subject: Wolf Stuffed Animals & little Red Riding Hood [print this page] Children that are familiar with the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, are usually more intrigued by the wolf than they are with Red Riding Hood, the little girl who wears the red hood. After all, wolves are frightening wild animals which seems to thrill children more than it does scare them. If they have the choice between a dog stuffed animal and a wolf stuffed animal keeping in mind their fascination with Red Riding Hood the wolf stuffed animal will win out every time.
The French author Charles Perrault was the first to write down the tale of Little Red Riding Hood - called Le Petit Chaperon Rouge in the 17th century, but because of the way in which he tragically ended it (Red Riding Hood dies), some have questioned whether or not it was part of genuine folk origins. The Brothers Grimm version of the story, is the one that is most familiar to both children and adults today. The story is about a little girl who always wears a cape type of jacket with a red hood attached. She makes her way through the woods to deliver food to her grandmother and is watched and followed by a wolf (usually referred to as the Big Bad Wolf) who wants to get her.
Little Red Riding Hood's origins can be traced back to several European countries in which oral tales of the story were told. It is likely that they preceded the 17th century but are all quite different from the Brothers Grimm version. Both French and Italian peasants told the story in the 14th century one of which was called La finta nonna (The False Grandmother). Some of the differences between these older versions and what is currently known, include: the wolf was not always the antagonist sometimes it was an ogre or 'bzou' or the more commonly known werewolf. In addition, in some stories, the little girl escapes on her own without anyone else's help.
Whether or not you are a fan of the Little Red Riding Hood story, you can be sure that most children will take to it quite easily. It has always been popular, so much so in fact, that there is even a Bugs Bunny version of it. All that to say, the next time you find your child engaged in a world of make-believe, it may be with a wolf stuffed animal instead of the heroine of the tale.
