Girls Gone Wilder is a blog featuring love letters to, life lessons from, and acerbic observations on the Little House on the Prairie (LHOP) TV episodes by two friends, Tracy Ball & Anne Laker.
This blog is inspired by a journal Anne kept from 1981-83 (her ‘tween years). In it, the budding media critic recorded descriptions of re-run LHOP episodes, ranking each as poor, fair, good or excellent.
Tracy and Anne met freshman year in high school (1984) and have been pals ever since. In 2011, after hearing Anne mention her adolescent obsession, Tracy dutifully typed up the entries after Anne excavated the journal.
Anne’s episode synopses are a springboard for 21st-century sassiness, as we take turns reflecting on the cultural impact of this classic show, with all its romanticized history, sadistic suffering (thanks, Michael Landon), and general irresistibility. We believe that you can only lampoon something you really love.
Anne Laker is hostess of the radio show Flick Fix, often romps in fields of flowers, and really digs calico. She learned to sew in 1981 for the express purpose of making a sunbonnet.
She has owned several sunbonnets.
Tracy Ball is an advertising copywriter. She proudly embraces her love of vintage motor scooters and mid-century design. You can visit her at tracyrball.com.
She has never owned a sunbonnet and has no future plans to don one.
The authors as they are today, on a recent visit to the American Writers Museum in Chicago, Illinois.