Tom Pouce is a hero of the British folklore whose size did not exceed that of the inch of his/her father.

Presentation

The brothers Grimm made a Conte of it.

By extension, one often uses this name to designate people or objects of small size.

In the tales traditional, the small one succeeds in overcoming largest by the trick and the intelligence.

The Grimm brothers play with the reader by transforming the tale into comic burlesque: Tom inch is so small that it can sleep in a snail empty shell…

The history ends well in the return of Tom Pouce his parents.

Local adaptation

In the German tradition, Tom Pouce is merry and courageous a small hero. In Latvia, it becomes Sprîdîtis , a nice dramatic hero. He likes Lienîte but disputes unceasingly with her and his mantle. He meets one day Mère Wind which entrusts its 4 sons to him. He cannot retain them because of their breath. Mère Vent then gives him a whistle with which it will succeed in making dance a giant in wood. Then it is Mère Forest who gives him a magic wand which helps it to overcome the devil which wanted to seize the Dorée princess. The king offers the hand of his daughter but she refuses to marry a so small man. It if is disappointed that it returns at his place where he finds a genuine hearth.

General Tom Thumb

Général Tom Thumb was the name of scene of Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838 - 1883), famous a dwarf of the Cirque Barnum. Stratton was 4 years old, measured 64 cm and weighed 7 kilograms when it met Phineas Taylor Barnum. Barnum learned how to him to sing, dance and to occur on scene and made of him an international celebrity. Its marriage in February 1863 with another dwarf, Lavinia Warren did the one of the newspapers. Adult, his size did not exceed 1,01 Mr.

Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb was the name of the locomotive first with vapor built in the United States and travelling on rail. It was conceived and built by Peter Cooper in 1830 to convince the owners of the company Baltimore and Ohio Railroad lately formed to use steam engines. Cooper organized a race between its engine and a Cheval close to Baltimore, in the Maryland. Tom Thumb was at the head until a loose belt, and it was the horse which gained.

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