Little House On The Prairie cast 'We were like family'

Nearly four decades on, the stars of the classic series tell all

It was the charming feel-good show adored by Kiwi families for close to a decade. And now, nearly 40 years since it left our screens, Little House On The Prairie still holds a place in TV fans’ hearts.

The classic series, which aired from 1974 to 1983, is remembered just as fondly by the show’s cast too.

“We were very lucky,” says Melissa Gilbert, aka young Laura “Half-Pint” Ingalls. “We were like a second family.”

FUN PLAYGROUND

Little House On The Prairie was set in the late 1800s on a small farm near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and Melissa, who went on to appear in Nip/Tuck and 7th Heaven, says life on set was a dream.

“It was the best game of dress-up anybody played in the history of the world,” says the 57-year-old, who became a proud grandmother in June when her son Dakota, 32, welcomed his first child, daughter Ripley.

“I wore actual high-button shoes. We had wagons to ride, horses, cattle, chickens and other kids to play with.”