0:00

Pinna! What

0:30

were the cute, happy little kid bedtime versions

0:32

of the Grimm tales? The

0:34

original Grimm fairy tales aren't like that

0:36

at all. They're weird, and

0:39

sometimes gross, and often scary.

0:43

In other words, they're Grimm. And

0:46

I'm about to walk into a classroom and

0:48

tell one of the original Grimm Grimm tales

0:51

to a bunch of kids. Do

0:53

you want to join me? Do you want to

0:55

hear a Grimm fairy tale? Let

0:58

me help you decide. On

1:00

a scale of Grimm, Grimmer, and Grimist, the

1:02

story I'm going to tell today is

1:05

Grimist. It is gross, it

1:07

can be sad, there is some death,

1:09

and the bad guy is as evil

1:11

as bad guys can possibly get. If

1:14

I get to a part of the story and

1:16

you start to feel scared or uncomfortable, this is

1:18

what you could do. You could

1:21

turn down the volume and count

1:23

to five, then turn the volume

1:25

back up. If it still seems

1:27

like a part you don't want to hear, just turn

1:29

the volume down and count to five again. You

1:32

know how much weird and gross and scary you're ready

1:34

for. You know what you need.

1:37

Okay, I'm at the classroom door

1:39

now. There are kids inside

1:42

waiting to hear a Grimm fairy tale.

1:45

So, are

1:47

you coming in? Grimm,

1:57

Grimmer, Grimist. and

4:00

foaming at the mountain. The

4:02

bear was nearly on top of it.

4:04

The soldier calmly raised his nuffet, and

4:06

the bear between the ends. The picture

4:08

of the bear crashed to the ground.

4:11

The soldier turned to the man

4:13

with the green coat. Brave enough

4:15

for ya. The man with the

4:17

green coat smiled again. So, you've

4:20

got courage. I love the tax. Are

4:23

you brave enough to do this then? For

4:26

the next seven years, you

4:28

will be without a home. You

4:31

must not wash, and

4:34

you must neither shave nor cut

4:36

your hair. You

4:38

must not care for your appearance

4:41

in any way. You

4:43

will wear the skin of that bear as

4:45

your cloak, and never during

4:47

the seven years may you take it

4:50

off. In

4:52

exchange for all this, I will

4:54

give you as much money as you want for

4:57

the rest of your life. What?

5:00

Yeah. The money isn't any

5:03

use if you can't... I

5:05

can talk to anybody, eternally. The

5:08

soldier looked at the man in the green coat, from

5:10

his slick hair to his cloven hooves. And

5:13

then the soldier said, I know who

5:15

you are. Who do you think he is?

5:17

The devil? Good for you. Said

5:20

the devil in his green coat. One last

5:22

condition. I before

5:24

the seven years are up, your

5:26

soul is mine. Never

5:28

do that, Seddie. Don't

5:32

trust the devil. Never trust

5:34

the devil. This sounds like in The Little

5:36

Mermaid, when Ursula is like,

5:38

if the prince doesn't kiss you, your soul

5:40

will be mine. Very similar story. And do

5:43

you know what Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote The

5:45

Little Mermaid, loved Grimm's fairy tales? The

5:47

soldier said, you won't get my soul.

5:49

And the devil replied, I usually get what I

5:51

want. The soldier hesitated.

5:55

He thought of his poverty and his lonely life. He

5:58

thought of all the money he could ever make. He

6:01

thought of eternal torment at the hands of the devil. He

6:04

thought of not washing himself for seven

6:06

years. Would you do it? Would

6:08

you take the deal? No. You think it's worth the

6:10

risk? Yeah, I would. You think it's not worth the

6:12

risk? No. Who would

6:15

risk losing their soldiers to get money? At

6:18

last, the soldier said, I'll do it. Are

6:20

you kidding me? The devil

6:22

skinned the bear and lay the stinky hide over the

6:24

soldier's head and shoulders. He told the soldier, Reach

6:28

into the bear's mouth and you shall always

6:30

have money. And then he

6:33

added, See you in seven years. Or

6:36

sooner. And

6:40

then he disappeared. Yes,

6:42

Jack. The soldier set out. The

6:45

first year wasn't so bad. He had all

6:47

the money he wanted, and while he was dirty and

6:49

smelly, money goes a long way in making life easier.

6:52

But by the second year, the soldier's fingernails

6:54

begun to look like claws. His

6:57

hair and beard were so mad as they had

6:59

become like felt. And

7:02

the stench of the rotting bear skin

7:04

was sickening. Inns and taverns

7:06

began to refuse to serve. People

7:08

would scream and run when they saw him on the road. He

7:12

had all the money he could ask for, but fewer and

7:14

fewer people would let him get close enough to use

7:16

it. The soldier traveled,

7:18

giving money to the poor when they let

7:20

him get near them, sleeping in barns when

7:22

someone would accept his money, and

7:24

sleeping under his bear skin in the

7:26

sky most nights. Pretty

7:28

soon, he started to wish that he were dead. Okay,

7:30

now what would you do if you were in the

7:33

soldier position? You have the money you want, and you

7:35

can't even use it. I'd go

7:37

into the forest and eat with Mary.

7:39

Ah, interesting. One

7:41

day, the soldier came to an inn, where

7:43

the innkeeper was kind enough to take a

7:45

huge amount of money for a tiny room

7:48

in the back. The

7:50

soldier curled up in the bed and cursed his life. Just

7:53

then, he heard the sound of a man

7:55

sobbing. He listened for a while.

7:58

Then he decided to follow the steps. sound. He

8:01

went into the hallway and listened again. The

8:03

sound was coming from the room next door.

8:06

The soldier pushed the door open to

8:09

find an elderly man weeping and sobbing.

8:12

When the elderly man looked up and saw

8:14

the soldier, he screamed and tried to escape

8:16

out the window. But the soldier spoke to

8:18

him, and his voice was kind and human.

8:20

It's okay. I won't hurt you. And the

8:22

elderly man calmed down. The

8:25

soldier asked why the elderly man was crying,

8:27

and the elderly man explained that he had

8:29

once been a successful merchant, but all his

8:31

money was lost, and his wife and three

8:33

daughters would surely starve. The

8:36

soldier said to the elderly man, If the problem

8:38

is money, you can stop crying right now. I've

8:40

got all the money you could ever need. He

8:43

reached into the bear's mouth and pulled out enough money

8:45

to live on for a year, and handed it to

8:47

the elderly man. The man wept

8:49

and kissed the soldier's filthy feet. Mmm,

8:53

you are so kind and

8:55

so generous. He looked up. Are

8:58

you married? And the soldier replied,

9:01

What do you think? No.

9:04

Right. Then please, please come

9:06

home with me. I have three beautiful

9:08

daughters. I'm sure they will jump at the chance to

9:11

marry you. Do you think they will jump at the

9:13

chance to marry the bear skin? No.

9:16

Well, the soldier thought the old man was

9:18

crazy. First of all, who would want to

9:20

marry a complete stranger? And second of all,

9:22

who would want to marry a complete stranger

9:24

who looked and smelled like a rotting bear

9:27

skin? But it was

9:29

the first time anyone had invited him to their

9:31

home in years. So he

9:33

went. When

9:35

they arrived at the house, the elderly man went

9:38

in first to tell his daughters to prepare themselves.

9:41

He warned them that the soldier looked a little, well,

9:44

weird and smelled just a little

9:46

bit, but that he had

9:48

saved their family from ruin and was kind and

9:50

generous and rich. When

9:53

the soldier was brought into the house, the three

9:55

girls were waiting for him. The

9:57

eldest daughter screamed and then started throwing up

9:59

on the floor. Right in front of the

10:01

soldier. The

10:03

middle daughter said, Father, I don't care

10:05

how kind he is. That's the most

10:07

revolting creature I've ever seen.

10:10

I don't know what's uglier, the rotting bear skin

10:12

on his back or his face. You

10:14

say that to his face? Yes.

10:17

The eldest daughter threw up again. But

10:21

the youngest daughter spoke directly to the soldier. You

10:24

are very kind to have saved us. If

10:26

your heart is as good as your deeds, I

10:28

will be your wife. Though your appearance is

10:30

strange, and your odor is, well,

10:32

shall we say, remarkable? Had

10:36

the soldier's face not been covered in fur

10:38

and grime, they all would have seen the

10:41

soldier light up with joy and gratitude. Well,

10:43

the eldest daughter wouldn't have seen it because she was

10:45

still crouched over her puddle of vomit. She started throwing

10:48

up again. The soldier

10:50

said, This is the first time I've felt

10:52

hopeful in many, many years. He took off

10:54

a ring that he wore and croaked it

10:56

in his. I must wander for

10:58

three more years. If I don't return

11:00

after that time, I'm dead and you will be free.

11:03

But pray for me, and God willing, I will

11:06

return, and he gave her death of

11:08

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Com/realm. For

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three years the youngest daughter did not

12:56

know with the soldier was alive or

12:58

dead but she prayed for him every

13:00

day. When her sister saw her praying

13:02

they lack the middle daughter said you.

13:04

Are playing. He'll get lost in a far

13:06

as or never find your plate box or

13:08

right that's what I would pray for. And

13:11

the eldest daughter just made people. would

13:13

you always make the the several. Okay,

13:18

Sorry, that was disgusting. Squeeze every

13:20

that again. When

13:22

it had been three years to the

13:24

day, the youngest daughter went outside to

13:26

wait for the soldiers. He

13:29

did not kill. She

13:31

waited for a long time. He

13:34

did not. See

13:36

of his daughter, went back into the

13:38

house put on balanced and began to

13:41

more for the deaths of the soldier

13:43

For while he had been the most

13:45

revolting creature she has ever seen, he

13:47

had indeed. Seemed kind are too

13:50

big sisters laughed with release my

13:52

middle daughter said was worried I'd

13:54

have to live a disgusting. Thing

13:56

in the house. And I don't mean what,

13:58

their skin. The eldest

14:00

daughter laughed too, and then she threw up

14:02

on the floor. She had a problem.

14:05

The soldier was making his way back to the forest where

14:07

he had met the devil. When

14:16

he arrived, the devil was waiting for him,

14:18

wearing the same green coat. When

14:21

he saw the devil, the soldier smiled.

14:24

You said you always get what you want.

14:27

And yet, here I am. Seven

14:29

years later, alive and well. And

14:32

the devil grumbled, Well, I usually do. The

14:35

soldier looked positively monstrous after seven

14:37

years. His felt like mat of

14:39

hair was down to his knees. His

14:41

nails practically reached the ground. His

14:44

beard was full of putrid food,

14:46

and the bearskin was a rotted,

14:48

decomposing mess. The devil

14:50

sighed and said, I guess

14:53

your soul is yours. And the

14:55

devil turned to go. But

14:57

the soldier said, Not so fast. The

15:00

deal was, if I looked like this for seven

15:02

years, you'd give me as much money as I

15:04

want, and I'd be free to go and live

15:06

the rest of my life. Well,

15:09

I did it. So clean me up

15:11

and give me a shave. No

15:13

one else will. So the devil took

15:15

off the bearskin and shaved and washed the soldier,

15:17

because the soldier was spick and span. Then

15:21

the devil gave him a fine coat and fine clothes. The

15:24

devil looked very glum. He

15:26

said, You will always find gold in

15:28

your pockets. And then

15:30

the devil disappeared. The

15:32

soldier had never felt so fine in his

15:34

whole life. He hurried back to the

15:37

house of the elderly man and his three daughters. When

15:40

he walked in, no one recognized him. But

15:42

he was so handsome, he was invited to

15:44

sit on the couch, and the two eldest daughters

15:47

spussed over him, flirting and batting their eyelashes and

15:49

flattering him. But the youngest

15:51

daughter sat in a corner, dressed in

15:53

black, her eyes downcast, tears streaming down

15:56

her cheeks. At

15:58

Last, the soldier said. And

16:00

you know, I'd like to marry one of

16:02

you, but I can't decide which. I

16:05

need a moment alone and to think

16:07

Well, the to eldest daughter scurried off

16:09

to their rooms hoping he would choose

16:11

one of them as his bride. But.

16:14

The youngest sat where she was on

16:16

moving. The soldier said to the youngest

16:18

daughter, wouldn't you like to marry me

16:20

make your sister's She shook her head

16:23

and replied. I was the truth

16:25

was good and kind man and now

16:27

he is false. And I'm

16:29

in mourning for the provenance in the

16:31

pros into a good and kind man.

16:34

Engage At The soldier stood up and

16:36

brought her a cup of water. He

16:38

said drink this and maybe you will

16:41

feel better known since you said The

16:43

youngest daughter refusing to even look up

16:45

the soldier said please have a sip

16:47

of this water. I was

16:50

said the youngest daughter mary. One

16:52

of my sisters. I don't want

16:54

anyone but my patrols. He looked

16:56

weird and smelled worse. He was

16:58

centers and he has a cleansed

17:00

eyes. And the soldier said rules,

17:02

you just take the water. While the

17:04

youngest daughter had had enough of being

17:06

bossed around by a total stranger, she was

17:09

annoyed. So annoyed that she decided to

17:11

look this stranger in the eye and tell

17:13

him to scram. She clenched

17:15

her jaw and listed her eyes.

17:18

It was then that see some in the

17:20

bottom of the water glass and eating so.

17:25

Half a ring. And

17:27

she looked up into the soldiers eyes

17:30

and recognized her for true that at

17:32

once she'd left her six engines into

17:34

his arms. When

17:36

the to eldest daughter came back into

17:39

the room they saw the soldier and

17:41

their youngest sister embracing. They were furious

17:43

and then the soldier explained that he

17:45

was the man and the bare skin.

17:48

The middle daughter said. The

17:51

eldest daughter Peace right there on the stairs.

17:54

And then ran out of the house and

17:57

threw. themselves down the wells were as

17:59

a threat Why did

18:01

you do that? What the heck? That

18:04

evening there was a knock on the door.

18:07

The soldier opened it to find

18:09

the devil standing there, grinning

18:11

at him. The

18:13

soldier said, What now? I have my

18:16

wife, my fortune, and my home. Leave

18:18

me alone. I just wanted to

18:20

let you know, said the devil, in

18:23

exchange for your one so. I

18:25

got two. He gestured at the well.

18:28

Then he winked. Like

18:30

I said, I usually

18:32

get what I want. The

18:35

end. Now

18:39

question, do you think that the devil had planned it that way the

18:41

whole time or he just ended up getting what he wanted? I'm not

18:43

sure. You think he'd planned it like the whole plan was to get

18:46

those two girls? Yeah. Why don't you

18:48

know? You wrote it. He just ends up

18:50

getting it. So I am retelling these stories,

18:52

but I didn't invent them. I

18:54

retell them. So I add details. I change details.

18:57

But that's how the real one ends. And the

18:59

devil says, I got two. And I don't know

19:01

whether he planned it that way. I

19:03

don't think he did. I think he just

19:06

always gets what he wants. Somehow or other.

19:08

That's interesting. He is the devil. He is

19:10

the devil. He's an evil man. I want to see

19:12

how he does. What

19:14

he does with those two sisters? He

19:17

can puke on them. Grim,

19:24

Grimmer, Grimest is a pinna

19:26

original production. Created, written and

19:28

narrated by me, Adam Gidwitz.

19:31

Author of Ateus Dark and

19:33

Grim. Produced and edited

19:35

by Ilana Miller. Casting and

19:37

voice direction by Paula Gemin Wilson. Sound

19:40

design and mixing by Beat Street NYC. Location

19:43

recording by Jason Gambrell and Evan Viola.

19:46

Characters voiced by... ...George

19:53

Lambert, H.D. Quinn, Kailin

19:55

Lee Clinton, Kiley Clackton, Laurie

19:58

Hine, Mark Tonstein. Marco

20:00

Bartola and Tom Weiland. Special

20:03

thanks to the staff and students at Brooklyn

20:06

Friends School and Manhattan Country School. You

20:08

guys are awesome!