<Tr> <Th> Media type </Th> <Td> Print </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Publication date </Th> <Td> 1837 </Td> </Tr> <P> "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th - century fairy tale of which three versions exist . The original version of the tale tells of a badly - behaved 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 sleeps in one of their beds . When the bears return and discover her, she wakes up, jumps out of the window, and is never seen again . The second version replaced the old woman with a little girl named Goldilocks, and the third and by far most well - known version replaced the original bear trio with Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear . </P> <P> What was originally a frightening oral tale became a cozy family story with only a hint of menace . The story has elicited various interpretations and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media . "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language . </P>

Goldilocks ate this dish in the house of three bears