The Twisted Tales Platform

What if our earliest ideas about whom to trust, how conflicts should be resolved, and what it means to belong to a community are shaped not only by our families and schools, but also by the fairy tales we hear at bedtime?

At a time when concerns about bullying, social exclusion, and intolerance towards diversity are becoming increasingly prominent, it is worth asking what messages children absorb from stories that generations have regarded simply as entertainment.

Fairy tales are much more than stories about princesses and dragons. They are among the first narratives that introduce children to how the world works—who holds power, who is trusted, what is rewarded, and how problems are solved. Alongside nurturing imagination, they also transmit social values, norms, and expectations.

When heroes are usually strong men, heroines are passive and beautiful, and difference is frequently associated with danger or evil, children may develop oversimplified ideas about power, belonging, and human relationships. This does not mean that traditional fairy tales should be discarded. Rather, they should be read critically and used as a starting point for conversation. Can a princess find a solution on her own? Must every conflict be resolved through force? Is difference something to fear, or an opportunity for understanding?

Questions like these, help children develop empathy, critical thinking, and the prosocial skills they need in everyday life.

It is precisely this approach that inspired the creation of the Twisted Tales platform. Drawing on well-known fairy tales, the platform does not reject them but reimagines them from a fresh perspective. Main characters in those stories are defined not by their appearance or predetermined roles, but by the choices they make, the solidarity they show, and the responsibility they take. Rather than waiting for miracles or rescue, they solve problems through cooperation, dialogue, and understanding others.

Twisted Tales is therefore not a replacement for classic fairy tales. Instead, it invites adults and children to revisit them together—as an opportunity to discuss empathy, equality, respect for diversity, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Recently, four new stories from the series were introduced on social media: Pocahontas Is Bored, Philip and the Paper Theatre, Mira from the Coral Sea, and Thumbelina Nowhere. These stories are available in Serbian and several other European languages and can be listened to on the platform at twistedtales.tv.

The stories were developed as part of the Tech Tales project (TECH(ing) TALES WITH A TWIST for the Children of the Present), which brings together seven partners from six European countries. In addition to the Serbian organisation Group “Hajde da…”, the consortium includes the Institute for Transmedia Design (project coordinator, Slovenia), Art Rebel 9 (Slovenia), Vienna Design Office (Austria), NVU FLUX (Montenegro), Art Transparent (Poland), and IAAC – FabLab Barcelona (Spain). The project is funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.