Suddenly the king's wife is struck by an illness and dies, but not before making her husband promise not to remarry except to a woman whose beauty and attributes equal hers.

The lilac fairy gives her goddaughter a magic chest to contain the dresses, and tells her to leave home, wearing the donkey's skin as a disguise.

The ring, to everyone's shock, fits perfectly; and the princess removes the donkey's skin to reveal her rich dress underneath.

The lilac fairy appears and explains the whole story to the prince's parents; who, upon learning Donkeyskin's true identity, are elated with the match.

The tale is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as ATU 510B, "The Dress of Gold, of Silver, and of Stars (Cap O'Rushes)".

[4] However, the tale type was renamed "Peau d’Asne" by German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther in his 2004 revision of the folktale index, while still retaining its numbering.

[5] According to scholarship, the tale type features the death of the heroine's mother, her father's incestuous desire, and her fleeing to another kingdom, where she finds work in a menial position.

[6][7] In a study, scholar Ruth Bottigheimer notes that, before Perrault's tale, French author Bonaventure des Périers had a heroine (named Pernette) dressed in a donkey's hide (albeit to repel a lover's advances), and, in a later tale, a heroine is called "Peau d’Asne", but she is helped by ants.

Bottigheimer also suggests that Perrault did not introduce the incest motif, but must have reworked it from an earlier source, namely, Giambattista Basile's The She-Bear (from Pentamerone) and Straparola's Teobaldo (from The Facetious Nights).

[9][10] In a Greek variant from Epeirus collected by Austrian consul Johann Georg von Hahn with the title Allerleirauh, a widowed king declares he wants to marry his own daughter, despite her protests.

At last, the princess, still wearing her golden dress underneath the animal furs, goes to bring some water to the prince, and he recognizes her.

[11] Von Hahn summarized a Greek tale from Smyrna: after his wife dies, a king promises to marry one that can fit the dead queen's ring on her finger.

The princess, called Μαλλιαρή (Malliarí;meaning"Shaggy") due to her hairy appearance, she only nods in agreement as she does her chores.

'Pigskin'": on threat of an incestuous marriage with her own father, the heroine asks for three dresses to be made (one of stars, one of the moon and one of the sun); she wears a pigskin and finds work elsewhere; a prince holds three balls that she attends, and he goes after her.

After she dies, the man sends messengers all over the world to try to find another wife that fulfills his requirements, but, failing that, turns to his daughter and tells her he intends to marry her.

Aghast at the idea, the man's daughter asks him for three dresses (one studded with stars, one like the moon and one like the sun), then a coat made of mousekin as wedding gifts.

The king takes the mouse-skin clad girl with him to his castle, where she works as his servant, chopping firewood and helping in the kitchen.

[14] In a South Slavic tale collected by Friedrich Salomon Krauss with the title Vom Kaiser, der seine eigne Tochter heirathen wollte ("About the Emperor who wanted to marry his own daughter"), an emperor marries a woman with a star on her forehead, and she gives birth to a girl with the same birthmark.

After she dies, the emperor tries to find a similar looking woman, to no avail, and, convinced by one of his ministers, decides to marry his own daughter, who does fulfill his dead wife's requirements.

The princess gets the dresses and the mouseskin coat, places two ducks in a bathtub to trick her father she is taking a bath, and escapes from the palace.

[15] Type 510B in the Bulgarian Folktale Catalogue is indexed as "Дървената мома (Патарана)" ("The Wooden Maiden (Patarana)"): the heroine's father either vows to marry his daughter because an item of apparel fits her (e.g., a ring or a shoe), or because she has a unique birthmark; the heroine delays the wedding by asking him to provide her with wonderful dresses (of star, sun and the sky; or of gold and silver; or decorated with flowers, animals and birds), and flees home either wearing a skin of an animal or a wooden garment; she later finds work in a lowly position for another prince, and attends a festival with her splendid garments; at the end of the tale, the princess drops the prince's ring in a dish that she prepares to the prince.

[19] In a Sicilian tale collected by folklorist Giuseppe Pitrè with the title Pilusedda, a king and a queen have a beautiful daughter.

Horrified at the idea, the princess consults with a wise man, who advises her to ask her father for three dresses: one the colour of the sky, embroidered in gold and bedecked with stones like the sun, the moon and the planets; one of a sea-green colour and decorated with the houses of the countryside; and one rose-coloured dress with four rows of bangles and tiny golden bells.

After he leaves, she takes off the horse-skin, cracks open a hazelnut and wears one of the dresses her father gave her to the chapel, where she dazzles the prince.

The daughter tricks her father into giving her the titular clothes of the moon, the sun and the stars, flees to another kingdom and finds work there.

To delay her father's plans, the princess asks him to give her a coat made of louseskin, a silver dress, a diamond ring and golden slippers.

[23] According to the Latvian Folktale Catalogue, tale type 510B is known in Latvia as Ķēniņš grib precēt savu meitu ("A King wants to marry his daughter").

The mother's spirit advises her to ask for wonderful dresses, a coat made of animal skin (mouse, dog, wolf, bear) and a self-moving boat or carriage.

She escapes with the presents to another kingdom, where she finds work in the kitchen, attends three balls and loses a shoe, which will be the proof of her identity.

Meanwhile, the princess is crying in her room, when a fairy godmother appears and turns her into a "purty" girl, with diamonds in her hair and with a beautiful dress.