Short answer: to do the Rumpelstiltskin AI trend with your own face, upload one clear, front-facing photo on the Try Rumpelstiltskin AI homepage and press Make. In two to five minutes you get a 12-second clip in which you are the little man in the black coat: you tiptoe into the candlelit room full of straw, put a finger to your lips and dance on tiptoe in front of the person sitting in the straw. Add a second photo to put a friend in the straw. It is 16:9 like the original (9:16 if you prefer), the soundtrack is already in the file, and there is no watermark. The first video costs $4.99, then $9.99.
What is the Rumpelstiltskin AI trend?
It started with a short AI-generated clip that looks like a scene from a 1980s fairy-tale film: grainy picture, candle light, a stone room stacked with straw and a spinning wheel. A young woman sits crying in the straw. A little man in a black coat and tall hat sneaks in on the tips of his toes, shushes her and breaks into a cheeky tiptoe dance.
The clip spread on Instagram at the end of August 2026. At the end of September TikTok users set it to Riff Raff's "Tip Toe Wing in My Jawwdinz", which is why many people search for it as "tiptoeing in my Jordans". The trend itself is simple: put your own face, a friend's or your pet's on the little man.
It is not from a real movie. A lot of people remember the 1987 Rumpelstiltskin musical, but the viral clip was made with AI to look like an old film.
What you need
- One photo of the dancer. Front-facing, face fully visible, even light, no sunglasses. Waist-up works better than a tight selfie, because the little dancer needs a body to move.
- Optional: a second photo of the person who should sit in the straw. Leave it out and the one in the straw is a fictional woman, like in the original.
- A Google account to sign in, and credits: one 12-second video is 10 credits.
Only use photos of yourself or of adults who agreed to it, or of your own pet. Celebrity faces are not allowed.
Step by step
- Open the generator. The studio is at the top of the homepage, already set up for the spinning room.
- Add the dancer's photo. One photo is enough. Switch to 2 photos if you want someone in the straw too, or to Pets to make your dog or cat dance on its hind legs.
- Pick the shape. Keep 16:9 for the look of the original clip, or choose 9:16 if you want it to fill a phone screen on TikTok or Reels. Length (5 to 15 seconds) and quality are in Video settings.
- Press Make and sign in. The render takes about two to five minutes. You can close the tab; the clip waits in your video list.
- Download and post. The MP4 already has the soundtrack in it. If you post on TikTok you can also pick the trending sound. Turn on the AI-generated label when you post.
Tips for a clip that looks like you
- Light the face evenly. A face half in shadow comes out less recognisable.
- One person per photo. A crowd or a group photo confuses who the dancer should be.
- No filters. Beauty filters and heavy edits drift further from your real face.
- For pets: one animal, looking at the camera, its whole face in frame.