World Masterpiece Theater
is an anime series based on the Finnish novel "Paimen, piika ja emäntä" ("The Shepherd, the Servant Girl, and the Hostess") by Auni Nuolivaara. The series was broadcast originally in Japan in 1984 as part of the children's anthology series "World Masterpiece Theater", also known simply as ""Meisaku" from Nippon Animation. The anthology had before and after produced a great variety of animated series based on different children's novels from around the world; among them were "" (1983) and "Little Princess Sara" (1985). In Europe, where "World Masterpiece Theater" series have found huge success, "Katri, Girl of the Meadows" made its way to different countries, including Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Despite the series taking place in Finland, it has never been published or broadcast there, and most Finns have never heard of it.