Pippi Longstocking: Latchkey Kid or Feral Child?
May 9th, 2009 by timbotron
In an attempt to understand the northern European children’s icon “Pippi Longstocking” (Pippi Långstrump), I recently watched the 1969 film: Pippi Longstocking.
And also because I had suspected her of being the Wendy’s hamburger girl.
Aside from her disturbing habit of flashing her underpants at everyone in a manner akin to Sharon Stone, I was struck by the notion that she could be clinically defined as a “Feral Child,” or minimally a worst-case-scenario “Latchkey Kid.”
Below is the comparative study:
• Latchkey Kid: Left at home, unsupervised, for 3 or more hours a week.
• Feral Child: Has lived apart from human contact from a very young age.
• Pippi Longstocking: Her mother is “with the angels” and her absentee father is preoccupied with a career in open ocean piracy.
• Latchkey Kid: Nearly twice as likely to initiate high-risk behaviors and to develop substance abuse problems.
• Feral Child: Often unable to ever completely adapt to the normal social environment.
• Pippi Longstocking: Takes multiple (unprescribed) medications simultaneously, participates in high-risk behaviors such as lifting a horse over her head.
• Latchkey Kid: Statistically (10%) lower grades and test scores.
• Feral Child: Limited or no use of human language; in some cases, adopting the communication form of the animals who raised them.
• Pippi Longstocking: The ability to communicate with animals, no formal academic training (she cannot read or count properly), and the habit of creating her own words.
• Latchkey Kid: Has a statistically (19%) greater change of having behavioral disorders and depression.
• Feral Child: Has little or no experience with human social behavior and an impaired ability to learn these behaviors.
• Pippi Longstocking: Displays an inability to practice or understand behavioral norms, resulting in public disturbances, petty theft, hanging from light fixtures, and singing.
• Latchkey Kid: Greater ability for self-reliance with respect to everyday/household needs.
• Feral Child: Limited or no ability for grooming or self-care.
• Pippi Longstocking: Wears the same two dresses, bathes only her feet, limited hair grooming, and may suffer from lice.
November 20th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Pippi Rocks
she’s free and fun, she proves that when you do not know a limitation then there is none. She’s awesome. she’s also adhd, I know, I was very like her (still am) but I came from a normal household and had plenty of social interaction. Pippi is just one very cool adhd kid who knows no limits.
January 28th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Thank you for this homage to Pippi. I had the honor of channeling her before I even read about her (setting=Texas ranch). Complete with the lice (plus impetigo and trench mouth and ringworm). I once built a fort in a pigpen, and I played in the garbage pit and (when in town) drainage ditches. I never lifted my bony horse, but she did step on my (bare) foot once. And we kids would pile onto the back of the wide-body horse, and sometimes try to stand on him a la circus trick. Weeks without bathing. Bliss!