The Colleen Moore Fairy Castle Exhibit
Get a rare inside look at Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle.
Following the completion of its nine-month conservation project, you can watch here as the Fairy Castle gets reassembled in under three minutes!
The kitchen
A two story kitchen with red brick accents and cartoons painted on the walls. Kitchen appliances and a table with plates are visible in the main portion of the room. The kitchen is filled with whimsical wall murals from various nursery rhymes. Over the door on the right are the Three Little Pigs, and to the right, Jack and Jill are tumbling down the hill. Humpty Dumpty can be seen through the archway and over the copper stove is Little Bo Peep watching over her sheep. The copper stove is designed to resemble the one in which the wicked witch confined Hansel and Gretel. Inside the oven, you can spot the pie that famously contained four-and-twenty blackbirds. On the table, the Royal Doulton dinner service is an exact replica of the set created for Queen Mary's dollhouse at Windsor Castle.
Dining room
Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle's dining room. The walls are decorated with Persian rugs depicting historical scenes, the table is wooden and built in a C-shape, surrounded by wooden chairs bearing a crest. The Dining Room has a replica of King Arthur's round table at its center. The table is set with gold plates, knives, and forks. Adorning the room are five needlepoint "tapestries" illustrating the Knights of the Round Table. The "petit point" works were commissioned for the Fairy Castle from a master needleworker in Vienna. It is almost impossible to distinguish the stitches without the aid of a magnifying glass.
Cinderella's drawing room
In Cinderella's drawing room, the floor is made of rose quartz and jade from China. The bejeweled chandelier hanging in the center of the room is gold and was designed by Beverly Hills jeweler H.B. Crouch. To the right, you can see a little chess table just waiting for you to come and play. The mural on the wall depicts Cinderella and was painted by Los Angeles artist George Townsend Cole. The vases at the foot of the stairs are carved from amber more than 500 years old and originate from the collection of the Dowager Empress of China.
Great hall
Outside, above the Great Hall, is the good fairy extending a warm welcome to Fairyland. Just below her, there are figures of Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the Wicked Stepmother. The floating staircase in the center of the room has no railings because fairy folk balance themselves with their wings.
Chapel
In the Chapel, there is a bust of Pope Pius IX, and on the bottom of the bust is the seal of the Vatican. On the prayer bench in front of the altar is a small Bible, printed in 1840. Adjacent to it, on another prayer bench, rests a book illustrating the lives of the saints, crafted through intricate woodcut designs.
Library
The Fairy Castle's Library is done in a sea motif. Over the fireplace stands a figure Captain Kidd, with his treasure behind him. Over the right-hand door, the scene depicts Robinson Crusoe and his companion, Friday. Above the left-hand door is Gulliver, pulling the Lilliputian ships through the gates of the city. The furniture continues the sea motif and is made of verdigris copper. Sea horses and sea snails gracefully support the shell-like furniture. Notice the chair turned up in front. This chair was tailor-made for a little fairy who prefers to read with their feet in the air. The Fairy Castle has a collection of over 100 miniature books, many of which were handwritten by renowned 20th-century authors.
Princess' bathroom
Look above the Kitchen, and there is the bathroom of the Fairy Princess. This space features walls made of crystal etched with the tale of Undine, a water spirit. The bathtub is crafted from silver and adorned with depictions of dolphins.
Princess' bedroom
Above the Dining Room, is the bedroom of the Fairy Princess. The bed is a representation of the one in which Sleeping Beauty slumbered for a century. The bedspread adorning the bed is designed to resemble the golden spider web.
Prince's bathroom
Upstairs is the Fairy Prince's Bathroom, adorned in alabaster. The mirror over the shell-like wash basin is gold, set with jewels. The gold Japanese chest is approximately 500 years old.
Prince's bedroom
Next to the Princes' Bathroom is the Princes' Bedroom. This room tells the story of the Russian Little Czar, Saltar. The tale is intricately carved into the furniture. Moore had a taxidermist use an ermine skin and the teeth of a mouse to create the miniature white bear rug on the floor. On the bed is Excalibur, King Arthur's legendary sword.
Attic
Now, let's look up at the roof of the Fairy Castle to see the attic. The space is filled with items left over from the various rooms that once belonged to the ancestors of the prince and the princess.
Magic garden
As you proceed around the corner, you will come across the Magic Garden. Take a moment to notice the cradle resting on the rocking tree; it was one of Moore's cherished pieces in the Magic Garden. This cradle was crafted using jewelry that once belonged to Moore's grandmother, a treasured heirloom from her childhood. To your left, on the wall of the garden in bas-relief, you will find the story of "The Wizard of Oz." Above the arched doorway leading into the Great Hall, you'll see Aladdin with a genie emerging from his lamp. If you look up at the balcony, you will see the story of Don Quixote. And in the center of the Magic Garden, there is a silver coach waiting to transport Cinderella to the ball.
The original tiny house
This one-of-a-kind castle was welcomed into its new home at Griffin MSI, where it has enchanted children of all ages since 1949.