Kal and Ada are an

archetypal The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...

, fictional working-class couple from

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. They have become synonymous with "people from Gothenburg" and are featured in "Gothenburg jokes" (''göteborgsvitsar''), songs, plays and names of events. The urbanization and industrialization of Sweden starting in the late 1800s led to a new kind of city-based working class. Kal-and-Ada jokes frequently pit that class against wealthy people or authority figures. Kal, also known as Kâlle or Karl, and Ada are patriotic,

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

-loving, hard-drinking

practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

rs who love to tease

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

ers,

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

ns and other outsiders. They often feature in stories with their friends Osborn and his wife Beda. In Gothenburg, each year two persons who have significantly contributed to culture in the city are given the honorary titles of "Kal and Ada". A bronze statue of the couple made by Svenrobert Lundquist, was placed outside the entrance to Liseberg in 1995.

References

{{reflist Gothenburg in fiction Gothenburg in popular culture Fictional Swedish people

See also

References