The Happy Prince

A beautiful statue of a prince asks a little swallow bird to help him feed the poor people of his city. The little swallow wants to fly south for the winter, but he decides to help the prince instead, and learns that it feels good to help people!

About this Episode

Snoriezzz, a children’s mindful bedtime podcast and part of the GoKidGo universe of shows for kids, is co-created and co-hosted by Academy Award Winning actor Marcia Gay Harden (she/her), and actor and comedian Natalie Peyton (she/her). Building love of self and love of sleep at the same time, the Snory godmothers use affirmations, calming routines, and a beautiful fairy tale to help you make bedtime the peaceful, bonding moment you need!

Snoriezzz Segments:

00:46 MINDFUL TALK

02:53 GROUNDING WITH YOUR SURROUNDINGS

05:11 SNORY HAPPY PRINCE

20:52 CALM YOUR BODY MEDITATION

You can always revisit the affirmations, Snory, or meditations as your little one needs! We’ve provided the timing for each segment above.

Host Snory godmother: Marcia Gay Harden (she/her)

Host Snory godmother: Natalie Peyton (she/her)

Segment music composition: Nana Simopoulos (she/her)

Story music composition and foley: Sterling Steffen (he/him)

Editing: Sterling Steffen

Cover art: Eulie Scheel (they/them)

Production Manager: Kyle Dempsey (he/him)

Branding/marketing: Julitta Scheel (she/her)

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Get ready for Connect & Learn! Where you and your adult dive deeper into the Snoriezzz episodes you’ve heard at bedtime or naptime!

Deep Dive
Mindful Affirmations
Play + Learn
Science Tips

Meet Oscar Wilde

The famous author, playwright and novelist, Oscar Wilde, wrote The Happy Prince. He also wrote another Snoriezzz story, The Selfish Giant. Both short stories are part of a magical collection of fairy tales for children, written over 200 years ago!

Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland (the land of four-leaf clovers!) but later moved to England. He was famous for writing funny plays, poems, and beautiful stories. His children’s stories, like The Happy Prince, teach simple yet important lessons, which are called fables. Fables help children learn things they might not have experienced yet. Oscar Wilde loved writing these meaningful tales for kids!

But first, who was the Happy Prince?

The Happy Prince is a story about a kind prince who once lived in a big palace. The palace was called The Palace of Sanssouci, and it was actually based on a real palace in Germany! While he was alive, the prince in the story always lived and played inside the palace walls, so he never knew how hard life was for the people outside his palace walls. After he passed away the city built a beautiful statue of the prince in his honor and it was covered in gold and jewels.
But as a statue, he was now located outside the walls of the palace, and the prince could suddenly see everything around him. For the first time he realized that many people were poor and struggling. He wanted to help them, so he asked a little swallow bird to take the jewels and gold that made him sparkle as a statue, and give them to the people in need. This story teaches us about kindness, sharing, and caring for others. It shows how small acts of love can make a big difference.

The King behind The Palace of Sanssouci

Long ago, in 1744, a king named Frederick the Great dreamed of a special summer holiday home where he could relax and enjoy life. He began by turning a hillside into a beautiful vineyard, with rows of grapevines growing in the sun. Just a year later, Frederick decided to build a magnificent palace there, and just three years later the palace was complete! Sounds like a man who was sure of what he wanted! More on the palace below!

More on Fredrick the Great

As a child, Fredrick the Great was always drawn to music and the arts. Unfortunately, Frederick’s father was very strict and thought music and creativity were a waste of time. He wanted Frederick to focus on being tough and hardworking, so he made him do military training instead. But Frederick loved music and secretly learned how to play the flute with his mother’s help. His father wasn’t happy and even teased him by calling him “a flutist and a poet.” Hey! That sounds like a compliment to us! 😁

Later, when Frederick became king, he proved he could be both a great leader and a lover of the arts. He led Prussia in important wars and made the country stronger. But he also improved people’s lives by making fairer laws, banning torture, supporting religious freedom, and helping farmers grow more food, like potatoes!

More on Fredrick the Great

At first the people were hesitant about the new potato vegetable, so Frederick cleverly said that he would not share potatoes with the farmers because they were too valuable! This strategy played on their curiosity, and the potato soon became a very popular crop. After this, Frederick was called The Potato King! HAH! Frederick the Great used a strategy called “reverse psychology” to change the minds of the farmers. Reverse psychology is like a trick for the brain! It’s when someone tells you not to do something or says you can’t have it, and suddenly, you really want to do it or have it. For example, if someone says, “You’re probably not big enough to climb that tree,” it might make you think, “Oh yes, I am! I’m going to climb it right now!” It’s a way to get people to do something by saying the opposite of what you actually want. Pretty neat, right?!

More on Fredrick the Great

As we mentioned earlier, Frederick built a beautiful palace! He called it The Palace of Sanssouci, which means “The Palace without worry.” It was his peaceful retreat where he could enjoy art, music, and new ideas. He even had his own group of musicians that lived at the palace with him, as well as thought-leaders called philosophers like Voltaire, a very famous French teacher!

You can listen here to a flute sonata that Frederick composed and played! Over his life he wrote 100 sonatas for the flute! We’re glad he followed his passion for music! 🎶

Here is a painting by Adolf Menzel of Fredrick the Great playing the flute at The Palace of Sanssouci! Also in this painting are all of Fredrick’s music friends! More on them later!

Frederick ruled for a long time and left behind a legacy of creativity, learning, and strength.

Have you ever wondered – What’s the difference between a castle and a palace?

Great question! Castles and palaces are both grand and historic buildings, but they serve very different purposes and have unique features. Here’s how they differ:

What is a Castle?

A castle is like a fortress. It was built to protect its owners during times of war or danger. Castles are strong, defensive structures, often located on high ground or surrounded by moats to make them hard to attack.

Purpose: Defense and protection.

Features:

Thick stone walls.
Towers for spotting enemies from far away.
Drawbridges and moats.
Small, narrow windows to keep attackers out.

Castles were mostly built in the Middle Ages and were home to the wealthy, powerful, and important people of a country, including kings, queens, nobles, and knights who needed to defend their land.

A palace, on the other hand, is all about luxury and showing off wealth and power. It’s not built for defense but for comfort and impressive appearances. Palaces were built as a home for royals and sometimes government or religious officials lived there.

Purpose: Living in style, hosting grand events, royal balls, and running the kingdom.

Features:

Large, open halls for celebrations.
Beautiful gardens and fountains.
Rich decorations like gold, paintings, and sculptures.
Big, elegant windows to let in lots of light.

Palaces are often in peaceful areas because they weren’t meant for fighting—just royal living and entertaining.

In a nutshell – that means “to summarize”

Castles: Strong, defensive, and built for protection during war.

Palaces: Elegant, luxurious, and built for showing off wealth and power.

So, a castle is like a king and queen’s fortress, while a palace is more like their glamorous mansion! And as you know, The Happy Prince grew up in The Palace of Sanssouci!

Life at the Palace of Sanssouci: A Place Without Worries

Sanssouci Palace, which means “No Worries” Palace, stands tall and mighty in Potsdam, Germany. As you know the palace was built by King Frederick the Great as his summer home. Many think Sanssouci is comparable in size and elegance to the great French palace of Versailles.

Frederick the Great wanted the garden at Sanssouci to have special terraces, with different levels, for growing grapes. This is also called a vineyard. He then added a grand staircase through the middle of the terraces so he could walk through the garden without damaging the plants. That’s inventive!

At the bottom of the grand staircase there is a circular pool that acts like a giant mirror, reflecting the beauty of his palace. What a clever design! Have a look at the images below! Can you count twelve terrace gardens in the aerial view (the view from above) of the Sanssouci Palace Gardens?! Can you imagine this for your backyard?!

Palace of Sanssouci Culture (Social roles)

A palace isn’t just where kings and queens live—it’s a busy workplace with important roles for lots of people. These people keep everything in the palace running smoothly. The number of people living in the palace could range from hundreds to thousands of people. For example at the French Palace of Versailles that we taught you about in Snoriezzz Episode 8: “Little Red Ridinghood” Connect & Learn Deep Dive there were thousands of people that lived there! Our guess for how many people lived in The Palace of Sanssouci is closer to hundreds. Even if the royal family is not staying in the palace, most of the royal household and special team members will live in a palace year round. They have to make sure everything is perfect for when the royal family returns!

Let’s explore!

The Royal Team – The “Royal Household” also known as the Court!

A palace runs like a giant clock, with each person playing a part to keep things moving. This team, called the Court or “Royal Household”, includes everyone from advisers and secretaries to gardeners and chefs.

The court at a palace is like a big team of people who work with the king or queen but are also their friends! It’s not a courtroom like where a judge works! The court is made up of important helpers, like lords, ladies, advisors, and servants, who live or work in the palace. They help the king or queen with decisions, parties, and running the kingdom. It’s kind of like a royal headquarters where everyone has a special job to do! And guess what?! Most of these people live at the palace with the royal family. That would be fun to live with your co-workers and friends! We bet The Happy Prince had loads of fun running around the palace with all his friends…imagine the epic hide-and-go-seek games they could play with all that space!

The Chief of Cabinet

The Chief of Cabinet role is in charge of managing the king or queen’s schedule, keeping them in contact with the rest of the world, and supporting them in running their country! This person is a super-organized helper who plans their day and keeps everything in order. Who manages your schedule?

The Queen’s Secretary

The Queen has her own team! The Secretary to the Queen organizes her schedule and public engagements. They also help with responding to the many letters she receives.

Lords and Ladies in Waiting

These helpers are always with the king or queen during events and make sure everything goes perfectly. Lords and Ladies in waiting are special helpers for kings, queens, as well as popular members of the community. Sometimes they are even important leaders. But how do you become one? Most of the time, they are either chosen by the country’s leaders, the government, or the kings and queens themselves. Lords and ladies in waiting usually came from noble or rich families with a lot of influence, this is because typically these families were already thinking the same way as the kings and queens when it comes to ideas and values.

Royal Bodyguards and Escorts

The king and queen always have bodyguards nearby to keep them safe.

The Palace Butler

A butler’s job is all about royal hospitality. Palace butlers greet important visitors with style. They also help support grand banquets hosted by the palace.

The Court Musicians

King Frederick loved music so much, he even had his own court or group of musicians! They included:

Frederick the Great, himself: The king performed the flute and was helped plan the activities of the musicians that he employed and lived with
Johann Joachim Quantz: The king’s flute teacher and chamber or bedroom musician, when you go to sleep listening to Snoriezzz, you hear the music from a speaker. But Frederick the Great had a real live musician in his bedroom play him music to fall asleep! Talk about royal treatment!
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: A court musician and harpsichord player (his dad was super famous, Johann Sebastain Bach – here is one of his songs called “Air”)!
Karl Heinrich Graun: The court conductor
Franz and Joseph Benda: Violinists
Johann Gottlieb Graun: Concertmaster
Johann Fredrich Agricola: Court composer

Behind the Scenes

There’s even more happening inside the palace. From chefs preparing feasts to gardeners keeping palace grounds beautiful, a palace is like a mini city! Every role, no matter how big or small, helps keep the royal household running smoothly, making it a fascinating place to live and work.

The Palace of Sanssouci Traditions

What started out as a summer home for Fredrick the Great turned into his favorite palace to live! Frederick had major influence in the design and construction of Sanssouci Palace and surrounding Sanssouci park. The period when it was built was called the Baroque period. This was a very ornate and lavish way to design buildings. In the Baroque style, the most important rooms, like bedrooms and even bathrooms, were often on a special floor called the “piano nobile.” However, at Sanssouci Palace, King Frederick decided to put this main floor on the ground level instead of higher up.

The palace was also designed to be comfortable and practical. The rooms are set up in pairs, with the main rooms (like bedrooms or living rooms) facing the sunny garden side, and the servant’s rooms behind them, on the cooler north side. Each pair of rooms is connected, so servants could easily help without being far away.

All the rooms are arranged in a straight line with doors connecting them. This layout, called an “enfilade,” lets you look straight through the whole palace from one end to the other!

Day in the Life at the Palace

People of the court would roam the halls, and of course meet the king and queen for meals. But remember they also had their own bedrooms and living spaces at the palace. King Frederick even expanded the palace to create his Queen Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern and her friends a Ladies Wing! Sounds like a lavish “she-shed”! Check it out!

Parties at Sanssouci were not like normal royal gatherings…instead they were very sophisticated and more like “meetings of the minds,” where men would gather together to exchange ideas and talk about books. It was a bummer that more women weren’t included in this! In the painting below Frederick is sitting in the middle, in the dark suit and his friend, and famous French thinker, Voltaire is in the purple suit, leaning forward.

Want to know where the people of the court bathed while at Sanssouci? Well, King Fredrick the Great created Italian styled Roman bath houses for everyone to use. A Roman bath was like a giant public swimming pool and spa where people in ancient Rome went to relax, get clean, and hang out with friends. It wasn’t just for swimming—it had different rooms for different things!

First, you might start in a changing room where you’d leave your clothes. Huh?! Remember, they were there to get cleaned up! Then you’d go to a warm room to get cozy. After that, there was a hot room, like a sauna, to really heat up and sweat. And finally, you could cool off in a cold pool!

Roman baths were fancy places with decorations like statues and mosaics. People would also exercise, get massages, or just talk and make friends. It was like the Romans’ version of a gym, spa, and social club all in one!

Here are some images of the Sanssouci Roman baths built by Frederick the Great:

What did people wear at the Palace of Sanssouci? What about the Happy Prince?

In Frederick the Great’s time, people wore super fancy clothes. Men often dressed in special military uniforms, with green coats, red collars, and a cool three-cornered hat called a tricorne. Some even wore a shiny medal called the Order of the Black Eagle. Women wore beautiful dresses with tight corsets, big puffy skirts, and fancy hairstyles. How fancy your outfit was depended on your social rank and the rules at the palace!

Art in the Palace of Sanssouci

Fredrick the Great ruled during the “Enlightenment” period, when people were very excited to learn new things from other cultures. The art at the palace reflects that! Inside, there are amazing paintings of stories about myths, nature, and fun scenes from the past displayed in a long gallery.

The Marble Hall is the most dazzling spot in the palace—it’s a grand, shiny room with marble columns, sparkling chandeliers, and a colorful ceiling. It’s where Frederick held concerts and parties. In the “Round Table” painting above, we believe they are all sitting in the marble hall!

Food in the Palace of Sanssouci

The Palace Kitchen is where food was prepared for the royal family. The palace also had its own bakery, a coffee kitchen with a special room for the “coffee master,” who was the person in charge of making coffee, and a pantry right next to the royal chef’s bedroom! Though it wasn’t common for many people to have back then, this palace also had a special dishwashing station, dessert making station, and even an area for making ice cream!

The kitchen staff lived upstairs, right above all the action.

One super cool invention from when Fredrick the Great built the palace is a big stove called “the cooker.” Instead of cooking over an open fire, this new cooker allowed people to use its hot plates to make food.

If you visit the palace kitchen today, you can still see the original dishes like copper pots, pans, baking trays, ice cream molds, and other tools they used to cook back then!

We’d love to try royal ice cream!

What was village life like outside the palace?

Outside the Palace of Sanssouci, life was very different. Many people worked as farmers, others worked as craftsmen or shopkeepers in the town, helping the city grow. Some people worked at the palace, for the king’s family. Potsdam, Germany where Sanssouci was built had lots of soldiers since it was a military town, so the soldiers were a big part of everyday life.

King Frederick the Great had a very different lifestyle than the people in the village outside the palace.The king lived in a beautiful, fancy palace, while many townspeople struggled to make a living. Still, the king made some good changes, like promoting education and being accepting to people of different religions.

The OTHER Palace…Sans Souci Palace…in Haiti! Wait, there’s two?!

Remember Snoriezzz Episode 4: The Mermaid and The Whale Connect & Learn Deep Dive about Haiti? Check it out if you haven’t seen it! We taught you about the other Sans Souci Palace in Haiti. It’s on the other side of the world! The Sans Souci Palace in Haiti was a grand and beautiful building where a king named Henri Christophe lived with his family a long time ago. Henri Christophe was once a leader who helped Haiti become free.

That palace was like a giant mansion with many rooms, fancy decorations, and big gardens. It was a place for special parties and meetings. Sadly, a big earthquake damaged it a couple hundred years ago, so now it’s in ruins, which means it’s broken down and no one lives there anymore. But people still visit it because it’s an important part of Haiti’s history and shows how amazing the country’s past is!

Okay kiddos, before we send you off to the Play & Learns, we want to teach you about swallow birds, like in The Happy Prince story, and how they migrate!

What is bird migration?

Bird migration is like an epic bird adventure! Every year, when the weather starts getting colder, many birds fly really far together in groups (sometimes thousands of miles!) to find warmer, sunnier places to live. They migrate so they can find enough food, have a safe spot to raise their babies, and enjoy longer days with more sunshine. These longer days give them plenty of time to teach their little ones how to fly and take care of themselves. That’s how baby birds learn to become independent! In what ways are you independent? Do you know how to get dressed all by yourself? Then you are independent in that area of your life! Well done!

When do swallows migrate?

Swallows are like little bird tourists, just like the swallow in The Happy Prince! Remember how he dreamed of joining his swallow friends in Egypt to see the pyramids, and the sphinx? Real swallows don’t stop to sightsee, but their migration is just as amazing!

Every September, as the air turns crisp, and the fall season begins, swallows leave Europe and fly thousands of miles to Africa to stay warm. Did you know that if their wings freeze in the cold, they can’t fly, eat, or escape danger? That’s scary! — So swallows head south for the winter season. Have you ever gone somewhere warm during the winter months?

For a reminder of when the four seasons happen, visit Snoriezzz Episode 2: The Selfish Giant Connect & Learn Deep Dive here, where we teach you all about winter, summer, spring, and fall!

By early spring, in February or March, swallows are ready to fly back to Europe. Their long journey takes many weeks and they don’t arrive until April. Just like the story’s swallow, these birds are adventurous travelers on a mission to get where they’re going!

What do swallows’ nests look like?

Swallows are like nature’s little architects! They love building their nests way up high where it’s tricky for anyone to reach. Depending on the type of swallow, you might find their nests tucked inside a cozy barn, stuck under a super-tall bridge, hidden in a building, or perched high up in a tree. Their nests look like steep little bowls, and some swallows even make nests shaped like gourds—how cool is that? See below to learn about gourds! Swallows use mud mixed with grass to build their homes, sticking them to places like walls, bridge beams, or even the ground. They are truly creative builders!

A gourd is a funny-shaped fruit that grows on a vine, kind of like pumpkins and squash. They can look very different—some are round, some are long and skinny, and others are bumpy and weird-shaped! Gourds come in all kinds of colors, like orange, green, yellow, and white. People don’t usually eat them, but they use them as decorations, especially in the fall. Here’s a picture to show what they look like!

Are there birds that do not migrate? How do they live?

Yes! Some birds are homebodies—they don’t fly away to warmer places for winter! These birds, called “resident birds,” stay in one spot all year, even when it’s cold and snowy.

How do they handle the chilly weather? They use their feathers like a cozy blanket, trapping warm air to stay toasty. When it gets really cold, they do things we do too: they shiver to warm up, snuggle with their loved ones, and find shelter to hide from the wind and snow.

In winter, these birds eat lots of seeds, which are like super snacks full of fat and energy to help them stay warm and strong. They also eat extra food to stay fluffy and survive the cold months. What do you do to stay warm?!

Thanks for learning with us!! Check out the Happy Prince Play & Learn for coloring pages, a bird migration word search activity, a kindness packet and more!

The Magic Bed: Mindful Affirmations

Embrace the Power of Affirmations!

Imagine a world where your child starts and ends each day with positivity and confidence! By weaving affirmations into their daily routines, children can boost their self-esteem, build resilience, and cultivate a growth mindset. These skills empower them to face life’s challenges with courage and optimism.

Bedtime Bliss and Breakfast Boost:

Why not make affirmations a delightful part of your family’s routine? Enjoy these uplifting phrases together before bed, creating a peaceful atmosphere for sweet dreams. Then, share them again at breakfast to set a positive tone for the day ahead.

You can inspire our little ones to shine bright and embrace every opportunity that comes their way! 🌟

Play & Learn

Download Play & Learn PDFs
	Answers Bird Migration Word Search for K-2nd Grade	Download Now
	Bird Migration B&W Word Search	Download Now
	Bird Migration Color Word Search	Download Now
	Bird Migration Digital Word Search	Download Now
	Children celebrating with bread, Happy Prince P&L	Download Now
	Choosing Kindness Activity	Download Now
	Potato B&W Character Toy Cut and Paste Activity	Download Now
	Potato Color Character Toy Cut and Paste Activity	Download Now
	Swallow Coloring Page Happy Prince	Download Now
	The Happy Prince Statue Coloring Page	Download Now

Snoriezzz Science Tip

Sleep to Detox your Brain

Have you noticed that when you wake up after a full night’s rest, your mind and body feel so much better?

You have now learned that sleep helps repair our body’s cells, and it also strengthens our memories and motor skills. But did you know that every night, sleep is helping clean out our brains? It is literally cleaning out a bunch of toxins that built up over the day from thinking so much!

Researchers have found that the space between brain cells
(synapses) expand when a person is in deep sleep. This allows toxins that build up in the brain to be released and cleared out. It’s like your brain is sweeping out the trash while you’re asleep!

When we sleep deeply, our brains give off slow vibrations. These
vibrations come from our eyes moving really quickly while we sleep and they create waves that help our brains store and remember our memories. At the same time, old fluids in our brain and spinal cord are replaced by new, fresh fluids rid of toxins and waste that built up during the day. AMAZING! All while we sleep!

The process of clearing out these toxins and waste from the brain is called glymphatic clearance. Without this cleaning process, we would wake up and our head would still feel groggy, gross and icky, like how we may feel when we’re really tired after a long day! The glymphatic system is in charge of cleaning out the waste our brain builds up from all the activities we do during the day. This is why deep sleep is so important because that’s the time when the “garbage” is emptied!

When you feel refreshed after sleep, you’re ready to take on the day. So get after it and make today a great day!

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The Happy Prince

About this Episode

Share with a Friend

Get ready for Connect & Learn! Where you and your adult dive deeper into the Snoriezzz episodes you’ve heard at bedtime or naptime!

Meet Oscar Wilde

But first, who was the Happy Prince?

The King behind The Palace of Sanssouci

More on Fredrick the Great

More on Fredrick the Great

More on Fredrick the Great

Have you ever wondered – What’s the difference between a castle and a palace?

Life at the Palace of Sanssouci: A Place Without Worries

Palace of Sanssouci Culture (Social roles)

The Palace of Sanssouci Traditions

Day in the Life at the Palace

What did people wear at the Palace of Sanssouci? What about the Happy Prince?

Art in the Palace of Sanssouci

Food in the Palace of Sanssouci

What was village life like outside the palace?

The OTHER Palace…Sans Souci Palace…in Haiti! Wait, there’s two?!

What is bird migration?

When do swallows migrate?

What do swallows’ nests look like?

Thanks for learning with us!! Check out the Happy Prince Play & Learn for coloring pages, a bird migration word search activity, a kindness packet and more!

The Magic Bed: Mindful Affirmations

Play & Learn

Snoriezzz Science Tip

Sleep to Detox your Brain

Discover More Podcasts

Little Bo Peep

The Selfish Giant

Three Little Pigs

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