Rumpelstiltskin (Adam's Secrets Version)

Summary

Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest: Rumpelstiltskin (Adam's Secrets Version) - Detailed Summary

Episode Overview Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, hosted by Pinna, is a storytelling podcast where bestselling author Adam Gidwitz retells classic Grimm fairy tales with engaging twists, accompanied by insightful and humorous commentary from a group of inquisitive children. In the episode titled "Rumpelstiltskin (Adam's Secrets Version)," released on May 22, 2025, Adam delves into the dark and eerie world of Rumpelstiltskin, presenting a narrative that balances traditional elements with unique reinterpretations.

Introduction and Context The episode begins with a brief discussion about the upcoming season of the podcast and a nostalgic revisit to past favorite episodes. Adam shares personal reflections and memories from creating previous episodes, emphasizing the depth and creativity involved in retelling these timeless stories.

Narrative Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin Adam Gidwitz takes the listeners into the story of a miller boasting about his extraordinary daughter. When the miller's claims catch the attention of the king, the daughter is summoned to the palace with an impossible task: spinning straw into gold under the threat of her father's execution.

• Setting the Stage (00:56 - 05:17): Adam introduces the protagonists—the proud miller and his talented daughter—and the dire predicament they face. He explains the original grimness of the Grimm tales, highlighting their dark and unsettling themes compared to the sanitized versions often told to children.

  Adam Gidwitz [06:04]: "Once upon a time, there was a miller who was very proud of his daughter. He loved to talk about her. The miller's daughter was the greatest kid ever born."

  The children react to the miller's boastful nature, expressing relatable sentiments about parental pride and the pressure it can create.

  Unknown Host [06:23]: "Do your parents ever talk about you this way? Oh, she's so wonderful at this. He's amazing at that. Come on, show them. Don't be shy."

• Encounter with Rumpelstiltskin (05:48 - 10:46): Faced with the impossible task, the miller's daughter encounters Rumpelstiltskin, a mysterious and unsettling figure. Adam describes Rumpelstiltskin's eerie appearance and unsettling demeanor, setting the tone for the ensuing bargain.

  Rumpelstiltskin [10:34]: "I'm a strange little man with strange little ways. And if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days. I am clever, I am tricky, I am cunning, I am wise. Don't ask me any questions, I won't tell you any lies."

  The children are intrigued and amused by Rumpelstiltskin's rhyme, with one commenting:

  Pinna [10:46]: "Such a good rhyme. Yeah, it's actually a pretty good rap."

• Bargain and Consequences (10:46 - 15:19): The miller's daughter agrees to Rumpelstiltskin's terms, providing a lock of her hair in exchange for his magical spinning. Adam narrates the unfolding events, highlighting the escalating demands placed upon the protagonist.

  King [07:56]: "Can spin straw and to gold."

  As the story progresses, the stakes are raised with each task, leading to deeper tensions and moral dilemmas.

  Pinna [15:19]: "Because he literally said that I'll hang your father from his until he dies if you don't. If you don't do something impossible."

Interactive Discussion and Insights Throughout the episode, the children engage in lively discussions, offering their perspectives on the story's events and characters. They question the morality of the king's demands and the fairness of Rumpelstiltskin's bargains.

Unknown Host [15:14]: "Seems like not a nice dude."

Pinna [15:22]: "I don't think she should marry him. Because then she will have to give her firstborn child to that little man. And then the king will get mad at her."

Adam reflects on these insightful comments, appreciating the children's ability to analyze and critique the story's dynamics.

Adam Gidwitz [25:06]: "One of the kids says something about she shouldn't marry the king because if they have a child together and then she gives that child away to Rumpelstiltskin, she's gonna be in big trouble with the king. And it was such a good point."

Climactic Resolution (19:44 - 23:31) The tension culminates when Rumpelstiltskin reappears to claim the miller's daughter's child. Desperate, she embarks on a quest to discover his name, leading to a final confrontation where she successfully uncovers his identity.

Rumpelstiltskin [22:19]: "I'm a strange little man with strange little ways and if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days so clever and so tricky that I always win and no one knows My name is Rumpelstiltskin."

The revelation and subsequent demise of Rumpelstiltskin are depicted with vivid intensity.

Adam Gidwitz [23:28]: "The tiny man was furious."

Unknown Host [23:32]: "Now, there are a few different versions of the end of this story. In some of them, Rumpelstilts can get so mad that he stamps his foot so hard he goes flying out the window..."

Reflections and Behind-the-Scenes Insights After the narrative, Adam shares personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes insights about crafting the episode. He discusses the creative decisions, such as the choice to categorize the episode as "Grimmer" due to its darker elements, including the gruesome sound effect of Rumpelstiltskin's demise.

Adam Gidwitz [25:06]: "The whole thing about the fingernail clippings just made me laugh out loud. I'm embarrassed because, like, should you laugh out loud at jokes that you tell?... I do laugh out loud at my own jokes, which is embarrassing."

He also highlights recurring themes and jokes introduced in this first episode, such as the ominous mention of "hanging from your thumbs" and the fascination with the name Fred, which have become staples in the podcast's narrative fabric.

Adam Gidwitz [25:06]: "What a good thought. That she would totally get in trouble for giving away the firstborn child."

Conclusion and Final Thoughts Adam wraps up the episode by expressing his satisfaction with how the story was received and his excitement for future episodes. He encourages listeners to vote for their favorite episodes and reflects fondly on the collaborative and imaginative environment fostered by the podcast.

Adam Gidwitz [25:06]: "Those are my thoughts about the first ever episode of Grim Grimmer Grimmest. Remember to go vote for your favorite one should be in the show."

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• Adam Gidwitz [06:04]: "Once upon a time, there was a miller who was very proud of his daughter..."
• Rumpelstiltskin [10:34]: "I'm a strange little man with strange little ways. And if you want to know my name..."
• Unknown Host [15:14]: "Seems like not a nice dude."
• Pinna [15:22]: "I don't think she should marry him..."
• Rumpelstiltskin [22:19]: "I'm a strange little man with strange little ways..."

Final Notes This episode stands out as the inaugural tale of Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, setting the tone for the podcast's blend of traditional fairy tales with modern, humorous, and thought-provoking commentary. Adam Gidwitz's storytelling prowess, combined with the children's candid reactions, creates an engaging and multifaceted listening experience that appeals to both young audiences and adults alike.

Listeners are encouraged to explore more episodes to immerse themselves in the richly crafted Kingdom of Grimm and discover the myriad of stories that await.

Additional Information

• Podcast Title: Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest
• Host/Author: Pinna
• Release Date: May 22, 2025
• Where to Listen: pinna.fm
• Discount Code: Use code GRIMM for a discount after a 7-day FREE trial

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the narrative and pertinent discussions within the episode.

Transcript

[Pinna]

Pinna.

[Unknown Host]

To celebrate the new season of Grim Grimmer Grimmest, which is coming out on June 12th, we're gonna start reposting some of the episodes that you all have listened to the most. Now, many of these episodes I actually haven't heard in years, so I'm gonna listen to them too. And at the end of each episode I'm gonna share with you some things that occurred to me when while I was listening, stuff I'd forgotten or never even realized or memories I had from making that episode. Also, we're doing a live show in Brooklyn on June 14th at 11am at the Brooklyn Public Library on the steps, and I'm going to retell whichever episode you all vote for as your favorite. Check the show notes for details on how to vote. Okay, so let's find out if this one is is your favorite. If it is, don't forget to vote. I just learned about something really cool.

[Unknown Contributor]

Maybe you've heard of Carnegie Hall? It's the famous concert hall in New York City where all of the best orchestras, singers, soloists come and perform. There's an old joke.

[Unknown Host]

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

[Unknown Contributor]

Practice, practice, practice.

[Unknown Host]

Though my favorite version of the joke is how to get to Carnegie hall?

[Unknown Contributor]

The Q Train.

[Unknown Host]

And nobody likes that version, but I like it anyway.

[Unknown Contributor]

I've just discovered that Carnegie hall has a kids website where you can learn all about classical music and world music. You can take quizzes and figure out like is it an animal sound or an instrument sound? They have an awesome epic game where you can find all these instruments as guided by Benjamin Britton's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, which is one of my favorite pieces of music in the world. It's a really an amazing website, not.

[Unknown Host]

Just with the resources but to teach.

[Unknown Contributor]

Love of the beauty of classical music.

[Unknown Host]

I really recommend it.

[Unknown Contributor]

So now there's a new way to get to Carnegie Hall. Start the musical journey early and go to kids.carnegiehall.org to check out fun child friendly games and quizzes. Or you can take the Q Train, but try the website.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Adam Gidwitz]

Hi, my name is Adam Gidwitz. I'm an author. I'm also a storyteller.

[Unknown Host]

I like to tell lots of different kinds of stories.

[Adam Gidwitz]

I especially like to tell grim fairy tales. Well, what does that mean? You might be wondering, what is a Grim fairy tale? I. I don't even know the definition of the word Grimm. Well, Grimm spelled with 1m means dark and scary and ominous. But Grimm spelled with two m's is the name of two brothers, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. These Brothers Grimm lived in Germany over 200 years ago, and they're famous for the stories they collected. Stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty. Now, you may think I stopped liking those stories when I was, like, 3 years old because they are cute and boring. But listen, those were the cute, happy little kid bedtime versions of the Grimm fairy tales. The original Grimm tales aren't like that at all. They're weird and sometimes gross and often scary. In other words, they're grateful grim. And I'm about to walk into a classroom and tell one of the original grim, Grim tales to a bunch of kids. Do you want to join me? Do you want to hear a Grim fairy tale?

[Unknown Host]

I don't know if you said yes or no, because I can't hear you. So let me tell you a few.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Things that might help you decide. When I say Grimm fairy tales are.

[Unknown Host]

Weird, I mean, like, really weird.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Like, wait, how did that kid just.

[Unknown Host]

Turn into a church? And what, did that princess just come back to life?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Most of the time, these questions don't have answers.

[Unknown Host]

But that's okay.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Sometimes it's fun to just ask the questions. Anyway, here's another thing you need to know. These stories can be scary. On a scale of Grim, Grimmer, and Grimmest, the story I'm going to tell today is Grimmer. It's not very scary, and you might have even heard it before. But there is some weirdness and some danger.

[Unknown Host]

If I get to a part of.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The story and you start to feel scared or uncomfortable, this is what you could do. You could turn down the volume and count to five. Then turn the volume back up.

[Unknown Host]

If it still seems like a part you don't want to hear, just turn.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The volume down and count to five again. You know how much weird and gross.

[Unknown Host]

And scary you're ready for?

[Adam Gidwitz]

You know what you need? Okay, I'm at the classroom door now. There are kids inside waiting to hear a Grim fairy tale. So are you coming in? Grim, Grimmer, Grimace.

[Unknown Advertiser]

Fourth.

[Unknown Host]

You're all third. Okay, my name is Adam, but I let my kids call me Mr. Gidwitz. No, I'm just kidding.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yeah, that's my last name.

[Pinna]

I'm Gidwitz.

[Adam Gidwitz]

No, not that.

[Pinna]

Oh.

[Unknown Host]

All right. Here we go.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Once upon a time, there was a miller who was very proud of his daughter. He loved to talk about her. The miller's daughter was the greatest kid ever born.

[Unknown Host]

At least that's what the miller seemed to think. Do your parents ever talk about you this way? Oh, she's so wonderful at this. He's amazing at that. Come on, show them. Don't be shy. She's really amazing. It's kind of embarrassing, right?

[Pinna]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Your brands do that.

[Pinna]

Yeah. Yeah. You know exactly what. Our fans embarrass us all the time. My parents can't embarrass me by dancing in public. I never sings in public.

[Unknown Host]

Also, when they're bragging about you like that, sometimes it feels like a lot of pressure.

[Unknown Contributor]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

He's so amazing, and you're like, am I really?

[Pinna]

Yeah.

[Adam Gidwitz]

One evening, the miller was at a tavern bragging about his daughter. Everything someone's kid could do, the miller's daughter could do better. Eventually, someone said, my daughter can spin the roughest wool into the finest thread. Oh, yeah? Said the miller, my daughter can spin straw into golden thread. Real thread made out of gold. Well, no one believed him, but the miller insisted. In the tavern was a servant to the king. The servant said to the, if your.

[King]

Daughter can spin straw into golden thread.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

She should come to the palace.

[King]

The king would reward her greatly.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the next day, the miller set out with his daughter to see the king. The miller's daughter was furious with her father.

[Miller's Daughter]

I can't spin straw into gold. Why would you say that?

[Unknown Host]

But the miller just patted her on.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The hand and said, you'll be fine. When the miller and his daughter got to the castle, they were led into a small stone room. The air was thick with dust and the room was stacked floor to ceiling with straw. A spinning wheel, which is used to spin wool into yarn, sat in a corner. The king walked in. So the king announced, I hear you.

[King]

Can spin straw and to gold.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter tried to object, actually, you, Highness, but the miller cut her off.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Of course she can.

[Unknown Host]

And because the miller was older and.

[Adam Gidwitz]

A man and her father, the king, listened to him and not to her, which is not right or fair at all. But it's how things worked in that kingdom. Anyway, the king said, if she can.

[King]

Spin all this straw into gold, by morning, I will make you the richest miller in the kingdom. But if she cannot, you will be proven a liar and I will hang you from your thumbs until you are dead.

[Adam Gidwitz]

With that, he took the miller by the arm, led him out of the room and locked the door behind him.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, I have a question for you. Do you know what kills you if you are hanging by your thumbs until you die? Like what? What is it that kills you? What is.

[Adam Gidwitz]

In the end, what.

[Unknown Host]

What do you die from when you're hanging by your thumbs?

[Pinna]

You think it's starvation or something?

[Unknown Host]

You think it's starvation?

[Pinna]

What do you think your blood flow kind of gets cut off?

[Unknown Host]

You think your blood flow gets cut off and you die from lack of blood flow?

[Pinna]

The nails, like it goes through your.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, the nails. It goes through your nails and that somehow kills you? Like goes through your fingers?

[Pinna]

Yeah, like this.

[Unknown Host]

What do you think?

[Pinna]

The nail gets inside?

[Unknown Host]

The nail gets inside of you. Oh, and maybe you get, like, infected or something.

[Pinna]

The nail is all the way over here.

[Unknown Host]

Those are awesome guesses. The answer is, I have no idea how you die. By hanging by your thumbs. Those could all be right. I have no idea.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter looked at the straw and began to weep. She was furious with her father and terrified for them both. She wept, thinking of her father dying of getting infected or the circulation being cut off, or starving while hanging from his thumbs.

[Pinna]

You mean what we said?

[Unknown Host]

I know. I was just repeating what you said.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But then she stopped weeping because standing in front of her was a tiny man with spindly little legs, enormous eyes and a funny mashed up looking face.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

He said, hello there.

[Miller's Daughter]

Hello. How do you do?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she graciously curtsied because it is always best to be polite to tiny, magical men who appear out of nowhere.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Why are you crying?

[Miller's Daughter]

If I don't spin all this straw into gold by morning, the king will hang my father by his thumbs until he dies.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No, that is a terrible way to die. Do you know what kills you first? Never mind. You don't want to know. Anyway. I can spin all this straw into gold for you by morning. But it'll cost you. What?

[Miller's Daughter]

I'll give you anything.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I don't want much. Just a lock of your hair.

[Miller's Daughter]

Why would you want a lock of my hair?

[Adam Gidwitz]

In response, the tiny man started to sing.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I'm a strange little man with strange little ways. And if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days. I am clever, I am tricky, I am cunning, I am wise. Don't ask me any questions, I won't tell you any lies.

[Pinna]

Such A good rhyme. Yeah, it's actually a pretty good rap.

[Unknown Host]

You liked it?

[Pinna]

Yeah, I love that rhyme.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But she didn't want her father to die by hanging from his thumbs. So she agreed. The tiny man cut off a lock of her hair with a tiny pair of golden scissors, tucked the lock into a pocket of his vest, sat down at the spinning wheel and spun 10 bales of straw into perfect thread. A few pure gold. The next morning, the king opened the door to the little room. To his shock and delight, the straw was gone. And now half the room was filled with golden thread. The king was thrilled.

[King]

He said, come with me.

[Adam Gidwitz]

He hurried the miller's daughter to another room, larger than the last, with 20 bales of straw.

[King]

Spin this straw into gold by morning and your father will be rich, and you will be even richer. But if you. I'll know that you've played a trick on me, and your father will hang from his thumbs until he's dead.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The king closed and locked the door behind him. The miller's daughter gathered up the straw and fed it through the spinning wheel, trying to do exactly what the tiny man had done the night before. But try as she might, she could not spin straw into gold. She began to weep again, both at the thought of her father dying by hanging from his thumbs, and also at how angry she was that he had done this to. But just then, the tiny man appeared. He offered to spin all the straw into gold in exchange for her fingernail clippings. The miller's daughter was now completely creeped out.

[Miller's Daughter]

Why do you want my fingernail clippings?

[Adam Gidwitz]

But the tiny man just replied, I'm.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

A strange little man with strange little ways. And if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days.

[Unknown Host]

I am clever, I'm tricky, I'm cunning, I am wise. Don't ask me me any questions. I won't tell you any lies.

[Pinna]

Will he?

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the miller's daughter agreed. The tiny man clipped her fingernails with tiny golden nail clippers.

[Unknown Host]

It's just super gross, right? Slid them into a pocket of his vest, sat down at the spinning wheel.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And spun 20 bales of straw into perfect gold thread. The next morning, the king came in, saw the golden thread and exclaimed, what.

[King]

A remarkable girl you are. Come with me.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So he hurried her into an enormous room. When the miller's daughter saw it, her stomach felt all sick and twisty. 100 bales of straw were stacked from floor to ceiling.

[Pinna]

I think the king's trying to use her just so he can get even more rich.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, I think you're right.

[Pinna]

You're making him gold. He's not gonna make you rich. He's gonna. He might just do it anyway. Cause he might just give you, like, he wants to be rich, too.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter looked at the straw stacked from floor to ceiling and said, I don't know. But the king said, if you can.

[King]

Speak this straw into gold by morning, I will take you as my wife. You will rule as my equal, and I will never ask you to spin straw to gold again for as long as you live. But if you fail, I will be forced to hang your father by his thumbs until he dies.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The king closed and locked the door behind him. The miller's daughter didn't even try to spin the straw into gold, nor did she weep.

[Unknown Host]

She just called tiny man, Tiny man.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The tiny man was there. He gazed at the straw in the room.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

That is a lot of straw.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter asked, can you do it?

[Miller's Daughter]

I'll give you anything.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The tiny man thought for a moment.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Hmm. I will spin all this straw into gold by morning in exchange for your first gold, firstborn child.

[Unknown Host]

Well, this was far creepier than a lock of hair or fingernail clippings.

[Miller's Daughter]

Why do you want my firstborn child?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Asked the miller's daughter. But the man merely sang.

[Unknown Host]

I'm a strange little man with strange little ways. And if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days. I am clever, I am tricky, I am cunning, I am wise. Don't ask me any questions. I won't take.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter begged the tiny man to take something else, but he refused. It was her firstborn child or nothing. At last she agreed, and the tiny man cackled. He spun all the straw into gold. In the morning, the king came and opened the door. Instead of straw, he saw endless spools of golden thread.

[Unknown Host]

He shouted with wonder, what a special girl you are.

[King]

Please, miller's daughter, will you marry me? I will never ask another thing of you again. As long as you live, you will rule this kingdom as my equal in all things.

[Unknown Host]

What do you think? Should she marry him?

[Pinna]

No.

[Unknown Host]

Would you? You have a strong opinion about it. Why shouldn't she marry the king?

[Pinna]

Because he literally said that I'll hang your father from his until he dies if you don't. If you don't do something impossible.

[Unknown Host]

Seems like not a nice dude.

[Pinna]

I don't think she should marry him. Because then she will have to give her firstborn child to that little man. And then the king will get mad at her.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, that's a really good thought. That she would totally get in trouble for giving away the firstborn child.

[Pinna]

Also, guess what? And then she might have another child.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Okay, one more.

[Pinna]

Uh. Oh, I think that he shouldn't. She shouldn't marry him because one, you never know if he's lying. Two, if you marry him, he might think she doesn't care about his father anymore. I'll just kill him anyway.

[Unknown Host]

Maybe.

[Pinna]

And why would you marry a guy who's trying to force you?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

Totally. Well, let's see what the Miller's daughter does.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Unknown Contributor]

Did you know that you can listen to Grim Grimmer Grimmest without any ads interrupting the story? Just subscribe to Pinna. Not only will you get to hear me tell these fairy tales straight through the way I tell them to kids, you get access to tons of other awesome original shows and audiobooks, all ad free. Subscribe to pinna at Pinna FM. That's P I N N A FM and use code GRIM with two M's to get 30% off an annual subscription. And remember, it's not A smurf.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The miller's daughter thought about the king's offer. It would be nice to finally be her own boss, she thought. If she was queen, no one could make her live up to their stupid boasts, or force her to save someone's life by performing impossible tasks, or speak over her. When she tried to tell the truth, it sounded like a nice change. So she agreed and they were married. And it was a nice change. The king was kind most of the time, and when he wasn't, the miller's daughter could tell him off because she was his equal. All went well until she had her first child, a little baby girl. The night after the girl was born, as the miller's daughter lay in her royal bed, cradling the child in her arms, the tiny man appeared. He demanded his due. The miller's daughter was horrified. She offered him all the riches in the kingdom if only he would let her keep the child. But he would not be moved. He insisted on taking the baby girl. The miller's daughter began to weep, deeper and harder than she'd ever wept in her life. She wept and wept and wept. The tiny man saw this weeping and was moved.

[Miller's Daughter]

Fine.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

If you can guess my name, I will let you keep your daughter.

[Miller's Daughter]

What? That's a weird and arbitrary price for keeping my daughter.

[Unknown Host]

To the miller. Miller's daughter.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

You want the deal or not? If you can guess my name in three days, I'll have no power over you or the baby. But if you fail, she is mine, and no power on earth can keep her from me.

[Adam Gidwitz]

What choice did the miller's daughter have? Besides, how hard could guessing his name be?

[Unknown Host]

So she asked, can I start guessing now?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Sure.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Tom?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Bill?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Bob?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Fred?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Adam Gidwitz]

She kept guessing for a long time. But every name she guessed. The tiny man smiled and said, no. Then he said, I'll come back tomorrow.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Night and you can guess again.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And he disappeared. The next day, the miller's daughter took her baby into her arms and went out around the kingdom asking for every name anyone had ever heard of. The next night, the tiny man showed up, and the miller's daughter started guessing again.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it John?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No mark?

[Miller's Daughter]

No mark with a C. No mark with a Q.

[Unknown Host]

What? No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Fred?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

You guessed Fred? Yes.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Today, no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't guess his name. The next day, the miller's daughter consulted all the scholars of the kingdom and all their most ancient books. She made an enormous list of names. But that night went just as badly as the night before.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Fritz?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Murphy?

[Unknown Advertiser]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Tiffany.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

That's a girl's name. It's not Tiffany.

[Miller's Daughter]

Fred.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

It's not Fred.

[Unknown Host]

Do you guys want to guess some names?

[Pinna]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

All right, guess some names. What do you think?

[Pinna]

Rumpelskilsuit.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, could be that. What else?

[Pinna]

Johanna.

[Unknown Host]

Johanna. I'll come back to you.

[Miller's Daughter]

Joe Clipper.

[Unknown Host]

Joe Clipper. That's a good name. Joe Clipper.

[Pinna]

No name, dude.

[Unknown Host]

No name, dude.

[Pinna]

Freakish little guy with you, Jazz, who just appears out of you.

[Unknown Host]

That's a good name.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The third day, the miller's daughter felt the deepest despair. She took her baby in her arms and wandered through her kingdom, not even bothering to ask for names. What was the use? Tonight, the tiny man would come and take her precious daughter. She wandered farther and farther into the poorest neighborhoods of the kingdom, among huddled shacks and men warming their hands over garbage fires. And then, as the miller's daughter got out into the scrubby woods at the edge of her kingdom, she heard an odd but familiar song.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I'm a strange little man with strange little ways and if you want to know my name, you'll be guessing for days so clever and so tricky that I always win and no one knows My name is Rumpelstiltskin.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she heard a mad cackling.

[Unknown Host]

Can you all cackle the top of your lungs? That was creepy.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Well, the miller's daughter rushed back to the castle just as night fell. She was lying in her bed nursing her baby, when the tiny man appeared.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Today is the final day. If you can't guess my name, your daughter is mine.

[Miller's Daughter]

I think I know your name.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Oh, you think so?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The tiny man cackled. And when the miller's daughter heard the cackle, she knew she was right.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Eggleroy?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Godric?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Bumpynose?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it freakish little guy with huge eyes who just appears out of nowhere?

[Rumpelstiltskin]

No.

[Miller's Daughter]

Is it Fred?

[Unknown Host]

What is your obsession with the name Fred?

[Miller's Daughter]

Fine. Is it Rumpelstiltskin?

[Pinna]

Oh, my gosh. You scared.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The tiny man was furious.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

How did you learn that? How did you know?

[Pinna]

No.

[Unknown Host]

Now, there are a few different versions of the end of this story. In some of them, Rumpelstilts can get so mad that he stamps his foot so hard he goes flying out the window. Which doesn't make any sense. In other versions of the story, he stamps his foot so hard that he shatters into a thousand pieces. Which makes even less sense because people don't just shatter. What really happened was that Rumpelstiltskin stamped his foot so hard that it got buried three feet in the ground. Then he grabbed his other leg and pulled up on it with such force that he ripped himself in half. Yes. Really. And the miller's daughter lived happily ever after. Oh, and she named her daughter Fred. Probably the egg.

[Pinna]

She's still a fan. Did she have, like, a boyfriend named Fred or something?

[Unknown Host]

So you know what's really funny?

[Pinna]

Deal with the name Fred. That's scary. At all.

[Unknown Host]

Wasn't that scary? There was some suspense. I noticed you guys feeling a little bit suspenseful.

[Pinna]

It was suspenseful. But wasn't. But wasn't scary. It was, but it definitely wasn't boring.

[Unknown Host]

That's awesome.

[Pinna]

It was really.

[Unknown Host]

And there was one gross part at the end.

[Pinna]

Why the heck. No, that wasn't gross. That's normal.

[Unknown Host]

It was. It was not gross. When he ripped himself in half.

[Pinna]

Bloodstream.

[Unknown Host]

Hold on.

[Adam Gidwitz]

We have a hand raise.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. I hope you enjoyed that. I actually really did. Couple things that occurred to me as I was listening. First of all, I totally forgot that in that original opening of the show, I went into a little bit more of the history of the Brothers Grimm. I think that's cool. I'm so glad that that is the first episode so that when people do discover the show, hopefully they learn a little bit more about the Brothers Grimm and who they are and why this show is called Grim Grimmer Grimmest. Also, embarrassing note. I have to admit that while I remembered that his name was Rumpelstiltskin in writing down notes while listening to the episode, I realized that completely forgot how to spell Rumpelstiltskin. And before you laugh at me, go try it yourself. It's not as easy as you think. Okay. At the very beginning of the episode, the very first time we ever go into the Kingdom of Grimm, as we call it. So we talk about two different soundscapes for the episodes. One is the classroom, and the other we call the Kingdom of Grimm. So the first time in all of Grim Grimmer Grimace history that we enter the Kingdom of Grimm, we enter a tavern where there is some bumping Renaissance rock and roll music playing. It's like, I want a record of that bumping rock and roll Renaissance music. It just makes me feel like, okay, the Kingdom of Grimm is going to be an amazing place. Which I think it turned out to be over the course of the last 40 episodes. If you listen to more episodes of Grim Grimmer Grimmest, if you've listened to them all, you know that we have this sort of recurring joke about hanging from your thumbs. I Totally forgot that came from our very first episode. I forgot that that came from Rumpelstiltskin. I always associate it with the episode 10 thumbs, for obvious reasons. But I was surprised and delighted to hear it here at the very beginning of Grim Grimmer Grimmest. I also like the bump in music in the tavern. Completely forgot Rumpelstiltskin's rhyme, which is effectively like a rap. Like, he should become a rapper and call himself MC Rump, and he's gonna have a real future, I think. At least he would if he hadn't ripped himself in half. Okay, now I have an embarrassing admission. The whole thing about the fingernail clippings just made me laugh out loud. I'm embarrassed because, like, should you laugh out loud at jokes that you tell? I'll give you an answer. As a professional writer, as an author and a writer of podcast episodes, the answer is, yes, you absolutely should. In fact, if I don't laugh out loud at a joke when I write it, it's not good enough to put in the book or in the podcast. If I'm not laughing out loud at it, there is no way you're going to laugh out loud at it. You probably won't even crack a smile. So, yeah, I do laugh out loud at my own jokes, which is embarrassing. But it's nice to go back to listen to this episode all these years later and still laugh out loud at those jokes. So one of the kids says something about she shouldn't marry the king, because if they have a child together and then she gives that child away to Rumpelstiltskin, she. She's gonna be in big trouble with the king. And it was such a good point. I remember when they said that, that I was like, oh, my gosh, these kids are going to be understanding or thinking about these stories in ways that never occurred to me, and I'm gonna have to deal with that every time they open their mouths. Now, obviously, that happens again and again in all these episodes, but Rumpelstiltskin was the first episode we ever recorded. And I remember sitting there being like, oh, snap, these kids are going to blow my mind over and over again. And I'm gonna have to just react live, and hopefully we're gonna be able to use it in the recording. I felt scared in that moment, but it was kind of the beginning of something really amazing in this podcast. Also, another recurring joke that we have in Grim Grimmer Grimmest is the one about Fred and the name Fred. Uh, that also starts here in the first ever episode. Um, but I remembered that, and I love it. Okay, last observation. Uh, the sound effect for Rumpelstiltskin ripping himself in half is so shocking and disgusting, I forgot how gross it was. But now I remember upon hearing it, that sound effect was the reason we had to label this episode Grimmer. We were planning on starting with a grim one, and then that sound effect went in there and was so gross. We were like, it's gotta be. It's gotta be Grimmer, not Grim. And we were like, oh, should we tone it down or take it out? You know, so we can start with just an episode that's grim? And I was like, no, it's awesome. Let's keep it. And of course, after the sound effect, you hear the kids just giggling uncontrollably at the fact that he has ripped himself in half. And that's when I realized that you guys are just weirdos. There is something wrong with you children out there. But thank heavens there is, because otherwise you wouldn't be listening to my messed up podcast. All right, those are my thoughts about the first ever episode of Grim Grimmer Grimmest. Remember to go vote for your favorite one should be in the show. Notes how to do that. And yeah, we'll post another few of these. And this was fun. Talk to you soon.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Grim Grimmer Grimmest is a Pinna original production created and written by me, Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grim, produced and edited by Ilana Milner. Casting and voice direction by Paula Gammon Wilson. Sound design and mixing by Beat street, nyc Location recording by Jason Gambrell and and Evan Viola. Narrated by me, Adam Gidwitz. Characters voiced by Francesca Kahlo, Kylie Claxton, Kaelyn Clinton, Nicholas Korda, Michael Crouch, Dylan Jones, George Lambert, Eddie Lee, Ilana Milner, Nophie Mitchell, Allison Rosenfeld, Erica Schroeder, and Billy Bob Thompson. Special thanks to the staff and students at Brooklyn Friends School and Manhattan Country School. You guys are amazing.