Image: © 2008-2010 Jurgen Appelo

The issue of violence in children’s entertainment has been around much longer than you think. In the Supreme Court decision that confirmed the freedom of speech to video games, Justice Scalia made the point that children’s entertainment has had violence, making reference to specific Grimm fairy tales. But violence in fairy tales has been around since the earliest folk tales in children’s literature. Remember Jack in the Beanstalk? The blood and guts date back to 1711. Little Red Riding Hood — 1729. And, Grimm’s Fairy tales? 1812. Here’s a sampling of the extreme...