#Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

⚠️Vote for whomever YOU DO NOT KNOW⚠️‼️

[90s-2000s-barbie]

Shelly Duvall Presents Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1994)

Idk if anyone remembers this show. I use to get it out at the library.

[kidlit-queen-competition]

Round 1 Poll 22: Alanna of Trebond from Song of the Lioness vs Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle

Propaganda under the cut:

Alanna:

Absolute badass. First female Knight in all of Tortall. The books are all about her challenges with growing up disguising her gender, romance, duty, heroism, and finding your place in the world -- and struggling to accept when it isn't the one you'd expected. In later series by Tamora Pierce you get to see her as a mother, too, which is rad as heck. Totally inspiring character to me as a kid, and one of the first fantasy book/series I remembered reading with a girl protagonist.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle:

You asked for queens, and she is The queen!

[rohans-daughter]

"It is just that sometimes with children, especially boys, their bodies grow faster than their patience and kindness. ... Busy children are happy children, and happy children are seldom quarrelsome."

from "Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" by Betty MacDonald

[indestructibleannajay]

The things you find in old books. From "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" by Betty MacDonald

[jewishdragon]

How to Cure* Yourself of Being a Picky Eater**

by JewishDragon

Step 1: Be me, a same foods picky eater autistic.

Step 2: Have a family member (who doesnt live nearby) be an enthusiastic chef. Loves to cook for people and experiment with cooking. Just throws shit together.

Step 3: Go 2 decades being wary of visiting this relative because you're an extremely picky eater and feel very ashamed when you stay at this relative's house.

Step 4: Get your first summer internship away from home and get housed by this family member who lives 10min from the internship

Step 5: Make a silent vow to Get A Good Grade In house Guest (a very reasonable thing to desire), since you are staying rent free. The vow includes

Clean the dishes after dinner without being prompted

Empty the dish washer without being prompted

Do your own laundry

Pick up after yourself and take out the trash before trash day!

TASTE, HAVE JUST ONE BITE, OF EVERYTHING THIS RELATIVE COOKS

Step 6: have a 3 month summer internship become several years as you get a full time job (and then START YOUR PHD) in the same town. While you now pay a smidge of rent, THE VOW CONTINUES

Step 7: Profit

(Expand your pallet, Discover what flavor profiles/textures you like and dislike with more nuance than ever before. Be able to go out to eat with friends and family without the anxiety over wondering if you'll be able to eat, or have to order from the kids menu as a 20+ year old. But overall, most importantly, it becomes easier to try a new food)

*JewishDragon does not guarantee any part of this method, this method will not work for most people for many reasons.

**This post is made in good humor. I am not claiming picky eating is something to BE cured. I am just telling the story of my journey of being a picky eater. I am still not an adventurous eater. For example: It took me 6 years from my first making the vow before i was brave enough to try a small drop of ranch/caesar style dressing on a single piece of lettuce. (I REALLY wanted to get a good grade in house guest at a weekly nerd gathering!) (also texture is a HUGE issue for me that i cannot expect to ever be "cured".)

(I also am a huge samefoods autistic, i can eat the same thing for two weeks and the only reason I would switch to something else for the next week or so is I ran out of the Thing)

[cornyonmains]

Something I think about a lot is there's a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book where a kid starts eating his food in really tiny bites, and everyone's all like, "What should we do Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle?"

And she looked at these small children and was like, "Let's starve him."

[josephconrads]

Title: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic

Author: Betty MacDonald

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: When I was in the first grade (age six), my teacher would read to us everyday after lunch. The lights would be turned off, we'd be encouraged to lay our heads down, close our eyes, and listen as she read a chapter from whatever book we were going through. I have fond memories of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series because of these moments. Stumbled upon this at a thrift store and had to pick it up. This brought back so much nostalgia and fun. It's a really clever way to teach children manners through magical stories and make it clear what is good behavior vs bad behavior. For example, the stories in this ranged from dealing with bad table manners to interrupting. Overall, their a hit of nostalgic fun for me.

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

Trick or treat!

Sup! Your blorbo is Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle)

[starfieldcanvas]

somebody make one of those clasped hands memes for Anne Shirley and Sara Crewe from A Little Princess

Now I get it. Anne Shirley was right; sometimes pretending you’re an exiled princess fallen from her state or a wealthy criminal who’s decided to take a minimum wage job to evade detection IS the only way to get through the work day

[isfjmel-phleg]

June 2024 Books

I have been tired and unmotivated most of the month, so I ended up mostly rereading random things, including a lot of pretty light stuff.

The Sylvia Game by Vivien Alcock (reread)

Weird story that may not be Great Literature but continues to be Rebekah Bait.

The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron

Although the second half of the book didn't work for me as well as the first, I did especially appreciate Emrys/Merlin's relationship with his mother and his struggle with fearing his powers.

The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson (reread)

The family relationships of this story are its greatest charm. Believable sibling dynamics, especially. The setting and the style and the general feel of a classic children's story are lovely, and the featuring of a protagonist in the 1910s who has Ojibwe ancestry is fresh and interesting. I found this book still enjoyable the second time around.

Thematically, though, I think there could have been some more nuance. At times, it seemed to veer into dealing with serious emotional concerns like struggling with major life changes beyond one's control by advising Just Stop Being So Negative And Choose Joy--a very simplified solution to a complex concern.

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag by Gordon Korman (reread)

Another one of those early Korman books that make me wonder if he was familiar with Psmith--this story features both the impersonation of a terrible Canadian poet and the desire to avoid working in an uncle's fish business as a plot-driving motivation.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald (reread)

I did not grasp as a child how very, very 1950s these stories are!

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (reread)

I reread this one with the intention of analyzing its portrayal of emotional neglect, and that is indeed very much there, but I got a bit distracted by realizing that there's an argument for Anne's having ADHD. It would explain a lot of her behaviors. (Why didn't the recent adaptation take that route instead of the nonsense they opted for?)

Spineless by Samantha San Miguel (reread)

Heavier on the adventure than the historical fiction side of things, but good fun, with some nice characterization. There's a sequel coming out this fall that I'm planning to read.

Magic in My Shoes by Constance Savery (reread)

Very light compared to many of Savery's other books, but also very rereadable.

The Memoirs of Jack Chelwood by Constance Savery (reread)

I already talked about this here.

The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery (reread)

I have nothing intelligent to say about this one, but it's always a pleasure to reread.

Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster (reread)

The protagonist's engaging voice makes the letters fun to read, but this time I was deeply weirded out by the romance. She's being groomed by an older man who has financial power over her and whom she views in a parental/guardian-like role, he's pulling all the strings and controlling aspects of her life that are none of his business and keeping her dependent on him, and his in-person interactions with her can be unpleasant also. By the end, I was more worried than happy for her. I think the set-up of "correspondent turns out to be someone you've met in real life and leads to falling in love" can be done in a way that's sincerely romantic (more in the vein of The Shop Around the Corner or You've Got Mail), but this particular version of that plot has not aged well.

When Patty Went to College by Jean Webster (reread)

...so as a refresher I reread this one, which features a lively heroine's escapades at college without a creepy romantic relationship.

The White Feather by P. G. Wodehouse (reread)

See the essay here.

Comics

The Ray 1992 and 1994 (reread)

For the sake of analysis for posts this month. This is the one time of year that DC acknowledges that their current version of Ray (who is practically a different character from the 90s version and exists in a completely different continuity) exists, and that version is rather one-note, so I wanted, at least for my own amusement, to delve into the original version of the character, who is rather multi-faceted.

Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 4 (reread)

I read these as they were released, but I own a print copy now.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Vol. 1-2

A gift from my brother! This was my first experience with DW in comic form, and it was fun. I appreciated the presence of a companion who is a library assistant (not a librarian! there's a difference! and don't I know it).

The Flash Vol. 9: Full Stop

I picked this up at a library book sale quite a while ago when I was still able to go to those :/ This is post-Flashpoint stuff, I think? and I'm very post-Crisis in my leanings, so it was confusing for me without full context.

Superboy Book One: Trouble in Paradise (reread)

This is the only collection of Kon's solo, covering #1-10 and #0. It begins with Knockout and ends with him and Tana starting to officially date. I've read these issues before multiple times, but they will never not be worrying.

Batman: Under the Red Hood: The Deluxe Edition (partial reread)

All the feels. Can I please erase from my brain what happens between Jason and Talia though.

[fictionadventurer]

Random Asks: 12, 16

12. favorite book sequel?

The King of Attolia is the pinnacle of the Queen's Thief series.

16. what is the first “big kid book” aka chapter book, that you remember reading after learning how to read?

I don't remember. Probably some silly chapter book series for early readers. Though my mom introduced me to Pippi Longstocking and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle pretty early.

[backlistbacklog]

"My nightmare," Michael said, still looking embarrassed. "Turning into a plant. It's so stupid -- I think it came from this book I read when I was in third grade. It had a story about a kid who was so dirty that things started to grow on her -- little radishes and veggies. And it just freaked me out. I mean, it was this harmless story, but for some reason I just flipped. I kept thinking about that kid, all crusted with dirt, with green stuff sprouting from her -- it made me sick."

Guess what? Did you know there's a real, actual book that inspired Michael's nightmare from Forbidden Game?

Now you too can share the trauma of a "harmless story" that will leave you scared enough to fall victim to the Erlking in a fake paperhouse hallway

[stillwaitin76]

Thank you for the tag! Since you’re interested in hearing both my headcanons and ocs, here they are! For the characters Peter played:

Joel Cairo:

Ah yes, my blorbo. My scrunkly doo. Now, I don’t exactly see him being a good babysitter. If it isn’t his inherent responsibility, he doesn’t care much. Not to mention, he has temper tantrums like a little kid, so there would be one actual kid and one adult (who has a child’s immaturity). BUT, I feel he would be a pretty good parent. He knows the responsibilities with being a father and would take it on, if he felt like he could settle down. But I do see him being a “girl dad” more. In his words, “Boys are dumb. I should know, I’ve gotten caught up with the dumbest.”

But if you have a little girl, who came from a rough home-life, Joel will pamper and spoil the hell out of her! Besides the pampering, he’d be quite empathetic towards her and any problems or trauma she may face. Also, considering his knowledge on art, she could grow to have a nice academic background. Just be warned, he may teach her how to use a pistol…

Mr. Munsey:

I know this guy was from an unsold pilot but I know for a fact that he would be a great babysitter. He’s surprisingly gentle, despite the grumpy old man exterior. He’d teach the kids how to sculpt (probably with play-dough, as he doesn’t want them to eat his actual clay) and would tell them all kinds of stories from his past jobs. Plus, it’s a package deal! Henry would absolutely help out and would bring their kitten, Hannibal, alongside them.

Now for my lorre-inspired ocs and how they would fare…:

Harold Kaminsky:

Now, I love Harold. He’s one of my favorite ocs, but there’s one thing you have to know about him... He’s a ghost. So, if you’re a human kid and you come across him, you would probably run away before he could even say hello. But if you’re a monster parent looking for someone to babysit your kid, he probably still wouldn’t be your number one pick. He’s got a lack of focus and gets easily distracted. Not to mention, he’s more comparable to a wine aunt. He’ll spill all the tea you didn’t wanna know, but is an absolute blast to hang out with!

Niffty:

(Now, she isn’t exactly a oc. She’s from my rewrite of Hazbin Hotel, @hotter-than-hell-rewrite. But she’s my most recent Lorre oc/parody and I wanted to add her.)

Now Niffty isn’t the most, let’s say… “mentally healthy” soul. She’s kinda similar to the Igor archetype or Dr. Herman, and will do anything that her boss will tell her to do. But, she does love the idea of being a caring housewife figure! She’ll bake the kids cookies, join in on their games, help bandage any injuries they might get, etc. But don’t let her babysit especially impudent kids, they’ll probably make her cry. And don’t let the kids make a mess, for Satan’s sake! There’s a reason she’s a janitor in Hell!

Nikolai Corman:

Finally! We have someone who’s fit to be a babysitter, as that’s his unofficial job! He and his husbands, Clyde and Cornelius are macabre parodies of characters like Mary Poppins and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. No matter how grumpy Nikolai may seem, he adores the latchkey kids that run around his home. He absolutely teaches the kids how to use the classic Lorre Puppy Dog Eyes™️ and tells them stories and cautionary tales from his motherland. Struwwellpeter anyone? Anyway, he and his husbands are very protective of the kids and are willing to help them with their problems.

(I need to redraw them, it’s been a hot second lol)

this is a silly question but I'm genuinely curious: which lorre characters would make the best babysitters?

LOVE this question.

Short answer: Just about all of them, depending on your views. Here are just a few - join in, folks!

Polo

You'll never have a better organized home once Polo becomes part of it! Particularly skilled at teaching youngsters how to organize jewelry boxes, heirlooms, and other portable items of worth. You've never been so clutter-free! And all with an uncrackable good humor and a smile so sweet, you'll want to keep him forever. Note: Polo is up for adoption; inquire at the agency.

Dr. Herman Einstein

Best at influencing future professions in the realm of reconstructive surgery or as distillery owners, Herman also teaches choice Germanic phrases and the art of leaving a room gracefully if quickly. Plus, you get a two-for-one deal: Herman is accompanied by his jovial pal, Uncle Jonathan, who has a full bag of tricks to amuse and divert your children. You'll never look at your sewing kit the same way again!

Dr. Gogol

A distant relation to Dr. Einstein, call on "Helping Hands" Gogol for the next level of medical profession influence in the surgical realm. His eccentric manner will delight and amaze your children as they learn the latest techniques. Includes field trips for research purposes. Preference given to neighborhoods near gallows. Note: Households must clear a space for Gogol's equipment, which includes a wax effigy - on which to demonstrate surgical techniques, of course.

Colonel Gimpy/The Baron

Are your children interested in the theatrical arts? Call on Colonel Gimpy - he'll get the whole neighborhood of kids learning all sorts of techniques, from the innocent art of misdirection to making amusing owl faces and blowing horns. And for children who prefer the art of gathering and imparting information, Gimpy provides his completely innocuous persona of The Baron. Set your child up with a lifetime of transferable skills!

[unloneliest]

'you are doing some cocomelon shit to me' well brother they are doing some mrs. piggle wiggle shit to me

[stabbitytuesday]

Deep cut opinion: the first set of Mrs Piggle Wiggle books, the ones where they straight up emotionally manipulate and torment the kids to get them to act right, were way better than the ones that relied on magic gadgets