Frog Prince Week: For the Kitchen

For the kitchen this time. All but the shakers are pricey. The Herends make heirlooms, perhaps. For your beloved toddler's fine dining, I think not, once you see the price. I admit I'm more fond of the shakers than the expensive dinnerware, a surprise to my usually expensive tastes.


Green Prince Frogs Salt & Pepper Shakers Set


Plate with Frog Prince (Frog Prince Set) Herend Children's Collection


Bowl with Frog Prince (Frog Prince Set) Herend Children's Collection


Mug with Frog Prince (Frog Prince Set) Herend Children's Collection

Frog Prince Week: For the Wedding

Because nothing says love like comparing your groom to a frog. (Which I think is fine if he is in on the joke.)


Princess Bride Kissing Frog Prince Figurine: Every girl loves a fairytale wedding and this is the perfect cake topper to top it off.


Almost Perfect . . . Frog Prince Groom Figurine: Here is a slightly quirky twist on the classic Fairytale story about the Princess who kissed the frog. Still with the tell-tale lipstick on his cheek, our Prince Charming is almost perfect except for two little green feet" that reveal his true origins. Oh well . . . you love him just the same!


.Set of 12 Frog Prince Favors Premium Glycerin Soaps: These are marketed primarily as wedding favors.


At Last I Found My Prince Collection Frog Votive Candle Holders: More wedding party favors. Also available as bookmarks and keychains.

Frog Prince Week: The Tale of a Frog Kissed into a Prince

Heidi, you may be thinking, it's Friday and all you've really offered for Frog Prince week is lots of vicarious shopping. I know. Guilty as charged. I have even a few more "shopping" entries because this tale has been one of the best ever for finding unique, related items. Frogs are popular and frog princes almost as much. And it's so nice to find unusual things to share!

But today, almost at the end of the week, I offer some thinking material, just in time for your brain to be too tired with Friday fogginess and holiday distractedness. How considerate of me! I intended to post this on Monday or Tuesday, but I returned from my trip with a stuffy head and all I could focus on were the fun knick knacks I had collected in my searches.

So today, I offer you the introduction to my book about frog tales, The Frog Prince and Other Frog Tales From Around the World.

The introductory essay is titled The Tale of a Frog Kissed into a Prince and first appeared in a slightly different and condensed state in the Fall 2007 issue of Faerie Magazine. I have expanded it a little for the book and am now sharing it with you, like I do so much else, free of charge.

Like all my book introductions and articles for Faerie, I discuss the tale's history as well as modern interpretations and trends.

And the book will soon be available as a PDF for wider purchase and hopefully as a print edition soon after. Stay tuned, as always. I'm slow these days, but hopefully still sure.

Frog Prince Week: For the Home

More totally random stuff for the house, Frog Prince theme included. Some descriptions are mine, some are from the sellers.


Frog Prince Alarm Clock: Okay, this is rather cute.


Frog Prince on Ball Figurines: Ribbit. Ribbit. Your prince charming is here to stay. Add a touch of whimsy to your home decor with this fantastic Set of 2 Frog Prince Figurines. Featuring an adorable frog topped with a crown sitting on a ball, these items are unique and special in design. Perfect as accent pieces for the desk or empty space that needs that extra special touch.


Lladro Enchanted Prince Figurine: Hand crafted by artisians in Valencia Spain from fine porcelain. Note that this one isn't released yet. It appears at least some companies anticipated the tale's resurgence in popularity thanks to Disney. Even if picture book publishers didn't...


Prince of Frogs Design Accent Lamp with Verdi Stone Finish


Frog Prince Doorstop: Add a touch of royalty, of sorts, to your door. This doorstop measures 3.5 inches high, 6.5 inches wide, and 1.5 inches deep. The wedge-shaped wood base holds that door in place, and the felt bottom helps prevent skidding and slipping. The Aardvark would like to remind you that kissing this frog is not required!


Frog Prince Paperweight


Frog Prince Tealight Holder: Remind yourself that dreams do come true with our Frog Prince Tealight Holders. These whimsical tealight holders are inspired by the enchanted fairytale about a frog who was really a prince but needed a princess to kiss him in order for him to turn into a prince again. Let these remind you that there''s more than just appearances and inspire you to find your own frog prince.


Frog Prince Figurine in Black Fishnet Herend Frog Collection: This expensive trinket also comes in pink, rust and blue.


Prince the Frog with Bronze Glass Gazing Globe and Stand: The frog and lily pad base are adhered to an 8 inch bronze glass globe. It is sure to add character and color to your garden. The cast resin frog and cast resin base have lots of detail that everyone will appreciate. Prince the frog is 10 inches tall x 6.5 inches wide, then add the globe and base, making a the height of this piece is almost 20 inches. It is going to make a major statement in your garden. Some may want to use prince indoors and he would make for a great piece of statuary there as well. What a fun piece to display either in the garden or in your home. (Yes, this one rightfully should have appeared in yesterday's garden post.)


Kiss Me Frog Prince Chime: Makes a great gift for gardeners, frog collectors and people who still believe in fairy tales. (Another one that should have been in the garden post.)


Prince Frog Garden Stone: Okay, so this one really should be in the garden, but then again, I have a garden stepping stone hanging up in my kitchen, so I am rather justified in this one. Mine isn't a frog prince one, but it is fairy related...

Frog Prince Week: In the Garden

Yes, there are enough Frog Prince items made just for the garden to warrant their own post. And one of my favorite discoveries is in this post, so I had to share these.

Besides, sometimes there's nothing like freezing temperatures to make you wish for spring and a little gardening.


Frog Prince Thermometer: An original design by sculptor George Carruth, the Frog Prince thermometer is handcast in stone with a patina finish. (I really enjoy the humor of this one.)


Green Frog Prince Esschert Design Hose Guide: Add a touch of whimsy to your garden while protecting your precious plants with this green frog prince hose guide.


Green Frog Prince Esschert Design Watering Can: Allow our adorable green frog prince watering can to remind you to give your plants a drink. Perfect for young gardeners, frog lovers, or any gardener, including the one who has been waiting for her prince to come! It also comes in hot pink.


Frog Prince Birdfeeder: I don't see the bird feeder element, must be in the back of the frog. I hope it's not in the crown, because that would just be well, strange. Or rather sick once the birds start coming by to snack. The back is bad enough...makes the birds rather sadistic through no fault of their own.


Frog Prince with Golden Gazing Ball on Garden Stake: A regal frog prince wears a golden crown and sits atop a golden gazing ball on this unique garden stake.

Frog Prince Week: Bookends

Yes, there is a plethora of Frog Prince related items. This is easily one of the most marketed fairy tales, perhaps only tied or even surpassing Cinderella when it comes to trinkets and such.

Today I present bookends. I don't have many bookends in my house since I don't need them. I need the space they take for actually storing books. But these are fun and very tempting.


Frog Prince Brass Bookends: The most elegant (and expensive) of today's offerings. And these are my favorites, too, of course. It helps that they are holding books. I have a lot of items with books as a motif in my house.


Frog Prince Bookends: I like these very much, too, and tie them for second place with the next ones.


Frog Prince Bookends: Another set. What can I say?


Frog Prince Bookends: Aren't these ghastly? Makes me shudder to think what prince would appear if these were kissed. He would resemble Jabba the Hut, I think. I do think they are intentionally awful.

Don't Forget Fairy Tale Week at Wonders and Marvels

Last week, I posted about Fairy Tale Week on Wonders and Marvels, but in case any of you forgot about it, well, don't! The week is half done, but there are still daily giveaways of great books and interesting posts to read.

And if you keep checking there, you may see a post about 'Five Great Fairy Tales You've Never Read' by someone familiar. (Yes, me!)

Frog Prince Week: Toys

Apparently there are hundreds of Disney related Princess and the Frog toys and other items for the holiday, many of them already sold out according to some sources. Here I offer other iterations of the tale interpreted for toys.


Folkmanis Frog Prince Reversible Puppet: Reversible Frog Prince Puppet. The Prince has a movable head and arms, the Frog has a movable mouth and arms. (I so WANT this one.)


The Frog Prince (Book and Puppet Theater): The Frog Prince, a classic tale that reminds us to keep our promises, is one title in the series of Imagination in a Box interactive reading sets. Each Imagination in a Box set comes packaged in a sturdy cardboard "briefcase" with a plastic handle. Inside the case you will find a book, two scenery backdrops, seven stand-up characters, and two adorable finger puppets -- all the makings for an interactive story time. Play along with the finger puppets and stand-up characters when you hear the story, then keep playing and bringing the tale to life even after storytime is over!


Fisher-Price Little People Prince Roberto and His Royal Frog: I have a Little People Lil' Kingdom Castle that I keep on hand for any visiting children to my home. I find it is quite popular with kids of many ages--it's the most popular and requested toy I own. I want to add this set at some point. Now that I see the castle has been discontinued, I am even more happy to keep it. (The price is several times more than I paid for it years ago.) I also recommend the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Castle which is alas no longer in production either. I love castles.


Alex Toys the Frog Prince Glove Finger Puppets: Glove Finger Puppets is a collection of soft felt finger puppets that features characters from this classic fairy tale. The package has the story printed on the back so parents and children can enjoy plenty of story time fun together. They’re the perfect size for little hands and will inspire young imaginations to explore the world of dramatic play.


Ty Classic Kissed Frog


Topsy Turvy Doll Frog Prince by North American Bear Co.: Princess in green and pink gown with organza accents flips to handsome Prince with frog face hood and green gloves in a water lily pond.


Prince Ribbit Frog Musical Pull Toy: Prince Ribbit has a removable butterfly friend, musical pull tail, mirror to play peek-a-boo, "ribbit" sound chip and lots of crinkley spots.


Bearington Bears Charming Prince: This frog is very stately and looks more like a Valentine's Day gift to me.

Happily Ever After Anthology

Gyspy beat me to the punch on this one a few days ago, but I've decided to take this off draft status and double post it to make sure the news gets out. (She and I know this happens sometimes.) In other words, I just looked at the database myself and didn't see many new entries since the post. I had planned to write about a few of my favorite short stories for the blog entry, but December works against me. So here's the announcement and perhaps I'll share some favorites soon.

From the post on Tor.com, Reprint Anthologies from the VanderMeers and others:

While I’m not doing a submission reading period like Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, I am looking for help in finding science fiction and fantasy versions of fairy tales. Following the lead of John Joseph Adams, I’ve created a story recommendation website for Happily Ever After. There, people can let me know about their favorite science fiction/fantasy fairy tales. My definition of fairy tale is pretty open. That is, you don’t need to stick to just Grimm Brothers or Hans Christian Andersen stories.

Now, I’ve got the excellent Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling anthologies, but don’t hesitate to recommend stories out of them. Also, don’t worry if someone else has already recommended your favorite story; recommend it again. The only rule is that I’m looking for reprints so the story has to have appeared somewhere else. People who recommend a story that ends up in the anthology will get thanked in the book.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

John Klima is the editor of the Hugo-winning Electric Velocipede and the forthcoming science fiction and fantasy fairy tale reprint anthology Happily Ever After.

And if you're looking for some of the titles, many of them are included on the Modern Interpretations pages for the annotated tales on SurLaLune. I actually have a spreadsheet of many anthologies that has helped me sort titles over the years. The things I do to make SurLaLune as comprehensive as possible...


One of my top picks: "Beauty" by Tanith Lee from her long out-of-print collection, Red As Blood.

Frog Prince Week: Trinket Boxes

Who knew that the Frog Prince inspired so many trinket boxes? I'm not a trinket box kind of girl, but these are quite fun.


Frog Prince Jewelry Box - Genuine Goose Egg -with Swarovski Crystals


Prince Frog With Golden Crown Bejeweled Trinket Box


Frog Prince Trinket Box: This one is my favorite although I buried it in the middle of the post.


Frog Prince with Jewels Hinged Trinket Box


Royal Crown Frog Prince Hinged Trinket Box

Princess and the Pea Alarm Clock

For your amusement today, I offer the Princess and the Pea Alarm Clock.

First the explanation from the inventor, jmsaltzman:

No ordinary alarm clock: the Princess and the Pea Alarm Clock ("PPAC") leaves no room for snoozing, inflating a green "pea" between the mattress and box spring, making it impossible to stay in bed. In the tin can, a homemade Arduino-compatible board with clock and memory chips handles the alarm clock functions, and a power block under the night stand provides power and relays driving the sprinkler valve or other alarming alarm functions.

And might I say it really does look like a giant pea once it is inflated. And here's another video with Saltzman in the bed, but the pea is invisible...

Film News: The Girl with the Red Riding Hood

From `Twilight' director Catherine Hardwicke could leave 'If I Stay':

However, sources close to Hardwicke say she is poised to commit exclusively for a period of several months to another project -- the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced "The Girl with the Red Riding Hood" at Warner Bros, which would take her off "Stay."

"Riding Hood," a gothic update of the classic fairy tale, is a priority for Warner Bros. The script has a shiny pedigree -- it's from David Johnson, the writer behind the sleeper horror hit "Orphan" -- and the studio is awaiting a revised draft, which is due in January. With strong teen characters and gothic elements, you might be excused for thinking it could be Warner Bros.' "Twilight." (With the studio's eagerness to lock up Hardwicke, it looks as though Warner Bros. is thinking that way too.)

Hmmm, looks like this fairy tale movie has a pretty good chance of being made... See my previous post Another 'Little Red Riding Hood' Movie?.

Ponyo on DVD Preorder

Ponyo has been announced for a March 2, 2010 release to DVD and Blu-ray (includes DVD, too) and can now be preordered with many retailers.

Although I posted about the movie earlier this year and its relation to Little Mermaid, here's the description from Amazon:

Ponyo confirms Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's reputation as one of the most imaginative filmmakers working today. Loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid," Ponyo is a magical celebration of innocent love and the fragile beauty of the natural world. The daughter of the sea goddess Gran Mamare (voiced by Cate Blanchett) and the alchemist Fujimoto (Liam Neeson), Ponyo (Noah Cyrus) begins life as an adventurous little goldfish. Chafing at her father's restrictions, she goes in search of adventure and meets Sosuke (Frankie Jonas), a good-natured 5-year-old who lives by the sea. Sosuke adopts Ponyo and quickly wins her heart. Fujimoto uses magic to bring her back, but Ponyo's love for Sosuke proves stronger than his elixirs. She transforms herself into a human girl and returns to him during a spectacular storm at sea, but her metamorphosis upsets the balance of nature, precipitating a crisis only Gran Mamare can resolve. Ponyo contains fantastic moments that suggest dreams-- and reassert the power of hand-drawn animation to create memorable fantasies: No effects-laden Hollywood feature can match the wonder of Ponyo running along the tops of crashing waves on her way back to Sosuke. Ponyo is closer in tone to My Neighbor Totoro than Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, and will appeal to audiences of all ages, including small children. The #1 film in Japan in 2008, Ponyo earned more than ¥14.9 billion (over US$155 million) to become the 8th highest grossing film in Japanese history. (Rated G: A few scary moments, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon

I haven't gotten to see the film yet, but I will sometime after March 2 since I have already preordered it myself.

Frog Prince Week: Jewelry

The frog prince is such an iconic image that it has been interpreted countless times into various mediums. Today I offer jewelry, just a few examples of ones currently available because there are too many to post.


Frog Prince Charm: This one is my favorite because it is whimsical although bordering on the twee. In the end, this frog makes me smile. I like that the pearl can represent the golden ball of the story.


Frog Prince Pendant: This one is funny, too. He's tied for my favorite.


Sterling Silver Frog Prince: Here's a simple sterling silver one, great for a charm bracelet. I like the detailing on this one.


Sterling Silver Frog Prince: Another sterling silver charm, simpler this time.


Gold Frog Prince Pendant: This one is a little too modern for my personal taste, but it is humorous and I like it despite my usual preferences.

Frog Prince Week: The Cannon Film

Hands down the most frequently asked question about the Frog Prince I've received over the years concerns the Cannon Film version, arguably the most beloved and popular version of the tale on film--until Disney's weekend release eclipses it that is.

Unfortunately, when many of the Cannon fairy tale films were released to DVD several years ago in the states (meaning region 1), this was one of the films not released, most likely for rights issues. It was released for region 2, but that is also out of print. So used copies of the VHS edition or the region 2 DVD are the only available versions. You can view my list of the Cannon Tales on DVD on Amazon.

This film features some fairly well-known faces especially Helen Hunt (Mad About You and As Good As It Gets) and Aileen Quinn who had a much shorter career but played in one of my favorite childhood movies, Annie. (I can still sing the entire soundtrack and give several lines to that film although I haven't watched it in a few decades at least.)

You may also go to YouTube and watch uploaded, blurry versions which some have done out of desperation. The rights are iffy and I'm not affiliated with the YouTube publishers in anyway, but I've embedded the links below. I was hoping the obvious upcoming popularity of the tale would encourage the distributors to resolve the rights issues and finally release this to DVD, but alas, no happily ever after exists yet for fans. And I know you're out there. Many of you have sent pleading emails that I wish I had the power to answer happily.

And for those of you searching for this version, but unable to identify it, hopefully you will see it here and the search will be ended, at least partially. I'm also trying to avoid a new deluge of emails with the "I am trying to find this Frog Prince film I loved...." Here it is. Of course, you may also be searching for Prince Charming, The Frog King by Tom Davenport or Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Tale of the Frog Prince, among others.


Trailer


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5

Apparently there is no part 6 because the parts were misnumbered. I don't believe anything is missing.
Part 6


Part 7


Part 8


Part 9


Part 10


Part 11

So no, I don't know if or when this film will ever make it to DVD. I understand the frustration and be assured that as soon as I learn anything, I will post it here and on the SurLaLune site. But please don't hold your breath. DVD releases are confusing--my personal wishlist includes A Town Like Alice, The African Queen and the Homefront tv series--which seem to suffer from similar issues. It's the vagaries of the system which elude me and keep great stuff from reaching our homes.