"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and the older "The Story of the Three Bears" are two variations of an old fairy tale. The original tale tells of an ugly, old woman who enters the forest home of three bachelor bears whilst they are away. She sits in their chairs, eats some of their porridge, and falls asleep in one of their beds. When the bears return and discover her, she starts up, jumps from the window, and is never seen again. The other major version brings Goldilocks to the tale (replacing the old woman), and an even later version retained Goldilocks, but has the three bachelor bears transformed into Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear.

What was originally a fearsome oral tale became a cosy family story with only a hint of menace. The story has elicited various interpretations and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media. "The Story of the Three Bears" is one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language.

Plot

The Bear family are a family unit of characters on Sesame Street, based on The Story of the Three Bears, plus a younger sibling.

Family description

Curly Bear, Mama Bear, and Papa Bear have never appeared on the show without Baby Bear. The Bear Family Dance, as demonstrated in a "Hero Guy" segment, is a step forward, a step backward, a step forward, a step backward, a shimmy, and stepping from side-to-side. In Elmo's World: Happy Holidays, it is revealed that the Bear family is Jewish.

Family members

Baby Bear

Baby Bear is an important character from the Bear family on Sesame Street, and is best friends with Telly Monster. Baby Bear has always been the most frequently appearing character from the Bears, as he is the age of many viewers of the show. He has a speech impediment, pronouncing his "R"s like "W"s. For example, he pronounces "super hero" as "supo hewo". Baby Bear was performed by David Rudman.

"Hero Guy" is a character that Baby Bear creates on a piece of paper; he comes to life and has adventures with Baby Bear.