{"id":8607,"date":"2020-05-20T02:20:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T02:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=8607"},"modified":"2021-11-13T17:10:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T17:10:15","slug":"10-reasons-to-love-pippi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/10-reasons-to-love-pippi\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons to Love Pippi!\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Inger Nilsson as Pippi L\u00e5ngstrump in the 1978 TV series. Photo: Bo-Aje Mellin\/SVT Bild<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cTjolahopp tjolahej tjolahoppsansa!\u201d<\/span> H\u00e4r kommer Pippi L\u00e5ngstrump!<\/em> Astrid Lindgren\u2019s beloved character Pippi Longstocking turns 75 this year. First published in 1945, Pippi L\u00e5ngstrump<\/em> was an instant hit in Sweden and since then, the work has been translated into 92 languages. This exceptional figure has inspired children, AND adults alike, all over the world.<\/p>\n

<\/span>I adore Pippi! But I really only got to know her as an adult. I remember seeing one of the Pippi films when I was young, and loving it, but that was the extent of it for many years. It wasn\u2019t until I took a university course entitled Children\u2019s Literature in Scandinavia that I understood why Pippi was so special.
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Astrid Lindgren wrote stories about kids, for kids<\/span><\/h2>\n

Astrid Lindgren<\/a> is credited with creating space for the voices of children unlike anyone before her. But what made Lindgren\u2019s craft especially unique was that the stories she told were unconventional. Extraordinary child protagonists, sometimes orphans, explore magical worlds, all while tackling heavy themes like loneliness, even death, and the afterlife.
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Pippi created with help of Astrid’s daughter<\/span><\/h2>\n

The character Pippi was \u201cborn\u201d in a feverish stupor when Lindgren\u2019s sick daughter asked her mother to tell her about \u201cPippi L\u00e5ngstrump,\u201d a never-before-mentioned figure. Lindgren took the cue and created the remarkable, adventurous 9-year-old that we know and love today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But not everyone was initially a fan of Pippi. Lindgren first pitched the book to Albert Bonniers F\u00f6rlag, who rejected the project, claiming the protagonist was too unlikely a character. Lindgren then gave the manuscript to a little-known company at the time, Rab\u00e9n & Sj\u00f6gren. They took a chance on the book, publishing it to great success. Initially though, it did ruffle a few feathers and some even sought to ban it in libraries around Sweden. <\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why I love her! Here are some more reasons why you should love this feather-ruffler too!<\/span>
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1. Pippi challenges hierarchy<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>While kids are expected to be obedient and do as they are told, Pippi questions why. School is tough and teachers aren\u2019t really her thing. (I\u2019m sort of a rule follower so I admire this about Pippi.)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. Pippi is creative<\/span><\/h3>\n

Whether she’s using her imagination to dream about faraway lands where people walk around on their hands, or she’s cleaning her floor by skating with scrub brushes on her feet, she follows the beat of her own drum.
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3. She is physically strong<\/span><\/h3>\n

Known for routinely lifting her horse above her head, she defies the archetype of a delicate, weak girl, in comparison to the boy counterparts.\u00a0 As a young athlete, I felt encouraged, yet still inferior to boys in sports, so this piece of Pippi still resonates with me today.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Ann Sofi Rosenkvist “Stories For Children.” Image Bank Sweden.<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Pippi is allowed to act like a child<\/span><\/h3>\n

1940s post-war Sweden was a very orderly place, and children were more or less expected to act like little adults. Pippi\u2019s playfulness is much needed in her small town, and she often creates nonsense games for her neighbors Tommy and Annika to enjoy!
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5. Pippi’s appearance is unconventional<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although those braids are on-point, she turns quite a few heads walking backward down the street. Her shoes are \u201ctwice and long as her feet” and she dons mismatched stockings with a patchwork dress.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6. She is generous<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although Pippi may be a little stubborn, she likes to show the people around her that she cares. Whether it\u2019s lending someone one of her gold coins or putting on a fancy fika, Pippi likes to give.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7. Pippi is independent<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cHon klarar sig sj\u00e4lv<\/em> \/ She takes care of herself.\u201d The reader feels pity for Pippi living alone with no parents, but Lindgren makes a point to show Pippi providing for herself.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8. Pippi is not into bad guys<\/span><\/h3>\n

Me either Pippi, me either. Pippi believes in the good nature of people and doesn\u2019t like those who take advantage of others. Pippi has several run-ins with the town \u201ccrooks\u201d and bullies and doesn’t back down until justice is served.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

9. Pippi likes cooking and baking<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although she hasn\u2019t quite mastered the pancake flip, she does it her way! It\u2019s okay, Pippi, I\u2019ve got American pancakes down but <\/span>svenska pannkakor<\/span><\/i> are another story entirely.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

10. She is a rebel role model<\/span><\/h3>\n

Pippi is a <\/span>\u201crebel role model,” <\/strong>as coined by Sweden.se.<\/a> They remark:<\/p>\n

“Astrid Lindgren<\/span> was not exactly proceeding from an explicit feminist agenda when she wrote her wonderful stories about this remarkable girl and her two close friends. That, however, has not prevented Pippi from becoming a source of inspiration in the struggle for gender equality. She is still the hero of the day.”
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Looking to brush up on your Pippi? Listen to Astrid Lindgren reading the first chapter of Pippi below<\/span>\u00a0or watch the popular tv show from the 1970s on SVTplay.se, <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Have a favorite Pippi story? Tell me in the comments!<\/p>\n

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