Pippilotta – My Pippi Longstocking Doll

Pippi Longstocking hand made doll
Pippi Longstocking & Mr. Nilsson are looking for lemons.

Click here to see what time my Pippi goes live in your part of the world!

Dollectable upload, June 1, 2014 – 4 p.m. EST –

Pippilotta has kept my studio filled with laughter over the last few weeks, as I’ve worked to create the Pippi I see from written pages. It’s no wonder she has captured the imagination of so many children over the years. She has a gargantuan personality, is full of opinions, ideas & plans and seeks an adventure almost every moment. She lives the “dream” life – no parents to tell her when to go to bed or not to eat too many cookies.

She has the best pets – a monkey, Mr. Nilsson & her horse. Oh and let’s not forget all the gold! She has loads of gold and has seemingly endless trips to the candy store. And if she finds herself in a pinch, no problem! Her super human strength saves the day. Being the strongest girl in the world certainly comes in handy when you want to pick up your pet horse or escape the bad guys.

She thinks she can even fly… well, sort of…it takes practice, apparently. A girl can do anything if you try hard enough, you know. She turns chores into hilarity & revels in everyday tasks. She is a classic embodiment of childhood and that’s what I so dearly love about her.

 

 

 

Oh and she certainly has adulthood figured out already too…remember this?

“No, that’s nothing to pine for,” said Pippi. “Grown-ups never have any fun. All they have is a lot of dull work and stupid clothes and corns and nincum tax.”

“It’s called income tax,” said Annika.

Oh, to be 9 again and have Pippilotta as your very best friend.

 

Mr. Nilsson, there's nothing in my pocket but crumbs.

Mr. Nilsson, there’s nothing in my pocket but crumbs.

 

As you know, Pippi sews her own clothes. My Pippilotta wears a special, up-cycled, blue and red pinafore carefully made from memories. You see, when she first arrived at Villa Villekulla, while exploring the attic, she discovered a mysterious, large trunk. In it, she found lots of memories…memories not belonging to her, but to those she loved. She found an old & worn, navy blue shirt of Papa’s. It was labeled “Made of Irish linen”, so he must have been to Ireland at some point, she mused. Now, the shirt had been put away for many years & forgotten, needing a few patches & buttons. She decided to keep Papa close by wearing his shirt, just recreated in a style she imagined. Cutting around the holes in the shirt, she discovered the need for additional fabric to finish her project. Excitedly, she remembered something else in the box next to Papa’s navy blue shirt, a red, silk dress that must have belonged to her mother. Perfect! She carefully stitched, tongue sticking out, large & small stitches, her pinafore together using lots of thread, lots of love and lots of memories. When she finished, she was pleased with the results, but still felt something was missing. The feeling never really went away either. It was a bit irksome, as she felt that way every time she put on her pinafore. One day, not too long after meeting her friends, Tommy & Annika, she accidently realized what her pinafore was missing! It was she was telling them how she was a “Thing-Finder” and they both must be “Thing-Finders” too.

She reached into her pocket to…to…

It was in that moment what she realized was missing on her pinafore. A pocket! How could she forget a pocket? Thankfully, Annika understood Pippi’s greatest need and said had the perfect out-grown dress to make a pocket for her pinafore. (Annika thought having it color coordinated would be important.) Pippi felt her pocket should be made in the shape of a heart, as it came from her friend, Annika. It was especially fun to add another memory to her pinafore.

Let's play a new game, Mr. Nilsson.
Let’s play a new game, Mr. Nilsson.

Pippi & Mr. Nilsson say hi!

Pippi & Mr. Nilsson say hi!

Pippi & Mr. Nilsson are inseparable!
Pippi & Mr. Nilsson are inseparable!
Pippi's shoes are way too big...she loves them though, because her Papa bought them for her in South America.
Pippi’s shoes are way too big…she loves them though, because her Papa bought them for her in South America.

Her underdress, undies & long stockings are made of memories too. Pippi found one of Papa’s under shirts, red striped & soft cotton. Oddly, it was still brand new & never worn, so she decided it would be perfect for her underdress & undies. She reckoned her stockings could be made with some other old shirts of Papa’s, a light brown one & a black striped one. She made two pair, but never wore them matching, because that would be boring, you know. She also tried a new skill recently, because of her stockings needed to be mended – scuffing a knee had consequences.

Her shoes are black leather and much too large. However, her Papa must know what he’s doing, as he knows her plans to grow really fast. I totally get that and crafted them likewise.

She also has a pair of brushes she straps to her feet to scour the floors of Villa Villekulla …especially useful after a day of rolling dough on the floor. They are wood with a natural fiber bristle.

Pippi & Mr. Nilsson take a break from swinging in the trees
Pippi & Mr. Nilsson take a break from swinging in the trees

As with all my dolls, Pippi is crafted with great care. She measures 15in/38cm. Her skin is made with pure cotton fabric from the Netherlands and stuffed with wool. Her body is lightly weighted with fine glass beads enclosed in well-sewn sack. Pippi’s face embroidered with cotton thread and her freckles are permanently applied with sepia ink. This was a first & I’m thrilled the inaugural WLH freckles belong to Pippilotta. It somehow makes the first freckles extra special for me. Her hair is a natural camel weft, which I dyed carrot red. It has natural highlights from the varied, untreated color of the camel fiber. What I wouldn’t do to be a fiery red head.

Mr. Nilsson stands 4in/10cm tall. He is hand sewn of wool felt and stuffed with wool. His hands, feet & tail are wire wrapped with wool and string jointed. This makes him quite pose able. Mr. Nilsson loves to wear his white, straw hat. It stays secure on his head with linen string and a sliding glass bead. His yellow vest is made of wool felt and blue pants are cotton knit.

Pippi & Mr. Nilsson take a break from swinging in the trees
Pippi & Mr. Nilsson take a break from swinging in the trees

Pippilotta and Mr. Nilsson are best suited for older children, ages 8+ and adult collectors, as there are small parts and little details appreciated by only them.

Pippi Longstocking & Mr. Nilsson are acting like monkeys.  :-)
Pippi Longstocking & Mr. Nilsson are acting like monkeys. 🙂
Pippi and Mr. Nilsson try to get bubbles flying
Pippi and Mr. Nilsson try to get bubbles flying

You can see more pictures in my With Love, Hannah Flickr album.  You can find her sale listing here.

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