Bobo, the good little man of the mountains” feeds the birds and squirrels and rabbits and mice with nuts and seeds and cabbage and cheese each suited to the creatures’ tastes. But one day a very strange animal comes to his cave looking for something to eat. “It looked something like a dog and also a little like a giraffe, and from the top of its head to the tip of its curled tail, there was a row of beautiful blue points.”

When Bobo inquires what kind of animal it is, it responds that it is not an animal at all. It claims that it is an “aminal,” then demands something to eat. It is completely uninterested in Bobo’s usual fare. It only wants dolls to eat, and the ones taken from good children are the best. Bobo tries to appeal to the sympathy of this strange “aminal,” by attempting to get it to understand that making children cry because their dolls have been devoured is not a good thing to do. But the Funny Thing is unaffected.

So, Bobo tries a different strategy which is flattery. Praising the Funny Thing for its beautiful blue points, he asks it how many jum-jills it must eat to grow so many. The Funny Thing has never heard of a jum-jill. Bobo explains that they are “funny little cakes which make blue points more beautiful and little tails grow into big ones.” Naturally the Funny Thing wants as many of those as it can get. Bobo rushes to his underground kitchen and begins to whip up some jum-jills which consist of a mixture of all the things that he has been feeding to the other animals. When he has a platter full he presents it to the Funny Thing who gobbles them down with great gusto.

The Funny Thing returns every day for more jum-jills until its tail is so long and heavy, as well as beautifully appointed that it’s no longer able to move. “So of course he ate up no more dolls and we have kind old Bobo to thank for that.” ( )

“The Funny Thing” by Wanda Gag was published in 1929. The strange fairy tale story is about a man name Bobo who lives in a cozy cave in the mountains. The local animals call him “a good little man of the mountain. Bobo enjoys cooking for all of the local animals. He is known for customizing the meals he prepares for the specific animal. For example, he would prepare “nut cakes for squirrels, seed puddings for the birds, cabbage salads for the rabbits, cherry-sized cheeses for the mice.
One day, a dragon like animal who Bobo called “The funny thing” approaches Bobo and asks him if he could make him a meal like he does for the other animals. Bobo agrees and then The Funny Thing asks him if he can make him a meal made out of doll heads. Instead Bobo suggest to make the Funny Thing a meal called “jum-jill”. Bobo explains to the Funny Thing that the meal will make his tail longer and the blue spikes on his back more beautiful. The Funny Thing agrees and proceeds to eat the jum-jill. The treat that Bobo prepared for the Funny Thing “effectively” gets him to stop eating dolls heads. The story then ends with The Funny Thing’s spiky tail curling down “contentedly” eating the jum- jills that are delivered to him, one at a time, by procession of small birds.

SO CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( )

Worthwhile to just flip through illustrations! Timeless

Ga'g is as weird as her name, and her books are a little nutty. But just for this reason I think at a storytime the children would be drawn into her loopy narratives and art. ( )