History Main / NurseryRhyme

* In "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/198maidmaleen.html Maid Maleen]]", the tower inspired children to sing a nursery rhyme as they passed it.

The English nursery rhymes specifically are connected with the name of Mother Goose, whence they are also called 'Mother Goose rhymes'. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Goose Mother Goose]] is an old folklore figure or stereotype -- an archetypal elderly country woman, who was originally interpreted as [[TheStoryteller a teller]], or mythical originator of {{fairy tale}}s; but her focus shifted to nursery rhymes in the late 18th century. She also figures in a nursery rhyme herself, and is the subject of a traditional {{pantomime}}. She is usually portrayed wearing a tall hat and shawl (the old Welsh peasant costume), except when she is an [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorpic goose]].

* In ''Literature/TheConditionsOfGreatDetectives'' one episode (called "Nursery Rhyme Murder") evolves around murders following the lyrics of a television station's old nursery rhyme, which told the story of how ten little children died one by one. The fact there's ten verses upsets Tenkaichi because he can't stop the murderer until the rhyme is finished (as it's one of the conditions) but if he lets ten people die his popularity will tumble.

* Creator/AgathaChristie titled several novels after nursery rhymes. In ''A Pocket Full of Rye'', and more famously ''And Then There Were None'', victims are murdered in the manner of a nursery rhyme. {{Lampshaded}} in ''Five Little Pigs'', in which Poirot is downright irritated that the list of suspects is reminding him of a nursery rhyme ''again''.

Obviously, drawn upon for IronicNurseryTune. May also feature in a FracturedFairyTale or a FairyTaleFreeForAll. Compare the PlaygroundSong.

Obviously, drawn upon for IronicNurseryTune. May also feature in a FracturedFairyTale. Compare the PlaygroundSong.

* One episode of ComicStrip/USAcres had [[InkSuitActor Aloysius]] [[Creator/KevinMeaney Pig]] asking the cast to do some of these. Towards the end, they get back at Aloysius by making up a rhyme about him.

* The 1938 WesternAnimation/{{Silly Symphon|ies}}y short ''Mother Goose Goes Hollywood'' is a series of nursery rhymes with [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed celebrity caricatures]] in the main roles.

* Creator/AgathaChristie titled several novels after nursery rhymes. In ''A Pocket Full of Rye'', and more famously ''And Then There Were None'', victims are murdered in the manner of a nursery rhyme.

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* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'',

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* The 1938 [[WesternAnimation/SillySymphonies Silly Symphony]] short ''Mother Goose Goes Hollywood'' is a series of nursery rhymes with [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed celebrity caricatures]] in the main roles.

* In Creator/DevonMonk's Literature/AllieBeckstrom novel ''Magic to the Bone'', Allie uses "Miss Mary Mack" as her mantra

* One episode of ComicStrip/USAcres had [[InkSuitActor Aloysius]] [[Creator/KevinMeaney Pig]] asking the cast to do some of these. Towards the end, they make up their own nursery rhyme about Aloysius.

--> And when she came back, she found 'em all a-loffeing[[note]]laughing uproarously[[/note]]

* Mrs. Wren in JohnCWright's ''Chronicles of Chaos'' makes use of rhymes as enchantments. Taffy ap Cyrmu, in the same work, takes his name from one: "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief."

* DCComics supervillain Solomon Grundy is named after a nursery rhyme; "Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday..."

Modern lore often attributes macabre and horrifying "origin stories" to nursery rhymes; the most widespread possibly being that "Ring Around the Rosy" is a song about [[TheBlackDeath the plague]]. These assertions are UrbanLegends. The origins of most nursery rhymes are simply not known, but it's quite obvious that most of them are nonsense rhymes that never made much sense. NewerThanTheyThink also often applies to this, with people sometimes attributing much older meanings to nursery rhymes that are much more recent ("Pop Goes The Weasel" for example is thought to only be about 150 years old).

Modern lore often attributes macabre and horrifying "origin stories" to nursery rhymes; the most widespread possibly being that "Ring Around the Rosy" is a song about [[TheBlackDeath the plague]]. Debate continues on to what extent this and other such interpretations are {{Urban Legend|s}}. The origins of most nursery rhymes are simply not known, and many are in all likelyhood nonsense rhymes that never made much sense, but there are also firmly established examples demonstrating that this can be TruthInTelevision. For instance, children in the US are often familiar with a little ditty about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Borden Lizzie Borden]]:

--> ''Lizzie Borden took an axe''
--> ''And gave her mother forty whacks.''
--> ''When she saw what she had done,''
--> ''She gave her father forty-one.''

NewerThanTheyThink also often applies to this, with people sometimes attributing much older meanings to nursery rhymes that are much more recent ("Pop Goes The Weasel" for example is thought to only be about 150 years old).

* Several nursey rhyme characters appear in ''{{ComicBook/Fables}}'' and even more in the spinoff ''JackOfFables''.

Modern hearsay lore often attributes macabre and horrifying "origin stories" to nursery rhymes; the most widespread possibly being that "Ring Around the Rosy" is a song about [[TheBlackDeath the plague]]. These assertions are UrbanLegends. The origins of most nursery rhymes are simply not known, but it's quite obvious that most of them are nonsense rhymes that never made much sense. NewerThanTheyThink also often applies to this, with people sometimes attributing much older meanings to nursery rhymes that are much more recent ("Pop Goes The Weasel" for example is thought to only be about 150 years old).

* Jack Spratt of Jasper Fforde's ''NurseryCrime'' books is himself a nursery rhyme figure and runs across several others. (Though his ambit includes {{Fairy Tale}}s as well.)

* In NeilGaiman's ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'', nursery rhymes contain great secrets. One character jeers at the way ordinary people recite them to babies.
* NeilGaiman's short story "The Case of the Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds" humorously places Mother Goose characters in a parody of crime noir, as "Little" Jack Horner, private eye, attempts to solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty.

* In ''FrankAndErnest'', when dealing with FairyTale characters, such figures as Little Bo-Peep also appear.
* And ''MotherGooseAndGrimm'' does it too, naturally.
* {{Mutts}} has a book club; a goose, one reader, resorts to nursery rhymes quite often.

* ''Thief: Deadly Shadows'' contains several nursery rhymes, all of them rather disturbing (and accurate foreshadowing).
* ''Dead Space'' has the very very very creepy singing of ''Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'' in it.

* Several nursey rhyme characters appear in ''{{Fables}}'' and even more in the spinoff ''JackOfFables''.

* One episode of USAcres had [[InkSuitActor Aloysius]] [[KevinMeaney Pig]] asking the cast to do some of these. Towards the end, they make up their own nursery rhyme about Aloysius.

* In ''{{Sinfest}}'',

* In ''{{Erstwhile}}'', [[http://www.erstwhiletales.com/maidmaleen-35/#.T2-Bydm6SuI Maid Maleen ends with peasant girls singing such a verse, inspired by her tale.]]
* In ''BlueYonder'', [[http://www.blueyondercomic.net/comics/1625491/blue-yonder-chapter-2-page-31/ a villain derides Jared as "Little Boy Blue".]]