Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle facts for kids
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a popular series of children's books written by Betty MacDonald. It's also the name of the main character in these fun stories! Later, the books were turned into a TV show by actress Shelley Duvall.
The first book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, came out in 1947. Betty MacDonald wrote three more books in the series: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm, and Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Years later, in 2007, her daughter Anne MacDonald Canham finished another book called Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, using her mother's notes.
The series has even continued with new books featuring Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's great-niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle. These new adventures started in 2016 with Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure.
Meet Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!
The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books are about a special lady who lives in a unique upside-down house. Her neighborhood is full of children who have all sorts of bad habits!
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a secret weapon: a big chest filled with magical cures. These were left to her by her late husband, Mr. Piggle-Wiggle, who used to be a pirate! In the first two books, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle helps parents by giving them these amazing cures for their children's bad habits.
The cures can be simple or super magical. For example, the "Won't-Pick-Up-Toys Cure" involves letting a boy leave his toys everywhere until his room is so messy he can't move! A more magical one is the "Interrupting Cure," where a special powder makes a child temporarily unable to speak if they try to interrupt someone.
In the third book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle moves to a farm. There, with the help of many animals, she continues to help children. On the farm, she doesn't use magic as much; the farm itself helps the kids learn better habits. But in the fourth book, Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, she's back in her old neighborhood and using her magical cures again!
Betty MacDonald created these stories from bedtime tales she told her own daughters, nephews, and nieces. Some of the children in the books even have the same names as her family members! This might explain why Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle sometimes seems like a good witch and other times just a very wise person who understands kids really well.
The final book, Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, was published many years after the first one. It includes one story written by Betty MacDonald and other stories based on her notes, completed by her daughter, Anne MacDonald Canham.
Different artists have illustrated the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books over the years. Richard Bennett illustrated the first edition. Later editions were illustrated by Hilary Knight and Maurice Sendak. Alexandra Boiger illustrated Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
In 2016, a new series began with Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure. It was written by Ann M. Martin (who wrote The Baby-Sitters Club) and Annie Parnell (Betty MacDonald's great-granddaughter). In these new stories, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle goes searching for her missing husband, leaving her great-niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle, in charge of the upside-down house. Missy then helps kids with her own special magic and cures. These new books are set in modern times, but the problems and cures are still similar to the original stories. Two more books in this series are Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won't-Walk-the-Dog Cure (2017) and Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Sticky-Fingers Cure (2018).
The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Series: Cures for Bad Habits
Here's a look at some of the interesting cures Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Missy Piggle-Wiggle use in their books:
| Chapter Title | Main Character(s) | Problem/Misbehavior | Cure Employed | Other Children Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle | ||||
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Herself | Mary Lou Robertson, Kitty Wheeling | Hates washing dishes (Mary Lou), hates making beds (Kitty) | Makes both tasks a fun game and a race | Bobby Wheeling, Dicky Williams, Max |
| The Won't-Pick-Up-Toys Cure | Hubert Prentiss | Won't pick up his toys | Left alone with his toys until he is unable to leave his room when Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle leads a parade past his house | Charlie, Billy Peters, Tommy Peters, Ermintrude Bags, Gregory Moohead, Susan Grapple |
| The Answer-Backer Cure | Molly O'Toole (mostly called Mary in this book, renamed Molly subsequently) | Impudence | Penelope the parrot is equally rude, giving her a taste of her own medicine | Calliope Ragbag, Chuckie Keystop, Garry Garrison |
| The Selfishness Cure | Dick Thompson | Refuses to share anything | A "selfishness kit" labels everything as Dick's property, causing him embarrassment when other children ridicule him | Bobby Slater, Kenny Hatch |
| The Radish Cure | Patsy Waters | Won't take baths | Left unbathed so she is caked with dirt, then radishes are planted on her | Prunella Brown, Paraphernalia Grotto, Cormorant Broomrack |
| The Never-Want-To-Go-To-Bedders Cure | Bobby Gray, Larry Gray, Susan Gray | Doesn't want to go to bed | Allowed to stay up late until they are so tired they can't function during the day, missing activities such as birthday parties | Catherine Grassfeather, Wilfred Grassfeather, Worthington Gardenfield, Guinevere Gardenfield |
| The Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Taker Cure | Allen | Slow eater | Served meals on progressively smaller dishes until he lacks energy to function | Wetherill Crankminor, Pergola Wingsproggle |
| The Fighter-Quarrelers Cure | Anne Russell, Joan Russell | Bickering | Parents mimic the fighting of the children, demonstrating how unpleasant it is to those around them | Jasper Quitrick, Myrtle Quitrick |
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic | ||||
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic | -- | -- | -- | Marilyn Matson, Johnny Wilfred, Julie Ward, Johnny Green |
| The Thought-You-Saiders Cure | Darsie Burbank, Alison Burbank, Bard Burbank | Deliberately misinterpreting others as a joke | Small powder makes hearing super-sensitive when sprinkled in the ear (example; makes turning on a light switch sound like a gunshot or a water faucet like Niagara Falls) | Terry Teagle, Theresa Teagle |
| The Tattletale Cure | Wendy Hamilton, Timmy Hamilton | Tattling | Pills convert tattletales into puffs of smoke with tails | Marty Phillips |
| The Bad-Table-Manners Cure | Christopher Brown | Bad table manners | Lester the pig demonstrates beautiful table manners | Percy Penzil, Pamela Penzil, Potter Penzil |
| The Interrupters | Benji Franklin, Sally Franklin, Stevie Franklin | Interrupting | Interrupter Powder takes away the voice of someone who interrupts | -- |
| The Heedless Breaker | Sharon Rogers | Carelessness and clumsiness | Powder slows down bodily movement | -- |
| The Never-Want-To-Go-To-Schooler | Jody Jones | Truancy | Ignorance Tonic induces stupidity, causing him to desire knowledge | Jan Jones, Julie Jones, Linda Jones, Armand Armadillo |
| The Waddle-I-Doers | Lee Wharton, Mimi Wharton | Boredom | A treasure hunt | --; this story includes most of the children from the first two books |
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm | ||||
| The Not Truthful Cure | Fetlock Harroway | lying | Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's animals ensure that there is no need to lie in order to impress | Wembley Rustad, Winifred Feathering, Williver Mallett |
| The Pet Forgetter Cure | Rebecca Rolfe | Forgets to take care of pets | Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle "forgets" to feed her and locks her out of the farmhouse, so she knows how it feels | Cedric Bent-Smith, Eunice Hendricks |
| The Destructiveness Cure | Jeffie Phillips | Takes things apart and can't reassemble them | Everything he takes apart brings him more work, prompting him to learn how to fix things | Billy Robinson, Donnie Harpoon, Wickie Rockstall, Electra Rockstall |
| The Fraidy-Cat Cure | Phoebe Jackstraw | Irrational fear | An emergency helps her overcome her fear and find inner strength | Jeremy Jackstraw, Chuckie Jackstraw, Georgie Jackstraw, Imogene Haversack, Shirley Melancholy, Kathy Melancholy |
| The Can't Find It Cure | Morton Heatherwick | Easily distracted | Shamed into focusing when his help is needed | Enterprise Beecham |
| Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle | ||||
| The Show-Off Cure | Phillip Carmody | Showing off | Show-off Powder makes him invisible when showing off | Connie Carmody, Bobby Westover, Billy Markle |
| The Crybaby Cure | Melody Foxglove | Excessive crying | Crybaby Tonic makes her unable to stop her tears when crying | Cornell Foxglove, Harvard Foxglove, Emmy Foxglove, Trent Popsickle, Tansy Popsickle, Betsy Wilt |
| The Bully | Nicholas Semicolon | Cruelty to younger children and animals | Leadership Pills bring out leadership qualities (Bullybaths, which weaken the bather so they can be pushed around, are rejected in favor of the pills) | Roscoe Eager, Billy MacIntosh, Sylvia Crouch, Jimmy Gopher, Priscilla Wick, the Adams twins |
| The Whisperer | Evelyn Rover, Mary Crackle, Cornelia Whitehouse | Gossipy whispering | Whisper Stick, a stick of magical candy, takes away the voice | Karen Elroyd, Bobby Crackle, Billy Crackle, Corinthian Bop |
| The Slowpoke | Harbin Quadrangle | Daydreaming | Special spray makes him extremely alert and focused | Sylvia Quadrangle, Janey Quadrangle, Annabell, Mona, Kathy, Georgie Wilcox |
| Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle | ||||
| The Just-One-More-TV-Show Cure | Kitten Hanover, Sean Hanover | Television addiction | Aversion technique; forcing them to watch until they resist it | Robin Waxbean, Lark Waxbean, Honor Hatchet, Honesty Hatchet, Henry Fence, Billy Ragweed |
| The Won't-Brush-Teeth Cure | Betsy Applebee | Brushing her teeth is unimportant | Wag the dog demonstrates proper tooth brushing | Ellen, Rose Thorngate, Jasmine Thorngate, Jervil Thorngate Jr. |
| The Insult Cure | Blake Branson | Cruelty to others | Insults written on paper glow blindingly in the dark of his bedroom | Percival Goodwin, Prissy Goodwin, Candace Goodwin |
| The Picky-Eater Cure | Will Pemberton | Picky eating | Crystals transform any food into white noodles; the effect being that he will want to try other things | Ariel Wingstaff, Finch Wingstaff |
| The Afraid-to-Try Cure | Jonathan Campbell | Overly cautious | Rescuing Lightfoot the cat from a tree helps him overcome his timidity | George O'Connor, Timmy O'Connor, Ricky Timbers, Woody Timbers |
| The Messy Stuff-and-Cram Cure | Katy McCloud | Messiness | Invisible paint around her room prevents her from moving until every area is neat | Prunella Peasley, Quinton Peasley |
| The Never-Finish Cure | Janie Beaumont | Inability to complete one task before moving on to another | Powder makes her unable to move to another task until she finishes the current one | Christie Anne McClanahan, Carrie Philpot, Larry Philpot |
| Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Birthday Party | -- | -- | -- | Matt McGregor, Kevin McGregor; this story also includes children from all five books |
| Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure | ||||
| Missy Piggle-Wiggle | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Juniper Street | -- | -- | -- | Melody Flowers, Tulip Goodenough |
| The Freeforalls | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| The I-Never-Said-That Cure | Georgie Pepperpot | I-Never-Said-itis (lying about past promises) | Given a magic cookie to eat that forces him to keep his promises | Beaufort Crumpet, Veronica Cupcake |
| The Greediness Cure | Petulance Freeforall | Greedy and grabby, wanting everything that others have | Magic cookie causes what she covets to shrink to a small speck | Peony LaCarte, Della LaCarte |
| The Tardiness Cure | Heavenly Earwig | Daydreams and distraction result in constant tardiness | Magic wristwatch causes loud alarm only she can hear when running late; also hears the sounds of other alarms all around her | Cramden Earwig |
| The Know-It-All Cure | Honoriah Freeforall | Thinks she knows better than everyone how to do things | Magic vapor forces her to give clear and direct lessons whenever anyone asks her what they're doing wrong | Humphrey Baton |
| The I-Spy Cure | Rusty Goodenough | Constantly peeps and spies on everyone and everything that he can | Magic licorice drops cause anyone he tries to spy upon to be rendered invisible to him | -- |
| The Gum-Smacking Cure | Linden Pettigrew | Constantly smacks and chews gum, making his speech incomprehensible | Given a magic gum ball that constantly changes flavor, but flavors become increasingly nasty | -- |
| The Whatever Cure | Frankfort Freeforall | Hurts and annoys other children; has no empathy and regularly responds to others with "whatever" | Two-step cure; Bubble of Apology traps him in a bubble whenever he won't properly apologize to someone for a wrong and How-Are-You-Doing? pill causes him to ask everyone how they're doing, then truly listen to the answer | -- |
| The Just-One-More-Minute Cure | Samantha Tickle | Will not do things when asked; constantly asks for "just one more minute" | Parents instructed to be firm in giving Samantha a time and telling her there will only be one warning, then let whatever happens happen. Missy Piggle-Wiggle also sends over her talking parrot, Penelope, to babysit. | -- |
| The Freeforalls Again | Mrs. and Mr. Hudson Freeforall | The Freeforall parents are constantly at work, even keeping their cell phones on during mealtimes | The Freeforall children turn Missy's house into a haunted mansion and invite their parents | -- |
| Missy Alone | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won't-Walk-the-Dog Cure | ||||
| The Upside-Down House | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| The Storm | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| The Smarty-Pants Cure | Einstein Treadupon | A smarty-pants who is a genius but always interrupts others, is often rude, and gives long speeches people don't want to hear | Magic blue mist causes Einstein to spout nonsense whenever he tries to talk like a know-it-all, but permits him to speak when talking normally or politely | Fedora Fig, Emmy Fig, Tallulah Treadupon, Marvel Jr Treadupon |
| The Art of Magic | Melody Flowers | Sad about having to move from her former town of Utopia, believes she has no friends in Little Spring Valley and wishes she could be magic like Missy Piggle-Wiggle to solve her problems | Knowing that not all problems can be cured with magic, Missy Piggle-Wiggle agrees to think on the matter | -- |
| The Won't-Walk-the-Dog Cure | Egmont Dolittle | Continuously forgets to walk, pick up or otherwise care for his pet dog, Sunny | Magic dog biscuit causes the dog to change into a talking dog who is tasked with caring for Egmont, but instead shirking the responsibility, such as watching Dog Whisperer instead of doing his laundry | Caramel Dolittle |
| The Whiny-Whiners Cure | Austin Forthright, Houston Forthright | Whines about anything and everything, from seeds in jam to being bored | Magic drops make it so that nobody but them can hear themselves whenever they whine, and they can only be heard when they speak normally or politely | -- |
| The Woe-Is-Me Cure | Wareford "Wary" Montpelier | After a string of bad luck, is afraid to so much as even step outside, let alone go on an upcoming vacation | Is sent to stay in Missy's guest-room, which has been turned into a softly padded room and served only soft food | Charlemagne Montpelier |
| Girls' Day | Melody Flowers | Melody's friends are tired of hearing about how great things were in her former home of Utopia and want her to see she has friends in Little Spring Valley | The group hosts a Girls' Day at Missy Piggle-Wiggle's upside-down house, with Melody as the guest of honor | -- |
| The Silver Key | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Sticky-Fingers Cure | ||||
| The Winter Effluvia | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| The Right-Side-Up House | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| The Sticky-Fingers Cure | Louie Grubbermitts | Sticky-fingers - takes other people's stuff without asking | Cinnamon powder sprinkled on breakfast cereal causes anything Louie steals to literally "stick" to him, and the items will not come off until he visits their owners and gives a genuine apology | Rachel Grubbermitts, Elena Grubbermitts, Edwina Nevermore, Zephyr Mason, Stephanie, Ashleigh Dalmatian, Sampson "Sammy" Checkers |
| The Pants-on-Fire Cure | Almandine Clavicle | Keeps making up stories and tall-tales about achievements and adventures | Peppermint air freshener hung in the Clavicle home causes Almandine's parents to start making up tall tales about themselves, comparing themselves to their new neighbors, as their own unfair comparisons of their daughter to the neighbors' child had prompted her to start making up the tall tales | Putney Cadwallader, Joseph Cadwallader, Benny Cadwallader |
| The Who's-the-Boss Cure | Veronica Cupcake | Spoiled - is given what she wants and throws a massive tantrum if she doesn't, well past the age when a kid would no longer be expected to have tantrums | Given a chocolate at every meal, which causes Veronica to become dressed up in a baby outfit anytime she tries to throw a tantrum and do nothing but make crying sounds, until finally she decides on her own to have grown-up conversations instead of throwing tantrums | Isobel Cupcake |
| The Chatterbox Cure | Gabriel "Gabby" Motormouth | Chatters constantly whenever he has the chance, never allowing anyone else to get a word in edgewise | A magic peppermint causes everyone in his presence to chatter loudly and incessantly until he realizes the value of a proper conversation | Sven Motormouth |
| The Nitpicker Cure | Tulip Goodenough | Constantly nitpicks and criticizes | A series of magic tablets provide a cure in three stages - in the first stage when Tulip nitpicks something, the issue she pointed out goes away, in the second stage she can make changes to people as well, but in the third stage, she gets a taste of her own medicine when things change after people nitpick her | |
| The I-Forgot Cure | Roseate "Rosie" Spoonbill | Is extremely forgetful, at one point going missing for two hours because she forgot to go to soccer practice and causing a panic | A peppermint candy causes those around Rosie to forget things instead, forcing her to take charge until she realizes the importance of remembering things | Montrose Sponbill, Poppy Fretwell |
| Melody Saves the Day | Missy Piggle-Wiggle catches the winter effluvia | Melody Flowers overcomes her fears to take temporary possession of the magic cat, which cures Missy of the flu | ||
| Lester and Dr. Goo | ||||
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle on TV and Stage
The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories have also been adapted into other forms of media:
- There is a musical play called The Magic Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.
- In the 1990s, a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle TV series was created by Shelley Duvall. It starred Jean Stapleton as Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.
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