Fairy Tale Writers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Felix Salten

The original tale by Felix Salten, an Austrian author, was "Bambi, a Life in the Woods". It was published in 1923. He sold the film rights for $1000 in 1933 and they were later acquired by Walt Disney who turned the story into his fifth feature film ("Bambi") in 1942. Salten therefore never received a share of the profits from that film.

Answer: Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

It was a traditional tale first published in 1740 in France. There are several other later versions known across Europe. De Villeneuve's version had a savage Beast in it and was rather too long. An abridged version with a more sympathetic Beast character was published by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 and it is that version we are now most familiar with.

Answer: Charles Perrault

Perrault was a Frenchman and he wrote a series of stories in 1697 under the title "Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals" which was subtitled with the more familiar "Tales of Mother Goose". One of those stories was "Cinderella". The story was also included by the Brothers Grimm in the first volume of 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' published in 1812.

Answer: Joseph Jacobs

The story of Dick Whittington and his cat is attributed to various sources over time, but it gained popularity in the 19th century through adaptations and retellings. However, it's often associated with the collection of fairy tales compiled by Joseph Jacobs, particularly in "English Fairy Tales," published in the late 19th century. This version helped solidify the story's place in English folklore and children's literature.

Jacobs was born in Sydney, Australia in 1854. His father had emigrated to Australia from England in 1837. In 1890 he edited 'English Fairy Tales', the first in a series of books. The story of 'Whittington and His Cat' was included in it. Richard Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, was a real character who lived c.1354-1423. He was born poor but rose to become a very wealthy man. Also included were other stories such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Jack the Giant Killer'.

Answer: Hans Christian Andersen

Many of Andersen's fairy tales have become part of western culture. His book of "Fairy Tales Told for Children", published in several volumes contained other classics such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Tinderbox", The "Princess and the Pea" and "Thumbelina". A statue of the Little Mermaid can be found by the waterside in Copenhagen and has become an icon of the city.

Answer: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

The Brothers Grimm wrote many fairy tale classics. They collected stories from German folk tales and wrote them down. Their book "Children's and Household Tales" (known as Grimm's Fairy Tales) was first published in 1812 and was revised and added to many times in the next 40-50 years. The story of 'The Frog Prince' was also called 'The Frog King'.

Answer: Robert Southey

Southey, an Englishman, first published this story in 1837. It is also known as 'Goldilocks' or 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. A rhyming version, based on Southey's story was published by George Nicol the same year.

Answer: The Brothers Grimm

This story was included in "Grimm's Fairy Tales" published in 1812. It tells the tale of a brother and sister trapped in a house made of confectionery by a witch and how they outwit her to make their escape.

Answer: Charles Perrault

"Little Red Riding Hood" was published in 1697 as one of the stories in Perrault's "Tales of Mother Goose". Perrault himself was secretary to France's Finance Minister in 1663. His brother, Claude Perrault, was the designer of a part of The Louvre Museum built between 1665 and 1680.

Answer: J. M. Barrie

The story was first included in a 1902 book called "The Little White Bird". In 1904, a play based on that story and titled "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" was staged in London. The chapters about Peter Pan in "The Little White Bird" were published separately in 1906 and proved highly successful. Barrie himself was made a Baronet in 1913 by King George V. Barrie gave the rights to Peter Pan stories to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for children before his death in 1937.

Answer: Carlo Collodi

The Italian author Collodi's real name was Carlo Lorenzini. He published the story of a marionette, Pinocchio, in 1883 and died in 1890 before it became successful. It was made into a cartoon film by Walt Disney in 1940.

Answer: Richard Johnson

Very little is known about Richard Johnson's personal life. He lived from 1573 until about 1659. He wrote the story of "The History of Tom Thumb" in 1621. The character of Tom Thumb was used in a play of the same name by Henry Fielding in 1730.

Answer: Hans Christian Andersen

This story was published in "New Fairy Tales" in 1844. It is definitely one of the most successful fairy stories of all time and was not part of any pre-existing folklore before he wrote the tale.

Answer: Johann von Goethe

The tale of the Sorcerer's Apprentice started out as a poem in 1797. Goethe wrote epic poems as well as this 14 stanza poem which formed the basis for the Walt Disney film "Fantasia" in 1940.

Answer: Brothers Grimm

This tale, published in 1812 by the brothers Grimm, tells the story of a beautiful princess who is hated by her father's new Queen. The seven dwarfs who shelter the princess were not named in the original story. That didn't happen until one hundred years later for a Broadway stage version of the story.

The names were changed again for the Disney film "Snow White" in 1937 and are probably now recognisable by the majority of people in Western cultures.