A Morsel on Mother Goose

Among other things, September 29 is Goose Day, chiefly because it is also Michaelmas and goose is traditionally eaten on that day in some countries. Compared with ducks, for example, there are not a lot of prominent anthropomorphic geese characters in pop culture for whatever reason. But we did think of one major and obvious goose to pay tribute to today.

When I was a kid, there was a canard (French speakers will get the pun) that there was an actual lady named Mother Goose who lived in Boston, whose tales and jingles were gathered by a relative who was an editor or publisher or something, but it turns out that that was just a, well, a fairy tale, cleverly concocted by the publisher. At this writing the earliest known reference is Charles Perrault’s 1697 Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités or Contes de ma mère l’Oye (“mère l’Oye” translating to “Mother Goose”). The first English translation was in 1729. But one can extend the origin of the name back further, I feel, if we consider that traditionally geese have been associated with foolishness. “You goose!” has been used as an epithet probably since Medieval times; and “Silly Goose” has been recorded as early as the 1570s. As a choice for a character name in this instance, it’s probably intended to evoke the diverting and light nature of the tales.

In the English speaking world, we associated the name Mother Goose especially with collections of nursey rhymes and this dates back at least to 1780, possibly a couple of decades earlier. As I intended to indicate in this post, I value nursery rhymes and the spirit that informs them perhaps above all things. They are the stuff of life: bewildering, uncanny, affectionate, loving, hilarious, and cruel, often at the same time. Illustrations of Mother Goose tend to embody the spirit of the tales — usually she’s depicted as grandmotherly as opposed to motherly, with spectacles, a shawl, a bonnet or conical hat. She seems witch-like, but somehow a good witch, wise, good-humored and kindly. Often she is depicted riding a flying goose, frequently near an image of the moon and stars, indicating bedtime, the time for tales, lullabies, and rhymes.

In 1897, prior to his Oz books, L. Frank Baum published Mother Goose in Prose, which converted 22 nursery rhymes into story form. With illustrations by Maxfield Parrish, it was Baum’s first literary success, making his similarly innovative The Wizard of Oz possible.

In 1806 the clown Joseph Grimaldi appeared in the English pantoHarlequin and Mother Goose, or The Golden Egg, which included one of the earliest theatrical impersonations of the character. Dan Leno portrayed Mother Goose in panto starting around 1902.

In 1903 Klaw and Erlanger produced a Broadway extravaganza entitled Mother Goose, starring Joseph Cawthorn in drag as the character, with a cast that also included Pat Rooney, Leila McIntyre, and the team of Matthews and Bulger. Surprisingly, the many stage productions of Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toylandappear not to have Mother Goose as a character, although she is played by a surprisingly young Virginia Karns in Hal Roach’s 1934 film version. It’s Mary McCarty in Walt Disney’s 1961 remake. There are more animated takes on Mother Goose than you can shake a stick at, but that’s a rabbit hole I’m not prepared to dive into today!

San Diego has put on an annual Mother Goose Parade, usually just prior to Thanksgiving, since 1947. There’s also been a Mother Goose float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade since 1958.