Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmind Ephraim’s Daughter Longstocking is the invention of Swedish children’s book author Astrid Lindgren. Astrid Lindgren always believed that all you had to do was

Give the children love, more love and still more love – and the common sense will come by itself.

And Pippi Longstocking, her most famous character, comes really close to being the personified proof of that… So where did Pippi come from? Well, one night, Astrid Lindgren’s daughter Karin asked her to tell her the story of “Pippi Longstocking”. And so she did.

Pippi is not like other children. First of all, she lives all by herself in a house called Villakulla Cottage. Or rather, she lives there with her monkey, Mr Nilsson, and her horse. And she has two best friends, Annika and Tommy, who sometimes come over to play. Because Pippi is not only strong and independent, she also a great friend, and always up for some fun!

What’s more, Pippi doesn’t live by anyone’s rules but her own, and she’s perfectly fine with being a little different. So instead of asking for anything on her birthday, she gives her friends presents, and she regularly sticks bullies and rude policemen in trees. She just never does things as expected. And that’s why we love her. And to share the Longstocking love, we have collected 10 of our favourite quirky quotes about this amazing girl.

Annika, Pippi, and Tommy on an adventure

‘He’s the strongest man in the world.’ ‘Man, yes,’ said Pippi, ‘but I am the strongest girl in the world, remember that.

Don’t you worry about me. I’ll always come out on top.

But still, if it’s true, how can it be a lie?

Pippi Longstocking

‘I don’t think you have a very nice way with ladies,’ said Pippi. And she lifted him in her strong arms — high in the air — and carried him to a birch tree and hung him over a branch. Then she took the next boy and hung him over another branch.



Tommy didn’t want to show that he was frightened, and in a way he really did want to see a ghost. That would be something to tell the boys at school! Besides, he consoled himself with the thought that the ghosts probably wouldn’t dare to hurt Pippi.

All the children sat looking at Pippi, who lay flat on the floor, drawing to her heart’s content. ‘But, Pippi,’ said the teacher impatiently, ‘why in the world aren’t you drawing on your paper?’ ‘I filled that long ago. There isn’t room enough for my whole horse on that little snip of paper.’

Astrid Lindgren, the author of the much beloved Pippi Longstocking. Photograph: PR

Then she had sat down in front of her chest and looked at all her birds’ eggs and shells, and thought about the wonderful places where she and her father had collected them and about all the pleasant little shops all over the world where they had bought the beautiful things that were now in the drawers of her chest.

‘Aren’t you going to dry the floor?’ asked Annika. ‘Oh, no, it can dry in the sun,’ answered Pippi. ‘I don’t think it will catch cold so long as it keeps moving.

As the children were sitting there eating pears, a girl came walking along the road from town. When she saw the children she stopped and asked, ‘Have you seen my papa go by?’ ‘M-m-m,’ said Pippi. ‘How did he look? Did he have blue eyes?’ ‘Yes,’ said the girl. ‘Medium large, not too tall and not too short?’ ‘Yes,’ said the girl. ‘Black hat and black shoes?’ ‘Yes, exactly,’ said the girl eagerly. ‘No, that one we haven’t seen,’ said Pippi decidedly.

Pippi with an explosive barrel.

The children came to a perfume shop. In the show window was a large jar of freckle salve, and beside the jar was a sign, which read: DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES? ‘What does the sign say?’ asked Pippi. She couldn’t read very well because she didn’t want to go to school as other children did. It says, ‘Do you suffer from freckles?’ said Annika. ‘Does it indeed?’ said Pippi thoughtfully. ‘Well, a civil question deserves a civil answer. Let’s go in.’ She opened the door and entered the shop, closely followed by Tommy and Annika. An elderly lady stood back of the counter. Pippi went right up to her. ‘No!’ she said decidedly. ‘What is it you want?’ asked the lady. ‘No,’ said Pippi once more. ‘I don’t understand what you mean,’ said the lady. ‘No, I don’t suffer from freckles,’ said Pippi. Then the lady understood, but she took one look at Pippi and burst out, ‘But, my dear child, your whole face is covered with freckles!’ ‘I know that,’ said Pippi, ‘but I don’t suffer from them. I love them. Good morning.’ She turned to leave, but when she got to the door she looked back and cried, ‘But if you should happen to get in any salve that gives people more freckles, then you can send me seven or eight jars.’

We want to add your favourite Pippi Longstocking quotes to this blog. So you can either email them to childrens.books@theguardian.com or share on Twitter @GdnChildrensBks! And if you happen to love any of Astrid Lindgren’s other books, then of course you should let us know about those, too!

Your favourite quotes:

"Pippi doesn’t live by anyone’s rules but her own, and she’s perfectly fine with being a little different" https://t.co/TrRB4MiJxr — DJ Rascal (@rascaldj) June 2, 2015

"I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that" best Pippi quote @GuardianBooks @GdnChildrensBks — Liv (@LudwigIdaVictor) June 2, 2015