The Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg: Second Edition

In Short

The Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg is an illustrated collection of comedic animal stories inspired by Herrmann Ploucquet’s famous taxidermy displays at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Through a series of intertwined fables—ranging from domestic rivalries among weasels, martens, and kittens to a lengthy prose retelling of the medieval epic of Reynard the Fox—the book presents a sharp, satirical view of human society. Its enduring charm rests on the contrast between its dainty, anthropomorphic animal setups and the surprisingly ruthless, chaotic schemes that unfold within them.

The Story

The volume opens with the Weasels of Holm-wood, a quarrelsome woodland family constantly at odds with their avian and leporine neighbors. Domestic drama escalates when young Doctor Ferret woos Miss Weasel, outraging old Mr. Marten, who envisions her for his own son, Longtail. Marten consults the unscrupulous attorney Sharp Weasel, Esq., and orchestrates Ferret’s arrest over unpaid debts for poached meat. However, Longtail—secretly in love with Miss Pussy Hare—bails Ferret out. The two young suitors coordinate a double elopement. In the aftermath, old Marten dies of excitement after doubling his son's inheritance, believing Longtail secured Miss Weasel, while the local farmyard gossip mill runs wild.

Short, erratic episodes follow. A group of human hunters undergoes a sudden, disastrous turn of fortune during a hare-hunt when a magical lady in a swan-drawn chariot intervenes. Elsewhere, two hungry dormice engage in a deadly duel over stolen provisions, coaxed into a duel with improvised iron swords by a pair of cynical moles who gladly dig a shared grave for both combatants. Meanwhile, a mother cat raises six refined kittens in polka dancing, singing, and harp playing. Miss Rose sneaks out to romance Ensign Squeaker of the Household Pigade along the sea-cliffs, while Miss Paulina meets Marten Sable in the forest, culminating in a festive double wedding. In another corner of the marsh, two frog cousins attempt to woo Miss Leapfrog, but the elder, Mr. Croaker, meets a gruesome end at the barber's shop when he leaps up to stop his rival and falls onto a razor.

The second half shifts entirely to the extended, deceitful exploits of Reynard the Fox. Hauled before the Lion King’s court after Chanticleer the Cock presents the slain body of his daughter Copple, Reynard uses unmatched cunning to repeatedly evade execution. He traps messenger animals like Tibert the Cat in snares, manipulates his loyal badger nephew Grimbard into granting him spiritual absolution, and invents a grand conspiracy regarding a buried royal treasure to secure a pardon from the greedy King and Queen. After murdering Kyward the Hare and tricking Bellin the Ram into delivering the severed head in a satchel, Reynard faces trial once more. Ultimately, Reynard defends his honor in trial by combat, brutally defeating Isegrim the Wolf in the arena. Discharged with full honors, Reynard returns to his castle at Malepardus, living out his days in wealth and comfort alongside his wife, Dame Ermelin.

How It Unfolds

Rivalries in Holm-wood Old Mr. Marten conspires with attorney Sharp Weasel to arrest Doctor Ferret, attempting to force Miss Weasel into marrying his schoolmaster son, Longtail.

The double elopement Longtail secretly releases Ferret, allowing both young animals to flee with their true loves, leaving the local farmyard birds to spread scandal while old Marten dies from the shock.

The duel of the dormice Two starving dormice quarrel over remaining barley-corns until spectator moles supply them with iron swords and dig a grave, where both duelists fall dead simultaneously.

Courtship among the kittens Six accomplished, art-loving kittens pursue romance, leading to secret moonlit strolls along the coast and a grand double wedding with Ensign Squeaker and Marten Sable.

The fatal shave Mr. Croaker attempts to out-dress his cousin Jumper to win Miss Leapfrog, but accidentally slits his own throat on a barber's razor after spotting his rival strutting past.

Chanticleer's complaint King Lion convenes his court as Chanticleer arrives bearing his dead daughter, revealing how Reynard disguised himself as a hermit monk to slaughter his chicks.

The fake treasure plot Facing the gallows, Reynard fabricates a story of a hidden royal fortune and an assassination plot, securing a full royal pardon while ruining his enemies.

The trick at Malepardus Reynard decapitates Kyward the Hare, tricks Bellin the Ram into carrying the head to the King in a pouch, and leaves the ram to face execution for the crime.

Trial by combat Returning to court to answer for new charges, Reynard battles Isegrim the Wolf in open arena combat, vanquishing his opponent to secure absolute freedom and high status.

The People

• Old Mr. Marten: An overbearing, wealthy father who desires to control his son's marriage through legal tricks and sabotage; he dies of excitement after misinterpreting his son's elopement.
• Sharp Weasel, Esq.: A calculating woodland attorney who readily uses debt collection and court summonses to advance his wealthy clients' spiteful schemes.
• Longtail Marten: A boarding-school master who outward-complyingly nods to his father's demands while secretly rescuing his friend and marrying his true love, Miss Pussy Hare.
• Ensign Squeaker: A military officer in the Household Pigade who courts Miss Rose during romantic, twilight strolls along the seaside cliffs.
• Mr. Croaker: A wealthy, self-important frog whose hasty jealousy regarding Miss Leapfrog leads to his sudden death in a barber's chair.
• Chanticleer the Cock: A proud, grieving father who appeals to the royal court for justice after losing eleven of his children to Reynard's deceptive traps.
• Reynard the Fox: A master manipulator and ruthless fugitive who uses flattery, framed crimes, and sheer violence to escape justice and enrich his family.
• Grimbard the Badger: Reynard's deeply religious and trusting nephew who repeatedly offers spiritual absolution and acts as an advocate for the fox at court.

In Its Own Voice

"Any fine morning you might have seen the mother of this family carrying her infant in her arms, and followed by her other children, a girl and two boys, who would amuse themselves by dragging little wooden horses..."

The idyllic island setting of Holm-wood initially frames the Weasels as a gentle, ordinary Victorian household.

"To jump from his chair was Croaker's first impulse, and, sad to say, it was his last; for he fell with his throat upon the edge of the barber's razor..."

A sudden, dark twist interrupts a routine courtship strategy with absurdly blunt violence.

"Oh! he that had seen how gallant and personable Reynard was, and how well his staff and his mail became him... it could not have chosen but have stirred in him very much laughter."

The narrator takes ironic pleasure in Reynard's pious disguise as he departs the court on a fake pilgrimage.

What It's Really About

Underneath its cozy animal framing, the collection explores the triumph of cunning over moral authority and legal institutions. The stories repeatedly show that polite society's legal codes, religious rites, and courtly manners are easily manipulated by bad actors. Figures of established authority—such as King Lion, old parents, or court judges—are routinely blinded by greed, vanity, and flattery. Honesty and innocence offer little protection; characters like Kyward the Hare or Chanticleer's offspring are consumed by those who master deception. Ultimately, the collection paints a cynical view of social climbing and survival, where ruthless pragmatism and clever framing consistently beat out formal morality.

Why Read It Today

This book offers a fascinating look at Victorian humor, combining formal domestic narrative styles with stark, dark comedy. Readers who enjoy classic fables, satirical folklore, or historical curiosities will appreciate how the stories transform taxidermy concepts into lively, unpredictable narratives.

The prose moves briskly, though readers should expect the prose style of the Reynard chapters to adopt archaic, pseudo-medieval phrasing ("vouchsafe," "spake," "yea"). The juxtaposition of polite nursery aesthetics with sudden, unsparing violence—such as dueling mice, barber accidents, and decapitations—gives the book a distinctive, surprisingly sharp edge that keeps its historical charm from feeling overly sweet.

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