The classic story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has been around a long time. It evolved over many years, with the earliest having many different names for Goldilocks...Silverhair, Goldenhair and Silverlocks were some of the names before Goldilocks. In 1888 the first book was published which named the characters, Goldilocks and the three bears. At this time, bears were bears...not the cuddly teddy bears we all love today. Most experts agree that there were no known teddy bears before 1903, the first teddy bears being manufactured in 1904. What is so interesting...in the 1888 Goldilocks book, there are clear pictures of baby bear with his little teddy bear friend, propped up in bed, being pulled by baby bear in his wagon, sitting on the kitchen floor, etc. This was 15 years before the production of the teddy bear.
Over the years Goldilocks and the Three Bears has become a classic. Books abound, and all sorts of soft stuffed toys have been produced. My first set of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears were soft stuffed dolls from the 1920's. These dolls were Kellogg's cereal premiums. Wonderfully detailed fabric would be offered for mothers to sew and stuff for their children. My most recent acquisition is a set of the three bears made by Dean's Rag Book. When I first purchased it I fell in love with them, but had never seen them before. I was thrilled to find a label which identified them as Dean's Rag Book. The green label I believe dates it to the 1930's, which seems to fit looking at the clothes. Baby bear is a tad different, with shorter fur and I'm wondering if he's a later version. Could there have been a Goldilocks with this set as well? If anyone has any other info, I'd love to hear from you.
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