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Being a fairy tale parent is hazardous to your health

You ever notice how many children's/fairy tale characters are either orphans, being raised by non-parents, are abandoned, or have only one parent? I guess it's pretty hard to write a story when pesky parents and rules keep getting in the way. I suppose the worst thing a kid can think of that could happen is their parents no longer being there for them. But still, that's heck of a lot of dead parents.

Here's a list of the fairy tales and other stories involving parentless or partially parentless characters that I could think of off the top of my head.

Orphans
Aladdin
Sleeping Beauty ( Her parents are asleep her whole life)
Harry Potter
The kids from Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate Events
Eragon
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
The kid from the Jungle Book
The 101 Dalmations (give or take a couple)
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Pete from Pete's Dragon
Arthur from The Sword in the Stone
The girl in The Rescuers
Tarzan
Peter Pan and the Lost Boys

One Parent
Ariel, the little mermaid
Jasmin from Aladdin
Bambi
Belle from Beauty and the Beast
Beast from Beauty and the Beast
Simba
Snow White
Nemo

Abandoned/Parents are unavailable
Mary Poppins
The kids from Bedknobs and Broomsticks

The only Disney "Princess" I can think of that has parents is Mulan and that's pivotal to the plot line. She's disrespecting them by joining the army as a male.

Feel free to add any I missed.

Comments

tjdygon said…
In the Disney verson of Sleeping Beauty she was raised by the 3 fairies, I didn't remember her parents being asleep. I thought they sent her away becasue they were afraid of her getting pricked. I could be wrong.
But you are right, the kids are either orphaned, one parent or the parents aren't around.
Lady and the Tramp===the real people take off and leave Lady to fend for herself and she gets in troubl when the aunt comes.
3:35 PM
Sassy Pants said…
Rapunzel - I think her parents had to give her to a witch because her father stole food out of the witches garden to ease a pregnancy craving of her mom's.

As for Sleeping Beauty, it was both - her parents sent her away and then the fairies put the castle to sleep. If I recall. It's been awhile.

See! Parents don't come off to well.
4:48 PM
Anonymous said…
Princess Fiona in Shrek had two parents. Parents who locked her in a castle, mind you. Geeze... and my kids think I'm the meanest mommy in the world!
9:28 PM
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