In each episode of the series, one of the famous classical fairy tales is told in the magical land of Simsala. The local characters Yoyo and Doc Croc move between the storyteller and the episode cast, which they tend to help or at least inspire. Each episode begins with Yoyo and Doc Croc as toys on a shelf brought to life by a magical book.
Characters
Main
Yoyo (German: Hubertus von Lerchenfeld, English: Nigel Greaves) – An adventurous, joyful, brave and mischievous blue coyote. He wears a red hood shoulder piece with two dangling bells.
Doc Croc (nicknamed Crocy; German: Jörg Stuttmann, English: Nigel Pegram) – A bookworm, a red-pink lizard. He wears glasses and a yellow hat, and carries a yellow bag with him. He is kind, timid and smart. It also appears as if Doc Croc has a slight stutter in his voice.
Storybook (Märchenbuch; German: Bert Franzke, English: Erik Hansen) – the book that brings Yoyo and Doc Croc to life and takes them to the land of Simsala. In the first season, it has portraits of the brothers Grimm in the hardcover.
Both Yoyo and Doc Croc often argue as Yoyo is brave and willing, but unwise and Doc Croc is sometimes overcautious, yet intelligent. Both of them also seem to disrespect the storybook, as it usually takes them to a bad place when they're landing.
Recurring
Birds - Three clothed birds appear in numerous episodes of the first season, often providing/singing advice or insight to Yoyo and Doc Croc.
Mice - Three clothed mice appear in numerous episodes of the first season, often providing advice or insight, sometimes even help, to Yoyo and Doc Croc.
Simsala Grimm premiered on KiKA in Germany on 1 November 1999, and ended on 21 July 2000. It was later renewed for a second season, which premiered on 6 December 2010, and ended on 31 December that same year.
The English version of the series premiered in Australia in 2001 on ABC Kids, and later on RTÉ2 in Ireland.[when?] In addition, the first season of the series was distributed on DVDs in the United States in 2004, under the name "The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm".[citation needed]
A third season was announced in 2019 and set to be released in 2027.[2][3] Remastered versions of the previous seasons, titled "SimsalaGrimm: Re-Version", were produced as well, and were released on Amazon Prime Video in March 2021 in Germany and the United Kingdom,[4] with the German version in particular releasing in theaters starting 28 October 2021.[5] On 7 November 2021, a series of radio plays was announced for an early 2022 release, with the first episode, based on The Seven Ravens, releasing on 11 February on Spotify, Deezer, and Napster.[6] Afterwards, a second episode, based on The King's Son Who Feared Nothing, released on 17 May 2023, a third episode, based on The Courageous Flute-Player, released on 20 October 2023, a fourth episode, based on The Elves and the Shoemaker, released on 17 November 2023, a fifth episode, based on The Queen Bee, released on 15 March 2024, and a sixth episode, based on The Thief and the Merchant, released on 14 June 2024.[7] Along these, a new spinoff miniseries called "Yoyo and Doc Croc's Grand Tour" is in production along with a TV Special as well.[8][9]
In 2002, Greenlight Media partnered with Berlin Animation Film and John H. Williams of Vanguard Animation to produce a film adaptation that would have been known domestically as Happily N'Ever After, which would have revolved around Cinderella's stepmother taking over the land of Simsala. The film would have starred Andy Dick as Yoyo, and Wallace Shawn as Doc Croc, with the additional voices of Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, George Carlin and Sigourney Weaver. By 2003, Grenlight Media would sell its interest in the film, and while the film did get released in 2007, all connections to the series were removed from the final project.[10]
In March 2019, with the celebration of 20th anniversary of the series, Greenlight Media announced that it signed a deal with Fabula Media Group to produce an animated feature film based on the show to be released in 2026,[11] as well as the third season is in development.[12]
