Pippi Longstocking Facts for Kids

Pippi Longstocking (Swedish: Pippi Långstrump) is a fun and strong fictional character. She was created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi first appeared in a series of children's books. Later, she became famous in many movies and TV shows.

The name "Pippi" means "quirky" in old Swedish slang. Astrid Lindgren's daughter, Karin, who was nine years old, gave Pippi her name. Karin asked her mother for a story when she was sick at home.

Pippi is an unusual and very energetic nine-year-old girl. She has amazing superhuman strength. She can even lift her horse with just one hand! Pippi often plays tricks on adults she meets. She usually saves her biggest pranks for adults who act like they are better than everyone else. Pippi only gets truly angry if someone treats her horse badly. Like Peter Pan, Pippi does not want to grow up. She is the daughter of a pirate captain and has many exciting stories from her travels. Her four best friends are her horse, a monkey, and her neighbors, Tommy and Annika.

The first three Pippi Longstocking books were published between 1945 and 1948. More books came out from 1969 to 1975. Two final stories were printed in 1979 and 2000. Pippi's adventures have been translated into 64 languages around the world.

Books About Pippi
Pippi on Screen
- Pippi Movies
- Pippi on Television
Images for kids
See also

Books About Pippi

There are three main Pippi Longstocking books:

Some picture books based on Pippi's stories were also translated into English:

Pippi on the Run (1971)
Pippi's After Christmas Party (1950)
Pippi Longstocking in the Park (2001)

Many other picture books and short stories have been made from parts of the original three books. These include:

Pippi Goes to School (1999)
Pippi Goes to the Circus (1999)
Pippi's Extraordinarily Ordinary Day (1999)

Pippi on Screen

Pippi Longstocking's stories have been made into many movies and TV shows.

Pippi Movies

The first movie about Pippi Longstocking was made in 1949. This movie used parts from three of the books. Some parts of the story were changed, and some characters were added or removed. Viveca Serlachius played Pippi. The movie was directed by Per Gunvall and came out on October 20, 1950.

An American movie version was released in 1988 by Columbia Pictures. It was called The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. This movie mostly retold Pippi's original story. British director Ken Annakin directed it. Tami Erin starred as Pippi. Other actors included Eileen Brennan, Dennis Dugan, John Schuck, and Dick Van Patten.

Pippi on Television

Shirley Temple's Storybook Episode

In 1961, the NBC children's TV show Shirley Temple's Storybook had an episode about Pippi Longstocking. It was the 15th episode of the show's second season. It first aired on January 8, 1961, and lasted 60 minutes. This episode was important for a few reasons. It was the first time a child played Pippi in a TV or movie adaptation. It was also the first American TV or movie version of the book. Plus, it was the first TV or movie version of the book made in color!

Child actor Gina Gillespie played Pippi Longstocking in this episode. Renie Riano played the schoolteacher, Miss Lindquist. Tor Johnson played the circus strongman, Mighty Adolf. In the episode, Pippi beats bullies and burglars. She also performs better than the circus strongman. This episode is available on DVD.

The 1969 TV Series

A Swedish TV series called Pippi Longstocking was made in 1968. The stories were based on the original books. The first episode was shown on Sveriges Radio TV in February 1969. This series was made together by Sweden and West Germany. Several German actors were in the show. Inger Nilsson played Pippi.

Astrid Lindgren was not happy with the 1949 movie. So, she wrote the script for this TV series herself. The series was directed by Olle Hellbom. He also directed many other TV shows based on Astrid Lindgren's books. This 1969 version is the most famous Pippi TV show in Sweden and other European countries.

Soviet TV Movie

A television movie called Peppi Dlinnyychulok was released in 1982 by Mosfilm. Margaret Mikalan produced it. Mikhail Boyarsky, Lev Durov, and Tatiana Vasilieva starred in it. Svetlana Stupak played Pippi, and Svetlana Stepchenko sang her songs.

ABC Weekend Special TV Show

In 1985, Carrie Kei Heim played Pippi in an ABC Weekend Special called Pippi Longstocking. Colin Chilvers directed it. The show was split into two parts. It was shown on November 2 and November 9.

Images for kids

"Villa Villekulla", the house used for the movie and series. It is located on Gotland in the town of Vibble.
A screenshot of the 1969 television series, showing Inger Nilsson as Pippi Longstocking
An actor portrays Pippi in front of a scale model of Villa Villekulla at Astrid Lindgren's World.
Greta Thunberg dressed as Pippi Longstocking