The Emperor's New Clothes - Adaptations and Cultural References

Adaptations and Cultural References

Various adaptations of the tale have appeared since its first publication including a 1919 Russian film directed by Yuri Zhelyabuzhsky, a 1987 musical starring Sid Caesar, and numerous short stories, plays, spoofs, and animated films.

The story has been parodied numerous times, including one story in the animated television series Alftales where Alf plays a frustrated tailor of comfortable casual clothes who pulls the trick on the uninterested emperor who refused his usual goods. At the end, when the emperor's pretension is exposed by a girl who makes some sarcastic comments about his state of undress, Alf's character supplies the ruler some of his usual wares which the emperor finds agreeable and so forgives the tailor for the humiliation. Furthermore, the story ends happier still with the emperor realizing that he has his one opportunity to go streaking and invites Alf and Rhonda to join him.

The Emperor's New Clothes is the title of a fanciful 2001 film starring Ian Holm as Napoleon.

The 1990 song "The Emperor's New Clothes" by recording artist Sinéad O'Connor has the same general message as the original fairytale. The song ends with the lines, "through their own words / they will be exposed / they've got a severe case of / the emperor's new clothes."

Le Roi nu (The Naked King), a 1935 ballet with music by Jean Françaix, libretto and choreography by Serge Lifar

In the 1952 film musical Hans Christian Andersen based on the life of the Danish poet and story-teller Hans Christian Andersen, starring Danny Kaye, the story of The Emperor's New Clothes is told in The King's New Clothes as one of the film's eight songs.

The tale was made into a stop-motion animated TV special from Rankin-Bass, again with Danny Kaye's involvement and narration, entitled: The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes.

The tale itself was adapted as an episode of the 2008 series Fairy Tales.

The Chinese novelist Ye Sheng Tao continued the story which Andersen had left off; it is also titled, The Emperor's New Clothes.

The song "Ready to Start" by The Arcade Fire contain the lyric "All the kids have always known, that the Emperor wears no clothes / but they bow down to him anyway, 'cause it's better than being alone".

A modern animated film that revolves around an arrogant emperor is The Emperor's New Groove.

In the Doctor Who episode "Night Terrors" the Doctor jokingly mentions that one of the stories he enjoyed as a child was "The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes".

The sculpture group "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Keld Moseholm is placed in Odense, the native town of Andersen.

In 1980, computer scientist C.A.R. Hoare used a parody tale, The Emperor's Old Clothes, to advocate simplification over embellishment, for clothing or computer sorting algorithms.

In 2010, Alan Schmuckler and David Holstein adapted the well known story into a modern, family musical which underwent critical appraise during its run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. An extended version of the musical is now being performed in Sydney, Australia by the Stage Artz Theatre Company.