Kings and Queens are historically the rulers of monarchies, often hereditary, or the sovereign of any unspecified vaguely medieval land in fairytales and folklore. Their offspring are Princes and Princesses.
Members of a royal family are frequent players in Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories, figuring in 13 out of 39 stories. In keeping with the nature of nursery rhymes, they are often ruled by whims or hobbies.
Kings and Queens[]
Picture | Story | Notes |
---|---|---|
"Humpty Dumpty" | The King The king has a passion for riddles and passes a law stating that anyone who can create a riddle that he cannot answer will earn his daughter's hand in marriage. | |
"The Prince and the Beggars" | The King The king (Mike Quinn) who loved to collect coins allows his son, Prince Lilimond to be the king for a day. | |
"Song Of Sixpence" | The King The king (Mike Quinn), wanting something different to eat, is surprised and impressed when the cook brings him a pie full of singing blackbirds. | |
"Old King Cole" | King Cole (Mak Wilson) Cole was a merry old soul before he wore a crown. Then a touch of luck made him King and happiness ruled the land. | |
"Crooked Man" | King Zig (Mike Quinn) and Queen Zag (Angie Passmore) The couple rule over a crooked land while looking for a suitor for their daughter, Princess Ella. | |
"Hector Protector" | The King and Queen Evelyn, a wicked witch, turns all the people in the kingdom into animals - transforming the king (Mak Wilson) into a mouse and the queen (Angie Passmore) into a crow. | |
"Pat-A-Cake" | The King and Queen The queen (Mike Quinn) comes to Monsieur Le Pat-a-Cake's bakery to have a cake made for the king (Quinn) (whom she affectionately calls "Baby.") | |
"Jack And Jill" | The King and Queen The king (Karen Prell) and queen (Angie Passmore) send their son, Prince Jack, to deal with a dragon. | |
"Queen of Hearts" | The King and Queen of Hearts The King (Karen Prell) and Queen of Hearts (Angie Passmore) invite the royal Clubs to share in some tarts. | |
"Queen of Hearts" | The King and Queen of Clubs The Queen of Clubs (Karen Prell) sends the King of Clubs (Mike Quinn) and the Knave of Clubs (all wolves) to meet with the King and Queen of Hearts. | |
"Pussy Cat Pussy Cat" | The Queen The Queen (Karen Prell) is terrorized by a mouse demanding cheese. | |
"It's Raining It's Pouring" | The King The King (Mike Quinn) is always working and he never has time to play, until one night he goes to bed and bumps his head. |
Princes[]
Princes are the male offspring of kings and queens.
Picture | Story | Notes |
---|---|---|
"Humpty Dumpty" | The Prince The Prince tries to devise a suitable riddle to win the princesses hand in marriage. When Humpty Dumpty falls, he inspires the prince with a riddle to stump the king, thus allowing the prince to marry his true love. | |
"The Prince and the Beggars" | Prince Lilimond Unlike his father, Prince Lilimond had no interest in coins. As a birthday present Prince Lilimond asks his father if he can rule for a day. As his first act the Prince announces that he will share all the kingdom's gold with the poor and needy. | |
"Jack and Jill" | Prince Jack (Mike Quinn) Jack (along with Princess Jill) head off on a mission to rid the kingdom of a dragon. | |
"It's Raining It's Pouring" | Prince Freddy When his father bumps his head, Freddy is delighted to find his overworked father become more playful. |
See also: Prince Humpty Dumpty, an egg who thinks he is royalty.
Princesses[]
Princessess are the female offspring of kings and queens.
Picture | Story | Notes |
---|---|---|
"Humpty Dumpty" | The Princess She longs to marry the prince, but her father has passed a law stating only someone who can create a riddle that he cannot answer will be able to earn her hand in marriage. | |
"Dicky Birds" | The Princess The princess loved birds, and so her father stocked the royal garden with all the finest birds in the kingdom for her to enjoy. She made friends with two dicky birds named Peter and Paul however when The Royal Gardener banishes them because he thought they were too dull for royal attention. | |
"Jack and Jill" | Princess Jill Jill joins Prince Jack on a mission to rid the kingdom of a dragon. | |
"Little Nut Tree" | The King of Spain's Daughter When the King of Spain's Daughter (Karen Prell) comes to town everyone prepares gifts for her. | |
"Crooked Man" | Princess Ella Princess Ella, daughter of King Zig and Queen Zag, finds happiness when she meets Wrigley Squiggley, the only other straight person in the crooked land. |
Chamberlains[]
A chamberlain is a senior royal official in charge of managing a royal household.
Picture | Story | Notes |
---|---|---|
"The Prince and the Beggars" | The Chamberlain The Chamberlain (Karen Prell) fears that Prince Lilimond will give all of the kingdom's riches away to beggars and does everything they can to prevent the Prince from handing out the kingdom's gold - including dressing up as a beggar. | |
"Old King Cole" | The Chamberlain The Chamberlain (Karen Prell) informs the kingdom about a law that states how the next king will be selected. |
Prime Ministers[]
A prime minister is the head of the cabinet and the governing leader carrying out the king or queens political agenda.
Picture | Story | Notes |
---|---|---|
"Old King Cole" | The Prime Minster The prime minister (Mike Quinn), hoping to become the king himself, is disappointed when a touch of luck lands on the jolly and eccentric Cole. | |
"Pussy Cat Pussy Cat" | The Prime Minster The prime minister (Mak Wilson) is sent to get cheese from Ella to bring to the queen. | |
"It's Raining It's Pouring" | The Prime Minster The no-nonsense prime minister (Mak Wilson) is dismayed when the King bumps his head and would rather play than work. |