RUSSIA: The Frog Princess

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February 3rd 2020

Published: February 3rd 2020

This tale has nothing to do with kissing frogs nor the Disney production of "The Princess & the Frog" nor the Grimm Fairy tale "The Frog Prince". Y'all know this dancer would NOT extol that fantasy claptrap..."Historophile" being my middle name. Now I've cleared that up...let us begin. Long, long ago there was a Tsar who had three sons. When they came of age...like any loving father he called ... Read Full Entry

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Photos: 63, Displayed: 21

4th February 2020

Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro

Nice fairy tale
I've never heard that fairy tale before. It was nice. /Ake

4th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Nice fairy tale
Thanks for commenting Ake. There are many stories we can tell of our own perceptions when visiting a country. Sometimes it is nice to dwell on their own stories that help define their psyche and sense of place.

4th February 2020

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

Wonderful Russian fairy tale...
well worth the $10 you spent.

5th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Wonderful Russian fairy tale...
Glad you enjoyed it Bob...such a whacky tale I had to tell it. The book of Russian Fairy Tales opened me to so many aspects of the Russian psyche thus was certainly ten bucks well spent. That how I got it comes with such a great story still makes me shake my head...could be a fairy tale itself, but 'twas true!

5th February 2020

Laila the Tuareg
Denise Hooper

...a smile on my matryoshka doll's face
oh boy did I laugh!!! I do feel though you should rename the blog to "The 10 buck book & the million dollar doll!"

5th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

...a smile on my matryoshka doll's face
Lest I forget my love...how many years will it take to work the price off???

6th February 2020

Laila the Tuareg
Denise Hooper

...a smile on my matryoshka doll's face
...how many years will it take to work the price off? Pleased you asked - once you have worked off the vacuum cleaner - how much time do you have?

6th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

...a smile on my matryoshka doll's face Pt 2
Ouch!!! Haven't I paid off the vacuum cleaner I bought from the Whitmont Man all those years ago? I have done ALL the vacuuming for I don't know how many years in penance ever since!!! The World will be burnt up by the Sun before I've paid the World's most expensive matryoshka doll off...OUCH!!!

7th February 2020

Laila the Tuareg
Denise Hooper

...a smile on my matryoshka doll's face Pt 3
not a problem - the judge has spoken - penance is dusting said matryoshka doll along with all that surrounds her in a radius of 50m for but not limited to a period of x years which will be determined by aforementioned judge!

11th February 2020

Peck to paw
non-member comment

Soviet cartoon
Look for царевна-лягушка 1954 мультфильм on YouTube for a beautifully made classic Soviet cartoon. Compared to the original fairy tale, it offers some logical and ideological refinement (i.e. the immortal villain is a disgruntled suitor vs. Vasilissa's father; the nightly labor is done by Vasilissa herself rather than a bunch of class-opressed magical helpers; and the villain's "death by needle" is portrayed more literally), but it is a very well done cartoon.

11th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Soviet cartoon
I cannot thank you enough for your comment and directing me to discover this Soviet cartoon version of The Frog Princess. I have just viewed 38mins 55secs of Сказки : Царевна-лягушка which though in Russian I could understand and see the differences with my version. Thoroughly enjoyed it and opened my eyes to a treasure trove of Russian Fairy Tales in cartoon form. Really glad I put the time in to prepare my blog which in the spirit of oral storytelling reflected my own style in the telling but kept to the spirit of the version I had. Thank you again. A new world of Russian culture has opened for me that I shall explore and enjoy further.

14th February 2020

Peck to paw
non-member comment

Some more cartoons
Glad you liked it. I kinda thought you would. I'm not sure what other fairy tales your book may have, but chances are some, if not most, have been made into cartoons. Some random suggestions (too bad I can't embed direct links): The sad wise wolf I remember seeing in one of your photos ("ну, ты заходи, если что") is from a delightful "Жил-был пёс". If you liked the animation style of Царевна-лягушка, you might also like "Гуси-лебеди", "Сестрица Алёнушка и братец Иванушка", which are adaptations of Russian fairy tales, and "В яранге горит огонь", which is a take on Northern indigenous folklore. Same animation style (but a different literary source) would be found in "Аленький цветочек", but you'd probably need subtitles. For some goofy modern claymation, check out "Глинька" and "Терем мухи" from an awesome modern series "Гора самоцветов" "Снежная королева" is probably the best adaptation of Andersen's "Snow Queen". "Кот в сапогах" Бардин" is an unmistakably 1990's claymation short by Garry Bardin, one of the key figures in Soviet and Russian stop-motion animation.

15th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Some more cartoons
Thank you again and again Peck to paw. I hope you reveal yourself further. I hope you have read my earlier Russian blogs that embrace Russian history as history is also pivotal to the Russian psyche. I will check out you cartoon suggestions with joyous expectation. fascinating

14th February 2020

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

Clearly Russia has much to offer
This great northern land has charmed its way into your heart. I have no doubt you will return for more exploration. What a fairy tale.... good luck living down the vacuum cleaner and the doll! Love to you both.

15th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Clearly Russia has much to offer
Russia was truly a revelation. Coming from the World's driest continent to the World's largest country...in many ways the most interesting. Thousands of photos. I find it an exhilarating challenge for what I will present next.

19th February 2020

Pauline Bennett
non-member comment

Loved this David
Loved this David. Very engaging. Love Pauline

19th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

Loved this David
Lovely to hear from you Pauline. Sometimes the arrow falls in places we do not expect. I do not know the moral of this tale but I was glad I discovered it.

19th February 2020

Mary Dean
non-member comment

A delightful tale
Hi Denise & David, I loved reading The Frog Princess - a delightful tale. I am enjoying the Pushkin fairy tale book ( for adults) we purchased as a souvenir in Russia also. It transports me to a “make believe “place - a type of meditation I suppose. Hope you are ok & not suffering any water damage! Cheers Mary

19th February 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

A delightful tale
Many more stories to share Mary. Denise & I look forward to seeing Peter & you for a bit of RR (Russian Reunion) real soon.

10th October 2020

Peck to paw
non-member comment

(no more) Soviet cartoons
Unfortunately, Soyuzmultfilm has recently made the decision to take down all of their Soviet classics from youtube and move them to a (potentially not free) Russian online platform. The real bummer, though, is that access to the collection seems to be restricted to Russian ip addresses only. So no more ? princess for us :-(

10th October 2020

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

(no more) Soviet cartoons
That is sad news Yanis. It really opened my eyes and furthered my understanding of the Russian psyche with your links to the abridged and unabridged versions of the Frog Princess and other Russian fairy tale cartoons. You appear to have a great knowledge of all things Russian yet your comment implies you may miss out if you do not have a Russian ip address. May I enquire in which country do you reside?

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RUSSIA: The Frog Princess

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