by Clara stood up, and the unexpected events that followed.
Heidi, Girl of the Alps, which depicts the growth of Heidi, who lost her parents and was left in the care of her misanthropic grandfather, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. Speaking of Heidi, some people may remember the famous line, “Clara stood up!”.
However, this line is not actually in the original novel. It is also included in the anime before the final episode, so surprisingly, few people may remember the story’s ending. Let’s look at the ending and differences between the original novel and the anime.
In the final episode of the anime version, the ending foreshadows “Running Clara.” The anime’s final episode is episode 52, but the famous “Clara stood up!” scene is in episode 48. Surprised by the loud mooing of the cows, “Clara” instinctively stands up using a tree as support. Clara’s grandmother first said, “Clara stood up!” when she saw Clara. “Heidi” also heard the story immediately after and rejoiced, “Clara stood up!” From there, Clara begins to practice standing up in earnest. By moving her legs and standing up, Clara slowly can stand up, and eventually, her efforts pay off, and she can stroll. In the final episode, episode 52, Clara’s father and grandmother visit Heidi’s house.
They are unaware of the situation but are happy to see Clara walking alone and are filled with tears of joy. Clara, who is still in poor health, returns to her original home of “Frankfurt” before winter comes and practices walking there. With a promise to Clara that they will return next spring, Heidi and “Peter” spend the winter on “Alm Mountain.” After learning from a letter that Clara can now run, Heidi and “Peter” look forward to spring even more and imagine the three of them running around together in the spring as they return home.
In the original novel, it is not said that “Clara has stood up!” In the original story, Heidi and Peter stand on either side of Clara to support her, and only then can Clara walk. Clara is the first to exclaim in excitement, “I can walk, Heidi! Oh, I can walk! Look!” Heidi is also happy, saying, “So she can walk now?” In the original story, Heidi does not say, “Clara stands up!” Although Heidi and the others are overjoyed, she stands up much more quickly than in the anime.
Then, the two call Clara’s grandmother by letter and show her that Clara can walk. Another difference is that in the anime, Clara accidentally breaks the wheelchair, but in the original story, Peter breaks it on purpose. He is jealous of Clara, who has her only friend, Heidi, all to herself. After that, Peter is afraid that the police will catch him. In the end, Clara’s grandmother forgives Peter, gives him ten rappen every week, and gives his grandmother a bed.
The following day, Clara leaves with her family for “Lagartz Hot Springs,” the story ends with Peter’s grandmother giving thanks to God. This means Peter, a nonexistent Josef. There are also significant differences between the original novel and the anime. In the original, Peter is portrayed as mean and violent. In addition, Josef, the St. Bernard family member in the anime, does not appear in the original novel.
The anime only briefly touches on the grandfather’s past, but the original novel details why he became moody and his dark past. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the anime’s broadcast, this work is a hot topic with pop-up shops and various collaborations, so be sure to take this opportunity to compare the differences.
