The Four Items

The Four Items are the things that the Witch needs the Baker and the Baker's Wife to get so they can have a child. They are the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold.

The Cow as White as Milk
This item refers to Jack's cow, Milky White.

The Baker and the Baker's Wife encounter Jack on his way to sell the cow at market when they buy the cow off of him. The Baker's Wife loses the cow in a confrontation with Cinderella but is found later. When the Baker and his wife are arguing, the cow falls over, dead, so the Baker has to get a new cow. It appears he does, but it was actually covered in flour. The Witch reveals she can bring the dead cow back to life, and she subsequently does. They then have to feed the other objects to the cow, and the cow produces milk, which the Witch drinks in order to restore her former health, age, and beauty.

The Cape as Red as Blood
This item refers to Little Red's hood.

The Baker encounters Little Red standing in a flower bed. He tries to steal the cape and succeeds, but gives it back when she starts screaming loudly. Little Red goes to visit her Granny after this, but ends up getting eaten by the Wolf. The Baker rescues Little Red and her grandmother from the belly of the Wolf soon after. Little Red, grateful for him doing this, ends up giving him the cape. She eventually gets a new cape made from the skins of the wolf. Her original cape was fed to Milky White.

The Hair as Yellow as Corn
This item was presumed to refer to Rapunzel's hair.

After overhearing Rapunzel's Prince describe Rapunzel's hair as "yellow as corn", the Baker's Wife runs to find the tower Rapunzel is stuck in. She eventually finds it, and with the help of a hook on the side of the tower, if able to tear off a piece of Rapunzel's hair. It is later revealed, however, that the Witch touched the hair and it is rendered useless in the potion. Jack suggests the silky hair of the ear of corn they were using to compare the colors. This ended up working for the potion, and was fed to the cow.

The Slipper as Pure as Gold
This item refers to Cinderella's gold slipper.

The Baker's Wife first lays her eyes on the slipper when she meets Cinderella after the King's Festival. She attempts to steal the slipper, but fails, and loses Milky White in the process. At the second night of the Festival, she once again attempts to steal the slippers, and fails again. It is on the third night that the Baker's Wife is able to convince Cinderella to give her one of her slippers (the other in the possession of Cinderella's Prince) in exchange for her own shoes. The slipper was fed to the cow.