Category Archives: Nursery Crime

There Are Quangles in Your Wangles

For some reason, the name “Gramblamble Land” kept sticking in my head. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s an Edward Lear reference, to “The History of the Seven Families of the Lake Pipple-Popple” (not to be confused with Dr. Pimple Popper), the … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Beatrix Potter, Edward Lear, Humor, Jasper Fforde, Language, Nursery Crime, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ariel View

I’ve looked at quite a bit of fairy lore over the years, but one character I hadn’t really addressed is Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, largely because I hadn’t read it. I recently did so, and I also found out that … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, British, C.S. Lewis, Cartoons, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Futurama, Gender, Greek Mythology, Humor, Jasper Fforde, Judaism, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Nursery Crime, Oz, Plays, Poetry, Religion, Roman, Television, Theosophy, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A House Full of Ginger

Gingerbread houses are a well-known Christmas tradition, not that I’ve ever seen anyone actually make one. They’re a pretty cool idea, though. The idea of objects made of foodstuffs is an old one in legends throughout the world, especially when … Continue reading

Posted in Advertising, Authors, Characters, Christmas, England, Fairy Tales, Food, Germany, History, Holidays, Jasper Fforde, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Nursery Crime, Oz, Oz Authors, Plays, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

You May Find Important Pieces Gone

Cautionary tales to try to convince children to behave seem to be pretty much universal, even though it’s quite possible they do more harm than good. I’ve written before about boogeyman legends, and along much the same lines is the … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Fairy Tales, Family Guy, Humor, Jasper Fforde, Monsters, Music, Nursery Crime, Television, Terry Pratchett, XTC | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s an Egg’s Life

Of all the strange and oddly named characters in nursery rhymes, one of the most famous has to be Humpty Dumpty, perhaps the first egg to receive a name. Versions of the poem date back to at least 1797, and … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Beatrix Potter, Characters, Comics, Dennis Anfuso, Jasper Fforde, L. Frank Baum, Language, Lewis Carroll, Neil Gaiman, Nursery Crime, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Poetry, Robert Rankin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fictional Characters Walk Among Us

As a fairy tale fan, I recently decided I should try watching Once Upon a Time. Most of the episodes aren’t available, but I did see the pilot and the most recent ones, which were On Demand. It’s made by … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Characters, Comics, Dreams, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Jasper Fforde, Lewis Carroll, Mythology, Nursery Crime, Nursery Rhymes, Once Upon a Time, Oz, Television, Thursday Next | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Who’s Been Sleeping in My Porridge?

I’ve seen a few people ask why, in “The Story of the Three Bears,” the Mama and Papa Bear are sleeping in separate beds. In fact, this was actually a plot device in Jasper Fforde’s The Fourth Bear, as was … Continue reading

Posted in Fairy Tales, Jasper Fforde, Nursery Crime | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Dangers of Cucular Power

Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones – This story is based on the interesting idea of a fantasy world exploited by an unscrupulous businessman from our world who somehow gained control of a demon. He brings tour groups … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Diana Wynne Jones, Jasper Fforde, Nursery Crime | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments