Nellie Oleson

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Nellie Oleson, is a fictional character that appeared in the children's books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her character was later adapted for the NBC television show, Little House on the Prairie.

She also stars in the book Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls, by Heather Williams.

Contents 1 Little House books 2 Little House on the Prairie television series 3 Historical influences 3.1 Nellie Owens 3.2 Genevieve Masters 3.3 Stella Gilbert 4 Cultural impact 5 References

[edit] Little House books

Nellie Oleson appeared in three books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (On the Banks of Plum Creek, Little Town on the Prairie, and These Happy Golden Years).

In On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura Ingalls meets Nellie Oleson, a school girl who makes fun of Laura and her sister Mary for being "country girls". Laura and Mary are invited to a party at the Oleson's home, and later Laura and Mary invite all the girls (including Nellie) to a party at their house to reciprocate. Nellie returns in Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years. In These Happy Golden Years, Nellie makes a brief appearance during two Sunday buggy rides with Almanzo Wilder, who later explains to Laura that he only offered Nellie a ride because he felt sorry for her. Nellie's chatter and flirtatious behavior towards Almanzo annoys Laura, who causes the still-skittish horses Almanzo is training to bolt, which terrifies Nellie. Shortly thereafter, Nellie moves back to New York after her family loses their homestead.

[edit] Little House on the Prairie television series

The Little House books were later adapted into a long-running television series. Played by actress Alison Arngrim, Nellie Oleson was a manipulative, witty, sharp-tongued character on the NBC television show, Little House on the Prairie. Her parents, Nels and Harriet Oleson, owned the mercantile in the small town of Walnut Grove, set in post-Civil War Minnesota. Nellie had long blond hair, acted very prissy and spoiled, and had a vicious and manipulative personality. Her counterpart and nemesis was the tomboy Laura Ingalls, played by Melissa Gilbert. Nellie and Laura feuded during their school years together. After graduating school, Nellie's mother, Harriet Oleson, bestowed her with a restaurant and hotel. Harriet eventually hired Percival Dalton (played by Steve Tracy) to help Nellie learn how to cook and run the restaurant. During this time, Nellie began maturing and fell in love with Percival. The two eventually married, and Nellie gave birth to twin children (Benjamin and Jennifer). Arngrim left the series at the end of the seventh season. At the beginning of the eighth season, it was revealed that Nellie, Percival, and their children had moved to New York to run Percival's family business. Grief-stricken, Harriet adopted a daughter named Nancy (played by Allison Balson), who bore a striking resemblance to Nellie, although she had a much nastier and meaner disposition than Nellie. Nellie returned in the ninth season and met Nancy, who briefly ran away from home when she felt that her adoptive parents loved Nellie more than her.

[edit] Historical influences

The fictional character Nellie Oleson was a composite character based on three different school girls from Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood. Most of the events involving the character of Nellie were heavily fictionalized and none of the three girls she was based upon did these things. ^{[1] [2]}

[edit] Nellie Owens

The first girl, Nellie Owens, was a year younger than Laura and had a younger brother named Willie, just as the character of Nellie Oleson did in the books. Her parents, William and Margaret Owens (renamed Nels and Harriet Oleson in the television series), ran the local mercantile in Walnut Grove. Nellie Owens is the main basis for Nellie Oleson in On the Banks of Plum Creek. Later in her life, Owens moved to California and then on to Oregon, where she married Henry Kirry and had three children, Zola, Lloyd, and Leslie. Her brother Willie went blind from a firecracker explosion, attended a school for the blind, married, and also had three children. There seems to be no indication that Laura ever saw Nellie Owens again after Laura's family left Walnut Grove.

Nellie died in 1949

[edit] Genevieve Masters

The second girl, Genevieve Masters, was the spoiled daughter of Laura's teacher in Walnut Grove. Genevieve wore pretty clothes and had beautiful golden ringlets, just as "Nellie Oleson" did. Genevieve was originally from New York and wore fancier New York clothing and boasted about the city. With her superior attitude, Genevieve was far nastier than Nellie Owens was, and the two became keen rivals. The two girls were in a constant battle to be the leader of the school peer group, and all the younger girls were forced to take sides. Laura, however, refused to take sides and became the new leader. Gennie's family moved to De Smet not long after the Ingalls family, but the Owens family did not move. Therefore, the Nellie of Little Town on the Prairie is mainly Genevieve Masters. In her "Letter to Children" written late in her life (a sort of form letter sent to the hundreds of children who wrote her monthly), Laura states that "Nellie Oleson . . . moved back East, and did not live many years". She was evidently referring to Genevieve Masters in this letter.

Gennie died of pneumonia in 1909

[edit] Stella Gilbert

The third girl, Stella Gilbert, was a poor girl who lived on a claim near De Smet. Though poor, she was beautiful and was interested in Almanzo Wilder. She convinced him to take her on several buggy rides, which were described in These Happy Golden Years; but when Almanzo (who was not aware of the conflict between Stella and Laura) was made aware of Stella's shallowness, the rides stopped. Stella's older brother was Dave Gilbert, the brave young man (he was 17 at the time) who made the very risky run to Preston, South Dakota on his horse drawn sled between blizzards to take the outgoing mail, and bring back the incoming mail as described by Laura in The Long Winter.

Stella died in 1944.

[edit] Cultural impact

The sketch comedy group The Nellie Olesons took their name after the character.

[edit] References