Pippi Longstocking
(
Swedish
:
Pippi Langstrump
) is a
fictional character
who originally appeared in a
series of children's books
by
Swedish
author
Astrid Lindgren
. The character has since
adapted
into several movies and television series. Pippi means "
quirky
" in old Swedish
slang
. She was named by Lindgren's daughter Karin, who was nine years old at the time. She had asked for a story from her mother one day when she was home sick from school.
Pippi is an unusual and
spirited
nine-year-old girl. She has
superhuman
strength
, and is easily able to lift her
horse
with one hand. She often
mocks
and
tricks
adults she encounters; she usually reserves her worst behaviour for the most
condescending
adults. Pippi only really gets angry when 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 adventurous tales to tell.
[1]
She has four best friends: her horse, a monkey, and the neighbour's children Tommy and Annika.
The first three Pippi Longstocking books were published by
Raben and Sjogren
from 1945 to 1948. Another series of six books were published between 1969 and 1975. Two final stories were printed in 1979 and 2000. The books have been translated into 64 languages.
[2]
There are three full-length Pippi Longstocking books:
[3]
There were three original
picture books
that were translated into English:
[3]
- Pippi on the Run
(1971)
- Pippi's After Christmas Party
(1950)
- Pippi Longstocking in the Park
(2001)
There are many picture books and short books based on parts of chapters from the original three, including:
- Pippi Goes to School
(1999)
- Pippi Goes to the Circus
(1999)
- Pippi's Extraordinarily Ordinary Day
(1999)
The first
movie
about Pippi Longstocking was filmed in 1949. The movie was based on three of the books, but several
storylines
were changed and characters were removed and added. Pippi's character was played by Viveca Serlachius. It was directed by Per Gunvall and released on October 20, 1950.
An
American
movie version from
Columbia Pictures
was released in 1988. It was called
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
, although it actually just retold the original story. The movie was directed by British director
Ken Annakin
. It starring
Tami Erin
as Pippi with
Eileen Brennan
,
Dennis Dugan
,
John Schuck
and
Dick Van Patten
in supporting roles.
Shirley Temple's Storybook
episode
[
change
|
change source
]
In 1961, the
NBC
children's television series
Shirley Temple's Storybook
showed an
episode
about Pippi Longstocking. It was the 15th episode in the show's 2nd season. The 60-minute episode first aired on 8 January 1961. The episode is historically important. It was the first time a child played Pippi in a television or movie adaptation, the first American television or movie adaptation of the book, and the first television or movie adaptation of the book in color.
[4]
The episode stars (among others) child actor
Gina Gillespie
as Pippi Longstocking, Renie Riano as schoolteacher Miss Lindquist, and
Tor Johnson
as circus strongman Mighty Adolf. Pippi defeats bullies and burglars, and out-performs a circus strongman. The episode has been released to DVD.
A Swedish
television series
,
Pippi Longstocking
, was created in 1968. The stories were based on the books. The first episode was broadcast on
Sveriges Radio TV
in February 1969. It was a co-production between Sweden and
West Germany
. Several German actors had roles in the series.
Inger Nilsson
played Pippi.
Astrid Lindgren had been unhappy with the 1949 adaptation. She wrote the
script
herself for this version. The series was directed by
Olle Hellbom
who also directed several other Astrid Lindgren adaptations. This version is the most well-known version in Sweden and other European countries.
A
television movie
version,
Peppi Dlinnyychulok
, was released in 1982 by
Mosfilm
. It was produced by Margaret Mikalan, and starred
Mikhail Boyarsky
,
Lev Durov
and
Tatiana Vasilieva
. Pippi was played by Svetlana Stupak, and her singing voice was provided by Svetlana Stepchenko.
[5]
ABC Weekend Special
television special
[
change
|
change source
]
In 1985,
Carrie Kei Heim
played Pippi in the
ABC Weekend Special
called
Pippi Longstocking
. It was directed by Colin Chilvers. It was shown in two parts: on November 2 and November 9.
[6]