Gingerbread man

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses of the word, see Gingerbread Man (disambiguation).

A gingerbread man is a sweet biscuit made of gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human, as per the name (though making other shapes, especially seasonal themes, is quite common).

Most gingerbread men share the same roughly humanoid shape, with stubby feet and no fingers. Many gingerbread men have a face, though whether the features are indentations within the face itself or other candies stuck on with icing or chocolate varies from recipe to recipe. Other decorations are common; hair, shirt cuffs and shoes are sometimes applied, but by far the most popular decoration are shirt buttons, which are traditionally represented by gum drops.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest gingerbread man weighed 168.8 kg (372.13 lb) and was made by chefs at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver, Canada, on November 19, 2003. It measured 4.23 m (13 ft 11 in) in height, 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) wide and 5.08 cm (2 in) deep.

[edit] In culture

The gingerbread man is popularized in the fairy tale of the same name, in which the titular confection comes to life before he can be eaten, and gleefully flees from various hungry assailants, before a fox promises to help him across a river, then double-crosses and eats him. This version of the Gingerbread Man also appears in the Shrek movies and Jasper Fforde's books. L. Frank Baum created his own gingerbread man in the character of John Dough from John Dough and the Cherub, who also appeared in The Road to Oz. John Dough is life-sized and also scared of being eaten. He ultimately sacrifices his hand to save a child's life, then becomes ruler of a dual island nation at war until they found their prophesied monarch.

In the mixed martial arts event UFC 83, a bout between Kalib Starnes and Nate Quarry gained competitor Starnes the nickname "The Gingerbread Man" after he fled from his opponent for fifteen minutes.

[edit] International analogues

A character from Russian fairy tales, Kolobok (Russian: Колобок: from "kolo", around, and "bok", side) is also made of bread and shows similar behavior of avoiding dangers to be eaten by various animals. The difference is that Kolobok has a spherical shape and propels himself by rotating.

Japanese Anpanman also has something in common with Gingerbread man.

The mythological Thai protection spirit Mantou, also shares some traits with the Gingerbread man. Although, the Mantou was called upon for protection quite frequently by aboriginal jungle tribes from Cambodia in the past, the Mantou protection spirit has lost favour amongst its believers for its perceived ineffectiveness following the French colonial periods.

[edit] External links

• SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com: "The Gingerbread Man" with annotations, illustrations, modern interpretations and more
• The Gingerbread Man at the Internet Movie Database