Nellie Oleson facts for kids

Nellie Oleson is a well-known character from the Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She is often seen as Laura's rival. In the popular NBC TV show Little House on the Prairie, Alison Arngrim played Nellie. Her role in the TV show was much bigger than in the books. The character of Nellie Oleson was actually based on three different girls Laura Ingalls Wilder knew when she was growing up.

Who Inspired Nellie Oleson?

The character of Nellie Oleson in the Little House books was inspired by three real girls. Laura Ingalls Wilder combined their personalities and experiences to create the fictional Nellie.

Nellie Owens: The First Inspiration

Nellie Owens was born on August 2, 1869, in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Her parents, William and Margaret Owens, owned the local store, just like the Olesons in the books. Laura Ingalls described Nellie Owens as a bit spoiled.

The Owens family later moved to California and then to Oregon. Nellie Owens became a school teacher and married Henry Francis Kirry in 1893. They had three children: Zola, Lloyd, and Leslie. Nellie Owens lived a long life, passing away in 1949 at the age of 80. Laura Ingalls Wilder likely did not see Nellie Owens again after her family left Walnut Grove.

Genevieve Masters: The Rival from De Smet

Genevieve Masters was born on November 12, 1867. She was the daughter of Laura's teacher. Genevieve was known for her fancy clothes and blonde curly hair, much like the fictional Nellie. She often bragged about how much better things were in the "East."

Genevieve had a very superior attitude. She and Laura became strong rivals in school and socially. The "Nellie" character in the book Little Town on the Prairie is mostly based on Genevieve Masters. Laura Ingalls Wilder once mentioned that "Nellie Oleson" moved back East and did not live many years. This was likely a reference to Genevieve, who died at age 41 in 1909 from pneumonia.

Stella Gilbert: Almanzo's Interest

Stella Gilbert was born in May 1864. She lived near the Ingalls family in De Smet. Stella was very pretty and showed a lot of interest in Almanzo Wilder, who later married Laura. She convinced Almanzo to take her on several buggy rides. These rides are described in the book These Happy Golden Years.

Almanzo eventually noticed that Stella was afraid of horses, which he did not like. Laura also gave Almanzo an ultimatum about Stella, and the rides stopped. This was the last time a "Nellie Oleson" character appeared in the book series. Stella Gilbert lived to be 80 years old, passing away in 1944.

Nellie Oleson in Fiction

The character of Nellie Oleson appears in both the Little House books and the popular TV series.

Nellie in the Little House Books

Nellie Oleson is featured in three of the Little House novels:

• On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)
• Little Town on the Prairie (1939)
• These Happy Golden Years (1943)

In On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura is about 7 to 9 years old and lives near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The later books show Laura as a teenager, from 13 to 15 years old.

Nellie Oleson also stars in a book called Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls by Tui T. Sutherland (writing as Heather Williams). This book, published in 2007, describes Nellie as a wealthy, spoiled girl who gets angry when Laura moves to Walnut Grove and becomes popular.

Nellie in the Little House on the Prairie TV Series

In the TV show Little House on the Prairie, Nellie Oleson was played by Alison Arngrim. Her character was very clever and often tried to trick people. She had a sharp tongue and was very spoiled. Nellie's parents, Nels and Harriet Oleson, owned the general store in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Early in the series, Nellie was very much like the character in the books. She had long, curly hair and acted very prissy. But underneath, she could be mean and manipulative. Nellie often copied her mother, Harriet (Katherine MacGregor), who spoiled her. Her father, Nels (Richard Bull), was stricter and did not like Nellie's cruel behavior. Nels and Harriet often disagreed on how to raise Nellie and her brother Willie (Jonathan Gilbert).

As the series went on, Nellie's role became more important. She was the perfect opposite to the honest and tomboyish Laura Ingalls, played by Melissa Gilbert. Nellie and Laura often argued during their school years. Their mothers, Harriet Oleson and Caroline Ingalls (Karen Grassle), also had funny arguments that mirrored their daughters' rivalry.

After Nellie finished school, her mother gave her a restaurant and hotel. At first, Nellie was not good at running the business. Then, Nels and Harriet hired Percival Dalton (played by Steve Tracy) to teach Nellie how to cook and manage the restaurant. During this time, Nellie started to grow up and become nicer. She fell in love with Percival, and they eventually got married. Nellie later gave birth to twin children, Benjamin and Jennifer.

Nellie and Laura became friends when they were adults. Laura even attended Nellie's wedding. When Nellie left for her honeymoon, she threw her wedding bouquet to Laura. In one episode, Laura's mother, Caroline, helped deliver Nellie's twin babies.

Alison Arngrim left the show after the seventh season. The story explained that Nellie, Percival, and their twins moved to New York to run Percival's family business. After Nellie left for good, the Olesons adopted a daughter named Nancy (played by Allison Balson). Nancy looked a lot like Nellie, but she was even meaner than Nellie had been. Nellie returned in the ninth season and met Nancy. When Nellie saw how Nancy acted, she was shocked and asked her parents, "I know I was temperamental at her age, but I wasn't that bad... was I?" They all laughed, realizing she probably was just as bad!

Compared to the books, Nellie Oleson was a much bigger character in the TV series. In the books, her family was not very important. But in the show, the Olesons became major characters. Many episodes focused on Nellie or her family. The "villainous duo" of Harriet and Nellie became very popular with viewers because of their often funny, yet sometimes mean, actions.

Other Appearances

• Nellie Oleson has also been played in the Little House on the Prairie musical by Sara Jean Ford and Kate Loprest.

Cultural Impact

The sketch comedy group called The Nellie Olesons chose their name because of the famous character.