What was the name of the baby's house-tormentor's cat?
Remember the Kid from the cartoon about Carlson and his nanny, Miss Bock? And the loud-voiced puppy and the housekeeper's languid cat? What was her name?
Was there a cat?
The Kid we've loved since childhood was created by Boris Stepantsev. For us, he's a sweet boy who suffers from a lack of attention from his parents and dreams of a dog. He even invents a friend for himself—Karlsson, who lives on the roof. Then one day, a charismatic nanny, Miss Bock, shows up at the boy's house, trying to establish order. Kid and Karlsson nicknamed her "the housewife." She arrived wearing a green coat with a red fur collar, a small hat, a vacuum cleaner, and a cage... with a cat.
Interestingly, the entire story of the housewife, as we remember her, was entirely invented by Boris Stepantsev. Astrid Lindgren didn't have a cat, just as Little Boy wasn't a quiet, obedient boy, but a real tomboy. Nevertheless, the cat fit seamlessly into the story, complementing her owner's character and serving as a foil to Little Boy's loud puppy.
Matilda, my child...
So, the cat of Malysh's housekeeper was named Matilda. These eight letters hold true power. The extravagant owner, whom Carlson called "Madame," was bound to have an unusual pet. That's why Boris Stepantsev decided to name her Matilda.
It has ancient Germanic roots: "math" meaning strength, "hiltia" meaning struggle. A woman with this name always attracts men at first sight. An independent character, persistence, and a penchant for moralizing are Matilda's distinctive traits. You might not know these details, but just look at the caged cat in Miss Bock's arms, and everything will become clear.
Statistically, the name Matilda is usually given to calico or ginger cats. Whether it's a coincidence, or perhaps the cartoon itself started the fashion for this nickname, but Miss Bock had just such a cat: large, fluffy, white and ginger, with a flirty bow on her head.
Breed
Experts say that the cartoon shows a striking representative of the breed. Highland Fold, or Scottish Fold A long-haired cat. The distinctive feature of this breed is its ears. They curl slightly forward, visually rounding the head. The Highland Fold has a perfectly straight tail and a muscular body with powerful short legs. Some people think that Freken Bock is overweight, but this is not the case. Highland Folds never appear skinny, if only because of their voluminous, fluffy fur. Matilda's coloring is also characteristic of this breed – bicolor.
This breed was chosen for Matilda for a reason. Firstly, it perfectly matches the image of its owner and is very much like a housewife. Secondly, Highland cats were becoming popular around the time the cartoon was released. Thirdly, the author was drawn to the cat's personality: it gets along well with children and other pets, and is also a wonderful companion.
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