Simsala Grimm

Lore & Background

Each episode of SimsalaGrimm tells a famous classical fairy tale set in the magical land of Simsala. The main characters, Yoyo and Doc Croc, move between the storyteller and the episode cast, often helping or inspiring them. Episodes begin with Yoyo and Doc Croc as toys on a shelf, brought to life by a magical book. Yoyo is an adventurous, joyful, brave, and mischievous blue coyote/dormouse hybrid who wears a red hood with two dangling bells. Doc Croc, nicknamed Crocy, is a bookworm, a red-pink lizard who wears glasses and a yellow hat and carries a yellow bag; he is kind, timid, and intelligent, with a slight stutter. The Storybook brings them to life and transports them to Simsala; in the first season, it has portraits of the Brothers Grimm on its hardcover. Yoyo and Doc Croc often argue—Yoyo is brave but unwise, while Doc Croc is overcautious yet intelligent—but they care about each other. Both disrespect the Storybook, as it usually lands them in a bad place.

Reader's Guide

SimsalaGrimm holds significance as a German animated series that introduced original characters Yoyo and Doc Croc to retell classic fairy tales, bridging traditional stories with a modern framing device. The series was co-produced by multiple studios and aired on KiKA, with an English version premiering in Australia in 2001 on ABC Kids and later on RTÉ2 in Ireland. The first season was distributed on DVDs in the United States in 2004 under the name 'The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.' A third season was announced in 2019, set for release in 2027, and remastered versions titled 'Simsala Grimm: Re-Version' were released on Amazon Prime Video in March 2021 in Germany and the United Kingdom. A series of radio plays began in 2022, and a spinoff miniseries called 'Yoyo and Doc Croc's Grand Tour' is in production, along with a TV special based on 'The Water Of Life.' In October 2024, episodes in English were uploaded to the YouTube channel 'Simsala Grimm Official.' A proposed film adaptation in 2002 was eventually released as 'Happily N'Ever After' in 2006, but all connections to the series were removed. In March 2019, Greenlight Media announced a deal to produce an animated feature film based on the show, to be released in 2026.

Did You Know?

• The series was created by André Sikojev, Stefan Beiten, and Claus Clausen.
• Yoyo is a blue coyote/dormouse hybrid who wears a red hood with two dangling bells.
• The English version premiered in Australia in 2001 on ABC Kids.
• A proposed film adaptation in 2002 was released in 2006 as 'Happily N'Ever After' with all connections to the series removed.