Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs and Jack
In short: The first printed Goldilocks, by the poet Robert Southey in 1837, was an old woman, not a girl, and the bears were three males. Jack and the Beanstalk was printed in 1807 and the Three Little Pigs appeared in print in the mid-19th century. All three were surely told aloud for much longer.
Goldilocks was once an old woman
Southey's The Story of the Three Bears (1837) features a rude old woman. In about 1849 the publisher Joseph Cundall changed her into a girl called Silver-Hair, apparently because there were already so many tales about old women. The name Goldilocks appeared in the early 1900s.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Benjamin Tabart published it in 1807, and Joseph Jacobs's 1890 English Fairy Tales made the version many of us know. Researchers think the story's roots are far older than any book.
The Three Little Pigs
James Orchard Halliwell, a Victorian collector, put the pigs in print in the middle of the 1800s; sources give different dates, so we only say the 1840s-1850s. In some early versions of related stories the animals are not pigs at all.
What changed since
- Goldilocks became a child, so children can see themselves in her.
- The wolf's fate is softer in many modern books.
- The visitor is often invited back by the bears.
Timeline
- 1807Tabart prints Jack and the Bean-Stalk.
- 1837Southey prints The Three Bears with an old woman.
- About 1849Cundall makes the visitor a girl called Silver-Hair.
- 1840s-1850sThe Three Little Pigs appear in print.
- Early 1900sThe name Goldilocks becomes popular.
Questions
Why is Goldilocks so rude?
In early versions the intruder is a naughty old woman. Modern retellings often let her say sorry.
Where can I find a gentler Goldilocks?
In our library you can find retellings that end with the bears and the visitor becoming friends.
Sources and further reading
- Robert Southey, The Doctor (1837).
- Benjamin Tabart, The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk (1807).
- Joseph Jacobs, English Fairy Tales (1890).
- Iona and Peter Opie, The Classic Fairy Tales (1974).