"Die Wichtelmänner" ("The Elves and the Shoemaker") is a classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm about a poor cobbler who gets a much-needed economic boost from a most unexpected source. Voodoo economics indeed! Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!

Another psychological marvel from the Brothers Grimm, in which (spoiler alert!) two sisters cuddle up to a bear, who, instead of eating them, turns into a prince and marries one of them, kindly matching up the other with his brother. Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!

This is the very nicely told and animated Irish folk tale of poor Niall O'Leary and the leprechaun's pot of gold. Just when you think it's all up with Niall, he manages to... well, see for yourself! Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen!

Another curious tale from the Brothers Grimm about a young couple who steal food from an elderly widow and as punishment lose custody of their daughter, who later becomes royalty by marriage. Good luck figuring out the moral of this story!

This is the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm of the young couple who take a walk into the woods, and the young woman winds up being transformed into a bird by a witch and abandoned by her lover. Another classic tale of fear, abandonment and redemption...

Another grim fairy tale from the twisted minds of a 17th century European. Not satisfied with merely cutting the wolf open, they fill him with stones so that he can drag himself to a horrible death. (No endangered species were harmed in the making of this cartoon!)

Yet another classic Hans Christian Andersen tale with an ambivalent moral. If you love, you will always lose? Jealousy destroys even the things you love? Don't trust a goblin twice or you're a sucker? You decide!

One of Hans Christian Andersen's saddest tales, "The Little Match Girl" tells of a homeless girl who is left starving on the icy streets one Christmas Eve. Was Andersen making an early attempt in the 19th century to raise social awareness? Watch this and decide for yourself...

Based upon a legend in medieval Baden-Württemberg, "The Women of Weinsberg" tells the tale of a group of women who, through their cunning and guile, saved the lives of all their male kindred from certain death. Viel Spaß!

Sagenhaft reinterprets the classic tale of Snow White from the Brothers Grimm.

The story of Sleeping Beauty is called "Dornröschen" [literally "Little Thorn-Rose"] in German. As with most fairy tales, this one too has a happy ending, unless you happen to be a wicked fairy!

The classic tale of the "Three Little Pigs" has been rendered wonderfully in cartoon form by Colorland Animation with narration by Bastian Pastewka.

Bastian Pastewka narrates the French folktale Beauty and the Beast. If only all stories had such a lovely ending!

This classic tale of "The Princess and the Pea," based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, has just one weak point in the plot: wouldn't a real princess have avoided complaining to her host about an uncomfortable bed? Enjoy this wonderfully animated video narrated by Bastian Pastewka.

See the tale of the Little Thumbling (sometimes called "Tom Thumb"), who wants to see the world, but discovers he doesn't like all that he finds. Based on the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault.