Who Are The Main Characters In Goldilocks And The Three Dinosaurs?

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs' is this hilarious twist on the classic fairy tale, and the characters are just as quirky as you'd expect from Mo Willems' imagination. The main players are Goldilocks, of course, but instead of three bears, we get three dinosaurs—Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur, and some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. The whole setup feels like a cheeky parody, with the dinosaurs pretending to be innocent while low-key setting up a trap for Goldilocks. It’s got that classic Willems humor where you can’t tell if the dinosaurs are just bad at hiding their scheme or if they’re leaning into the absurdity on purpose.

Goldilocks herself is the same curious, slightly oblivious girl from the original story, but here, she’s wandering into a dinosaur house instead of a bear cottage. The way she interacts with the giant chairs, beds, and bowls of pudding (no porridge here!) is pure comedy. And then there’s the narrator, who’s basically a character in itself—constantly breaking the fourth wall and dropping sarcastic comments about the dinosaurs’ 'totally not suspicious' behavior. It’s one of those books where the characters feel larger than life, both literally (dinosaurs!) and figuratively, thanks to Willems’ signature style of blending wit with heart.

What I love about this version is how it turns the original story’s simplicity into something wildly inventive. The dinosaurs aren’t just substitutes for bears; they’re full-on schemers with a vibe that’s equal parts goofy and sinister. And Goldilocks? She’s the perfect straight man to their antics, stumbling into chaos with zero awareness. It’s a reminder that even the most familiar stories can feel fresh when you throw in some prehistoric predators and a narrator who’s clearly having too much fun.