Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest: “Red Fish, Blue Fish”

Host: Adam Gidwitz
Guests: Sana Ali Mohammad, classroom of children
Date: October 23, 2025
Spookiness Rating: Grimm (not too scary, but features a “threatening and frightening dude”)

Episode Overview

In this uniquely playful and interactive episode, host Adam Gidwitz is joined by guest storyteller Sana Ali Mohammad and a group of curious kids to retell a classic tale from 1001 Nights, reimagined as “Red Fish, Blue Fish, One Fish, Three Fish” (with some tongue-in-cheek legal disclaimers about not copying Dr. Seuss!). This isn’t your typical Grimm Brothers fare—Adam and Sana bring a vibrant, global twist, inviting lively jokes, predictions, and commentary from the kids at every turn. The episode weaves a tale of a down-on-his-luck fisherman, an ill-tempered Djinn, and magical fish, with humor and heart at every step, all backed by enthusiastic kid participation.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Setting the Stage: A New Kind of Tale

• [01:19 - 03:07]
  Adam introduces Sana, explaining this episode's story comes not from the German Grimm tradition but from 1001 Nights, with roots in Middle Eastern, Indian, and African oral traditions.
• Sana explains the 1001 Nights frame tale: a king who keeps killing his wives until clever Scheherazade starts telling endless cliffhanger stories to keep herself alive—“She tells story after story after story, and this is one of those stories.” (Sana Ali Mohammad, 05:48)

2. Beginning the Fisherman’s Story

• [06:48 - 11:14]
  The fisherman can only cast his net three times a day—cue kids theorizing why (curse, environmentalism, “tired after three throws”). The group notes there’s “no reason” for it, it’s just fairy tale logic.
• First cast: Pulls out a dead donkey (“Not a fish!”)
• Second cast: Hauls up a toilet—lively bathroom humor ensues.
• Third cast: Finds a weird pickle-shaped copper jar. Inside, at first, seems to be… nothing.

3. The Djinn Appears!

• [11:14 - 16:01]
  Black smoke billows out, forming a gigantic, terrifying Djinn.
• Sana explains “djinn” is the original word for what Disney calls a "genie." (Sana Ali Mohammad, 11:38)
• Rather than three wishes, the Djinn offers the fisherman “the gift of deciding how you die” as a thank you—a twist that shocks everyone:
  • “Because for freeing me, my friend, you get the gift of deciding how you die.” — Djinn (12:43)
• The Djinn, comically grumpy after 500 years in a jar, explains: if the fisherman had freed him earlier, he’d have gotten riches or many wishes; now, only a (gruesome) choice.

4. Outsmarting the Djinn

• [15:09 - 17:03]
  Channeling fairy-tale trickery, the fisherman flatters the Djinn, questioning how such a huge being fit in a small jar. The Djinn, eager to prove his powers, demonstrates—whoosh!—and the fisherman slams the lid shut.
• The kids immediately see what’s coming and cheer on the fisherman’s cleverness.
• The Djinn pleads, squeaking comically from inside the jar—a hilarious voice shift commended by the kids.

5. Deal-Making and Hilarious Bargains

• [17:18 - 18:19]
  The group debates: Should the fisherman release the Djinn? Some propose flushing the jar in the context of the earlier toilet gag.
• The fisherman proposes a deal: “I let you out in exchange for some fish.”
• The Djinn agrees, the fisherman opens the jar, and chaos resumes as the Djinn tosses the pickle jar (and toilet!) into the lake.
• “As he looked up at the stacked jinn...this ain't good. And he peed himself.” — Adam Gidwitz (18:44)
• Sana clarifies: this detail is in the original—“he piddled in his clothes and said to himself, ‘this promised badly.’” (18:53)

6. Magical Fish, New Riches

• [19:27 - 21:14]
  The Djinn teleports them to a better lake. Now, the fisherman can cast as much as he likes:
  • Pulls up a red fish (splat in face)
  • Blue fish (again, splat)
  • Golden fish (hits the Djinn “between the legs”)
  • “That was awesome.” — Djinn (20:56)
• The Djinn insists: “You must give them to the sultan in exchange for riches.”

7. The Sultan and the Fish’s Secret

• [24:17 - 30:19]
  At the palace, the fisherman gives the three fish to the Sultan. Amidst gifts of peacocks and gold, his fish seem underwhelming.
• Each time the cook tries to fry a fish, a magical, regal woman—dressed in matching colors—emerges from a crack in the wall, asks the fish a riddle about keeping their promises, and whisks the fish away.
  • “Fish, if I keep my promise to you, will you keep your promise to me?” — Mysterious Woman (multiple)
  • Each fish replies: “If I am thrown back in the lake, I will keep my promise to you.”
• When all three fish are returned to the lake, the water churns, the ground shakes, and a sleeping kingdom awakens—thousands freed, a spell broken.

8. Resolution and Last Laughs

• [30:55 - 32:06]
  The grateful Sultan offers the fisherman a castle on the condition that he simply invite him to dinner.
• “I have to tell you how I want to die?” — Fisherman (31:14)
  “What? No. I’m starving. Just invite me in for dinner.” — Sultan (31:18)
• The fisherman and his family move in (bringing the toilet for the “throne room”), and the Djinn visits from time to time, joking about the choice the fisherman made.
  • “You could have chosen how to die!” — Djinn
  • “Yes, but instead I chose how to live.” — Fisherman (32:03)
• The story closes with “happily ever after,” followed by a “farty party”—kids laughing, “I just farted three times!”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Story Origins:
  • “This story comes from a collection of stories called the 1001 Nights...stories were told orally...in India, the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt.” — Sana Ali Mohammad (05:03)
• On Cleverness and Trickery:
  • “What he's doing — he's trying to trick the Djinn...so he can put the lid back on.” — Child (15:49)
• On Choices:
  • “Yes, but instead I chose how to live.” — Fisherman (32:03)
• On Humor:
  • “This is so funny. I’m farting. … I just farted three times.” — Child (32:21)
• On Wordplay:
  • “He also went and got the toilet and installed it in the throne room. Get it? Throne room. Because sometimes we call the toilet the throne.” — Co-Host (31:35)

Important Timestamps

• Story begins: [06:48]
• Djinn appears: [11:14]
• “Gift of deciding how you die” revealed: [12:43]
• Fisherman tricks Djinn back into jar: [15:49]
• Fish-catch, splatting sequence: [20:05 - 20:34]
• Magical fish fry and kingdom awakening: [24:17 - 30:19]
• Castle gifted, “how to live” quote: [30:55 - 32:06]
• “Farty party”/kids’ laughter: [32:21 - 32:34]

Tone & Style

• Interactive: Constant questions and reactions from kids, with Adam and Sana validating, playing along, and riffing comedically.
• Playful and educational: The hosts blend fairy-tale logic, cultural context, and silly kid humor seamlessly.
• Respectful of tradition, but irreverent in delivery: Combines the timeless magic of oral storytelling with a wink to modern audiences.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The episode is a delightful reweaving of a classic tale with a multicultural twist, chock-full of kid-powered commentary and humor.
• The story encourages outsmarting dangers, making clever choices, and opting to “choose how to live.”
• There’s a throughline of playful irreverence: magical donkeys, toilets, pickle jars, and a kingdom under a fishy enchantment, ending in a celebration of bodily humor (“farty party”).
• Great for families—especially those wanting a taste of stories from beyond the Brothers Grimm.

Summary prepared from audio and transcript, with original voices preserved.