Passage II

The Invention of Pippi Longstocking

Pippi Longstocking has fiery red hair, that sticks out from her head in two tight, braids. She wears mismatched stockings, one black and one brown; and shoes that are twice as long as her feet. She shuns healthful meals in favor of cake and candy. She prefers blunt honesty to superficial politeness. In sum, she is one of the most outrageous yet beloved characters in children’s literature. Throughout history, writers of children’s literature have created many memorable characters. (19) Her unconventional appearance and personality have fascinated generations of young readers. When Pippi Longstocking was published in Sweden in 1945, the book rattled some traditional-bound adults, but children all over the world fell in love with Pippi.

The book’s author, Astrid Lindgren, began publishing in the 1940s and, due to that fact, became one of the world’s most widely translated authors. Although she wrote more than seventy books of varying lengths during her lifetime. She is best remembered for that charming and unpredictable character with the red hair.Where did the idea for Pippi originate? Lindgren credited her daughter, Karin, as the inventor of Pippi. When Karin was seven and sick in bed with pneumonia, she begged her mother to tell her a story. Lindgren asked Karin what story she wanted to hear, so that Karin—inventing the name on the spot—asked her mother to tell about Pippi Longstocking. Lindgren spun a story about an extraordinary little girl. Pippi was an orphan; she had a horse named Lilia Grubben (Little Friend) and a monkey, Mr. Nilsson, for companionship. A trunk full of gold pieces provided her with spending money.[1] During Karin's recovery, Lindgren continued weaving tales about Pippi. [2] She had adventures with her animals. [3] She befriended her better-behaved next-door neighbors, Tommy and Annika. [4] While she attended a birthday party and rudely ate the whole cake. [5] Eventually the bedtime story for an ailing child evolved into a book, and Pippi—in all her exuberance—was unleashed on the world. (30)