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The Elves and the Cobbler

 The Elves and the Cobbler
type
TVTItem
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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The Elves and the Cobbler
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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TheElvesAndTheCobbler
 The Elves and the Cobbler
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })"The Elves and the Cobbler" (or "The Elves and the Shoemaker", "The Shoemaker and the Elves") is an often copied and re-made fairy tale about a poor shoemaker who receives much-needed help from elves. It is best known from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, where it was included as entry no. 39 as "Die Wichtelmänner" ("The Gnomes").The fairy tale follows a poor cobbler with ailing sales. One night he wakes up to find the shoes he had planned to create in the morning already made, and much to his fortune a customer comes in and pays more than usual for the shoes. This gives him enough money to buy materials for two pairs of shoes, which he again finds already finished on the counter the next morning.The pattern repeats for several days, and the poor cobbler's fortunes turn as his shop becomes famous. But one night the cobbler and his wife hide in the shop so they can see who has been creating the shoes for him. To their astonishment, they see a group of little elves, who are naked (or in most modern retellings, wearing ragged, dirty clothing and barefoot). In gratitude, they leave gifts of shoes and little clothes, watching again to see the elves happily accept their new finery. Thereafter they do not come again, but the cobbler no longer needs their help and considers their joy his reward.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })It can be read here, here, here, here and here.The tale has inspired many adaptations and popular culture references. Animated short adaptations include Jolly Little Elves by Walter Lantz in 1934, and Tex Avery's 1950 MGM cartoon short The Peachy Cobbler, while a live-action version is one of the segments in The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm. The house-elf Dobby in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, who can only be freed from his drudgery with a gift of clothing, is another reference to this fairy tale.
 The Elves and the Cobbler
fetched
2022-08-20T09:26:23Z
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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2022-08-20T09:26:23Z
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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DBTropes
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_3fca462c
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Deus ex Machina
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_3fca462c
comment
Deus ex Machina: Very convenient of the elves to turn up just when sales are ailing...
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_3fca462c
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_3fca462c
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_40cc0c7e
type
Bittersweet Ending
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_40cc0c7e
comment
Bittersweet Ending: The cobbler's business is saved, but the story usually ends with the elves leaving, never to return. At least one version states that giving them clothes released them from a curse, a version that likely inspired Dobby's story.
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_40cc0c7e
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 The Elves and the Cobbler
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_40cc0c7e
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_580be152
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Adaptational Modesty
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_580be152
comment
Adaptational Modesty: Most older versions of the tale stated that the elves were naked, which oddly enough was a plot point, as the Shoemaker and his wife give them clothing out of gratitude for helping them. Most adaptations give the elves clothes, though to keep the Aesop intact, they make the clothes ragged and dusty.
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_580be152
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_580be152
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a7ddc88e
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The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a7ddc88e
comment
The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Some variations of the story depict the elves wearing raggedy clothing and no shoes at all, which is what prompts the cobbler to make shoes for them.
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a7ddc88e
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a7ddc88e
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a836a9b5
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Character Witness
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_a836a9b5
comment
Character Witness: Some versions begin with the couple sharing their last scrap of food with someone, often one of the elves, and they are rewarded with their help. Others have them repay the elves by making them clothes.
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 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_ab03a74
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Christmas Miracle
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_ab03a74
comment
Christmas Miracle: The Elves are discovered by the Shoemaker first on Christmas.
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_ab03a74
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_ab03a74
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_cd16953f
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House Fey
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_cd16953f
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House Fey: The elves, who steal into the shop at night while the humans are asleep to make shoes out of pure goodwill.
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_cd16953f
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The Elves and the Cobbler / int_cd16953f
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_f4f3252e
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Law of Inverse Fertility
 The Elves and the Cobbler / int_f4f3252e
comment
Law of Inverse Fertility: In some versions, the shoemaker and his wife are trying to have a baby, but have been unsuccessful. They do conceive, and it's implied to be due to some of the elves' magic being left with them at the end.
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The Elves and the Cobbler

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

 The Elves and the Cobbler
hasFeature
Christmas Elves / int_cff4b83a
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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Christmas Miracle / int_cff4b83a
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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Elf Works / int_cff4b83a
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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House Fey / int_cff4b83a
 The Elves and the Cobbler
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Too Gruesome for Cartoon Physics / int_cff4b83a