I Am Pippi Longstocking

It's been a long time since I thought about my days as a nine-year-old. When I opened an early Christmas present today, I couldn't help but feel like the last 31 years hadn't happened.

I had an idol and her name was Pippi Longstocking. Here's what Wikpedia says about her.

Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books created by author Astrid Lindgren. She is a nine-year-old girl with red braids that stick out sideways. She is very unconventional, assertive, extraordinarily strong and rich. She lives alone with a monkey and a horse in an old house. Her friends Tommy and Annika accompany her on her adventures.

These children live with a complete lack of adult supervision, and they frequently mock and dupe the adults they do encounter; this certainly adds to the appeal these characters hold for their young readers.

A Swedish TV series was created based on the Pippi Longstocking books in the 1970s. Inger Nilsson gave a confident oddball performance that was uncommonly consistent and eccentric for a child actor. The Swedish series was re-edited as 4 poorly-dubbed feature films for US distribution. They became weekend television staples in several cities in America throughout the 1970s and 80s.

Pippi wasn't pretty or popular but in my books, she was the coolest girl to walk the earth. And if she could have adventures in the world, so could I. In the movies, she went around singing this little ditty. I haven't stopped chanting it all day.

I am Pippi Longstocking, how I love my funny name. I am Pippi Longstocking, if you say it fast it's funny! Pippi, Pippi, Pippi Longstocking.