"The past few years have been a footballing fairy story for the Swans, " he said.

BBC: Capital One Cup final: Swansea City romp to record win

So the next time the media sees such a fairy tale story, are they going do any background checks?

FORBES: Who's Been Duped? The Manti Te'o Hoax.

Any invocation of a celebrity has great hijacking potential, even if the story is a sprinkling of fairy dust.

CNN: Hijacking the media -- Trump shows how easy it is

When I was a kid, I remember my mom read the fairy tale about the ugly duckling, a story about a hideous, huge baby duck that can't fit in with the other ducks.

NPR: Acting the Swan to Overcome the Duck

But the Zimbabwe story is far from a fairy tale.

BBC: Zimbabweans hope for democratic rebirth

The fairy tale story ended on Wednesday when sports website Deadspin published a piece dismissing as a hoax the existence of Te'o's girlfriend and suggesting he was complicit.

CNN: Manti Te'o denies he was part of girlfriend hoax

Imagine a sprawling Skylanders-esque game featuring characters and environments from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Toy Story, iconic fairy tale films, and the multitude of properties in their creative stable.

FORBES: 'Disney Infinity' Exists; Pixar and Disney Executives Hosting January 2013 Reveal Event