Gingerbread man Facts for Kids

Gingerbread men

Gingerbread men are yummy cookies made from gingerbread. They are shaped like little people! In America, these cookies are super popular around Christmas time. They are made with ingredients like ginger, molasses, different spices, flour, butter, and eggs. The dough is rolled flat, and then a special cookie cutter is used to make their famous shape. You can decorate them with frosting and fun toppings like raisins.

The Sweet History of Gingerbread Men
What Do Gingerbread Men Look Like?
World Records for Gingerbread Men
Gingerbread Men in Stories and Pop Culture
Make Your Own Gingerbread Men: A Fun Recipe!
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The Sweet History of Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread has been around for a long time, since the 1400s! Making cookies shaped like figures started in the 1500s. The very first time we know for sure that gingerbread figures were made was at the palace of Queen Elizabeth I of England. She had gingerbread cookies made to look like some of her important visitors and gave them as gifts.

What Do Gingerbread Men Look Like?

Gingerbread man and his wife

Gingerbread salesman (1902)

Most gingerbread men have a shape that looks a bit like a person, with short, round feet and no fingers. Many of them have a face. Sometimes the face is just lines pressed into the cookie, or it can be made with other candies stuck on with icing or chocolate. Other decorations are also common, like hair, shirt cuffs, or shoes. But the most popular decoration by far is shirt buttons! These are usually made with gumdrops, icing, or raisins.

World Records for Gingerbread Men

Did you know there's a world record for the biggest gingerbread man? According to the Guinness World Records, the largest gingerbread man ever made weighed a huge 1435.2 pounds (which is about 651 kilograms)! It was made by the staff at the IKEA store in Furuset, Oslo, Norway, on November 9, 2009. That's a lot of cookie!

Gingerbread Men in Stories and Pop Culture

Gingerbread men are famous characters in many stories and shows:

"The Gingerbread Man" is a classic fairy tale. It's about a gingerbread man who magically comes to life and runs away from everyone, saying, "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
- Gingy is a talking gingerbread man from the Shrek animated movies. He's based on the fairy tale character.
In Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous ballet The Nutcracker (from 1892), the main hero leads an army of gingerbread men to fight against the Mouse King and his army.
The Gingerbread People are the main characters in the fun board game Candy Land (first made in 1945).
The Gingerbread Men also appeared on The Muppet Show. In one episode, they sang the song "Sweet Gingerbread Man" as the opening act.
In the movie The Brothers Grimm, there's a scary version of the Gingerbread Man. Mud comes to life, steals a child's eyes, nose, and mouth, and forms a small mud creature. It then runs off yelling, "You can't catch me; I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

Make Your Own Gingerbread Men: A Fun Recipe!

Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man

Want to make your own delicious gingerbread men? Here's a simple recipe to try!

Ingredients You Will Need

6 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks of soft butter
4 teaspoons of ginger
4 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of molasses or golden syrup

Instructions for Mixing the Dough

First, get a big bowl. Put all the dry ingredients in it: flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Mix them up well.
In a separate bowl, beat the soft butter and brown sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Next, mix the eggs into the butter and sugar mixture.
Then, stir in the molasses.
Now, slowly add the dry ingredients from the first bowl into the wet ingredients. Mix everything until it's all combined and forms a nice dough.
Cover the dough and put it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This makes it easier to roll out!

Time to Bake!

Preheat your oven to 375°F (which is 190°C).
Sprinkle some flour on a clean, flat surface so your dough won't stick. Roll out the dough evenly.
Use your gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.
Carefully place the cut-out cookies on a baking tray that's covered with baking paper. Make sure they aren't too close together.
Bake them for 8 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn!
Once they're baked, let them cool down completely.
Now for the fun part: decorate your gingerbread men with icing, M&M's, or any other candy you like!
Enjoy your homemade gingerbread men!