''Bummi'' is the title of a German

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for children in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

age. The eponymous hero ''Bummi'' is an upright walking, yellow-furred

teddy bear A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, ...

. ''Bummi'' was first published on 15 February 1957 as a monthly in the

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. From 1965 onwards, it was published biweekly and cost 0.25

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

. It had a run of 736,300 copies in . The magazine was officially published and supported by the central organisation of the FDJ with the aimed at age group of children from 3 to 6 years. It was sold at

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

s and ordinary magazine stands. The eponymous title character was designed by Ingeborg Meyer-Rey. long-serving main contributing editor Ursula Werner-Böhnke wrote the lyrics to the

Bummi-Lied The "Bummi-Lied" (German for: „Bummi-Song“) with its opening line „Kam ein kleiner Teddybär..“ („Came a little Teddy bear“..) is a Kinderlied from the GDR with 5 stanzas. The text was written by Ursula Werner-Böhnke, main contributi ...

, to which the melody was composed by

Hans Naumilkat Hans Christoph Karl Friedrich Naumilkat (9 December 1919 – 13 February 1994) was a German composer and music educator. Life Born in Schönebeck, Naumilkat passed his Abitur in 1938 and subsequently studied music and music education in Braun ...

. The lied became part of the educational system from 1969 onwards. Richter-Brief

At the beginning of the 1970s, the magazine introduced the "Goldene Kindersonne" (German for: "Golden Children's Sun"), which was an award, which the children could cut out of the magazine and give to a person of their choice. (in reference to other awards in the grown-up world) Children contacting the magazine to confer a "Goldene Kindersonne" award could obtain a standardised, but hand-signed thank-you letter from one of the famous contributing artists and authors.

References

External links

Bummi on the platform DDR-Comics.de

Germany's longestserving children's magazine „Bummi“ turns 50 years old

Bummi in the DDR-MuseumArticle about the Bummi-Exhibition in Rochow-Museum Reckahn 2017

External links

{{Authority control Children's magazines published in Germany 1957 establishments in East Germany Magazines established in 1957 Monthly magazines published in Germany Weekly magazines published in Germany German-language magazines Mass media in East Germany