It has been a bit more than four score and seven years since this character was introduced and, yet, I’ll bet she would be instantly recognizable to you with her distinctive clothing and special skills.

In her first fictional incarnation, this character was described as “vain” and reserved and never wasted time on “being nice.” 

The character was based on a relative of the author’s and she recalled her as “tall and gaunt” with a face that sported a “long upper lip that curled at the corners when she smiled.”

The idea for the character came to the author when she was working as a reporter in London, although she is said to have entertained her younger sisters with a version of this character when they were kids.

The name and life she gave her was a mix of autobiography, observation and fantasy. 

Legend has it that when the author finished writing the first book, she was convinced that no one would want to read about the adventures of the sometimes harsh, sometimes whimsical character she’d created.  

But a friend read the manuscript and persuaded the author to show it to a publisher.

The books were quickly popular and movie offers followed. But the author resisted for nearly 20 years!  

She was concerned that her character would be made into a cartoon version of the woman she’d created.  

And, in the end, when the first film was made, the author is reported to have sat at the premiere crying tears of anger.  

A national magazine reported that she felt “a strange kind of violence” had been done to her work.

And yet this character is beloved in books and films even today.  

She inspires readers to think for themselves, take a risk or two and let their imaginations fly.

So, can you guess who our mystery character is?  When you have the name, email me at kmiller@MPR.org.  

— Kerri Miller | MPR News