Kolobok

Kolobok (Russian: Колобо́к) is the main character of an East Slavic fairy-tale with the same name, represented as a small yellow spherical bread-like being. The story is often called "Little Round Bun" and sometimes "The Runaway Bun." In other Slavic regions, it is often adapted to local variation of a kolobok. For example, in Bulgaria it is known as "The Wheat Pita" (Bulgarian: Житената питка, romanized: Zhitenata pitka 'wheat pita'), wheat pita being a traditional Bulgarian dish. The fairy tale occurs widely in Slavic regions in a number of other variations. Bulgarian author Angel Karalyichev adapted the story in his fairytales book for children in 1948. In his home town of Strazhitsa, there is annual festival of wheat pita bread dedicated to the character from the tale. A similar fairy tale – with a pancake rolling off – has also been recorded in German and Nordic regions. The plot is similar to that of "The Gingerbread Man" tale in English tradition. The Aarne-Thompson index classifies such stories in a common type: 2025.