The Gingerbread Man (also known as The Gingerbread Boy) is a folktale about a gingerbread man’s escape from various pursuers until his eventual demise between the jaws of a fox. “The Gingerbread Boy” first appeared in print in the May 1875 issue of St. Nicholas Magazine, in a cumulative tale which, like “The Little Red Hen,” depends on repetitious scenes featuring an ever-growing cast of characters for its effect. According to the reteller of the tale, “A girl from Maine told it to my children. It interested them so much that I thought it worth preserving. I asked where she found it and she said an old lady told it to her in her childhood.”
Alias Gingerbread Man (Tale)
Real Names/Alt Names John Dough, Gingerbread Boy, Johnny-Cake, or Gingerbread Runner
First Appearance “The Gingerbread Boy”, St. Nicholas Magazine (May 1875)
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Literature: “The Gingerbread Boy” in St. Nicholas Magazine (May 1875), English Fairy Tales (1890), Frank L. Baum’s John Dough and the Cherub (1906), Frank L. Baum’s The Road to Oz (1909); Musicals: The Gingerbread Man (1905); Comics: Four Color #60, 68, 72; Fairy Tale Parade #6; Fairy Tales #11 (1951)
Description The Gingerbread Man (also known as The Gingerbread Boy) is a folktale about a gingerbread man’s escape from various pursuers until his eventual demise between the jaws of a fox. “The Gingerbread Boy” first appeared in print in the May 1875 issue of St. Nicholas Magazine, in a cumulative tale which, like “The Little Red Hen,” depends on repetitious scenes featuring an ever-growing cast of characters for its effect. According to the reteller of the tale, “A girl from Maine told it to my children. It interested them so much that I thought it worth preserving. I asked where she found it and she said an old lady told it to her in her childhood.”
