The Gingerbread Man is the titular character of the 1875 St. Nicholas fairy-tale. Literally a baked gingerbread treat, it inexplicably comes to life and runs away from the woman who baked it. The Gingerbread Man is chased by several people in the story and he taunts them as they fail to keep up with him. He makes it to the river but cannot cross on his own, asking help from a passing fox. The fox carries the Gingerbread Man across the river only to eat him afterwards.
The story of The Gingerbread Man has been re-imagined in a variety of ways since the original tale was written and the character (or more often, his catchphrase) has been used in multiple parodies.