"the gingerbread man" (sometimes, "the gingerbread boy") is an american fairy tale. it is a variant of the european runaway pancake story. the american version first appeared in the may 1875 issue of" st. nicholas magazine". the story tells of a gingerbread man who runs away from the old woman who baked him. he is chased by several people and animals. a crafty fox finally eats him. the tale is known for the title character's chant: "run, run, run as fast as you can! / you can't catch me, i'm the gingerbread man!" gingerbread men were popular characters in children's stories of the late 19th century. the most notable gingerbread character was l. frank baum's john dough. the gingerbread man is also in the commonly known movie "shrek".