Life Lessons in the Most Horrifying Way Possible: Struwwelpeter (1845)
One children’s book stands out as a collection of gory horror stories masking as gentle morality tales is Struwwelpeter. The six illustrated stories, intended for children ages three to six, taught consequences for common childhood sins. These sins might be refusing basic grooming, refusing food, or sucking their thumb. German physician, Heinrich Hoffman, having dissatisfied with the era’s children’s books originally wrote the book in 1845 for his three-year-old son.
The book was a guide for children toward the ‘right’ behavior by showing what happened if they disobeyed. He shared it with his friends in a book club, who encouraged him to publish it. Its first run sold somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 copies. By its second year of release, the book grew so popular it required another run. The book sold over 20,000 copies in its first three years.
