Simple Simon is a nursery rhyme which was first published in 1794, but the character itself may date back to the late 1600s. The first two stanzas of the rhyme are the most well known, telling the tale of Simple Simon asking the Pieman at the fair for a sample of his wares.

The rhyme continues to be reprinted and referenced in the last century, with references being made in Disney animated shorts, Three Stooges shorts, the television series The Simpsons, and the feature film Die Hard.

References

• Kermit sings a new version of the song in the book-and-tape set Sing Me a Story!.

• Sesame Street featured an animated segment about Simple Simon coming across strange-looking animals. (EKA: Episode 2977)

• Muppet Babies' Classic Nursery Rhymes features the rhyme with Baby Fozzie, Baby Rowlf and Baby Piggy at the fair.

• The Muppet Babies take on the rhyme again in the Big Book of Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales.

• The The Sesame Street Treasury Volume 12 features a re-telling of the story with Grover and Cookie Monster.

• In episode 511 of The Muppet Show, Fozzie takes on the role of the pieman during Paul Simon's "Scarborough Fair" number.