Pippi Anniversary mug

Pippi was born in the winter of 1941 when Astrid Lindgren’s daughter Karin was sick and bedridden. “Please Mommy, tell me more about Pippilotta Provisionia Gaberdina Dandeliona Ephraimsdaughter Longstocking!” The Swedish name is hard to translate, or as Astrid Lindgren called it: “A peculiar name for a peculiar girl.” Karin actually made up the name, and Astrid elaborated on this freckled, red-haired, pig-tailed, horse-lifting, warm-hearted, generous, kind of selfish and incredibly individualistic character who would never use her super powers to dominate others. In the aftermath of World War II, Astrid Lindgren noted that “Pippi represents my own childish longing for a person who has power, but who does not abuse it.” Racing around with tattered clothes and a suitcase full of gold coins, Pippi is a revolutionary inspiration, free from all social conventions – a headstrong pacifist who fights evil with goodness and generosity. She was also a strong and independent friend of all young refugees seeking new homes in war-ravaged Europe. Astrid Lindgren eventually had time to write down her tale, and it was an immediate success upon its publication in the fall of 1945. Pippi’s story is as relevant a tale today, when we must fight oppression and an approaching climate catastrophe, and safeguard almost 30 million refugees, half of whom are under 18, and girls the most vulnerable among them.