|
?:reviewBody
|
-
In March 2017, several English-language publications such as The Mirror and Daily Mail caught wind of an alleged Internet game that was tricking children in Russia into harming themselves by giving them instructions on how to become a fairy: This report does have some truth. A meme containing instructions on how to become a fairy has circulated on Russian social media sites such as VK.com, and at least one child was reportedly harmed after attempting to become a fairy. However, subsequent reports filed under sensational titles such as Sinister ‘fire fairy’ craze tells kids to switch on their stoves and burn themselves and 5-Year-Old Badly Burned After Trying Fire Fairy Challenge left many readers with some false impressions about this so-called game. Here's a look at what this fire fairy game is and what it isn't. How do you become a fairy? What's this all about? This image contains a series of steps children can reportedly take in order to become a fairy. The instructions start out simple and innocent enough (spin three times and say magic words) but quickly devolve into something more dangerous. Here is a rough translation of the meme provided by the Mirror: The two fairies shown are characters from the Winx Club: School of Fairies series: The concern is that young fans of the show could encounter these potentially deadly instructions while searching for how to become a fairy online. How many children have been harmed? We were only able to find one report of a child coming to harm while trying to become a fire fairy. The Russian web site pg21.ru reported in June 2016 that a five-year-old in Cheboksary, Russia suffered severe burns after watching the Winx cartoon: The initial report did not mention the meme (the child's actions do not not match the instructions), but a report from RIA.ru did link the incident to the fire fairy game. At least one other report was circulated on VK.com about a parent discovering their child attempting to become a fairy, but that incident has not been confirmed, nor did it result in any injuries. Is this a new craze? Humorous messages detailing different ways to become a fairy have been circulating on VK.com for several years. RIA.ru traced these jokes back to 2013 and found that the instructions ranged from innocent (make a fairy wish) to playful (place your hand in a bowl of ice water) to absurd (spread toothpaste on your hands). These jokes eventually grew more dramatic, and in 2014 the meme appeared in a popular YouTube video. However, RIA.ru described the creator of the video as sarcastic, implying that even though it contains potentially deadly instructions, it was most likely originally meant as a joke, and was not intended to actually inflict harm. Alexander Arkhipov of the Russian Academy of Science said that the fire fairy rumor was popularized in 2015, when Russian clothing chain Gulliver held a competition asking people how to become the fairy Winx: Regardless of the original intent of the image, it is not accurate to describe this meme as new, as it has been circulating for several years, and reports about children using these instructions are scarce. Did the Winx Club create these instructions? The meme was designed to look as if it was an official graphic from Winx Club, which is not the case. Iginio Straffi, chief executive of Rainbow (the company responsible for the Winx Club brand) condemned the message, asking Moscow prosecutors to open a criminal case against those responsible for its creation: Are children harming themselves because of this fire fairy game? The meme does contain a potentially deadly set of instructions, and since was modeled after a popular cartoon, there is legitimate concern that children may be fooled into harming themselves as they attempt to become a fairy. In fact, at least one child has already been severely burned. However, it is not accurate to say that this is a new craze or that it has harmed multiple children.
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}