I’m super surprised I haven’t seen more Little House memes over the years. Re-watching Little House with Carmen a few years back before Buck was born put the characters of the show on a pop culture collision in my mind.
Scott who? We all know who was really in charge back in the day and it wasn’t Chachi Arcola. It was Pa, and he was not to be trifled with. Resilient, fast on a fiddle, quicker on a sawmill, and more resourceful than Macgyver, Pa could rally the whole town against someone if they crossed him or his family and friends. Charles Ingalls kicked bullies out of town, swindled swindlers, and even put Mrs. Oleson in her place on occasion. No matter how wild or weird Walnut Grove got, Charles was always in control even up until the end when the whole town blew up.
Buttermilk never tasted so good. Who could forget the ever stoic Caroline Ingalls. I always felt as though she wanted to escape the prairie and get a job in a big city, maybe open up her own restaurant, or start her own brand of store bought biscuits. The entrepreneurs on Shark Tank couldn’t find a more trustworthy business partner to invest in, but crossing her is akin to breaking up with Glenn Close in 1987. Although she didn’t care for snooty people like Mrs. Oleson, her desire for the finer things in life keeps her dreaming.
Horror buffs know where I’m at when I say Happy Birthday to Mary. As a young child, I always thought she was so much prettier than Laura who was closer to my age. Yep, I liked them older back then. Her soft, long, straight hair and gentle, but tell-it-like-it-is nature sparked my curiosity in as far back as kindergarten. But, like the rest of the Ingalls clan, get on her bad side, and the claws come out. Nellie might seem like the tough one, but my money is on Mary all day and night. There’s something about those quiet ones, and there was definitely something about Mary.
If there is one character on television who ever earned my empathy as a child, it was poor old Mr. Oleson. There was a family on the street I grew up that had a similar dynamic of the overbearing wife ever gossiping and stirring up trouble in the neighborhood. It was the only house on the block that I heard regular threats of divorce being flung from both sides while my friend, who later became a menace to society, and I were simply trying to play with toys. Every time I saw Mr. Oleson make an appearance on the show, not only did I feel sorry for him, but also that poor neighbor.
If there were ever a zombie apocalypse, better back up than Mr. Edwards would be hard to find. He could brew alcohol from a tumbleweed and whip up a crock pot of zombie beef stew in the wink of an eye. But watch out if he drinks too much home brew. He’s liable to raise such a ruckus that every zombie within a country mile might come calling.
Mr. Edwards was more reliable than the United States Postal Service. Problems with bullies, blizzards, tornadoes, fires, floods, insects or rodents? Mr. Edwards is the man to call. He’ll even help do double time at the saw mill and show up most days unless he’s fallen off the wagon again. They just don’t build them like Mr. Edwards anymore.
Nellie would have given Bhad Bhabie a run for her money on the Dr. Phil show. The war between her and Laura played out like two OG’s on competing record labels. The hatred was for reals and angry flare ups often ended in violence. Prone to temper tantrums, screaming, crying, and carrying on, Nellie could knock a grown man to his knees with just the shrill of her voice.
If Laura Ingalls wants your man, she’ll take your man. She’ll also take your job at the school house if you’re not careful. Small, but spunky, lil 1/2 pint will smack a towns person down like she hit them with the whole pint instead of 1/2. She’ll even roll someone in a wheel chair down a hill towards a muddy pond.
Stay tuned for Little Meme on The Prairie, god willing, with the Reverend, Doc, Willie and more!