Did Pippi know the freckle-faced boy?

This may seem like an odd question but it came to me when I watched the film recently. When I first saw it, I assumed that Pippi had already met the freckled boy she talked to downtown "Hey Freckle-Face. Dontcha just love freckles?" After all, she acted like they were friends. Now I'm wondering if she even knew him at all and was acting oddly friendly to a stranger. After all, it wouldn't be out of character for Pippi. What do you think?