With a spunky disposition, superhuman strength, and pigtails that defy gravity, Pippi Longstocking has long been famous the world over, thanks to a series of popular books written by Astrid Lindgren in the 40s. Three decades later, she would make her film debut in a series of films released by Svensk Filmindustri.

Although the first film, Pippi in the South Seas, was released in Sweden in 1970, it took another four years before its American theatrical release. In the story, the sassy redhead has been given the responsibility of babysitting young Tommy and Annika. When Pippi receives word that her father has been captured by South Seas pirates, via a message in a bottle that washes up on shore, she is faced with a tough decision – leave the kids she is supervising, or neglect her father. Obviously neither is acceptable so Pippi finds a compromise and simply brings her young friends with her to track down dad. The gang gathers in a hot-air balloon, accompanied by a pet monkey of course, and heads out on an adventurous rescue mission.

In the next film, Pippi on the Run, the rescuing hits a little closer to home. This time around it is Annika and Tommy that Pippi is searching for, as they have decided to run away from home. Plenty of hijinx ensues, as one would expect from one of Pippi’s adventures but, in the end, the two renegade kids are ultimately convinced that home is where they should be.

In the third installment, released in America in 1975 and titled Pippi Goes on Board, she sets out on an adventure with her father and, of course, Tommy and Annika. This time, they are headed to his magical kingdom of Taka-Tuka. When a group of bandits steal her bag of gold, it’s time for some Pippi-style payback.

The three films, which were box-office successes in Sweden, did less respectably in American theaters, although they would later be shown frequently on television through the 70s and 80s. It would take until 1988 before an American made Pippi film would finally hit the big screen, titled The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. And in 1997, an animated series, simply called Pippi Longstocking, aired for two seasons on HBO, finally giving the adventurous pig-tailed redhead the American exposure she deserved.