German fairy tale question
 

I don't know if this is the right place to post this....but here goes.

There is a German fairy tale and the main character is a guy who wears striped leggings and carries a large pair of scissors, and cuts off children's noses if they lie. I need to know the name of the fairy tale and the name of the character...if anyone has any knowledge of this, I'd really appreciate it.

This isn't what you are looking for exactly, but it seems loosely related. Maybe it can be a starting point for more research?

Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann.

The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb

One day, Mamma said, "Conrad dear,
I must go out and leave you here.
But mind now, Conrad, what I say,
Don't suck your thumb while I'm away.
The great tall tailor always comes
To little boys that suck their thumbs.
And ere they dream what he's about
He takes his great sharp scissors
And cuts their thumbs clean off, - and then
You know, they never grow again."

Mamma had scarcely turn'd her back,
The thumb was in, alack! alack!

The door flew open, in he ran,
The great, long, red-legged scissorman.
Oh! children, see! the tailor's come
And caught our little Suck-a-Thumb.

Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go;
And Conrad cries out - Oh! Oh! Oh!
Snip! Snap! Snip! They go so fast;
That both his thumbs are off at last.
Mamma comes home; there Conrad stands,
And looks quite sad, and shows his hands;-
"Ah!" said Mamma "I knew he'd come
To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb."

I *KNEW* it was Stuwwelpeter! I did some research, but the only Struwwelpeter I came up with was about a boy who never washed, but the name was definitely setting off bells. I hadn't read the fairy tale since 1991, so I guess my memory of it was a bit hazy. Thanks muchly, phukraut!!

I read a few of these in my 9th grade German class...it's a good thing I never read them as a kid because old German fairy tales are sure messed up. I'd have had nightmares for sure.

whew, cause i had searched this 9 ways from sunday since you posted it and I couldnt come up with a thing about noses!!!

Nightmares... no kidding! The un-Disneyfied fairy tales can be really gruesome.

Yeah we looked at them in 11th and 12th year German. I actually talked a little about them in my oral exam (it was about how societies relation with its youth has developed over time).

Here is a link to the whole story (with pictures and in german/english):

http://www.fln.vcu.edu/struwwel/daumen.html

You will find there also the other stories of the book "Struwwelpeter".

Damn those Germans can really be sadistic.

These little stories are helpful, for instance, to prevent children from playing with fire.

German fairy tales, and in fact most myths and legends, are told to teach a lesson. Irish fairy tales have similar consequence themes.

They do seem really morbid and sadistic to me...but I grew up with Cinderella, Mother Goose, and the like. As a kid, if I had read the thumb sucking or playing with matches story, I sure as hell wouldn't have sucked my thumb or played with matches, that's for sure!

Just as a side note...the reason I asked all this is because I am going to a fairy tale themed party next month...and the tailor who cuts off thumbs was my immediate choice for my costume...I just had to find the fairytale. It's interesting you should mention the Irish ones, snowy, because after hubby read this one, he decided he wanted to research some Irish ones and choose one for his costume :)