Most countries and cultures share similar versions of fairy tales; classics such as Snow White, Rapunzel or The Three Little Pigs. Indeed, these stories are passed down generation from generation all around the world with little thought of their effects on the impressionable young minds that make up the audience. There is special concern for the fairytales that have descended from the writings of the Grimms Brothers as these classics have now spread throughout the world with the advent of the English language, currently the second most spoken language in a world of approximately 6 billion people. Now children all over the world are introduced to the disturbing messages that are prevalent in these stories that, many consider, kids at these ages should not be exposed to.In an article on the effect of fairy tales, Kenny Fong explains that the impact of fantastic fables on book lovers and society might be investigated by concentrating on their styles, characters and topics. Upon closer inspection, these fairytales, despite being portrayed as references to morals and social norms, contain many sinister and covert ethical fallacies. Hidden in the guise of clever characters, magical adventures and fantasies, these stories veil a deep rooted sentiment of sexist and materialistic values as well as exposing children to violence and strong detrimental principles of revenge, envy, hatred and prejudice at a very young age, negatively impacting their mindsets. Classic fairytales exhibit an appalling number of failings when it comes to children’s entertainment but one of the major and most dangerous defects is the materialism that is inserted subtly within these stories. This materialism, once introduced early on in life, creates and cultivates greediness in children who have grown up hearing these stories and mistakenly assuming that this coveting of material goods is not only the norm but is an acceptable and commendable practice. An example of this can be seen in what is arguably one of the most popular of the classics, Cinderella. Cinderella is rampant with avariciousness and vanity exhibited by its characters. This seemingly guileless story hides many understated nuances of worldliness. The first example of this can be seen in the clothing that Cinderella is wearing when she attends the ball; a beautiful gown with glass slippers. In the book, much attention is given to Cinderella’s clothes; emphasis is placed on the beauty of the dress and this description is used to subtly suggest that it is the dress that contributes principally to Cinderella’s beauty. This can be read in another way: Cinderella would not be as beautiful if she was not clothed in the way she was. A second example is shown after the ball ends, after Cinderella, having successfully captured the Prince’s attention with her ostentatious gown, runs away, accidently leaving behind a glass slipper. The Prince uses this slipper as his focal point to search for his lost “love”. He scours the kingdom, searching vainly for a maiden with this footwear as his only criteria. He doesn't search for a girl with blonde hair, or blue eyes, or any other physical description. In other words, all of Cinderella’s charms were nothing compared to the craftsmanship of her footwear. Luckily, the Prince locates his love and she is whisked away to begin her happy-ever-after. Despite the happy ending, this fairytale leaves behind a more sinister point; a hidden message to its audience that worldliness leads in