Photo: Jeffrey Hamilton, Getty Images.
Gingerbread is perhaps the only cookie that comes with an action-packed (and ultimately tragic) backstory. The short version: an old woman made a gingerbread cookie in the shape of a man. When she opened the oven to check on him, he came alive and escaped. He ran and ran and ran, outpacing ravenous people and animals alike, bragging all along the way about what a sly guy he was. Then he arrived at a river. Knowing he could not cross on his own, he accepted a ride on the tail of a fox. Spoiler alert: things do not end well for the gingerbread man. (Guess he wasn’t such a smart cookie after all.)
Gingerbread men are revived in kitchens around the world every holiday season. The spicy, chewy cookies provide the perfect canvas for creativity. We collected over 40 naughty and nice variations on gingerbread men, inspired by the likes of The Walking Dead, martial arts, and BDSM (among many other themes), made by bakers of every experience level.
What would the gingerbread man say now if he could see his legacy? Likely “Bite me.”
The Best Gingerbread Men on the Internet
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The Walking Dead Gingerbread
Photo: @kelseyyerex on Instagram.
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Bloody Gingerbread Men
Photo: @rednutwonder on Instagram.
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Zombie Gingerbread Men
Photo: @alwaysalternative on Instagram.
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Voodoo Gingerbread Men
Photo: fredandfriends.com.
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Black Tie Gingerbread Men
Photo: @bakedideas on Instagram.
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Stressed Out Gingerbread Men
Photo: The Decorated Cookie for Tablespoon.
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Mustachioed Gingerbread Men
Photo: @geographer_deli on Instagram.
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Ninjabread Men
Photo: @kazisophia on Instagram.
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Yoga Gingerbread Men
Photo: Baked Ideas.
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Kama Sutra Gingerbread
Photo: Pinterest.
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Gingerbread Stripper
Photo: @ambertiffany_zg on Instagram.
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Chippendales Gingerbread Men
Photo: @kecia_lauren on Instagram.
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BDSM Gingerbread Men
Photo: ashtonicuscruxzonicus on Imgur.
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Anatomically Correct Gingerbread Couple
Photo: @lily_makes_art on Instagram.
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Well-Endowed Gingerbread Man
Photo: @christopherwalkerdc on Instagram.
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Topless Gingerbread Woman
Photo: Pinterest.
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ABC (Already Been Chewed) Cookies
Photo: fredandfriends.com.
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Decapitated Gingerbread Couple
Photo: @sarahmurphy92 on Instagram.
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Gingerbread Bride and Groom
Photo: @withlovebweddings on Instagram.
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Third Wheel Gingerbread People
Photo: @karagheleni on Instagram.
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Neon Scarf Gingerbread Men
Photo: @thejfamilyjj88 on Instagram.
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Bonfire Gingerbread Men
Photo: @hadfieldgemma on Instagram.
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Shaded Gingerbread Men
Photo: @little_miss_butter on Instagram.
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Googly-Eyed Gingerbread Men
Photo: @manhattansmaster on Instagram.
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Day of the Dead Gingerbread
Photo: @huyener on Instagram.
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Gingerbread Vampire and Cat
Photo: @maggieandmollyssweetlife on Instagram.
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Gingerdead Men
Photo: @confectiouscakestudio on Instagram.
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Bucket of Gingerbread Bodies
Photo: @fleebee101 on Instagram.
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Gingerdead Animals
Photo: @chardonnayandkettlecorn on Instagram.
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Big-Hearted Gingerbread Men
Photo: @carla.dee on Instagram.
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Human Likeness Gingerbread People
Photo: @clausashley on Instagram.
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Gingerbread Gathering
Photo: @anna_war on Instagram.
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Guess-the-Pop-Culture-Reference Gingerbread People
Photo: @jeanloves2sing on Instagram.
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Wide-Eyed Gingerbread Men
Photo: @geographer_deli on Instagram.
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Happy Gingerbread Couple
Photo: @mrluhroy on Instagram.
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Californian Gingerbread Couple
Photo: @fckyea on Instagram.
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Smiling Bright Gingerbread Couple
Photo: @chaddrusso on Instagram.
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Bathing Suit Gingerbread People
Photo: @princess_josiea on Instagram.
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Church-Going Gingerbread People
Photo: @nahomi1992 on Instagram.
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Bespectacled Gingerbread Man
Photo: @robynbells on Instagram.
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Krampus Gingerbread Man
Photo: @cautionspoilers on Instagram.
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Wintry Gingerbread Men
Photo: @megwone on Instagram.
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Marzipan Gingerbread Men (with Waffles)
Photo: @amcooking on Instagram.
