PODCAST · arts
The Brothers Dimm
by Philippe & Mike
In the early 1800s, the Brothers Grimm famously collected German folk tales and recorded them for posterity, launching what's now known as the modern fairy tale. Join Philippe, Mike, and guests as they explore one story at a time with humor, history, and digressions at every turn.
Episodes
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#90: The Young Giant
Come see the violence inherent in the system as our old pal Thumbling returns but with a big, big surprise. We cap off Season 6 with talk of lactating males, developmental trauma, and rare Grimm unfinished business.
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#89: The Goose Girl
We bring you a great tale this week, touching on such classic Grimm tropes as "only name a couple of side characters" plus, thankfully, a return to creative capital punishment and a quick jaunt into some of the live-action Grimm adaptations over the years.
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#88: The Singing, Springing Lark
This week's is several we've seen stapled together. However, we discover that parents really do have a favorite child, that material goods are sometimes easier than happiness, and that indecent proposals can actually work out in the end.
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#87: The Poor Man and the Rich Man
In the further adventures of that very loose Grimm interpretation of what Christianity is all about, we find a pretty good tale of accidental wishes, sticking it to the rich man, and later Mike's kid gender swapping Jesus for a blockbuster movie. Something for everyone!
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#86: The Fox and the Geese
We mark our completion of the first of two volumes in the Grimm canon (!) with this Aesop-like little story that could be about greed and piety, or could be about lesbian nun waterfowl. Who's to say, really?
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#85: The Gold Children
A lot of tropes that we've seen before this time, but we get some new concepts such as planting a dead fish and...spying on your daughter and her husband on their wedding night? Add a nosy (yet justified) wife and a rushed ending, and we've reached peak Grimm!
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#84: Hans Married
The Grimms bring us a very confusing tale of marriage, full of puns about patches. But don't worry, we make it even more confusing with Joe Millionaire, Pulp Fiction, and PBR.
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#83: Hans in Luck
We were a little split on this chain tale of diminishing material returns & burgeoning ethical returns, but still found time to talk about a little German history and culture plus a key Renaissance thought piece.
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#82: Gambling Hansel
This week's A-tier story features a couple of classic tropes: Saint Peter being a dick, and the Grimms not being entirely clear on how Hell works. Mix in a sprinkle of Trainspotting parallels and a good game of Sardines and we're off to the races!
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#81: Brother Lustig
Saint Peter's back to his dumb schemes in this rambling tale featuring a critical marshmallow test and raising multiple princesses from the dead for free. Will Brother Lustig trick his way into Heaven after all? The answer may surprise you! Just kidding, it's entirely probable because, according…
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#80: The Death of the Little Hen
Time is money in this lesser-known shorty about -- you guessed it -- cocks and nuts and greed, wherein everyone dies and Phil wants to (again?) reboot Skinemax classic Emmanuelle.
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#79: The Water Nixie
WTF is a nixie? Find out! Sort of. This shorty sparked some Gen X conversation (Baby Jessica, anybody?), an off-the-wall Japanese animated adaptation, and a D&D campaign pitch that in hindsight might already be a YA series.
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#78: The Old Man and His Grandson
Join us for a short one this week, a frequently-told but funny fable about treating your elders with respect: because you never know when the next generation is watching. And, if there's a way to make this even darker, Phil will find it for a Hollywood pitch.
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#77: Clever Gretel
Here we have one of the best stories we've read in a long time, succinctly summed up as a tale of sexy shoes and drunken shenanigans from a girl you can't help but root for.
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#76: The Pink
Our triumphant return! Miss us? We missed you! We kick off SEASON SIX with a wackjob tale of wishes, an iffy bad guy, poor planning, and one of the greatest punishments yet.
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#75: The Fox and the Cat
Episode 75 with (brief) special guest Shannon! Thus brings a close to Season 5 with the thrilling conclusion to The Fox Cycle, a top-tier shorty based on an ancient expression. We get into cat tattoos, speaking Greek, and a revenge pitch.
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#74: The Fox and His Cousin
Continuing "the fox saga" wherein we have a nice wolf and a downright awful fox. We think? Despite diving into German and Olde English we may still have translation and tone troubles.
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#73: The Wolf and the Fox
Back to our series of short one-offs about quick brown foxes and lazy...wolves. This week the wolf's not so much a braggart as a bully. Will he get what's coming to him? Knowing the Grimms, probably!
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#72: The Wolf and the Man
This week we kick off a series of shorties centering around a clever lil' fox and, usually, his big, dumb wolf friend. Here, the wolf talks a big game but how far will he throw his hatchet?
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#71: How Six Men Got On in the World
This week's entry is a zany tale full of wannabe X-Men and sounds remarkably similar to 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and for good reason.
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#70: The Three Sons of Fortune
Teaching ham-fisted capitalist tyrants through the power of animation. Now with more cocks and asses! Uh, and kitten euthanasia.
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#69: Jorinda and Joringel
Co-ed curfews, makin' out in the woods, and too many birds this week -- and Phil gives Mike a present! CW: abortion
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#68: The Thief and His Master
In this tale -- unsurprisingly full of theft and fraud -- we learn an important lesson: never turn into a chicken. Possibly more important, Phil finally produces the long-awaited finish to Asimov's legendary Foundation series.
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#67: The Twelve Huntsmen
In a land of arguably too many kings, there once were two princesses. Although sometimes one is a handsome dude. Who even knows?
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#66: The Hare's Bride
Who doesn't love a surprise wedding? We have cabbages, 311, and one of the weirder forms of public transit this side of Kassel. Don't miss this weird and wonderful artistic interpretation by Ellen Cornett.
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#65: Thousandfurs
We manage to pull this famous tale that begins with incest into Jeffrey Dahmer and Feudal Japan revenge horror territory. CW: incest, rape
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#64: The Golden Goose
Did the Grimm Brothers have an idiot younger brother? With another return of Simpleton, we can't help but wonder. This story only netted out to B-tier but may have inspired Katamari Damacy. CW: miscarriage/abortion
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#63: The Three Feathers
Here's a funky little story of helpful frogs and absolutely insufferable older brothers. We were split on grading, but let's call it an A-?
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#62: The Queen Bee
This week we have a delightful little story about helping animals that we, unsurprisingly, managed to spin into conversation of gay erotica and beheading the French aristocracy.
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#61: The Little Peasant
Welcome to season 5! We're kicking off a slew of short -- but mighty -- stories with this tale about the smartest idiot in town paired with a dash of adultery for flavor. Enjoy!
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#60: The Two Brothers
Our thrilling conclusion to season 4 is what has got to be the longest Grimm tale ever, a solid B+ full of animals, treachery, and our first slapstick beheading.
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#59: Frederick and Catherine
In what Phil calls "Amelia Bedelia Goes to Germany," we have another A-tier based solely on its comedic value. If anything, it's the greatest cheese retrieval story ever told.
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#58: The Dog and the Sparrow
This week we have a wonderful tale of friendship and kindness. Oh, and vengeance -- brutal, absolute vengeance. It's sweet and to the point and we quickly slotted it straight into the A tier.
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#57: The Golden Bird
We seem to be on a roll with this theme of making poor decisions, though now it's just willful ignorance and stupidity. A real FAFO situation. It's still entertaining, though, so we gave it a solid B.
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#56: Sweetheart Roland
From the depths of your darkest imagination...just in time for Halloween...we return. It's been a long time! Here's a rollicking tale of idiot decisions and unlikeable characters that we averaged out to a C. Mike even wrote a pitch for once!
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#55: Rumpelstiltskin
We're on a tear with the big names lately, even if they end up a little flatter than others and this one is no exception at a B. We find ties to lots of other themes, though, and even uncover what the modern day Rumpelstiltskin may be.
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#54: The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
This is a weird one, it gets a B. There are similar themes from other stories but muddier here. We spice it up with a little Game of Thrones, a dash of Magic: the Gathering, and a heaping tablespoon of Guns N' Roses.
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#53: Little Snow White
It's a big one! Phil ranks this one S-tier but Mike's not convinced. Join our gullible AF heroine in a surprisingly poetic tale with callbacks to The Juniper Tree and learn about its darker twists in earlier editions. CW: miscarriage
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#52: King Thrushbeard
Behold a real villain of a prince in this C-rank tale full of gaslighting and humiliation. The moral is trash but we manage to spin some raunchy metaphors and a superior 90s revenge fantasy pitch movie out of it!
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#51: Fundevogel (Fledgling)
We have a wonderful S-tier diamond in the rough this week, a sweet story of sibling love and trust. Don't sleep on this one.
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#50: The Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose)
Number 50, and a big one! You may think you know this one but listen in to discover the untold hero and villain here. This version really only rates a B with us. Did Disney actually do it better? CW: rape
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#49: The Six Swans
Characters and plot devices that just disappear? Hooray! This derivative of prior brother birds stories doesn't pack quite the same punch at its C ranking, but there's still plenty of shenanigans.
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#48: Old Sultan
An old dog learns new tricks but that doesn't save this one from a C ranking. We do, however, manage to spin Dangerous Liaisons and a sausage duel out of it, so that's a win-win.
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#47: The Juniper Tree
A rollicking tale of gaslighting, cannibalism, and a classic Weekend at Bernie's stunt. This one gets a solid A ranking, almost an S. CW: abortion, miscarriage
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#46: Fowler's Fowl
We're back with season 4, now with rankings! This twisted version of Bluebeard gets an A. It has hints of Our Lady's Child & the Robber Bridegroom, and we polish it off with our own chastity interpretations and 80s/90s movie pitches.
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#45: Thumbling's Travels
Thumbling is back! Plot twist: now he's a dick. Join us for his wacky adventures, plus a long-lost 80s school lunch food and NEW Grimm news!
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#44: Godfather Death
Join us for a little déjà vu this week. You know what they say about big candles! Big...uh...life expectancy?
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#43: Frau Trude
Wherein willful, anthropomorphic firewood learns an important lesson. OR maybe has a lovely coming-out adventure?
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#42: The Godfather
We're in agreement that being a godparent means different things to different people. Rarely, though, does it involve the devil handing out magic healing water.
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#41: Mr. Korbes
What do Pete Davidson, the Brave Little Toaster, casual murder, and Oklahoma! have in common? Nothing but this very episode, our shortest one yet!
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
In the early 1800s, the Brothers Grimm famously collected German folk tales and recorded them for posterity, launching what's now known as the modern fairy tale. Join Philippe, Mike, and guests as they explore one story at a time with humor, history, and digressions at every turn.
HOSTED BY
Philippe & Mike
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Brothers Dimm have?
The Brothers Dimm currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Brothers Dimm about?
In the early 1800s, the Brothers Grimm famously collected German folk tales and recorded them for posterity, launching what's now known as the modern fairy tale. Join Philippe, Mike, and guests as they explore one story at a time with humor, history, and digressions at every turn.
How often does The Brothers Dimm release new episodes?
The Brothers Dimm has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Brothers Dimm?
You can listen to The Brothers Dimm on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Brothers Dimm?
The Brothers Dimm is created and hosted by Philippe & Mike.
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