(This one has audio you’ll want to listen to to get the message.)

At some point in my education, I learned that the nursery rhyme, Ring Around the Rosie, is about the Great Plague. Or maybe the Black Plague. That the “rosie” is either the bonfire used to burn the bodies of the dead or the rash on the skin of the victims. Or maybe both. The “posies” were used to keep away the stench of death which will eventually catch up to you you anyway as we “all fall down”.

Well, turns out I was wrong. That is not the origin of this little playground game. It turns out, according to the best folklore historians out there, that it is simply what it appears to be: an innocent children’s game. All the darkness was invented centuries after the fact.

This little animated piece I’ve created explores the innocence of a plaything and how it can be MADE to have a dark underbelly. How often do we impute evil where there is none?

Unlockable content includes a 2000 x 1000 pixel video and stills.

Contact me if interested.