Results from Season Favorites Survey

Here are the results from our most recent survey. When asked which season of Little House on the Prairie is your favorite, Season 1 easily took the top slot, followed closely by Season 6. The rest in order are:

Season 3

Seasons 5 & 10 tied for the next slot.

Season 8

Seasons 2, 7, & 9 tied for the next slot.

Season 4 came in last.

It's always interesting to see how these things turn out. Hope you enjoyed our survey.

Survey Results: These Happy Golden Years Favorite Little House Book

In 2013 we had a poll up that asked what your favorite Little House book is. Our readers selected These Happy Golden Years by a wide margin. Here are the top three choices:

• These Happy Golden Years 52%
• The Long Winter (my personal favorite) 25%
• On the Banks of Plum Creek and Little Town on the Prairie 22%

Thanks for taking part in this poll. The survey's full results appear in the sidebar.

Survey Results

It's an upset! For that past two years in a row, A Christmas They Never Forgot took top honors as the Little House on the Prairie episode our readers most wanted to watch.  This year, Christmas at Plum Creek won by a landslide, taking 47% of the vote, while A Christmas They Never Forgot and Blizzard tied for second place. The Christmas scene from The Pilot and the post--series movie, Bless All the Dear Children tied for third. That last one I try to forget exists. It's too sappy even by LHOP standards.

Thanks to all who participated. Hope you had a nice holiday.

Survey Results - Beyond the Prairie

Wow! We had a four-way tie for this last survey question. We asked, "Did you purchase Beyond the Prairie on DVD?" Two said yes. Two said no. Two said not yet, and two others said they hoped Santa would bring it.

I don't know if my review changed your mind for or against. Feel free to let me know.

New Survey: Did You Purchase Beyond the Prairie on DVD?

In 1999, CBS produced a TV movie titled Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder. A teenage Laura Ingalls (Meredith Monroe) is living on the South Dakota prairie with her Pa (Richard Thomas), Ma (Lindsay Crouse), and her three sisters. This is also where she meets the man she will eventually marry, Almanzo Wilder, played by Walton (Walt) Goggins.

She leaves home for the first time to teach so that she can help pay for her blind sister, Mary (Barbara Jane Reams) to attend school. Eventually Almanzo asks for her hand. The newlyweds' life isn't easy, however. They deal with crop failures, illness, the death of their infant son, and their house being burned to the ground.

Narrated by an older Laura (Tess Harper), this is a reflection of those years in her life.

The second movie, Beyond the Prairie, Part 2, was released in 2002. Also narrated by Tess Harper, this picked up right where the last movie left off. Having struggled in South Dakota, Almanzo, Laura, and their daughter Rose, journey by covered wagon to the Land of the Big Red Apple- the Ozarks of Missouri.

With only $100 tucked into Laura's writing desk, the young family begins their new life. But it isn't an easy life. Almanzo's illness and stroke has left him too weak to tend the rocky land. They must hire help, but can offer little in means of wages. A precocious Rose doesn't fit in well at school and runs away.

Amidst trying to get settled in Mansfield, Laura receives word that her beloved Pa is dying. She journeys back to De Smet to say her good-byes.

Many fans were not aware of these movies when they first came out. As discussions came about on PrairieTalk about them, more fans were looking for copies of the movies. In 2010, both movies were released on a single DVD. While some (like me) are disappointed that these movies claiming to be the "true" story of Laura Ingalls Wilder contain many inconsistencies to her real life, I am still glad to have this DVD as part of my collection.

Have you purchased it or do you plan to? If not, can you tell us why?

Survey Results: The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

Our readers were almost evenly spread out on when or if they would be purchasing a copy of The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure.

Here are the results:

30% said they didn't plan to read it
25% said had pre-ordered it, while another 25% said maybe
20% of our readers said they would buy it once it's out

The majority of our readers not opting to purchase the book surprised me. The majority of the reviews on Amazon have been favorable. I'm one of those people who usually buys anything to do with Little House on the Prairie or Laura Ingalls Wilder anyway, but I think this is such a new idea in the Laura World that it would be of great interest to many.

Thanks for participating in our survey. We'll have a new one coming soon.

Survey Results

And the survey says...

78% of you have watched The Little House Years from Season 6.

15% of you haven't watched it, but have heard of it, while

5% had no idea what I was talking about.

I wish this had made it onto the DVDs somewhere, but I guess I should be glad you can still see them from time to time on TV.

Look for a new survey, coming soon!

New Survey Posted in the Sidebar

I just posted a new survey for the month of July in the sidebar. This one asks if you've read Alison Arngrim's book, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch and what you thought of it. Feel free to expand your thoughts here.

Thanks for taking the time to vote!

Survey Results

Sometimes I have to admit the results of the surveys surprise me. As the owner of Dean's Divas, is not a shock that several voters--including me--said they are interested in Dean Butler's autobiography. Matt and/or Patrick Labyorteaux being a top pick (tying with Dean) is also not a huge surprise. The character of Albert is a fan favorite, which might be increased by how Matt has stepped out of the spotlight as he has gotten older.

Some of the other choices, however, were not what I expected. The Greenbush Twins tied with Dean and the Labyorteaux brothers for the most interest. Now, I'm not saying they aren't wonderful ladies, it's just that the character of Carrie was often minimized on the show. She wasn't even really allowed to grow up, as Laura and Mary had been.

The one thing that left me shaking my head, though, was that Karen Grassle didn't garner any votes. Now, it's possible she could have been included by the 12% of voters who said they were interested in several cast autobiographies, but most of the actors still ended up with some votes.

While Grassle hasn't been seen on TV since 1994--other than in Little House on the Prairie reruns--she remained active in theater and co-founded Sante Fe’s Resource Theatre Company. In 2006, she starred as Miss Daisy in Driving Miss Daisy at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her easily recognizable face can be seen in commercials for Premier Bathrooms. In addition, she could provide a perspective of being on the show that is very different from the stars who were children during their time on Little House.

It was very interesting to see how this survey turned out.

Thanks to all who participated in this latest survey. Look for another one coming soon!

Vote in Our New Survey

Take a minute while you're browsing around to vote in our new survey. We ask, "What other cast member's autobiography are you interested in?"

There are several choices and I left the last option for someone who isn't listed. Since these are autobiographies, the person would need to be living. I might also run one on biographies, which would allow us to include deceased members of the cast.

And the Survey Says...

It was no big surprise that most of those who voted in our recent survey said they were planning on buying Alison Arngrim's and Melissa Sue Anderson's books when they come out this spring. An equal amount (7%) said either they were not planning on buying them or that they were buying Melissa's book. It looks like none of our readers plans to buy only Alison's book.

I go back to my earlier post about Almanzo's birthday and how we're not quite sure what the future will bring for fans of Laura. It certainly seems like a good time to be a Little House on the Prairie fan, with three of the major stars from the series coming out with books over the past year.

We wish these ladies well. Maybe Dean will start writing down his story soon.

A diva can hope, can't she?

New Survey Now Open!

Our new survey asks if you plan to purchase the upcoming Little House on the Prairie cast member autobiographies by Alison Arngrim and Melissa Sue Anderson.

The polls are open until February 13th. Feel free to share your thoughts in this thread.

Christmas Survey Results

How a year changes things. Last year when I asked our readers to vote for their favorite Little House on the Prairie Christmas episode, A Christmas They Never Forgot barely beat out Christmas on Plum Creek to take the title.

But this year, A Christmas They Never Forgot took 45% of the vote to the 22% that Christmas on Plum Creek received. The Christmas scene from the pilot came up with 18% of the vote, followed by Blizzard with 9% and Bless All the Dear Children with 3%. I wonder if some snow in that episode would have helped out those votes for the last one. Just kidding.

Thanks to all who participated. A new survey is coming soon.

Survey Results

Not surprisingly, the majority of our readers would like to see Dean Butler play a part in Little House on the Prairie: The Musical. Twenty percent, however, only wanted him to be part of the production if his performance would be close enough for them to see the show. But when 7% of our readers responded "Dean who?" I really began to get worried. Out of all the cast members I talk about Dean the most, so where have these people been hiding all this time. LOL!

I've been away for a couple of weeks, but Dean, the actor who portrayed Almanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie for those 7% who don't know, was in Green Bay recently, along with Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer William Anderson to celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder Day at Heritage Hill State Historical Park. Beth Ingalls-Leisses, one of Charles Ingalls's relatives, and a friend of mine, met Dean and Bill while they were there.

I want to thank my friend Lorrie for thinking of me while she spent time rubbing elbows with Dean and Bill. This week's mail brought me an autographed copy of William Anderson's The Story of the Ingalls and autographed greettings from Dean. I am extremely happy!

Look for a new survey coming soon!

New Survey!

Please vote in our latest survey, which asks, "Are you planning to buy Melissa Gilbert's biography?"

Your choices are:

* You Bet!
* Maybe.
* Maybe as a gift.
* I'm waiting for reviews.
* Not really interested.

This survey will be available until May 30, 2009.

And the Survey Says...

Our last survey asked voters if they thought that Little House on the Prairie would be as popular if it aired today versus in the 1970's. An overwhleming 31% said "Definitely!", while "Maybe" and "Probably Not" were tied at 12%.

Thanks goes out to eveyrone who voted. Look for another survey coming soon!

New Survey!

It's been a while, but there is a new survey posted in the left hand sidebar. Keeping in mind the advent of reality TV and how the television business has changed over the years, do you think Little House on the Prairie would be just as popular of a show if it was airing now instead of in the 70's and 80's?




Feel free to share the reasons behind your vote here!

And the survey says...

Life seems to have gotten away from me since planning for the holidays. Here's hoping I'll have more time to dedicate to this blog in the near future.

In November and December we asked which is your favorite Little House on the Prairie Christmas episode. A Christmas They Never Forgot barely beat out Christmas on Plum Creek to take the honors, followed closely by the Christmas scene from the Pilot.



A Christmas They Never Forgot takes place during Season 8 after the Cooper children have been adopted by Charles and Caroline. A very pregnant Laura, Almanzo, the Ingalls family, and Hester Sue plan to spend the holidays together. Hester Sue brings Mary and Adam back as a surprise and everyone is excited to see them again.



Caroline, Almanzo, Laura and Hester Sue all share Christmas stories from their past while the entire group is snowed in by a blizzard leaving the little house on Plum Creek filled to capacity and overflowing with love and the joys of the season.

Look for a new survey coming soon.

New Survey

Our latest survey asks, "What is your favorite Little House on the Prairie Christmas Episode?"

Is it:

* When Mr. Edwards crosses the creek to bring the Ingalls girls their Christmas presents their first year in Kansas during The Pilot?

* Is it that first Christmas on Plum Creek when Baby Carrie says, "Happy Birthday Jesus!"

* Did you enjoy the drama of the episode Blizzard, when some of the children get lost in a sudden storm that catches them unaware on their way home from school?

* How about when the Ingallses, Wilders, Kendalls, and Hester Sue share stories of Christmases long ago as they wait for a storm to pass?

* Or was it the final Christmas episode where Almanzo, Laura, and Isaiah frantically search for Rose, who has been kidnapped, while Jenny and the Carters are treated to a bit of Christmas cheer thanks to Mr. Montague?

Please vote in our new survey and feel free to elaborate upon your selection here. If you recognize the photo I used, then you'll already know my favorite.

And the survey says...

I was thrilled to see that 60% of our readers plan on purchasing Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura by Legacy Documentaries. I've just received notification from the Wilder Homestead that they are ready to fill pre-orders, so I am excited that I will have a copy of this DVD in my hot little hands soon.

I will be reviewing this DVD at Laura's Little Houses, so make sure you check back for that soon.



Also, for the few readers who voted that they never heard of this new production from Dean Butler and Legacy Documentaries, go to this link to read my interview with Dean. He shares a great deal of information about this new documentary that would make a wonderful addition to any Laura Ingalls Wilder fan's collection.