“The Gingerbread Man”
“Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man.” That’s the phrase I associate with the story of the gingerbread man, but it wasn’t even in the version I read for today’s post. This version comes from the St. Nicholas Magazine, May 1875 and is one of the earliest known printed versions of the story.
The story begins with an old man and an old woman who desperately want a child, as often happens in fairytales. (Thumbling, Momotaro) One day the woman was baking gingerbread and she cut one into the shape of a boy. As soon as she opened the oven door to see if it was baked, the Gingerbread Boy jumped out and ran away. The old couple couldn’t catch him. We follow the Gingerbread Boy as he outruns farm workers, a cow and a pig, but then he meets a fox.
I’ve run away from a little old woman,
A little old man,
A barn full of threshers,
A field full of mowers,
A cow and a pig,
And I can run away from you, I can!
Turns out he can’t. Foxes are fast you see, and the fox catches up to the Gingerbread Man and eats him up.
Presently the gingerbread boy said, “Oh dear! I’m quarter gone!” And then, “Oh, I’m half gone!” And soon, “I’m three-quarters gone!” And at last, “I’m all gone!” and never spoke again.
Yeah, I’m not sure how he could speak when he was “all gone,” but I guess that’s not important.
To be honest, I prefer the version I’m more familiar with, where the Gingerbread Man wants to cross water and the fox offers him a ride. Then while out in the water, the fox eats him because he can’t run away. I like a sly fox, rather than just a fast one. Either which way, he is made of gingerbread, so it makes sense that he gets eaten. I don’t really feel bad for him, although he doesn’t get a happily ever after.
Challenge: Fairy tales
Friday’s Tales is a weekly event here at Carol’s Notebook. I would love it if you joined me. Fairy tales, folktales, tall tales, even re-tellings, share with us. If you have a link, please include it in your comment.
The Gingerbread Man was always one of my favorite nursery stories when I was a child, probably because I loved gingerbread so much. I agree about the fox – I always thought the whole point of the story was that trickery won out over speed.
Yeah, that’s usually the point, isn’t it?
I always think of that line too. In fact it is funny because hubby and I will tell that line to my son when we are getting ready to tickle him. He just starts giggling and running.
This week I went with a south African Tale http://mommywantstoread.blogspot.com/2011/02/fairy-tale-fridays-monkeys-fiddle.html
How cute. My daughter’s 11 and has decided she’s way to old to be tickled.
perhaps I have heard about this one, can’t say…but yes..I would eat that gingerbread man, lol
Me, too. I love gingerbread.
Wow…how did I not know that? Agreed with you, I think I like the version I’m familiar with a little more but in either case the fox gets his dessert so I’m sure HE’S happy. ^_^
Good point. The fox wins either way, really.
I loved this story…although when I was little I cried and cried for him…when I taught second grade we would read this in a unit about fairytales and then we would make them and eat them…
I can see why you’d feel bad for him as a kid. After all, he really didn’t do anything, just ran away to avoid getting eaten.
I bet the kids loved the fairy tale unit.
I don’t think I would read this to kids. It’s pretty twisted that he gets eaten as I always picture the Gingerbread Man as very cute and adorable.
I’ve never actually read this one. But I do like Gingy from the Shrek movies ..lol..
The fox gets his happily ever after with a full tummy! 🙂