Sandi Toksvig narrates Pippi Longstocking audiobooks for 75th Anniversary year

18 May 2020 -

The Astrid Lindgren Company is delighted to announce that award-winning presenter, comedian and writer Sandi Toksvig (Great British Bake Off, QI, The News Quiz) will narrate new audiobook editions of Astrid Lindgren’s classic tales Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard and Pippi Longstocking in the South Seas to mark 75 years since Pippi’s creation.

Toksvig, a self-confessed Pippi Longstocking fan, will bring Lindgren’s most famous character to life in the first-ever English language audiobooks. Listeners will be thrilled with the narrations, based on new translations by Susan Beard, with the first – Pippi Longstocking – launched this month. It will be followed by Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard and Pippi Longstocking in the South Seas later in the year. Previously, Sandi Toksvig had voiced the character of Pippi Longstocking for BBC Radio.

Sandi Toksvig OBE said: “As a longtime fan of Pippi Longstocking and her iconic creator Astrid Lindgren, it was a delight to reacquaint myself with the world’s strongest girl during her 75th birthday year. I’ve known her all my life and am still trying to mimic her by lifting any available horses above my head. In these uncertain times, it is wonderful to share these remarkable stories – and their brave, mischievous, but always kind, heroine – with you.”

Johan Palmberg, Rights Manager at The Astrid Lindgren Company and great-grandson of Astrid Lindgren, comments: “We were absolutely thrilled when Sandi Toksvig agreed to narrate the Pippi Longstocking books as part of our 75th anniversary celebrations. Sandi’s love of Pippi is evident as she guides listeners into her wonderfully playful world and brings her adventures with friends to life. We hope fans around the world will enjoy this experience as much as we did!”

Pippi Longstocking will be published by The Astrid Lindgren Company on Pippi’s 75th birthday, 21st May 2020 and made available to UK audiences on Spotify and iTunes. The instrumental of the theme tune, Here Comes Pippi Longstocking, will feature in all three audiobooks and the full song will also be released internationally by Universal Music, in both English and localised versions by the end of May. The song will be accompanied by an animated music video by acclaimed Norwegian studio, Qvisten Animation. This collaboration marks the start of a larger project between Universal Music and Astrid Lindgren Company, building on music written by Astrid Lindgren for previous films and television productions.

These audiobooks join a raft of other publishing from Lindgren’s long-term UK publisher, Oxford University Press, during the anniversary year, including: two chapter books Meet Pippi Longstocking and Pippi Longstocking and the Snirkle Hunt (March 2020), featuring artwork from the original illustrator, Ingrid Vang Nyman; Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard and Pippi Longstocking in the South Seas (May 2020), with black and white illustrations by Mini Grey, and a hardback gift edition of Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard (October 2020), illustrated in full colour by former Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child.

In addition to the audiobook release, acclaimed storyteller Danyah Miller will be celebrating Pippi Longstocking’s 75th birthday with a special online performance of her show ‘Meet Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking’. Fans around the world can watch the performance on the Oxford Owl Facebook page at 11.00am on Thursday 21st May.