a4414a05
type
Adaptation Dye-Job
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a4414a05
comment
Adaptation Dye-Job: The original Quentin Blake illustrations depict Snow White as blonde, which breaks from the traditional "hair as black as ebony". The 2016 BBC adaptation does the same.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a4414a05
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a4414a05
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Revolting Rhymes / int_a4414a05
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a5ad0aa4
type
Little Red Fighting Hood
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a5ad0aa4
comment
Little Red Fighting Hood: She's a sharpshooter.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a5ad0aa4
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a5ad0aa4
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_a5ad0aa4
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: The Prince in Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood in The Three Little Pigs certainly qualify. Snow White's stepmother also doesn't get any comeuppance that we can see, save that she's lost her magic mirror. For those who see Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk as this in other versions of the tale, it's subverted here because Jack doesn't steal anything from the giant. All he uses to become rich are the solid gold leaves which grow on top of the beanstalk, which he has a claim to anyway as he bought the magic bean that the beanstalk grew from.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_a70223
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_a70223
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Revolting Rhymes / int_a70223
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: Jack's Jerkass mother spends most of the story telling Jack he's a useless idiot and beats him after he sells the cow for a magic bean. She ends up getting eaten by the giant.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b11ac9f5
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1.0
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b11ac9f5
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_b11ac9f5
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b3c0ed0c
type
Spoof Aesop
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b3c0ed0c
comment
Spoof Aesop: In Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack bathes so the giant is unable to smell him when he climbs the beanstalk to pick all the solid gold leaves on the top. Jack resolves to have a bath every day from then on. The lesson we learn from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is that gambling's not a sin, provided that you always win (which they do, thanks to Snow White stealing the evil Queen's magic mirror).
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b3c0ed0c
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_b3c0ed0c
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Revolting Rhymes / int_b3c0ed0c
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: The first little pig is described as this for being foolish enough to build his house out of straw. Cinderella's second Ugly Sister still wants to try on the shoe even after seeing the Prince chop her sister's head off.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_b58b4e3c
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_b58b4e3c
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_b58b4e3c
 Revolting Rhymes / int_ca69cb4d
type
Adaptational Karma
 Revolting Rhymes / int_ca69cb4d
comment
Adaptational Karma: The narrator sees Goldilocks in the traditional version of the tale as a Karma Houdini, so, in his version, he has the bears eat Goldilocks!
 Revolting Rhymes / int_ca69cb4d
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_ca69cb4d
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 Revolting Rhymes
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Revolting Rhymes / int_ca69cb4d
 Revolting Rhymes / int_cc39902e
type
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon
 Revolting Rhymes / int_cc39902e
comment
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Red Riding Hood is a seemingly innocent girl that kills multiple (sapient) animals just to take their hides. The handsome prince is an Ax-Crazy maniac who chops women's heads off at the slightest provocation.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_cc39902e
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_cc39902e
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Revolting Rhymes / int_cc39902e
 Revolting Rhymes / int_d5921e22
type
Prince Charmless
 Revolting Rhymes / int_d5921e22
comment
Prince Charmless: The prince seems like a standard Prince Charming at first, but Cinderella is shocked to discover what he's really like.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_d5921e22
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_d5921e22
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Revolting Rhymes / int_d5921e22
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dae8acc
type
Smelly Feet Gag
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dae8acc
comment
Smelly Feet Gag: In Cinderella, the shoe which replaces Cinderella's slipper is quoted thus:
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dae8acc
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_dae8acc
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Revolting Rhymes / int_dae8acc
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dc835463
type
The Big Bad Wolf
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dc835463
comment
The Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood again seems genre savvy at first. He doesn't even meet Red Riding Hood before he goes to Grandma's house, but knows she'll turn up eventually. The story then follows traditionally with the Wolf dressing up as Grandma and Red Riding Hood saying, "What great big eyes you have Grandma?" and the Wolf replying, "All the better to see you with." But then Red Riding Hood says, "But Grandma, what a lovely great big furry coat you have on." The Wolf replies, "That's wrong! Have you forgot to tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?". He says he'll eat her anyway, but it turns out she's a good shot with a gun.
 Revolting Rhymes / int_dc835463
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ItemName
 Revolting Rhymes / int_name
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 Revolting Rhymes / int_name
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Revolting Rhymes / int_name
 Revolting Rhymes / int_name
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Revolting Rhymes

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Beanstalk Parody / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Dark Parody / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Flush the Evidence / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Little Red Fighting Hood / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Off with His Head! / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Smelly Feet Gag / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
Symbol Swearing / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
The Gambling Addict / int_5ce62699
 Revolting Rhymes
hasFeature
The Girl Who Fits This Slipper / int_5ce62699