Simsala Grimm

Simsala Grimm
Also known asThe Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (season 1)
Simsala Grimm: The Adventures of Yoyo and Doc Croc (season 2)
Genre
Created by
  • André Sikojev
  • Stefan Beiten
  • Claus Clausen
Based onThe Fairy Tales
by Brothers Grimm
and Hans Christian Andersen
Written by
  • Klaus Döring (season 1)
  • Marlies Kerremans (season 1)
  • Hurst P. Lommer (season 1)
  • Michael Mädel (season 1)
  • Jörn Schröder (season 1)
  • Ralph Trommer (season 1)
  • Ulla Ziemann (season 1)
  • Richard Ererett (season 1)
  • Armin Prediger
Expand
  • Sally Ann O'Reilly (season 2)
  • Marteinn Thorisson (season 2)
  • Richie Conroy (season 2)
  • Aidan Hickey (season 2)
  • Marcus Fleming (season 2)
  • Linda O'Sullivan (season 2)
Directed by
  • Gary Blatchford
  • Jody Gannon
  • David Incorvala
  • Chris Doyle (season 1)
  • Gerhard Hahn [de] (season 1)
  • Eunice A. Ellis (season 2)
Composers
  • Harry Schnitzler (season 1)
  • Jens Busch (season 1)
  • Karsten Sahling (season 1)
  • Nicholas Varley (season 2)
  • Inon Zur (U.S. English dub only)
Country of originGermany
France (Season 2)
Ireland (Season 2)
Original languageGerman (Season 1)
English (Season 2)
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producers
  • André Sikojev
  • Stefan Beiten
  • Nikolaus Weil
  • Claus Clausen (season 1)
  • Ralph Christians (season 2)
  • Roch Lener (season 2)
  • Paul Tylak (season 2)[1]
Producers
  • Gerhard Hahn (season 1)
  • Moe Honan (season 2)
  • Marc Dhrami (season 2)
  • Michael Heinrichs (season 2)
Editors
  • Jodie Steinforth (season 1)
  • Ringo Waldenburger (season 1)
Running time25 minutes
Production companies
  • Greenlight Media AG
  • Norddeutscher Rundfunk
  • Hahn Film AG (season 1)
  • Happy Tiger Animation (season 1)
  • Hesem Animation Studio (season 1)
  • New Dawn Studios (season 1)
  • Millimages (season 2)
  • Magma Films Ltd (season 2)
Original release
NetworkKiKA/NDR/ARD (Germany)
ORF eins (Austria)
RTÉ2 (Ireland)
ABC Kids (Australia)
Release1 November 1999 (1999-11-01) –
31 December 2010 (2010-12-31)

Simsala Grimm is a German animated children's television series, consisting of stories based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and other notable authors. The series was created by André Sikojev, Stefan Beiten and Claus Clausen, and co-producted by Greenlight Media AG, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Hahn Film AG, Millimages and Magma Films Ltd.

Synopsis[edit]

In each episode of the series, one of the famous classical fairy tales is told in the magical land of Simsala. The local characters Yoyo and Doc Croc move between the storyteller and the episode cast, which they tend to help or at least inspire. Each episode begins with Yoyo and Doc Croc as toys on a shelf brought to life by a magical book.

Characters[edit]

Main[edit]

  • Yoyo (German: Hubertus von Lerchenfeld, English: Nigel Greaves) – An adventurous, joyful, brave and mischievous blue coyote. He wears a red hood shoulder piece with two dangling bells.
  • Doc Croc (nicknamed Crocy; German: Jörg Stuttmann, English: Nigel Pegram) – A bookworm, a red-pink lizard. He wears glasses and a yellow hat, and carries a yellow bag with him. He is kind, timid and smart. It also appears as if Doc Croc has a slight stutter in his voice.
  • Storybook (Märchenbuch; German: Bert Franzke, English: Erik Hansen) – the book that brings Yoyo and Doc Croc to life and takes them to the land of Simsala. In the first season, it has portraits of the brothers Grimm in the hardcover.

Both Yoyo and Doc Croc often argue as Yoyo is brave and willing, but unwise and Doc Croc is sometimes overcautious, yet intelligent. Both of them also seem to disrespect the storybook, as it usually takes them to a bad place when they are landing.

Recurring[edit]

  • Birds - Three clothed birds appear in numerous episodes of the first season, often providing/singing advice or insight to Yoyo and Doc Croc.
  • Mice - Three clothed mice appear in numerous episodes of the first season, often providing advice or insight, sometimes even help, to Yoyo and Doc Croc.

Episodes[edit]

Season 1 (1999-2000)[edit]

No.[1]TitleGerman air date
1"The valiant little Tailor"
"Das tapfere Schneiderlein"
1 November 1999 (1999-11-01)
2"King Thrushbeard"
"König Drosselbart"
11 November 1999 (1999-11-11)
3"Puss in Boots"
"Der gestiefelte Kater"
16 November 1999 (1999-11-16)
4"The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids"
"Der Wolf und die sieben Geißlein"
4 November 1999 (1999-11-04)
5"The Six Servants"
"Die sechs Diener"
8 November 1999 (1999-11-08)
6"The Crystal Ball"
"Die Kristallkugel"
11 July 2000 (2000-07-11)
7"Tom Thumb"[note 1]
"Der Däumling"
2 November 1999 (1999-11-02)
8"The Devil's Three Golden Hairs"
"Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren"
5 November 1999 (1999-11-05)
9"Little Red Riding Hood"
"Rotkäppchen"
6 July 2000 (2000-07-06)
10"Snow White"
"Schneewittchen"
14 July 2000 (2000-07-14)
11"Cinderella"
"Aschenputtel"
13 July 2000 (2000-07-13)
12"Brother and Sister"
"Brüderchen und Schwesterchen"
17 November 1999 (1999-11-17)
13"The Bremen Town Musicians"
"Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten"
5 July 2000 (2000-07-05)
14"Masterthief"
"Der Meisterdieb"
9 November 1999 (1999-11-09)
15"The Goosemaiden"
"Die Gänsemagd"
21 July 2000 (2000-07-21)
16"The Two Princesses"
"Die Gänsehirtin am Brunnen"[note 2]
19 July 2000 (2000-07-19)
17"The Blue Light"
"Das blaue Licht"
12 July 2000 (2000-07-12)
18"Rumpelstiltskin"
"Rumpelstilzchen"
15 November 1999 (1999-11-15)
19"The Six Swans"
"Die sechs Schwäne"
18 July 2000 (2000-07-18)
20"Sleeping Beauty"
"Dornröschen"
18 July 2000 (2000-07-18)
21"The meaning of Fear"
"Von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen"
12 November 1999 (1999-11-12)
22"Hansel and Gretel"
"Hänsel und Gretel"
3 November 1999 (1999-11-03)
23"Faithful John"
"Der treue Johannes"
10 July 2000 (2000-07-10)
24"The Frog King"
"Der Froschkönig"
20 July 2000 (2000-07-20)
25"Rapunzel"10 November 1999 (1999-11-10)
26"Table Set Yourself"
"Tischlein deck dich"
7 July 2000 (2000-07-07)

Season 2 (2010)[edit]

No.
overall [1]
No. in
season
TitleWritten byGerman air date
271"Jack And The Beanstalk"
"Hans und die Bohnenranke"
Armin Prediger6 December 2010 (2010-12-06)
282"The Furry Critter"
"Allerleirauh"
Sally Ann O'Reilly7 December 2010 (2010-12-07)
293"The Hare And The Hedgehog"
"Der Hase und der Igel"
Armin Prediger8 December 2010 (2010-12-08)
304"Old Sultan"
"Der alte Sultan"
Marteinn Thorisson9 December 2010 (2010-12-09)
315"Mother Holle"
"Frau Holle"
Armin Prediger10 December 2010 (2010-12-10)
326"Three Little Pigs"
"Die drei kleinen Schweinchen"
Richie Conroy11 December 2010 (2010-12-11)
337"The Four Skillful Brothers"
"Die vier kunstreichen Brǜder"
Aidan Hickey12 December 2010 (2010-12-12)
348"The Magician's Feud [de]"
"Der Zauberer-Wettkampf"
Marteinn Thorisson13 December 2010 (2010-12-13)
359"The Nightingale"
"Die Nachtigall"
Marcus Flaming14 December 2010 (2010-12-14)
3610"Beauty And The Beast"
"Die Schöne und die Biest"
Linda O'Sullivan15 December 2010 (2010-12-15)
3711"The Twelve Dancing Princesses"
"Der zertanzten Schuhe"
Armin Prediger16 December 2010 (2010-12-16)
3812"Hans in Luck"
"Hans im Glück"
Marcus Fleming17 December 2010 (2010-12-17)
3913"Little Mook"
"Der kleine Muck"
Armin Prediger18 December 2010 (2010-12-18)
4014"Goldilocks and the Three Bears"
"Goldlöckchen und die drei Bären"
Richie Conroy19 December 2010 (2010-12-19)
4115"Aladdin"
"Aladin und die Wunderlampe"
Marcus Fleming20 December 2010 (2010-12-20)
4216"The Caliph Stork [de]"
"Kalif Storch"
Marteinn Thorisson21 December 2010 (2010-12-21)
4317"The Drummer [de]"
"Der Trommler"
Aidan Hickey22 December 2010 (2010-12-22)
4418"Snow-white and Rose Red"
"Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot"
Linda O'Sullivan23 December 2010 (2010-12-23)
4519"Bearskin"
"Der Bärenhäuter"
Armin Prediger24 December 2010 (2010-12-24)
4620"The Little Mermaid"
"Die kleine Meerjungfrau"
Armin Prediger25 December 2010 (2010-12-25)
4721"Pinocchio"Marteinn Thorisson26 December 2010 (2010-12-26)
4822"Iron John"
"Der Eisenhans"
Armin Prediger27 December 2010 (2010-12-27)
4923"The Emperor's New Clothes"
"Das Kaisers neue Kleider"
Marcus Fleming28 December 2010 (2010-12-28)
5024"Yorinda And Yoringel"
"Jorinde und Joringel"
Armin Prediger29 December 2010 (2010-12-29)
5125"The Singing Lark"
"Das singende springende Lӧweneckerchen"
Sally Ann O'Reilly30 December 2010 (2010-12-30)
5226"The Three Feathers"
"Die drei Federn"
Aidan Hickey31 December 2010 (2010-12-31)

Broadcast[edit]

Simsala Grimm premiered on KiKA in Germany on 1 November 1999, and ended on 21 July 2000. It was later renewed for a second season, which premiered on 6 December 2010, and ended on 31 December of the same year.

The English version of the series premiered in Australia in 2001 on ABC Kids, and later on RTÉ2 in Ireland.[when?] In addition, the first season of the series was distributed on DVDs in the United States in 2004, under the name "The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm".[citation needed]

A third season was announced in 2019.[2] Remastered versions of the previous seasons were produced as well, and were released on Amazon Prime Video in March 2021 in Germany and the United Kingdom,[3] with the German version in particular releasing in theaters starting 28 October 2021.[4] On 7 November 2021, a series of radio plays was announced for an early 2022 release, with the first episode, based on The Seven Ravens, releasing on 11 February on Spotify, Deezer, and Napster,[5] while a second episode, based on The King's Son Who Feared Nothing, releasing on 28 April 2023.[6]

Proposed film adaptation[edit]

In 2002, Greenlight Media partnered with Berlin Animation Film and John H. Williams of Vanguard Animation to produce a film adaptation that would have been known domestically as Happily N'Ever After, which would have revolved around Cinderella's stepmother taking over the land of Simsala. The film would have starred Andy Dick as Yoyo, and Wallace Shawn as Doc Croc, with the additional voices of Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, George Carlin and Sigourney Weaver. By 2003, Grenlight Media would sell its interest in the film, and while the film did get released in 2007, all connections to the series were removed from the final project.[7]

In March 2019, with the celebration of 20th anniversary of the series, Greenlight Media announced that it signed a deal with Fabula Media Group to produce an animated feature film based on the show, as well as the third season is in development.[8]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Sometimes titled "Thumbling" in home media releases.
  2. ^ Titled "Die zwei Prinzesinnen" in home media releases.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c https://zdf-enterprises.de/sites/default/files/catalogue/downloads/simsalagrimmbible_finale_version_web_einzelseiten_0.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ admin_greenlight (4 March 2019). "Kid's classic SimsalaGrimm finds a new home". Greenlight Media. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Watch SimsalaGrimm (Re-Version), Season 1 | Prime Video". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ^ "SimsalaGrimm - Kinotrailer". YouTube (in German). 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  5. ^ "SimsalaGrimm • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Der Baum des Lebens (Die neuen Abenteuer von Yoyo und Doc Croc)". www.universal-music.de (in German). Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  7. ^ Stewart (2 May 2003). "Greenlight greenlights second Grimm toon". C21 Media. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  8. ^ "KID'S CLASSIC SIMSALAGRIMM FINDS A NEW HOME". Greenlight Media. 4 March 2019.

External links[edit]