Pippi Longstocking Background

Pippi Longstocking is the eponymous nine-year-old heroine of this book and of the series of Pippi books written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi was created by Lindgren as a get-well bedtime story for her own nine year old daughter when she was home sick from school. Pippi Longstocking is feisty, unconventional and confident and has a series of everyday adventures with her best friends Annika and Tommy. Pippi lives on her own and is both behind the conventional education curve, and far ahead of the home-making curve, having learned how to take care of a home and herself whilst on board a ship with her father. She is very practical, logical and pragmatic and only participates in things that are fun. She is blessed with super-human strength and during the course of the book lifts a horse, a cow and two policemen, although the source of her strength is never explained. Pippi is a kind girl and the book includes many life lessons for children including standing up to bullies and the importance of chores. Although Pippi Longstocking was rejected when Lindgren first submitted the manuscript, it was accepted two years later and published in 1945. There were three books in the first series, with a second series following in 1969-1975. In Lindgren's native Sweden, Pippi is a cult children's hero and has a theme park dedicated to her. Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen medal for the Pippi books, the highest honor in children's literature.