3739. Little Red Riding Hood by Madame Alexander

Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings. The story was first published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697. This story is number 333 in the Aarne-Thompson classification system for folktales. The story revolves around a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, after the red hooded cape/cloak (in Perrault's fairytale) or simple cap (in the Grimms' fairytale) she wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her sick grandmother. A wolf wants to eat the girl but is afraid to do so in public. He approaches Little Red Riding Hood and she naïvely tells him where she is going. He suggests the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He swallows the grandmother whole, (In some stories, he locks her in the closet), and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandma. When the girl arrives, she notices that her grandmother looks very strange. Little Red Riding Hood then says, "What a deep voice you have,""The better to greet you with," said the wolf."Goodness, what big eyes you have.", said the little girl."The better to see you with.", said the wolf. "And what big hands you have!" exclaimed Little Red Riding Hood, stepping over to the bed. "The better to hug you with," said the wolf. "What a big mouth you have," the little girl murmured in a weak voice. "The better to eat you with!" growled the wolf, and jumping out of bed, he swallowed her up too. Then, with a fat full tummy, he fell fast asleep. A lumberjack, however, comes to the rescue and with his axe cuts open the wolf, who had fallen asleep. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They fill the wolf's body with heavy stones. The wolf awakens and tries to flee, but the stones cause him to collapse and die. (Sanitized versions of the story have the grandmother shut in the closet instead of eaten, and some have Little Red Riding Hood saved by the lumberjack as the wolf advances on her, rather than after she is eaten.)[citation needed] The tale makes the clearest contrast between the safe world of the village and the dangers of the forest, conventional antitheses that are essentially medieval, though no written versions are as old as that. Madame Alexander is a brand of American collectible dolls introduced in 1923.[1] Madame Alexander is also the business name of Beatrice Alexander, who was born Bertha Alexander, later changed her name to Beatrice, married Philip Behrman and then started her doll business. She was an American entrepreneur who created the first "collectible" dolls based on a licensed character – Scarlett O'Hara from the book and movie Gone with the Wind.[2] She was also one of the early creators of mass-produced dolls in honor of living people, with dolls of the famous Dionne quintuplets in 1936 and a set of 36 Queen Elizabeth II dolls to commemorate the 1953 coronation celebrations in Britain. In 2002 two Judy Garland portrait dolls were introduced. Other popular dolls have been 'Pussycat' a large baby doll dressed in fine coat and dress and a Mary, Queen of Scots Portrait Doll as well as Heidi, the characters from Little Women, and a series international dolls in native costumes. She has created many topical doll series. "The First Ladies of the United States" depicting each in her inaugural gown as well as "The Opera Series", "Fairy Tale Series" and many more. Her 8" Wendy doll, introduced in 1953 which is still being made today, is considered collectible. A December 2005 article in Forbes magazine analyzed the most popular American toys by decade, with help from the Toy Industry Association. The Madame Alexander collectible dolls led the list for the 1920–1929 decade, beating out even the yo-yo. Alexandra Fairchild Ford is a line of 16" collectible fashion doll for adult collectors.[3] As of 2009, Madame Alexander began creating dolls for Dollie & Me, which specializes in matching clothing for girls and dolls. The Madame Alexander Doll Club is separate from The Alexander Doll Company, but the company supports club efforts by creating new limited edition dolls for club events. The club holds events and conventions all over the US. The club also publishes a quarterly magazine for members called The Review.