The Three Little Pigs

folktale · wisdom · building

Three different houses. The first pig builds a house of straw, the second uses sticks, and the third builds with bricks. The wolf easily blows down the first two houses but cannot destroy the brick one, no matter how hard he tries.

Very old story. This tale is thought to be much older than its printed versions, but the first printed versions appeared in the 1840s. It became super famous when Joseph Jacobs published it in his collection English Fairy Tales in 1890.

Original version different. The very earliest version of this story, discovered on Dartmoor, was actually about three pixies being chased by a fox, not pigs and a wolf. Over time, the story changed into the version we know today.

Famous phrases added. The now-famous lines like 'not by the hair of my chiny chin chin' and 'I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in' first appeared in print in 1886 when James Halliwell-Phillipps published his version.

A lesson about effort. The story teaches that taking shortcuts and using weak materials leads to trouble, while putting in hard work and choosing strong materials keeps you safe.