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Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf brought to us by Wendt and Kühn

Posted on December 17, 2019 | 0 Comments

Little Red Riding Hood is on her way to her Grandmother's house, bringing her a lovely basket of cake, something special to drink, and some beautiful flowers.

     

Yes, she is a truly favorite fairy tale known to all of us - yet, at the same time bringing good cheer, she makes a delightful addition to any special occasion.

She is new in 2019, stands 2" tall, and comes with a Wendt and Kühn Presentation / Gift Box.

Grete Wendt loved the world of fairy tales and used her fascination for them to create a whole series of delightful figurines. One of them is Little Red Riding Hood and a companion piece of the Big Bad Wolf. 

     

Other names for the story are: "Little Red Riding hood," "Little Red Cap," or simply "Red Riding Hood." 

"Little Red Riding Hood is a European fairy tale whose origins can be traced back to the 10th century to several European folk tales. One of the best known versions was written by the Brothers Grimm. 

Little Red Riding Hood is named after her red hooded cape/cloak. She walks through the woods to deliver food to her sickly grandmother (wine and cake depending on the translation). In the Grimms' version, her mother had ordered her to stay strictly on the path.

The Big Bad Wolf wants to eat her and the food in the basket. He secretly stalks her behind trees, bushes, shrubs, and patches of little and tall grass. He approaches Little Red Riding Hood, who naively tells him where she is going. He suggests that the girl pick some flowers as a present for her grandmother, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He swallows the grandmother whole (in some stories, he locks her in the closet) and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandma.

When the girl arrives, she notices that her grandmother looks very strange. Little Red then says, 'What a deep voice you have!' ('The better to greet you with,' responds the wolf), "Goodness, what big eyes you have!" ('The better to see you with,' responds the wolf), 'And what big hands you have!' ('The better to hug/grab you with,' responds the wolf), and lastly, 'What a big mouth you have' ('The better to eat you with!,' responds the wolf), at which point the wolf jumps out of bed and eats her, too. Then he falls asleep. 

In the Grimm's German version a  hunter comes to the rescue with an axe, and cuts open the sleeping wolf. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They fill the wolf's body with heavy stones. The wolf awakens and attempts to flee, but the stones cause him to collapse and die." - Wikipedia

Beginning in 2017 and over the next few years Wendt and Kühn will release a new fairy tale figurine every fall to add to the joy. Cinderella is the first in the series, Star Magic - the Sterntaler Girl - is the second, and Red Riding Hood is the third.

Click here for the companion pieces - The Big Bad Wolf and the Little Red Riding Hood Jig-saw Puzzle.

     

All Made in Germany
by
Wendt and Kühn of Grünhainichen, Germany,
a "Toymakers Village"- since 1915 
Imaginative, unique, elegant, and delicate
figurines from a traditional workshop -
meticulously hand-crafted by 155 artisans -
80 are painters,
but only four (4) paint faces.
Winner of the 1937 World's Fair, Paris
Gold Medal - Grand Prix
Simply Exquisite!
A more than special addition to your collection!

Posted in Fairy Tales, German Folk Art, German Traditions, Wendt and Kühn

Wendt and Kühn's Sterntaler Girl / Star Magic / Star Money - New for 2018 - A Symbol of Humanity

Posted on October 14, 2018 | 0 Comments

New for 2018, Wendt and Kühn brings us their latest fairytale figure, the Sterntaler Girl / Star Magic - a symbol of humanity.

       Grete Wendt loved the world of fairy tales and used her fascination for them to create a whole series of delightful figurines. One of them is the Sterntaler Girl - Star Money / Star Magic. Sitting in a moonlit glade, the Sterntaler Girl spreads out her apron. When stars fall from the heavens and turn into coins it is fairy tale time at Wendt and Kühn. 

A Grimm's Fairy Tale, the Star Talers, "An unnamed, orphaned girl is poor and homeless; she has only her clothing and a loaf of bread that a kindhearted soul has given her. She is a goodhearted person, however, and so she goes out into the countryside to see what might happen. She gives a hungry man her bread, and to three cold children she gives her cap, her jacket, and her dress. After wandering into a  forest, she sees a naked child begging for a shift, and since it is dark and she cannot be seen, she gives her own shift away. As she stands there with nothing left at all, suddenly stars fall to earth before her, becoming talers [brightly shining coins], and she finds herself wearing a new shift of the finest linen. The story ends with her being rich." - Wikipedia

      

Illustration by Heinrich Voegeler

"This fairy tale was particularly popular before the first World War as it symbolized the compassionate man who helps others even when he apparently has nothing himself.  Grete Wendt first designed the Sterntaler Girl in 1930.

Now nearly a century later she still stands for compassion, modesty, and care for others. Those values are today more important than ever. The Sterntaler Girl is a symbol for humanity, one of the reasons Wendt and Kühn chose this particular fairy tale to continue the fairy tale collection in 2018" - Wendt and Kühn

She is also available in a 24-piece jigsaw puzzle - find it here.

Beginning in 2017 and over the next few years Wendt and Kühn will release a new fairy tale figurine every fall to add to the joy. Cinderella is the first in the series and the Sterntaler Girl is the second.

You will definitely want to add this very special piece to your collection.

Posted in Fairy Tales, German Christmas, German Folk Art, German Traditions, Wendt and Kühn

Emil Helbig Wood Carvers - Enchanting!

Posted on November 29, 2015 | 0 Comments

Three generations strong (1933-present) the Emil Helbig Workshop in Grunhainichen, the Erzgebirge, Germany, is the oldest wood carving workshop in the Ore Mountains. This year we have expanded our offerings considerably, with fairytales

     

children      Easter, and more.  

Their art is distinctive and elegant in its simplicity.

The exceptional Folk Art of the Emil Helbig Workshop has thrived over the years, suffering through the stark demands of the communist period, and then flourishing again since 1991 in the hands of Emil's son, Walter, enjoying a rebirth of the classic wood-carvings established by Emil himself. Their woodcarvings are created with a simple precision - the essence of the figure is revealed with a few, precise cuts. The native basswood, a bright, simply grained wood, is vital, accentuating the charm of the carvings through the final step - the full splendor of color. The art is in the omission! Emil Helbig's creative spirit lives on.

A celebration of humanity, from the figures created to the creators themselves, they are simply dear!

 

Posted in Emil Helbig, Erzgebirge, Fairy Tales, German Folk Art

Gingerbread House Fairy Tale Advent Calendar

Posted on October 29, 2013 | 0 Comments

We are ever so pleased to be able to offer this German Gingerbread House Advent Calendar.

 

Glitter-dusted and 3-Dimensional, this special Advent Calendar folds out to form a Gingerbread House.  It sets up very nicely in the middle of a table so that the children can easily enjoy it from all sides. A wonderful holiday table centerpiece.

Three Fairy Tales are seen on the sides of the house: Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Bremen Town Musicians. The calendar stands 8" high x 9.5" wide x 5" deep and is made in Germany.

My Growing Traditions also offers Hansel and Gretel, the Wicked Witch, and an Inge-Glas ornament of the Gingerbread House itself.

 

We also carry Inge-Glas' Snow White and the Seven Dwarf ornaments 

and a wonderful wood carving of the Grimms' Fairy Tales Bremen Town Musicians by the Christian Werner Workshop of Seiffen, Germany.

 

Enjoy a Fairy Tale Christmas! 

 

 

 

 


Posted in Advent, Christian Werner, Fairy Tales, German Christmas, German Folk Art, Inge-Glas