Poems

"The Emperor's New Clothes"

Information   Plot/Description

Information

• Collected in:
  • Rhyme Stew

Plot/Description

Spoiler Warning! The King is simply mad about new clothes and stops in at the Royal Tailor's shop several times a day. He loves to buy gorgeous suits and cloaks and fur-lined boots. His obsession makes him cruel, though, and he mistreats servants who muss his clothing. He even had one man minced and turned into margarine! The people longed to get rid of him. A dozen brainy men formulate a plan and convince the Tailor to go along with it. The next time the King stops in, the Tailor tells him about some marvelous new cloth he's just had imported from Tibet. It's magical and will keep you warm even in the icy cold. As the King enjoys to ski every day, he orders the Tailor to make him a ski suit of this material. He asks to see it and the Tailor tells him it's before him. The King complains of not being able to see it until the Tailor tells him that the cloth appears invisible to fools and nincompoops. On that cue, the dozen men come in and rave about the unseen cloth. The King falls for their trick. The next day the Tailor comes to outfit the King in his new skiing suit. They tell him that he doesn't need to wear any undergarments, so he strips naked. The men are smart and have turned up the central heating, so the King sweats and believes he is wearing the warm cloth. Just then the Queen and her ladies of retinue come strolling through. Most avert their eyes, but some seem to enjoy seeing the, uh, "royal treasures." The King then cries, "Now I'm off to ski!" and heads for the mountain, oblivious to the freezing weather. In half an hour he was frozen solid and the people all cheered.