''Fix und Foxi'' was a weekly German comics magazine created by

Rolf Kauka Rolf Kauka (9 April 1917 in Markranstädt, Saxony – 13 September 2000 in Thomasville, Georgia) was a comic artist, most famous for the series ''Fix and Foxi''. In 1951, Rolf Kauka founded Kauka Publishing. Aside from Rolf Kauka's original comic ...

, which ran uninterrupted from 1953 until 1994. Re-christened ''Fix & Foxi'', it was relaunched as a monthly magazine in 2000, 2005 and 2010 respectively. Since the end of 2010, publication has once again ceased. During its heyday it was one of the most successful German comics magazines.

History of the comic

In 1947,

founded Kauka Publishing. In May 1953, his first comic book, ''Till Eulenspiegel'', appeared. The characters in the comic book were loosely based on

German folklore German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Partially it can be also found in Austria. Characteristics It shares many characteristics with Nordic folklore and English folklore due to th ...

. Apart from the legendary jokester as the main character, it featured an adaptation of

Baron Munchausen Baron Munchausen (; ) is a fictional German nobleman created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe in his 1785 book ''Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia''. The character is loosely based on a real ...

as well as animal characters such as Reineke Fuchs (

Reynard the Fox Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, a ...

) and Isegrim Wolf ( Isengrin). In issue number 6, the fox characters Fix and Foxi first appeared in a short comic story. They soon became the favorites of the readers and from issue number 29 the comic book was retitled ''Fix und Foxi''. Apart from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Kauka found experienced illustrators in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Over the years, they created more than 80 different comic characters under his supervision (for the most important ones see list below). Kauka also published series from other countries, mainly

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, giving them their first big break in Germany and popularizing them. ''Fix und Foxi'' was published weekly in Germany with a circulation up to 400,000 per week in the magazine's heyday. Allegedly, a total of over 750 million comic books were sold internationally. Kauka's foxes also appeared in magazine spin-offs, pocket books and albums. In 1973, Kauka sold his publishing house and ''Fix und Foxi'' was published by others, though he retained creative control. Bauer/VPM eventually became the publisher. In 1994 the comic series was retooled by the publishers into an adolescent tabloid magazine and the publication was changed from weekly to monthly. At this point, Rolf Kauka withdrew the publishing rights and stopped all publication of the series. From 1993 to 1998, Norbert Hethke Verlag produced reprints of the first 50 comic books. From 1997 to 1999 seven comic albums of classic comics were produced by Ehapa, the erstwhile Kauka rival. In 2000, there was a short-lived revival of the comic book by Ehapa, but it was discontinued after only the third issue due to insufficient sales. In 2005, the magazine was again relaunched by Tigerpress Verlag, Hamburg, a part of the Gruner & Jahr publishing house from the Bertelsmann Group. Shortly after, Tigerpress had faced bankruptcy in 2009, the magazine was once again relaunched, this time by New Ground Publishing, which went into liquidation at the end of 2010. In the last years of his life, Kauka began planning the Fix & Foxi TV series together with his wife, Alexandra Kauka. He also planned (in collaboration with the Ravensburger Corporation) Fix & Foxi Adventure Land in the Ravensburger Spieleland theme park. The '' Fix & Foxi and Friends'' TV series, first broadcast in Germany in February 2000, found its way into 30 countries. Following Kauka's passing in 2000, his estate controlled the characters. German children's media company Your Family Entertainment acquired the rights to his works, including ''Fix & Foxi'', in 2014.

Characters

The two main characters of the comic are the twin fox brothers, Fix and Foxi, who live in Fuxholzen (Foxburg in the TV series). They are open-minded, agile and caring, and therefore, serve as role models for their young audience.

Side characters

* Hops ( rabbit), Stops (

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

), and the latter's nephews Stips, Staps and Stups (hedgehogs). * Lupinchen (wolf) - Eusebia's granddaughter, cousin to Fix, Foxi and Lupo. She's crazy about pop music, fashion, etc. * Lupo (

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

) - a bit of a slacker who lives in a tower, and a gluttonous ne'er-do-well (particularly for Oma Eusebia's cakes) who is a true master at the art of enjoying life. * Oma Eusebia (wolf) - an “old maid”, who is also somewhat of a mother-figure for the others. Expert in baking cakes, she's also expert in keeping Lupo away from them. * Onkel Fax (

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

) - Fix and Foxi's bachelor uncle, with whom they live. The ex-Staff Sergeant (at least that's what he claims) is a passionate stamp collector who also dabbles in second-hand items. * Professor Knox ( raven) - the typical absent-minded professor and ingenious inventor.

Other Kauka characters

* Diabolino - a mischievous little devil who usually sides with the little people against ruffians, troublemakers and do-no-gooders. * Die Pichelsteiner - a Stone Age family clan. * Fridolin (

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

), Daggi (

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

) and Pieps ( mouse). * Mischa - spaceman of the future. * Pauli (

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

), Mausi (mouse), Mimi (Pauli's girlfriend). Pauli is Kauka's second most successful and durable creation. In the early days, the mole interacted with the Fix & Foxi family, but eventually got his own "universe" from 1958 onwards, when he moved back to his parents in Maulwurfshausen. * Tom und Klein Biberherz (Tom & Small Beaver Heart) - A teenage cowboy and his little Indian companion living their adventures in the Wild West, along with Tom's elderly, grumpy and crotchety uncle Nikodemus.

Fix & Foxi TV

Your Family Entertainment launched a Fix & Foxi television channel in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and Switzerland on December 1, 2014. In the years since, the channel has operated feeds around the world.

References

External links

Website of Fix&Foxi TV

Wiki on Kauka's publications
:''This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article.'' {{Authority control 1953 establishments in Germany 1994 disestablishments in Germany Defunct magazines published in Germany German comics characters Comics magazines published in Germany Fictional foxes 1953 comics debuts 1994 comics endings 2005 comics debuts 2009 comics endings Comic strip duos Comics about animals Comics about foxes Children's comics Fictional German people Male characters in comics Male characters in advertising Child characters in comics Child characters in advertising Animal mascots Mascots introduced in 1953 Comics characters introduced in 1953 Magazines established in 1953 Magazines disestablished in 1994 Magazines established in 2005 Magazines disestablished in 2009 Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into television series Magazine mascots