Version in Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm
"The Golden Goose" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The youngest (and, according to his family, most simple minded) of three sons goes into the woods. After sharing his meal with a magical old man, he is rewarded with a golden goose. The golden feathers attract attention but every time someone tries to grab it, they stick to the bird, and anyone trying to unfasten them sticks in turn, until there's a long parade of people stuck to each other. The sight makes a princess laugh for the first time (thus sharing a similarity with "The Princess Who Never Laughed") and ensures a happy ending for the young man.
The story was adapted for Jay Ward's "Fractured Fairy Tales" (with Daws Butler voicing the protagonist) and by Disney for a 1973 Little Golden Book (with Goofy as the simpleton, while those stuck to the goose include Minnie Mouse and Huey, Dewey and Louie).
The tale has no connection with geese who lay golden eggs (as in the Aesop's Fable or "Jack and the Beanstalk.")
References[]
- The story was adapted for Sesame Street Episode 3585. In this version, a sorceress took over the kingdom using a golden goose, causing the residents to become stuck to each other. She does the same thing on the street, only with Big Bird substituting for the golden goose. The only way to break her spell is to get a princess to laugh (and in this version, the sight of people stuck to each other alone is insufficient).
- The 2018 book Muppets Meet the Classics: Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm adapted the tale as "Fozzie's Super-Sticky Situation." Fozzie Bear plays the simple son (with Mildred Huxtetter as his mother and Seymour and Quongo as his brothers). Animal is the magical person in the woods, a golden owl fills in for the goose, and those stuck to the bird include Frackles (Boppity, Snivelly, and Gloat), Sam the Eagle, Scooter, and the prairie dogs. The princess is played by Afghan Hound.