Finding Your Inner Pippi
Growing up, I found a slew of strange and wonderful friends in books. Curled up in my room, I wanted to jump into the pages and listen to Pa’s fiddle with Laura Ingalls, solve mysteries with Nancy Drew and (if I’m honest) help Beezus give Ramona the beatdown she so richly deserved. I too have a younger sister.
But no one was more strange and wonderful than Pippi Longstocking, with her gravity-defying ginger plaits, propensity for tall tale telling and superhuman strength. She will always claim top spot in my childhood heart.
So when I learned of the Junibacken museum just before a trip to Stockholm, I knew we’d visit even if my three-year-old son doesn’t know Pippi from his pee pee.
The Junibacken, located on Djurgården (Stockholm’s version of Pleasure Island), is a museum celebrating the many stories of Astrid Lindgren, including the tales of Miss Pippi. As soon as you walk in the door, you and your child can immediately run, jump and climb right into the worlds created by Ms. Lindgren’s fertile imagination.
There are plenty of things to do inside the museum. They have fun traveling exhibits, various daily activities like face painting and handicrafts, and a restaurant that serves only the finest elk meatballs. The main draws, however, are the Junibacken’s storybook train, an unconventional ride that both rolls and flies through brilliant dioramas detailing some of Lindgren’s most popular tales, and daily performances in the museum’s world-renowned children’s theatre.
But for me – and my son – the best part was the life-size recreation of Villa Villekula, the ramshackle home where Pippi and her friends made ginger snaps, chased Mr. Nilsson and started all of their grand adventures. Junibacken’s version was more than complete with dress-up clothes, a picture of Papa, King of the Natives, and a fabulous slide.
Like most museums, you can’t exit without going through the gift shop. But I found that I didn’t mind. I picked up new copies of my favorite Pippi books and a few Lindgren stories that I hadn’t previously heard about. And despite the lack of guns, both my son and I are thoroughly enjoying diving into Pippi’s world each night, one chapter at a time.
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Where should you stay in Stockholm with your family? We’re glad you asked.
Scandic Hasselbacken: Stockholm, Sweden
August 5th, 2008 | by Kayt Sukel 2 comments
1. KathyP on August 5th, 2008
Hi Jaime! I love your blog. WOW! This is the kind of stuff I could real all day long. We all love to travel, though this year Dave and I took separtate vacations. I went to Vietnam and he visited PA, MA, NY, MD, (A Civil War nut) and several others. We both came home and couldn’t wait to plan a trip for all of us, including Mason. I’ve invented a great winter product for kids, and this month I’m telling the whole inventors tale on my blog. Thanks again for bringing me to your space! I’ll be back often.
2. Jamie Pearson on August 5th, 2008
Welcome KathyP! You sound like our kind of Mom.
I didn’t actually write this post (much as I wish I did). Luckily for me, some talented moms have stepped forward to help with the blogging.
Kayt Sukel is an independent freelance writer based in Germany, and a very intrepid traveler (see her post on visiting Egypt with a toddler: Pharoahs, and Pyramids, and Mummies! Oh My!).
Brave, huh?
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