The Story of the Three Bears facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "The Story of the Three Bears" |
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Robert Southey (date unknown)
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| Author | Robert Southey |
| Other titles | The Three Bears |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Characters | Three Bears Old Woman |
| Genre(s) | Literary fairy tale |
| Published in | The Doctor |
| Publication type | Essay and story collection |
| Publisher | Longman, Rees, etc. |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1837 |
The Story of the Three Bears is a famous fairy tale. It was first written by Robert Southey. He published it in 1837 as part of a book of his writings.
Southey's original story was about an old woman. She was not very nice and went into the house of three male bears when they were out. She ate their food, broke a chair, and slept in a bed. When the bears came home, she ran away. Over time, the story changed. The three male bears became Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear. The old woman became a little girl named Goldilocks. This story has been made into many animated and live-action movies. It has even been turned into a short opera.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
In the original story, three male bears live in a house in the woods. There is a Little, Small, Wee Bear, a Middle-sized Bear, and a Great, Huge Bear. Each bear has their own porridge pot, a chair, and a bed.
One morning, the bears make porridge for breakfast. They decide to go for a walk while their porridge cools down. While they are gone, an "impudent, bad old Woman" comes to their house. She goes inside without permission.
The old woman tries the bears' porridge. She eats the little bear's porridge because it is just right. Then, she tries their chairs. She breaks the little bear's chair. Finally, she tries their beds. She falls asleep in the little bear's bed.
The bears come home and find the old woman sleeping. She wakes up, sees the bears, and gets scared. She jumps out the window and runs away. The story says she was never seen again.
How the Story Began
The English writer Robert Southey wrote "The Story of the Three Bears." It was published in 1837 in his book called The Doctor. Southey likely heard a version of the story when he was a boy. His uncle, William Tyler, probably told it to him. This version might have been the one Southey used for his book. No one knows how his uncle learned the story.
Southey had known the story for a long time before he published it. He had been telling it to his family and friends since 1813.
A very similar story existed before Southey's 1837 version. In 1831, a woman named Eleanor Mure wrote the story as a rhyming poem. She wrote it for her nephew's fourth birthday. In both Southey's and Mure's versions, an ugly old woman enters the bears' house. The two stories are almost the same. For example, Southey's bears have porridge, while Mure's bears have milk.
In the same year Southey published his story, another rhyming version was written by William Nicol. Southey received Nicol's version on July 3, 1837. He liked it and thought it would help more children discover the story. Nicol's version was published in 1841 with pictures.
Some people think "The Story of the Three Bears" is similar to parts of "Snow White." It might also be like a story from Norway about a princess and three princes. These princes were dressed in bear skins. Charles Dickens included a story about goblins in his 1865 novel Our Mutual Friend. This story also has parts that remind people of "The Three Bears." A story called "Scrapefoot" might be the very first version of "The Three Bears." In "Scrapefoot," a fox is the intruder in the bears' house, not a human.
The Character of Goldilocks
About 12 years after Southey's story came out, a writer named Joseph Cundall changed the old woman into a little girl. He did this in his book Treasury of Pleasure Books for Young Children. Cundall made this change because many children's books at the time featured old women. Once the little girl was in the story, she stayed.
Over the years, the little girl was called different names. These included Silverhair, Silverlocks, and Goldenlocks. She finally became known as Goldilocks in the early 1900s.
Over time, the three male bears from Southey's original story also changed. They became Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. The original scary story about a nosy old woman and three male bears became a cozy story. It was now about a curious little girl and a family of bears. In versions of the story from the Victorian era, some parts were made softer. For example, a line about the old woman breaking a chair was changed to be less direct.
Movies and Shows
Both Walt Disney and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios have made animated movies about the Three Bears. Disney's version came out in 1922. MGM's was released in 1939.
Coronet Films made a short live-action movie in 1958. This movie used real bears and a real child to play the characters. The TV show Faerie Tale Theatre also made a version in 1984. It starred Tatum O'Neal as Goldilocks.
Images for kids
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Illustration in "The Story of the Three Bears" second edition, 1839, published by W. N. Wright of 60 Pall Mall, London
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London based writer and publisher Joseph Cundall changed the antagonist from an old woman to a girl
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Goldilocks caught in Baby Bear's bed – by Leonard Leslie Brooke
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Illustration by John Batten, 1890
See also
In Spanish: Ricitos de Oro y los tres osos para niños
