Baby Bear and the Big, Bad Wolf facts for kids

Baby Bear and the Big, Bad, Wolf is a fun children's play from 1996, created by Chet Frame and Jan H. Wolfe. This exciting show mixes together four classic fairy tales: Little Red Ridinghood, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Hansel and Gretel. It's a story full of adventure, tricky villains, and brave heroes!

What Happens in the Play?

Act One: A Mix of Fairy Tales

The play starts with Goldilocks. Her mom asks her to take some yummy treats to her sick grandmother. On her way, Goldilocks meets a sneaky wolf. The wolf tells her about a "shortcut" to her grandmother's house.

After a long walk, Goldilocks gets tired. She finds a house and goes inside. She sees three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds. She tries all the porridges and eats the last one. Then she tries all the chairs and breaks the last one. Finally, she tries the beds and falls asleep in the last one. When she wakes up, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear are standing over her! Goldilocks quickly leaves.

Goldilocks finally reaches her grandmother's house. She goes in and finds the wolf dressed up like her grandmother! The wolf tries to jump at her. But the real grandmother comes out of the bathroom and hits the wolf with a baseball bat! Goldilocks tells her grandmother about her adventures. Her grandmother then talks to her about respecting other people's space.

Meanwhile, we meet Big Sister Pig, Little Sister Pig, and Brother Pig. They are busy building a house out of straw. The wolf comes along and huffs and puffs and blows their house down! The pigs run away to safety.

The wolf then reveals a big secret: she is actually a witch in disguise! She says she hides whenever she smells children. Just then, Hansel and Gretel appear. They find a house made of delicious gingerbread. They eat a piece, and the witch jumps out! She locks them both in a cage, planning to eat them later.

Act Two: Heroes and Happy Endings

The witch goes off to gather sticks for the pigs. While she's gone, Goldilocks finds Hansel and Gretel. She quickly runs off to get help. The witch gives the sticks to the pigs, and they start building a new house.

Goldilocks returns to Hansel and Gretel, bringing Baby Bear with her. Baby Bear is super strong! He breaks open both the gingerbread house and the cage, freeing Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel tell their story. Goldilocks and Baby Bear decide to head to Baby Bear's house, and Hansel and Gretel promise to meet them there soon.

As the pigs finish their new house, they see the wolf coming and hide inside. The wolf tries to blow down this house too, and she succeeds! But the pigs manage to escape again.

The witch goes back to her home to eat Hansel and Gretel. But Hansel and Gretel are clever! They trick the witch into walking into her own cage, and they lock her in! They then leave to go to Baby Bear's house. The moment they are gone, the witch climbs out of the cage.

Goldilocks and Baby Bear arrive at the Bear house. They find Goldilocks' grandmother talking with Mama and Papa Bear about their neighborhood watch group. Soon, Hansel and Gretel arrive, bringing the three pigs they found along the way. Everyone decides to build a strong house out of bricks for Hansel and Gretel and the three pigs to share.

They build the brick house. The wolf finds it, with everyone safely inside. She tries to get in, but she can't! So, she keeps changing back and forth between the wolf and the witch. She does this until the wolf and the witch accidentally bump into each other. Since they are the same person, this is impossible! They both explode, blowing down the brick house with them. But don't worry, everyone inside is perfectly fine! They all live happily ever after.

Who are the Characters?

• Baby Bear - His real name is Bruno, and he's a 12-year-old bear. Even though he's called "Baby Bear," he's often played by an adult! Many people think Baby Bear is the main hero of the story, but some argue it's Goldilocks.
• Goldilocks - A 12-year-old girl. She's a mix of two famous fairy tale characters: Goldilocks and Little Red Ridinghood.
• Mom - Goldilocks' mother. The same actress often plays her and Grandma.
• Wolf/Witch - The famous Big Bad Wolf, who is the main villain. She's a female character who later shows she's really a Wicked Witch in disguise. She's very hungry!
• Mama Bear - Papa Bear's wife and Baby Bear's mother. She believes in aliens because of something she read in a magazine!
• Papa Bear - Mama Bear's husband and Baby Bear's father.
• Grandma - Goldilocks' grandmother. She's part of the neighborhood watch. The same actress often plays her and Mom.
• Brother Pig - He's usually played by a young actor, even though his character is middle-aged. He's honest and tries to keep the peace between his sisters.
• Big Sister Pig - Her character is 60 years old, but she's usually played by a young actress. She's a bit bossy and likes to annoy her little sister.
• Little Sister Pig - Her character is middle-aged, but she's usually played by a young actress. She's often sarcastic and not very excited about things.
• Hansel - A grumpy teenager. He can be a bit annoying and not very smart. He's Gretel's older brother.
• Gretel - Hansel's younger sister. She's a quick-thinking girl in her late teens and much better at solving problems than her brother.

Where Has the Play Been Performed?

The play was first shown at Kids-N-Co throughout 1997. The El Paso Playhouse performed it in June 2006. It then left Texas in 2012, when it was performed at Villagers Theatre from September 8 to September 16. The show has been performed one more time since then, at the Mid Michigan Family Theatre from September 15 to 16 in 2014.