Funniest ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Bloopers
Melissa Gilbert says there were “glaring and hilarious bloopers and goofs” on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert gives credit to Lennon Parker at PrairieFans.com for spotting many of the bloopers. Here are some of the funny mishaps that took place on Little House on the Prairie throughout the years.
Laura Ingalls was pregnant on the show for over a year
In the book My Prairie Cookbook, Gilbert and Parker point out that Laura was pregnant for more than a year. When she first announced her pregnancy, it was warm out, perhaps during spring or summer. However, by the following summer, she is still pregnant. Gilbert says she never noticed her character had been pregnant for so long. “Poor Laura, pregnant for more than a year!” jokes Gilbert.
Colonel Sanders makes an appearance—but he didn’t exist yet
During a season 8 episode titled “Wave of the Future,” Nelly Oleson’s restaurant is transformed into an establishment called Mrs. Sullivan’s. However, Nelly discovers she signed a franchise contract that isn’t beneficial. Charles and Nels open a competing restaurant so they can help Nellie get out of her contract. Their plan works, and she goes out of business.
Colonel Sanders offers Harriet a deal where she can open her own chicken franchise. However, at the time, Colonel Sanders wasn’t born yet (he wasn’t born until September 9, 1890). Also, Kentucky Fried Chicken wasn’t founded until 1952.
The cast on Little House on the Prairie often ate Kentucky Fried Chicken during dinner scenes, so this could have been a way for them to give a nod to the franchise. “We ate a lot of fried chicken on Little House,” wrote Gilbert in My Prairie Cookbook. “Cross my heart, it’s true: The fried chicken we ate on Little House on the Prairie was from KFC.”
Characters are walking around without coats in the middle of winter
Another blooper happens during an episode titled “Bless All the Dear Children.” During this episode, Laura’s baby is kidnapped. This occurs around Christmas in Minneapolis. This time of year in Minneapolis tends to be very cold. However, everyone is walking around without coats.
Gilbert says this likely happened because they filmed the show in Tuscon, Arizona during the summer. She describes the weather as “misery personified.”
A dummy is visible during a stunt
During “The Odyssey,” an episode from season 5, someone tries to throw Albert off the train. However, Laura pushes the man off the train before he can hurt Albert. During that scene, a dummy is thrown from the train. The dummy can be seen sitting in the grass while the stuntman is rolling down the hill past it. We can’t imagine how the editors missed this blooper, but it’s pretty funny.
In one scene, a cabinet is closed, then it’s open
During “Little Girl Lost” in season 3, there was a continuity error the editors missed. Mary closes one of the cabinets. However, when the camera pans to Laura, the cabinet is open. Gilbert jokes that the house might have been haunted.
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