Children's books
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Pippi Langstrumpf feiert Geburtstag
German, Astrid Lindgren, Katrin Angel King, 2025
Happy Birthday, Pippi Longstocking! 5 facts about the coolest 80-year-old in the world
21/5/2025
Translation: machine translated
The strongest nine-year-old in the world turns 80. Fortunately! Five short stories about a figure who made history.
She has a house, a colourful house, a monkey and a horse ... and if she wasn't eternally young, she would have received her pension long ago. On 21 May 2025, the strong, proud and yet vulnerable Pippilotta Viktualia Rollgardina Pfefferminz Efraimstochter Langstrumpf will be 80 years old. I can hardly believe it, but it's true. At least approximately. As Pippi Longstocking is a legendary character, it is of course impossible to say exactly when the freckle-faced heroine was brought to life on paper by her creator Astrid Lindgren.
However, as Lindgren gave the manuscript to her daughter for her 10th birthday on 21 May, this date is also considered to be Pippi's birthday. It is only fair to link these two birthdays. Because in her autobiography, the author tells us that it was her daughter Karin who came up with the name Pippi Långstrump. And because she wanted to hear a story about this character, her mother finally picked up a typewriter and pen.
Source: Jacob Forsell/The Astrid Lindgren Company
World success at the second attempt
As with every global success, the first publisher rejected the manuscript. However, Lindgren eventually won a writing competition with a revised version, the first book was published in Sweden in 1945 - and the rest is history.
A story that, according to the Astrid Lindgren Company, had been translated into 78 languages and sold over 60 million copies by 2022.
I had a few copies of it in my nursery. I loved the books and films - and I assume you feel the same. Not liking Pippi is something only humourless people can do.
Too cheeky for the world
The fact that adults can't handle her is normal for Pippi Longstocking. Despite (or because of) this, she takes children's hearts by storm if they let her. For a long time, this did not apply to some countries. In the 1980s, the films were removed from the television programme in Turkey following protests, as the wild Pippi did not fit in with the educational and moral concepts of the time.
In the GDR, people also shuddered at the free-spirited stories and only published them censored and abridged from 1975 onwards. Much later and as «Cháng wàzi pípi», Pippi Longstocking made it to China. In the long run, she simply cannot be stopped. And with her, a song goes around the world.
2x3 only makes 4 in German
Astrid Lindgren also wrote the title song. « Här kommer Pippi Långstrump» is about Mr Nilsson, the Villa Kunterbunt and the suitcase full of money - but there is no arithmetic. The German version differs greatly from the original and was published in 1969 for the television series. «Two times three makes four, widewidewitt and three makes nine, ...» is a free translation by Wolfgang Francs.
Is that all settled? No, there was another legal dispute. Between the heirs of Francs and Lindgren. In December 2020, the Hamburg District Court ruled in favour of the Lindgren heirs. Francs is now no longer considered the sole author, which means even more gold will flow to Sweden.
Paying with Pippi
Pippi Longstocking is not only a cultural treasure and worth hard cash to her heirs. Since 2015, anyone and everyone in Sweden has been able to pay with Astrid Lindgren and her most famous character. Lindgren smiles good-naturedly and dreamily from the 20-krona note, while Pippi marches over the 20, waving and bobbing her pigtails. For once, I think it's a shame that fewer and fewer people are paying with cash.
Source: Shutterstock/Hans Christiansson
Often copied and misquoted
Pippi Longstocking is so often misquoted that the Astrid Lindgren Company corrects some fake quotes. For example, the following sentences were not penned by Astrid Lindgren: «I am the sea, and no one owns me.» - «The storm is getting stronger. Never mind, me too!» - «I've never tried this before, so I'm absolutely sure I can do it!»
All nice, but all not real. Lindgren, of course, put the last sentence, which is just off the mark, a little more philosophically: «How am I supposed to know if I've never tried?» Exactly.
Luckily Lindgren has tried, luckily she has written, luckily Pippi has always remained Pippi. And the real last word must of course belong to the jubilarian Longstocking: «Wonderful! Enchanting!» - «What do you think is so enchanting?», asked Tommy. «Me», said Pippi contentedly.
Header image: Shutterstock/Pajor Pawel
Michael Restin
Senior Editor
Michael.Restin@digitecgalaxus.chSimple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
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