A Short Take of Some Tall Tales

Tall tales are told to entertain us by pretending they are truthful when in fact they're not. 

They have a foundation of hyperbole and exaggeration and are usually told in a good-natured way.

Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack, is a great example of a tall tale. He dug lakes, created the Grand Canyon, and tamed a river...not to mention many other daring and totally unbelievable acts. He also has a buddy named Babe the Blue Ox who travels with him.

Pecos Bill is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during the American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona.

According to legend Pecos Bill was responsible for creating many landmarks. One landmark he is said to have created is in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas was in the thrall of a terrible drought, so Pecos Bill rushed to California and lassoed up a storm cloud and brought it back to Texas.

Dona Flor is a benevolent giant that lives in the American Southwest. 

She is so tall she plucks estrellas (stars) from the sky and grabs snow from the mountaintops to wake herself in the morning. 

Her tortillas are so big that her neighbors use the extra ones as roofs.

Why Do Kids Tell Tall Tales?

Young children (ages 4-5) often make up stories and tell tall tales. Don't worry. This is natural. They enjoy hearing stories and making up stories for fun. Sometimes they may blur the distinction between reality and fantasy.

What Makes a Good Tall Tale?

It's all about exaggeration and creating a picture that is impossible and funny. For example, "One-time snowflakes fell so large in Oregon that the ladies put handles on them and used them for umbrellas."

The Shortest Tall Tale

Ernest Hemingway supposedly wrote the shortest tale ever. His six-word tall tale was, "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." But that's not the end of this short, tall tale. Researchers have long since proven that Hemingway's baby shoe story has been around since at least 1906.

For the record, most tall tales are associated with the United States. One of the few examples that isn't is found in America is from a German collection, Baron Munchausen's Narratives of His Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia."

For example, it includes such humorous tales as one about a soldier who loaded his rifle with a cherry pit, fired it into the head of a stag, and later found a cherry tree rooted in its head.

A famous American known for telling tall tales is Jim Bridger, a mountain man and wagon trail guide. He enjoyed sitting around the campfire and telling incredible tales about native Americans and his death-defying adventures. 

As it Stands, it's all about having fun and lying like a rug!