View source for Goldilocks and the Three Bears

{{Distinguish|Goldilocks Bakeshop}} {{Short description|19th-century British fairy tale}}
{{Redirect-multi|2|Goldilocks|The Three Bears}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=de|otherarticle=Goldlöckchen und die drei Bären|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox short story
| name             = Goldilocks and The Three Bears
| image            = The three bears pg 14.jpg
| author           = [[Robert Southey]]
| title_orig       = "'''The Story of the Three Bears'''"
| country          = England
| genre            = [[Fairy tale]]
| published_in     = ''The Doctor''
| publication_type = Essay and story collection
| publisher        = Longman, Rees, etc.
| media_type       = Print
| pub_date         = 1837
}}

"'''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'''" is a 19th-century English [[fairy tale]] of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an impudent old woman who enters the forest home of three anthropomorphic [[bachelor]] [[bear]]s while they are away. She eats some of their [[porridge]], sits down on one of their chairs, breaks it, and sleeps in one of their beds. When the bears return and discover her, she wakes up, jumps out of the window, and is never seen again. The second version replaces the old woman with a young, naive, blonde-haired girl named Goldilocks, and the third and by far best-known version replaces the bachelor trio with a family of three: a father bear, a mother bear, and a baby bear.
The story has elicited various interpretations and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language.<ref name="Elms257">Elms 1977, p. 257</ref>

== Southey's version ==
[[File:The story of the three bears 1839 pg 21.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration in "The Story of the Three Bears" second edition, 1839, published by W. N. Wright of 60 [[Pall Mall, London]]

]]In [[Robert Southey]]'s story, three male bears—a small bear, a medium bear, and a large bear—live together in a house in the woods. Southey describes them as good-natured, trusting, harmless, clean, and [[Hospitality|hospitable]]. Each bear has his own bowl of [[porridge]], his own chair, and his own bed. One day, while their hot porridge is cooling, they wander through the woods. An old woman—described throughout the story as insolent, mean, swearing, ugly, dirty, and a [[Vagrancy|vagabond]] who belongs in a [[reformatory]]—discovers the bears' home. She looks through the window and keyhole, opens the [[latch]], and, after ensuring that no one is home, enters. The old woman tries the porridge of the big bear, which is too hot for her; then she tries the porridge of the middle bear, which is too cold; finally, she eats the porridge of the smallest bear. Next, she sits down in the chair of the big bear, which is too hard for her, and then in the chair of the middle bear, which is too soft. When she sits in the chair of the small bear, it breaks as a result. Continuing her exploration of the house, she finds the bears' beds. After trying the big bear's bed and the middle bear's bed and finding them unsuitable, she goes to sleep in the smallest bear's bed. When the bears return home, the story reaches its climax. One after another, they discover that someone has eaten their porridge, has sat in their chairs, and has lain in their beds. The smallest bear finds the old woman in his bed and exclaims, "Someone has lain down in my little bed—and there she is still!" Startled, the old woman jumps out of the window, runs away, and is never seen again.

==Literary elements==
The story makes extensive use of the literary [[Rule of three (writing)|rule of three]], featuring three chairs, three bowls of porridge, three beds, and the three title characters who live in the house. There are also three sequences of the bears discovering in turn that someone has been eating from their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and finally, lying in their beds, at which point the climax of Goldilocks being discovered occurs. This follows three earlier sequences of Goldilocks trying the bowls of porridge, chairs, and beds successively, each time finding the third "just right". Author [[Christopher Booker]] characterises this as the "dialectical three" where "the first is wrong in one way, the second in another or opposite way, and only the third, in the middle, is just right". Booker continues: "This idea that the way forward lies in finding an exact middle path between opposites is of extraordinary importance in storytelling".<ref>Booker 2005, pp. 229–32</ref>

This concept has spread across many other disciplines, particularly developmental psychology, biology, economics, Buddhism, and engineering where it is called the "[[Goldilocks principle]]".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Martin|first=S J|title=Oncogene-induced autophagy and the Goldilocks principle.|journal=Autophagy|date=August 2011|volume=7|issue=8|pages=922–3|pmid=21552010|doi=10.4161/auto.7.8.15821|doi-access=free|hdl=2262/73233|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Boulding|first1=K.E.|title=Evolutionary Economics|date=1981|publisher=Sage Publications|page=200|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9cvrAAAAMAAJ&q=evolutionary+economics+boulding|isbn=9780803916487}}</ref> In planetary astronomy, a planet orbiting its sun at just the right distance for liquid water to exist on its surface, neither too hot nor too cold, is referred to as being in the "[[Circumstellar habitable zone|Goldilocks Zone]]". As [[Stephen Hawking]] put it, "Like Goldilocks, the development of intelligent life requires that planetary temperatures be 'just right{{' "}}.<ref>S Hawking, ''The Grand Design'' (London 2011) p. 194</ref>

== Interpretations ==
In ''The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales'' (2002), [[Harvard University|Harvard]] professor [[Maria Tatar]] notes that [[Robert Southey|Southey]]'s story is often viewed as a [[Cautionary tale|cautionary fable]], conveying a lesson about the dangers of venturing into unknown territories. Similar to ''[[The Three Little Pigs]]'', the story uses repetition to capture a child's attention and reinforce themes of protection and safety. Tatar highlights that while today's interpretations of the story often frame it as a [[quest]] for discovering what's "just right", earlier generations viewed it as a tale about an intruder who lacked self-control and respect for others' property.<ref name="Maria Tatar2">{{Cite book |last=Tatar |first=Maria |title=The annotated classic fairy tales |date=2002 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0-393-05163-6 |location=New York London}}</ref>
[[File:Page 96 illustration in English Fairy Tales.png|thumb|[[Illustration]] by Von John D. Batten, 1890.]]
In ''[[The Uses of Enchantment]]'' (1976), [[child psychologist]] [[Bruno Bettelheim]] describes Goldilocks as "poor, beautiful, and charming", noting that the story only portrays her hair in a positive light. Bettelheim primarily discusses the tale through the lens of Goldilocks' struggle to overcome [[Oedipus complex|Oedipal issues]] and the identity crisis of [[adolescence]]. According to Bettelheim, the story fails to encourage children to truly work through the challenges of growing up, one at a time. It does not end, as a fairy tale should, with the promise of future happiness for those who successfully navigate their Oedipal phase in childhood. He argues that the story prevents the child reader from gaining [[emotional maturity]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Schultz |first=William Todd |title=Handbook of psychobiography |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University press |isbn=978-0-19-516827-3 |location=Oxford}}</ref>

[[Maria Tatar]] critiques Bettelheim's interpretation, suggesting that his analysis may overly instrumentalize fairy tales, turning them into vehicles for messages and behavioral models for children. While the story might not resolve Oedipal issues or sibling rivalry in the way Bettelheim believes ''[[Cinderella]]'' does, it emphasizes the importance of respecting others' property and the consequences of "trying out" things that don't belong to you.<ref name="Maria Tatar2" />

In the ''Handbook of Psychobiography'', Alan C. Elms offers a different perspective, rejecting Bettelheim's view of the story as a tale of post-Oedipal ego development. Instead, he interprets it through the [[Freudian|Freudian concept]] of pre-Oedipal anality.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schultz |first=William Todd |title=Handbook of psychobiography |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University press |isbn=978-0-19-516827-3 |location=Oxford}}</ref> Elms argues that Bettelheim may have overlooked the themes in the story, which could be beneficial for a child's personality development. He believes that the story is mainly aimed at preschool children, who are learning about cleanliness, maintaining order in their environment, and dealing with disruptions to that order. Based on his own experiences and observations, Elms suggests that children are more likely to identify with the clean, orderly bear protagonists rather than with the rebellious, unruly human antagonist. He traces the theme of anality in The Story of the Three Bears back to Robert Southey's meticulous, cleanliness-obsessed aunt, who raised him and passed on her obsession in a milder form.<ref name=":0" />

== In other media ==
=== Film and television ===
*[[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney]] released an [[Animation|animated film]] adaptation of "Goldilocks" in 1922, followed by another adaptation in 1939, co-produced with [[MGM]].
*[[Coronet Films]] released a short [[Live action|live-action]] film featuring real bears and a child in 1958.
*Warner Brothers made a few cartoons with the Three Bears, in which Papa Bear was portrayed as a small but very gruff and short tempered bear with a very gruff voice and Napoleon complex, Mama Bear as a slim, lanky female bear with an almost whiny sounding voice, and Baby Bear as a huge, oafish, simpleton voiced bear named "Junyer".
*Jay Ward did a mangled version of the tale in "Fractured Fairy Tales", in which Goldilocks runs a winter resort and the Three Bears invade her place for hibernation purposes. Like Warner Brothers, this version also portrayed Baby Bear as a huge, simpleton voiced oaf and in this version he kept insisting he wasn't sleepy, only to be punched by Papa Bear, who then would say, "SHADDUP!!"
*[[Hanna-Barbera Productions|Hanna-Barbera]] did its take on the original Three Bears tale in basic concept, entitled ''[[Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!]]'', which was produced for CBS' Saturday-morning programme in the 1971-72 season. One episode of the series was based loosely on the Goldilocks variant, featuring the ursine trio replacing three humans in ursine costume for a production thereof from Pinchpenny Studios, with child actor Twinkles Sunshine in the Goldilocks role seeking to rewrite such in a more slapstick sort of vein.
*In 1984, ''[[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'' aired an episode titled "[[Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Faerie Tale Theatre)|Goldilocks]]", starring [[Tatum O'Neal]].
*The Spanish animated series ''The Three Bears'' aired from 1999 to 2001.
*In the Halloween episode "[[Treehouse of Horror XI]]" of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', there is a scene where Goldilocks is humorously mauled by the three bears.
*In the 2022 animated film ''[[Puss in Boots: The Last Wish]]'', Goldilocks and the Three Bears serve as [[Antagonist|antagonists]].
*Goldilocks and the Three Bears were also made into Muppet characters on ''[[Sesame Street]]''.

=== Literature ===
*The Three Bears may have been the inspiration for Stan and Jan Berenstain's Berenstain Bears.

=== Theater and comics ===
*In November 1949, [[Walt Disney]] published the comic ''The Goldilocks Gambit'', written by [[Carl Barks]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Goldilocks Gambit|url=https://inducks.org/s.php?c=W+WDC+110-02 |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=inducks.org}}</ref>
*In 1997, [[Kurt Schwertsik]]'s 35-minute [[opera]] ''Roald Dahl's Goldilocks'' (for [[narrator]] and orchestra, or eight narrators and orchestra) premiered at the [[Glasgow Royal Concert Hall]]. The libretto by [[Donald Sturrock]] was based on [[Roald Dahl]]'s poem ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears''. Set in a forest jury court, the opera portrays Baby Bear on trial for allegedly attacking Miss Goldilocks. The story flips the traditional narrative, as the defense attorney highlights the trauma inflicted on the bears by the mischievous "naughty little rogue", Goldilocks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schwertsik, Kurt: Roald Dahl's Goldilocks (1997)|url=https://www.boosey.com/pages/opera/moreDetails?musicID=5058&site-lang=de |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=www.boosey.com}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Little Red Riding Hood]]''
{{Portal bar|Children's literature |United Kingdom}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* [[The Seven Basic Plots]]. {{Cite book |author=Booker, Christopher |year=2005 |title=The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tujDvUEpY10C&pg=PA229 |chapter=The Rule of Three |isbn=0-8264-5209-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sevenbasicplotsw0000book }}
* {{Cite book |author=Briggs, Katherine Mary |year=2002 |orig-year=1977 |title=British Folk Tales and Legends |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=0-415-28602-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B_K17hW40SkC&pg=PA128 }}
* {{Cite web |title=Coronet: Goldilocks and the Three Bears |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=21 February 2009 |url=https://archive.org/details/goldilocks_and_the_three_bears }}
* {{Cite book |author=Curry, Charles Madison |year=1921 |title=Children's Literature |publisher=[[Rand McNally]] & Company |url = https://archive.org/details/childrenslitera00currgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/childrenslitera00currgoog/page/n197 179] |isbn=9781344646789 |quote=three bears. }}
* {{Cite web |title=Disney: Goldilocks and the Three Bears |publisher=The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts |access-date=21 February 2009 |url=http://www.disneyshorts.org/shorts.aspx?shortID=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222010852/http://www.disneyshorts.org/shorts.aspx?shortID=6 |archive-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite book |author=Dorson, Richard Mercer |year=2001 |orig-year=1968 |title=The British Folklorists |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=0-415-20426-7 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DiCjLRGRkS4C&pg=PA94 }}
* {{Cite journal |author=Elms, Alan C. |date=July–September 1977 |title='The Three Bears': Four Interpretations |journal=[[The Journal of American Folklore]] |volume=90 |issue=357 |pages=257–273 |doi=10.2307/539519 |jstor=539519}}
* {{Cite web |title=MGM: Goldilocks and the Three Bears |access-date=12 November 2010 |url=http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/3138-Goldilocks_And_The_Three_Bears.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117210452/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/3138-Goldilocks_And_The_Three_Bears.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2013}}
* {{Cite book |author=Ober, Warren U. |year=1981 |title=The Story of the Three Bears |publisher=Scholars Facsimiles & Reprints |isbn=0-8201-1362-X}}
* {{Cite book |author=Opie, Iona |author-link=Iona Opie |author2=Opie, Peter |author-link2=Peter Opie |year=1992 |orig-year=1974 |title=The Classic Fairy Tales |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-19-211559-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/classicfairytale00opie_0 }}
* {{Cite web |title=Roald Dahl's Goldilocks (1997) |access-date=3 January 2009 |url = http://www.boosey.com/pages/opera/moreDetails.asp?musicID=5058 }}
* {{Cite book |author=Schultz, William Todd |year=2005 |title=Handbook of Psychobiography |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-516827-5 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qd0VgVIPuCcC&pg=PA93 }}
* {{Cite book |author=Seal, Graham |year=2001 |title=Encyclopedia of Folk Heroes |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=1-57607-216-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qfTcKDzzqvIC&pg=PA92 }}
* {{Cite book |author=Tatar, Maria |author-link=Maria Tatar |year=2002 |title=The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales |publisher=[[W.W. Norton & Company]] |isbn=0-393-05163-3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ehzvhjL5_W8C&q=goldilocks }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource}}
{{Wikisource|Scrapefoot}}
{{Commons category|The Three Bears}}
* [https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-37131062568829D&R=DC-37131062568829D "The Story of the Three Bears", manuscript by Eleanor Mure, 1831] - first recorded version
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180511215709/http://courses.wcupa.edu/johnson/locked/southey-three.htm "The Story of the Three Bears" by Robert Southey, 1837] – first published version
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=yZUNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR1 "The Story of the Three Bears", versified by George Nicol, 2nd edition, 1839] ([https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Three_Bears_(1839) text])
* [http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/68/fairy-tales-and-other-traditional-stories/5105/the-three-bears/ "The Three Bears" by Robert Southey] – later version with "Silver-hair", a "little girl"
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49001/49001-h/49001-h.htm#Page_207 "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", by Katharine Pyle, 1918] – later version with father, mother and baby bear
* [https://en.derevo-kazok.org/folk-tales/english-folk-tales/the-story-of-the-three-bears-english-folk-tale.html English folk tale "The Story of the Three Bears"] <small><span lang="en" dir="ltr">(en.)</span></small>

{{Robert Southey}}
{{Goldilocks and the Three Bears}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Goldilocks and the Three Bears]]
[[Category:1830s children's books]]
[[Category:1837 short stories]]
[[Category:19th-century British children's literature]]
[[Category:Animal tales]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic bears]]
[[Category:Bears in literature]]
[[Category:British fairy tales]]
[[Category:Child characters in fairy tales]]
[[Category:English fairy tales]]
[[Category:English folklore]]
[[Category:Female characters in fairy tales]]
[[Category:Fictional trios]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1837]]
[[Category:Short stories adapted into films]]
[[Category:Short stories adapted into plays]]
[[Category:Works by Robert Southey]]