Not knowing much about this character, i did a little research. Sue was rather popular during the Great Depression - some writers have attributed her innocence and demeanor to bring hope and sunshine to people during those difficult times. ...
Sue became popular again - not in a good way- during the 1980's and the women's movement. The Seamsters Local #500 of Lawrence, Kansas vented their rage at the state of women’s affairs by killing her off in a group quilt called The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue. The blocks are a historical reflection of the troubled decade. Among twenty blocks depicting her demise, Sue commits suicide at Jonestown by drinking purple Kool-Aid, is killed at the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster, is crushed by a falling Skylab, and is eaten by Jaws. Other, more conventional endings show Sue hit by lightening, tied to railroad tracks, buried alive, and eaten by a giant snake.
Who knew that so much history was tied to this block.