A Korean Folktale of Tokkaebi, Gold, and a Magic Club
Also known as The Goblins and the Hazelnut: Dokkaebi Bangmangi.
Original Korean title: 도깨비 방망이 · Ages 4-8 · about
3 minutes to read aloud
Choose this one for a child who likes joining in. Count the hazelnuts for the family, shout the magic words with the tokkaebi, then make one loud CRACK. A generous boy and a greedy neighbour try the same trick, with very different results.
Long ago, a kind boy lived by a mountain with his father, mother, and little sister. They had very little, but they shared everything.
Up on the mountain, the boy found hazelnuts. He counted, "One for Father, one for Mother, one for Little Sister… and one for me."
But the sun slid down, and the path grew dark. The boy found an old, empty house and climbed onto a big wooden beam under the roof.
At midnight — THUMP, THUMP! In burst five tokkaebi, Korea's wild, wonderful goblins. They carried big, bumpy wooden clubs.
They banged their clubs on the floor. "Gold, come out — ttuk-ttak!" Out tumbled gold! "Silver, come out — ttuk-ttak!" Out rolled silver!
"Rice cakes and meat, come out — ttuk-ttak!" The tokkaebi ate and danced. Up on the beam, the boy's tummy rumbled.
He saved the nuts for his family. "Just the one for me," he whispered, and he bit down hard. CRACK!
"The beam is breaking! The house is falling down!" yelled the tokkaebi. They ran so fast, they left a club behind.
The tokkaebi never came back, so the boy took the club home. "Rice, come out — ttuk-ttak!" Out poured more rice than his family could eat.
The boy shared the rice with every hungry family. But the rich, greedy man next door heard all about it. "I want a magic club too!"
The greedy man grabbed hazelnuts. "One for me, one for me, and ALL the rest for ME!" That night, he climbed onto the same beam.
When the tokkaebi began their feast, the greedy man bit down on a hazelnut as hard as he could. CRACK! But this time, nobody ran.
"That crack again? It was a trick! You came for our club!" So the tokkaebi made him dance, ttuk-ttak, all night long.
At sunrise, the greedy man wobbled home with an empty sack and tired feet. The kind boy held out a bowl of rice. "And one for you, too."
Read it as a picture book
Up on the mountain, a kind boy finds four hazelnuts — one for Father, one for Mother, one for Little Sister, and one for himself. But that night, in an old empty house, five tokkaebi burst in. These wild, wonderful Korean goblins bang their magic clubs on the floor: "Gold, come out — ttuk-ttak!" Then one loud CRACK of a hazelnut sends them running... and leaves a magic club behind. Now the greedy man next door wants one too! A warm, funny retelling of a beloved Korean folktale about thinking of others first — perfect for reading aloud, again and again.
24 pages, full colour, ages 4-8. Also on the book page.
About This Story
The Goblins and the Hazelnut retells a Korean folktale called Dokkaebi Bangmangi, "the goblin's magic club."
Tokkaebi (also spelled dokkaebi) are Korea's goblins. They are not devils but wild, noisy tricksters who can bring good luck or trouble. In old stories they love wrestling, dancing, and buckwheat jelly, and people said tokkaebi-fire, little blue lights, drifted over dark fields at night.
A tokkaebi's bangmangi, or magic club, knocks out whatever its holder wishes for. Ttuk-ttak is the sound of the knock, and Koreans still say it for anything done quickly and easily.
Wild hazelnuts ripen on Korean hillsides in late summer and early autumn. On Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year, many families still crack hard nuts with their teeth, wishing for strong teeth and a healthy year.
In older tellings the greedy man gets a good thumping. In ours, the tokkaebi make him dance instead.
Korean Words in This Story
Tokkaebi — Korea's wild, playful goblins (also spelled dokkaebi). They love tricks, dancing, and buckwheat jelly.
Bangmangi — a tokkaebi's magic club. Knock it and say what you wish for!
Ttuk-ttak — the sound of a quick knock. Koreans say it for anything done in a snap.
Gaeam — a wild Korean hazelnut, small, round, and brown.
Jige — a wooden A-frame carrier, worn on the back for firewood.
Daeboreum — the first full moon of the lunar year, when families crack nuts with their teeth for strong teeth and a healthy year.
Say them out loud together!
Say them out loud together.
What it is about
Sharing, greed, and thinking of others first.
Questions worth asking
The boy saves hazelnuts for his family before eating his own. Who would you save one for?
The neighbour copies the boy but gets no magic club. What was different about his plan?
