Big Bad Wolf

The Big Bad wolf is a character that appears in several precautionary folkloric stories. Those stories include some of Grimm’s fairy tales and Aesop’s fables. This character appears in many different works and has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory antagonist, at times referred to as the Big Bad.

Interpretations

The Three Little Pigs, Peter and the Wolf, and Little Red Riding Hoodreflect the theme of a ravenous wolf and and a creature being released unharmed from its belly. However, the general theme of restoration is very old.Cultural anthropologists and folklorists like Edward Burnett Taylor saw Little Red Riding Hoodin terms of solar myths and some other naturally occurring cycles. They have stated that the wolf represents the night that swallows the sun. Variations in which Little Red Riding Hoodis cut out of the wolf’s belly represent the dawn.

According to Dr. Valerius Geist from the University of Calgary in Alberta, the fable was most likely based on the genuine risk of wolf attacks during that time. He said that wolves were actually very dangerous predators and the fables served as a warning not to go into the forest where the wolves were known to live. Both the wolves and wilderness were treated as man’s enemies in many of these tales.

Personality

In most tales, the Big Bad Wolf wears some tattered red pants held up by some green suspenders. He also wears an old top hat and believes that being bad is the nature of wolves. He loves disguising himself to fool the three little pigs so that he can catch them and eat them. Sometimes, however, he just gets into trouble.

Animated Appearances

In some animated appearances, the Big Bad Wolf has three sons who are also bad. The three sons are triplets who dress just like their father. However, the wolf is not a bad father and actually adores one of his sons, which is named Li’l Wolf.

Big Bad has made numerous appearances in the popular House of Mouseanimated series as well. In this show, he is portrayed as a very popular singer.

The Disney Version

In Walt Disney’s animation entitled The Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf is named Zeke wolf or Br’er wolf . The animation was released on May 27, 1933, and it was directed by Burt Gillett. At first, the wolf is seen stalking three pigs as two of them are playing a flute. Big Bad tries to eat two of the pigs, but he fails due to the cleverness of the practical pig. The Big Bad Wolf also appears in some Disney theme parks and is usually seen in some of the parades. He appears as a very rare character and is in most cases found in the Tokyo Disneyland more often than most other parks.