Wild Chicks
Encyclopedia
The Wild Chicks is a series of children's and youth books
written by Cornelia Funke
. The main protagonists are four (later five) girls, who go to class together and form the eponymous "Wild Chicks" girl gang. Five books were published between 1993
and 2003
, which have sold over one million copies in Germany. Three feature-length film adaptation
s have been released.
noted the authenticity of the Wild Chicks universe, centering around girls of imperfect families (i.e. divorced, poor or dysfunctional parents) but still maintaining a level of humor which made the books appealing.
, shy and bespectacled Trude, who is unsure because of her obesity, and her best friend, the beautiful, shallow and vain, yet amicable Melanie. Later, they are joined by Wilma, a tough boys-hating tomboy, who is later revealed as a lesbian
. In the inaugural 1993 book Die Wilden Hühner, they are all eight to nine years old, and in the hitherto last book Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe (2003), they are all 13 to 14 years old. All Wild Chicks wear a chicken's feather around their neck and have sworn to never kill or eat chicken.
In a 2007 interview, Funke said she identifies most with Sprotte, but wishes to have been more like Frieda. Asked why she made Wilma a lesbian, she answered: "I have friends who are lesbian, so this... is a normal part of life. It would have been boring... if Wilma had fallen in love with a boy, I already covered that with all the others." Funke also asserted that the main message of the fifth book, where all fall in love, is "tolerance and respect for the feelings of other people."
Throughout the entire series, the Wild Chicks encounter a boys' gang called the Pygmies ("die Pygmäen"): their leader is the self-confident, yet good natured Fred, small but cocky Torte, tough Willi (who is haunted by a violent father) and the esoteric Steve, who is seldom seen without his Tarot cards. On the author's homepage, she reveals that all Pygmies wear an earring
as their trademark and have sworn to defend mankind versus "criminals, pirates, Nazis, cannibals and vicious teachers". At first, Wild Chicks and Pygmies form a boys-against-girls rivalry and play pranks on each other, but in later books, Sprotte / Fred and Melanie / Willi (latter temporarily) become a couple, and Steve and Wilma good friends.
Other regular characters in the series include Sprotte's chaotic but loving mother Sybille her on-and-off boyfriend Thorben Mossmann (whom Sprotte dislikes), Sprotte's cranky, fiercely independent grandmother Oma Slättberg (Grandma Slättberg), and Frau Rose (Ms. Rose), the Wild Chicks' (and the Pygmies') teacher.
Many of the series' protagonists come from dysfunctional families: Sprotte's mother Sybille is a single mother who works late hours as a taxi driver, Frieda's father constantly prefers her brothers, Trude's father has divorced her biological mother and is living with a woman Trude loathes, Melanie's parents are unemployed and poor, and Wilma's parents are rich but extremely demanding, complaining when she fails to write something worse than an "A". Willi's father is an alcoholic who constantly beats up his mother and son.
In 2008, German author Thomas Schmid wrote the novelisation of the third Wild Chicks film, Die wilden Hühner und das Leben. In this book, Schmid brings the Wild Chicks universe to a closure. On a tumultuous school trip, both Wild Chicks and Pygmies realise that they have outgrown their gang. They remain friends, and Sprotte recruits three young girls who take over their mantle as new Wild Chicks. Sprotte and Fred quarrel but remain a couple, Sprotte's mother becomes pregnant, Frieda hooks up with Willi and Trude with Steve. Torte's family emigrates to Denmark
, Wilma comes out as lesbian and wants to become an actress, and Melanie decides to live her own life.
In 2008, German author Thomas Schmid wrote the novelisation of the third Wild Chicks film.
In addition, Funke has published an activity book:
, Die Wilden Hühner) and Wild Chicks in Love (2007
, Die wilden Hühner und die Liebe), both directed by Vivian Naefe
. Wild Chicks was a commercial success, drawing 1.15 million visitors into the cinemas, and won the "Younger Audience Award for Best Film" prize in Leeds, and Paula Riemann
, who portrayed Melanie, won the Undine Award (German film prize for teenage actors) for "best comedienne". The successor Wild Chicks in Love was also a success, drawing about 1 million visitors in Germany. Funke herself was "very pleased" with the film adaptations.
In the two movies, the Wild Chicks were portrayed by Michelle von Treuberg (Sprotte), Lucie Hollmann (Frieda), Zsá Zsá Inci Bürkle (Trude), Paula Riemann
(Melanie), and Jette Hering (Wilma), and the Pygmies were portrayed by Jeremy Mockridge (Fred), Martin Kurz (Torte), Vincent Redetzki (Willi) and Philip Wiegratz
(Steve; Wiegratz played Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
). Notable was also Svea Bein (Wilma's girlfriend Leonie), who joined Riemann as an Undine Award winner with her performance in the 2007 German TKKG
movie TKKG und das Geheimnis um die rätselhafte Mind Machine. The adult roles were portrayed by established actors Veronica Ferres
(Sybille), Jessica Schwarz
(Ms. Rose), Benno Fürmann
(Herr Grünbaum, her colleague and boyfriend), Oliver Stokowski (Thorben Mossmann), Thomas Kretschmann
(Sprotte's estranged father) and Doris Schade
(Oma Slättberg).
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
written by Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German author of children's fiction. She was born on 10 December 1958, in Dorsten, North Rhine-Westphalia. Funke is best known for her Inkworld trilogy, with the English translation of the third book, Inkdeath, released on 6 October 2008. Many of her...
. The main protagonists are four (later five) girls, who go to class together and form the eponymous "Wild Chicks" girl gang. Five books were published between 1993
1993 in literature
The year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
and 2003
2003 in literature
The year 2003 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Peter Ackroyd - The Clerkenwell Tales*Atsuko Asano - No...
, which have sold over one million copies in Germany. Three feature-length film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
s have been released.
Development
According to her own homepage, Funke's editor remarked in the early 1990s that Funke – who at that point had written children's fantasy books only – should consider writing non-fantastic fiction "without faeries, ghosts and pirates". Although reluctant to do so, Funke obliged and thought up the Wild Chicks, based on her own experiences with strong or quirky girls and women. She also declined writing adventures about "kids stopping bank robbers", and only wanted to write stories that "could happen to any child". Wild Chicks film producer Vivian NaefeVivian Naefe
Vivian Naefe is a German film director. Her films include the Die wilden Hühner series , Wellen , and two Tatort episodes....
noted the authenticity of the Wild Chicks universe, centering around girls of imperfect families (i.e. divorced, poor or dysfunctional parents) but still maintaining a level of humor which made the books appealing.
Setting
The main protagonists are four – later five – girls: Sprotte (Charlotte), who is the spunky yet friendly main narrator, her best friend Frieda, a level-headed girl who is a member of Terre des hommesTerre des hommes
Terre des hommes is a charitable international humanitarian federation which concentrates on children's rights, founded in 1959 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland...
, shy and bespectacled Trude, who is unsure because of her obesity, and her best friend, the beautiful, shallow and vain, yet amicable Melanie. Later, they are joined by Wilma, a tough boys-hating tomboy, who is later revealed as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. In the inaugural 1993 book Die Wilden Hühner, they are all eight to nine years old, and in the hitherto last book Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe (2003), they are all 13 to 14 years old. All Wild Chicks wear a chicken's feather around their neck and have sworn to never kill or eat chicken.
In a 2007 interview, Funke said she identifies most with Sprotte, but wishes to have been more like Frieda. Asked why she made Wilma a lesbian, she answered: "I have friends who are lesbian, so this... is a normal part of life. It would have been boring... if Wilma had fallen in love with a boy, I already covered that with all the others." Funke also asserted that the main message of the fifth book, where all fall in love, is "tolerance and respect for the feelings of other people."
Throughout the entire series, the Wild Chicks encounter a boys' gang called the Pygmies ("die Pygmäen"): their leader is the self-confident, yet good natured Fred, small but cocky Torte, tough Willi (who is haunted by a violent father) and the esoteric Steve, who is seldom seen without his Tarot cards. On the author's homepage, she reveals that all Pygmies wear an earring
Earring
Common locations for piercings, other than the earlobe, include the rook, tragus, and across the helix . The simple term "ear piercing" usually refers to an earlobe piercing, whereas piercings in the upper part of the external ear are often referred to as "cartilage piercings"...
as their trademark and have sworn to defend mankind versus "criminals, pirates, Nazis, cannibals and vicious teachers". At first, Wild Chicks and Pygmies form a boys-against-girls rivalry and play pranks on each other, but in later books, Sprotte / Fred and Melanie / Willi (latter temporarily) become a couple, and Steve and Wilma good friends.
Other regular characters in the series include Sprotte's chaotic but loving mother Sybille her on-and-off boyfriend Thorben Mossmann (whom Sprotte dislikes), Sprotte's cranky, fiercely independent grandmother Oma Slättberg (Grandma Slättberg), and Frau Rose (Ms. Rose), the Wild Chicks' (and the Pygmies') teacher.
Many of the series' protagonists come from dysfunctional families: Sprotte's mother Sybille is a single mother who works late hours as a taxi driver, Frieda's father constantly prefers her brothers, Trude's father has divorced her biological mother and is living with a woman Trude loathes, Melanie's parents are unemployed and poor, and Wilma's parents are rich but extremely demanding, complaining when she fails to write something worse than an "A". Willi's father is an alcoholic who constantly beats up his mother and son.
In 2008, German author Thomas Schmid wrote the novelisation of the third Wild Chicks film, Die wilden Hühner und das Leben. In this book, Schmid brings the Wild Chicks universe to a closure. On a tumultuous school trip, both Wild Chicks and Pygmies realise that they have outgrown their gang. They remain friends, and Sprotte recruits three young girls who take over their mantle as new Wild Chicks. Sprotte and Fred quarrel but remain a couple, Sprotte's mother becomes pregnant, Frieda hooks up with Willi and Trude with Steve. Torte's family emigrates to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Wilma comes out as lesbian and wants to become an actress, and Melanie decides to live her own life.
Books
Starting in 1993, Funke has written five books about the Wild Chicks. They have appeared in German and in Polish (Egmont, 2006-2007). In a chat, Funke revealed that the books will be published in English in the future.- Die Wilden Hühner, 1993 (Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 3-7915-0445-2)
- Die Wilden Hühner auf Klassenfahrt, 19951995 in literatureThe year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
(Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 3-7915-0481-9) - Die Wilden Hühner, Fuchsalarm, 19981998 in literatureThe year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
(Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 3-7915-0470-3) - Die Wilden Hühner und das Glück der Erde, 20002000 in literatureThe year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
(Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 3-7915-0483-5) - Die Wilden Hühner und die Liebe, 2003 (Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-7915-0472-8)
In 2008, German author Thomas Schmid wrote the novelisation of the third Wild Chicks film.
- Die Wilden Hühner und das Leben, 2008, (Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 978-3791519142)
In addition, Funke has published an activity book:
- Die Wilden Hühner. Das Bandenbuch zum Mitmachen, 2001 (Cecile-Dressler-Verlag, ISBN 978-3791504605)
Movies
Two films have been featured about the Wild Chicks: Wild Chicks (20052005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
, Die Wilden Hühner) and Wild Chicks in Love (2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
, Die wilden Hühner und die Liebe), both directed by Vivian Naefe
Vivian Naefe
Vivian Naefe is a German film director. Her films include the Die wilden Hühner series , Wellen , and two Tatort episodes....
. Wild Chicks was a commercial success, drawing 1.15 million visitors into the cinemas, and won the "Younger Audience Award for Best Film" prize in Leeds, and Paula Riemann
Paula Riemann
Paula Riemann is a German actress.Both of her parents, Katja Riemann and Peter Sattmann, have become well-known for their acting roles...
, who portrayed Melanie, won the Undine Award (German film prize for teenage actors) for "best comedienne". The successor Wild Chicks in Love was also a success, drawing about 1 million visitors in Germany. Funke herself was "very pleased" with the film adaptations.
In the two movies, the Wild Chicks were portrayed by Michelle von Treuberg (Sprotte), Lucie Hollmann (Frieda), Zsá Zsá Inci Bürkle (Trude), Paula Riemann
Paula Riemann
Paula Riemann is a German actress.Both of her parents, Katja Riemann and Peter Sattmann, have become well-known for their acting roles...
(Melanie), and Jette Hering (Wilma), and the Pygmies were portrayed by Jeremy Mockridge (Fred), Martin Kurz (Torte), Vincent Redetzki (Willi) and Philip Wiegratz
Philip Wiegratz
Philip Wiegratz is a German child actor. His filmography consists partly of adaptations of popular English and German children's books....
(Steve; Wiegratz played Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka...
). Notable was also Svea Bein (Wilma's girlfriend Leonie), who joined Riemann as an Undine Award winner with her performance in the 2007 German TKKG
TKKG
The Junior detective series TKKG is a German series of audio dramas and novels created by "Stefan Wolf", a pseudonym used by Rolf Kalmuczak.- The characters and their creator :...
movie TKKG und das Geheimnis um die rätselhafte Mind Machine. The adult roles were portrayed by established actors Veronica Ferres
Veronica Ferres
Veronica Maria Cäcilia Ferres is a German actress who gained fame as Pierre Richard's co-star in the French TV-movie Sans famille and as the horrible Mme. Thénardier in the 2000 French TV miniseries Les Misérables...
(Sybille), Jessica Schwarz
Jessica Schwarz
-Biography:Schwarz was born and grew up in the small town of Michelstadt, Germany. She won a contest of the German teen magazine Bravo in 1993. Subsequently, she worked as a model and VJ for the music channel VIVA. In 2000 she started her acting career and occasionally hosts events, e.g. the German...
(Ms. Rose), Benno Fürmann
Benno Fürmann
Benjamin "Benno" Fürmann is a German film and television actor.-Life and work:Fürmann was born in Berlin-Kreuzberg. By the age of 15 he had lost both his parents. At 17, he had a serious accident while train surfing, and had to spend six weeks in the hospital as a result...
(Herr Grünbaum, her colleague and boyfriend), Oliver Stokowski (Thorben Mossmann), Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
(Sprotte's estranged father) and Doris Schade
Doris Schade
Doris Schade is a German television actress.-Selected filmography:* 1979: Derrick - Season 6, Episode 2: "Anschlag auf Bruno"* 1981: Die bleierne Zeit...
(Oma Slättberg).