Shock-Headed Peter Learns About Grooming
In Struwwelpeter‘s title tale, a boy stands with dirty fingernails grown into talons and a shock of hair that would rival a 1980s heavy metal band. “Never once has he combed his hair. Anything to me is sweeter than to see Shock-Headed Peter.”
The tale is a criticism of children who refuse to follow the basic standards of grooming, preferring instead to let themselves become a sort of self-made monster, with fingernails of frightening proportions. Peter’s miserable expression intended to deter children from following his footsteps. This is one of the shorter tales in the book, but its message and image left a daunting enough impression to become the title and cover for the entire book.
