Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875) was a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales. Some of Andersen's most famous tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Thumbelina", "The Snow Queen" and "The Ugly Duckling". Besides the fairy tales Andersen also wrote numerous plays, travel books and novels.
Adaptations & References[]
- The Sesame Street album Big Bird presents Hans Christian Andersen featured Big Bird telling some of Andersen's stories, as well as songs and music from the 1952 Danny Kaye movie.
- Andersen's story "The Snow Queen" was adapted into a TV-movie, Snow Queen, in 2002, with special puppet effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
- Andersen's story "The Little Mermaid" was adapted into a television pilot titled "Little Mermaid's Island" in 1990 by Jim Henson.
- The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar featured several illustrated adaptations of Andersen tales along with centerfold text for each story. Stories including "The Princess and the Pea" (September), "The Emperor's New Clothes" (October), and "Thumbelina" (December).
- Herry Monster retells "The Nightingale" (as "The Story of the Nightingale") in the 1977 album The Sesame Street Fairy Tale Album.
- The Sesame Street Library Volume 11 features the story of "Thumbelina."
- In Episode 1573 of Sesame Street, Herry Monster considers having Maria read him "The Little Match Girl," but believes it's too sad to hear.
- A Sesame Street News Flash from the 1970s spoofed the story of "The Princess and the Pea" with "The Princess and the Cookie". In the sketch Kermit interviews a servant who tells him that the queen wants to test the maiden by placing a cookie under the mattresses to see if she can feel it. The "princess" (played by Cookie Monster) not only feels it, but also eats the cookie and the mattresses.
- "The Princess and the Pea" was spoofed again in another Sesame Street News Flash sketch with "The Princess and the C". In this sketch instead of a pea, this princess sleeps on things beginning with C.
- Yet another Sesame Street News Flash featured an Andersen character. In one sketch Kermit the Frog interviews The Amazing Mumford, who is showcasing his big and little trick, where he will make Thumbelina (from the Andersen story of "Thumbelina") big and The Big Bad Wolf small.
- Episode 3144 of Sesame Street features the ugly duckling, here called Hans, in a nod to the author.
- Big Bird portrays Andersen's nightingale, soothing the king with his song, in the 2008 book Storybook ABCs.
Notes[]
- The song "The Inch Worm" was written for the 1952 biographical musical film Hans Christian Andersen, which starred Danny Kaye in the title role. The song was performed twice on The Muppet Show, first by Charles Aznavour in episode 109, and again by Kaye in episode 316.
- After Kris Kristofferson and Miss Piggy perform "Help Me Make It Through the Night" on episode 301 of The Muppet Show, Statler and Waldorf respond by singing a line from "Wonderful Copenhagen," another musical number from Hans Christian Andersen.