Art, literature & culture

Publication of The Three Little Pigs

19th century

The Three Little Pigs is a European fairy tale about three pigs who build houses of straw, sticks and bricks, and a wolf who blows down the first two but fails to destroy the third. The wolf's famous threat to huff and puff and blow the house down is the best-remembered line of the story. Its origins are uncertain, as it was passed on orally before being written down, and the first known printed English versions appeared in the nineteenth century, later refined by the folklorist Joseph Jacobs. It carries a simple lesson in hard work and foresight. The story was made into a popular Disney cartoon in 1933 that gave the world the song Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, and it remains a staple of children's literature.

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The era

This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions.