Simsala Grimm - Die Märchen der Brüder Grimm

- Season 1

(1999)

After killing seven flies in one swat, an ordinary tailor believes himself to be a mighty knight. Doc and Yoyo cunningly help him trick and overcome first a young giant who terrorized his village, next the other giants and monsters indicated by the king and his evil, ambitious counselor. Thus he becomes the rival contender for the hand of willing princess Elisabeth.

Tiny knave Tom Thumb volunteers to be apprenticed, without job specification, by two shady characters by his dad for a small fortune, promising to escape back soon. Tom overhears they plan to exploit him as a circus freak. Doc and Yoyo help his escape, but once isn't enough.

Hans and Greta's wicked step-mother wants them to get lost in the forest, but Doc Croco and Yoyo teach them the bread crumbs trick. Alas, they oversleep at the next attempt. Then the kids wander off till they reach a wicked witch's candy-house, a sweet death-trap by design.

The big bad wolf still has a craving for juicy goat meat. But besides Doc and Yoyo helping the goats, the times have changed even within his own family. That makes life mode dangerous for the wolf - then for the goat family.

Doc and Yoyo join Casper, an upstanding honest blonde commoner. He fulfills a double prophecy about marrying a wicked king's daughter. Casper first refuses her hand because he lost his heart on the way to the palace, until she appears: it's the same. The king poses a hard condition: bringing three golden hairs from the devil's head. Travelling to Hell, the trio promises to answer three personal questions. In hell, they find the devil to be domineered by his haughty grandma. They get her to bet for the hairs against their lives whether she can solve three riddles. Thus...

The evil queen of Pirania prevents her daughter succeeding at the day of her wedding by setting all her suitors impossible tasks, at pain of death. So the wise king of Upper Bavaria has to imprison his son, who falls madly in love with the princess. Doc and Yoyo see him escape and convince him he needs a retinue. So the recruit on the way a giant and six other 'servants' with supernatural qualities. All of those prove crucial to pass three grueling tasks the queen sets.

The countess of Picotek sneakily enjoys being robbed of her jewelry by master-thief Bert, yet wants him put to death even after learning he's actually the count's godson. Bert falls in love with the castle maid Marie, who helps him, like Doc and Yooo, when the count allows Bert's life to depend on three tests which the countess wickedly sets after he brags to be an expert thief.

Doc and Yoyo help Prince Egmond, who is completely enamored in fair Rapunzel, whose never-cut hair is so long it grows all the way down her lonely tower prison room. They climb up it and discover she's an orphan, kept by witch Cott who trains her for sorcery. Now they start devising a way to get her down the high tower. But Cotte gets wind of the intrusion and uses black magic.

After haughty brat-princess Constance turns down the 35th princely suitor her father got to ask for her hand, the royal patience is exhausted. In a fury the king promises her in marriage to the first minstrel to enter. The last suitor, king Thrushbeard, overheard that and quickly masquerades so as to be that minstrel. Now he takes her 'home' to a wretched cabin, where she's put to menial labor all day and treated like a wretched wench. After more abuse, the tamed shrew is ready to be sent to his court as kitchen maid.

Doc and Yoyo meet strong, healthy, no-nonsense youngster Jacques, who decides to leave home on a quest for scary danger because he never felt fear of any kind, not even for the supernatural. They even try a haunted castle, but the resident ogre can't terrify Jaques, who cleverly triumphs. The princess whose hand he is therefore promised may be another matter.

King Frederic's treasury is too empty to feed his people. His minister Count von Greif imposes draconian taxes. The miller can't pay, but saves his and his daughter's neck by claiming she can spin straw into gold. That only buys some time in the royal dungeon, but Doc Croc and Yoyo introduce her to the troll Melchior. He can transform into gold, but demands a counterpart every time. The third time it's her firstborn.

Miller's son Hans's two mean brothers reduce his inheritance share to the unruly cat. The tom-cat however has the gift of speech, and decides to help Hans to a fortune. Their chance comes soon, as the king offers a fortune to anyone who brings him partridges, the out of season craving of his spoiled-rotten daughter. Helped by Doc and Yoyo, the cat manages to catch partridges which please the king enough to insist on a thank-you visit. The cat now pretends Hans is a count. The princess falls in love with hunky Hans at first sight. So they must steal evil sorcerer ...

Doc and Yoyo help twins John and Johanna escape their witch step-mother and step-sister to get the king. But the witch casts a spell on John, just as they reach him, and the king falls in love with Johanna. But the witch poisons her.