Princewill Pius
Unfortunately, Dolly Parton admitted to The Tennessean, “I do not have the original coat, because when we were growing up, Mama made scraps out of everything.” However, she does have the next best thing — “My mother, years ago when the song became a hit, she made a little mockup, a little replica of what she remembered in her mind that the coat was,” Parton shared.
The song meant so much to Parton that she adapted it into a TV movie — which got nearly 16 million views (per Parade) — and a children’s book. She shared, “As a matter of fact, one of the things I’m proudest of is the little book that we had out.” As Parton explained, the track has become “an anti-bullying song” in schools: “It lets people know that we’re supposed to love one another for who and what we are, and to celebrate our differences because we shouldn’t all be the same.”
While Parton didn’t have a traditional coat as a child, she gained so much more. She said it best when declaring, “To me, it’s more than a song. It’s an attitude. It’s a philosophy.” In a full-circle moment, Parton wanted to buy her mom a mink coat with earnings from the song — but ultimately, her mom (who sadly passed away in 2003) realized she had no need for such a fancy coat and preferred the money instead.
Written by: Nicki
