Pumuckl And Gustl Bayrhammer As Meister Eder
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''Meister Eder und sein Pumuckl'' (English: ''Master Eder and his Pumuckl)'' is a German children's series created by
Ellis Kaut Elisabeth "Ellis" Kaut (17 November 1920 – 24 September 2015) was a German author of children's literature, best known for her creation of Pumuckl, a kobold appearing in radio plays and TV series. She also published novellas and some illustrat ...
. Originally a radio play series of the
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n Radio in 1961, the stories were later adapted into books, a successful TV series of the same name, three films and a musical. Pumuckl is a red-haired
Kobold A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ger ...
and descendant of the Klabautermänner. He is invisible to people around him except for the master carpenter Eder with whom Pumuckl lives. Pumuckl is one of the most popular characters in children's entertainment in Germany and several generations have now grown up with the cheeky but funny little Kobold.


Plot


How Pumuckl and Master Eder met

Being a descendant of the Klabautermann people, who were sailors, Pumuckl loves everything that has to do with the ocean, especially sailboats. For reasons unknown, he gets lost in Bavaria, where no ships are to be found. He doesn't like neat and clean places, so he takes refuge in a carpenter's untidy workshop. The workshop belongs to elderly Meister Eder. It is precisely the fact that the workshop is untidy which seals Pumuckl's fate. He gets stuck on an overflowing pot of glue. It is a rule among Kobolds that whenever one of his kind gets stuck to something manmade, they become visible, and according to the rules of their ancestors, must stay with the human who sees them, in this case Meister Eder. On the show and in the books, Pumuckl is always visible if nobody other than Meister Eder is present. However, he turns invisible when other people come into view. At first, Meister Eder is reluctant to take in the kobold, since he is quite content on his own, but Pumuckl makes it clear that he has no other choice. A deep friendship soon blossoms between the elderly man and the cheeky kobold. Note: Meister Eder's profession is given as "Schreinermeister" in the original German, which means that he makes and repairs furniture, which is also shown on the show (and mentioned in the stories / radio plays). The term "Meister" means that Eder has the qualification to take in apprentices. In Germany at the time, it was common to refer to craftsmen by their professional title and their last name, the way it is still done with doctors.


A typical Pumuckl story

There are several ways for a Pumuckl story to begin. These include: * Pumuckl feels bored in the workshop, so Meister Eder tells him to go out to explore, but not get into trouble. Naturally, Pumuckl does get into trouble. * Pumuckl is bored and sneaks out of the workshop without Meister Eder's approval. He meets the people in the neighborhood, eavesdrops on them and occasionally plays a practical joke on them or else tries to help them (with varying levels of success). * A client enters the workshop who has something Pumuckl fancies. * A client enters the workshop and discovers a belonging of Pumuckl's (typically one of the tiny pieces of furniture that Meister Eder has made for him); he/she wants to purchase it at all cost. * A conflict between Meister Eder and his sister or his cleaning woman is shown. Pumuckl tries to help. * Meister Eder and Pumuckl go on holiday or on a day trip. * Meister Eder is ridiculed by somebody (usually because he believes in Pumuckl), and Pumuckl tries to make things better. * Meister Eder presents Pumuckl with a gift *:Note: Usually, this ends with the gift being withdrawn. * Pumuckl discovers something in Meister Eder's household (e.g. matches) and plays with it. At the end of each episode of the 1980s TV show, Pumuckl and Meister Eder usually reconcile. However, some episodes end with Pumuckl being punished. At the end of one episode, in which Pumuckl tries to make chocolate pudding without Meister Eder's permission, Eder confines Pumuckl to the balcony and eats the pudding alone. Other episodes end with Eder's withdrawal of something he gave to the little kobold. The two-part story "Der große Krach" ("The big dispute") has the first part ending with Eder throwing Pumuckl and his bed out of the workshop. But by the end of the second part, the two have reconciled.


Main characters


Pumuckl

Pumuckl's character is usually childishly immature and mischievous. Since the Pumuckl stories are aimed at children, we presume that he was written this way so that children can relate to him. Pumuckl's age is never mentioned, in one radio play he claims he was born "vor siebzig-dreizehn Jahren" ("seventy-thirteen year ago"), since he cannot count very far and constantly invents certain fantasy numbers. In a TV episode he claims he was "dreihundertzwölfundzwanzig Jahre alt" ("three hundred twelve and twenty years old"). He had a life before he became visible, but it was very different: he didn't have to eat and was immune to cold and heat. Meister Eder sees Pumuckl as a child and usually appears as his guardian. He often tries to teach him some morals, not always with the desired result. For example, he never really manages to suppress Pumuckl's urge to steal things, though he always makes him give back what the little kobold has taken. Pumuckl is occasionally very selfish, and sometimes this leads to actual wrongdoing. However, when Pumuckl realises that he has hurt somebody, he feels genuine remorse and does everything he can to help that person. In the TV show Pumuckl is usually dressed in a yellow shirt and green trousers. He wears those clothes right from the first time Meister Eder sees him, and they, unlike any other clothing, are invisible too. Only one episode, "Der Wollpullover" ("The woollen sweater"), deals with Pumuckl's occasional need for other clothes (the sweater however is not invisible. The kobold always is barefoot. In the audio plays and TV show, Pumuckl was voiced by actor
Hans Clarin Hans Clarin (14 September 1929 – 28 August 2005) was a German actor. He became a well-known voice actor of characters in children audio plays, particularly the kobold ''Pumuckl'' (including its TV and cinematic film adaptations), the German voic ...
.


Meister Eder

He appears to be the exact opposite of Pumuckl. The little kobold likes to get in trouble, but the elderly carpenter prefers to stay out of trouble and keeps to himself. He spends most of his time with Pumuckl. However, he has a couple of friends, elderly handymen like himself, whom he regularly meets in the local pub to have a beer. Meister Eder, whose first name is given as "Franz", has a sister and two young nieces, Barbara, nicknamed Bärbel (as seen in the episode "Eder bekommt Besuch"/"Eder gets visitors") and Monika (as seen in the episode "Pumuckl und die Ostereier"/"Pumuckl and the Easter eggs"). Furthermore, he has a nephew named Dieter (as seen in the episode "Die Bergtour"/"The hiking tour"). Meister Eder's sister is concerned because her brother has never found a wife and spends a lot of time alone, which occasionally leads to conflicts between the siblings. Other family members are his cousin Irma and her son Fritzl (as seen in the episode "Der verhängnisvolle Schlagrahm"/"The fateful whipped cream"). Although his workshop is often in disorder, Meister Eder likes a clean living space (he lives in a flat above his workshop), which is why he has a cleaning lady, who serves as a supporting character in several stories. Being very different from Pumuckl, Meister Eder is presented as a law-abiding citizen who is meticulous on the job and always polite. He also completely fails to have sympathy with Pumuckl when the latter steals things. When the little kobold plays a minor practical joke, his behavior is sometimes condoned by Eder, because it made him laugh or think. In the TV show, Bavarian actor
Gustl Bayrhammer Gustl Bayrhammer (12 February 1922 – 24 April 1993) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows between 1964 and 1993. He starred in the 1970 film ''o.k. (film), o.k.'', which was entered into the 20th Berlin ...
played Master Eder. On the radio show, before Bayrhammer, Eder was originally voiced by Franz Fröhlich and Alfred Pongratz. Additionally, Wolf Euba dubbed the voice of Eder in parts of the ''Blaue Klabauter'' film (1994).


Supporting characters

* Mrs. Eichinger - She is Meister Eder's cleaning lady. She is incredibly
superstitious A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and pr ...
and constantly tries to persuade Meister Eder to believe in the same things she does, for instance by reading him his horoscope. Meister Eder usually reacts in a dismissive way, but that doesn't keep the cleaning lady from trying again. * Mr. Bernbacher - a locksmith and best friend of Meister Eder. Bernbacher is the one who always teases Meister Eder about Pumuckl. In several episodes, that results in an indignant Pumuckl pulling pranks on Bernbacher. * Mr. Schmitt - runs a small car repair shop. He is another friend of Meister Eder's. * Mr. Wimmer - a person who never appears on the show in person, though he can be heard occasionally during phone conversations. Wimmer operates an
antique store An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online. An antiques shop can also be located within an anti ...
which Meister Eder sometimes repairs pieces of furniture for. * Mr. Schwertfeger - an elderly acquaintance of Mr. Eder. Appears in the film and in a few episodes. His trademark is wearing two glasses at once, one on the nose and one on the forehead. * Mr. and Mrs. Stürzlinger - the caretakers of the house in which Mr. Eder lives and works. * Mrs. Hartl - Eder's nosy and capricious neighbor.


History


1961: Radio plays

Pumuckl's character was invented in 1961 by the German novelist
Ellis Kaut Elisabeth "Ellis" Kaut (17 November 1920 – 24 September 2015) was a German author of children's literature, best known for her creation of Pumuckl, a kobold appearing in radio plays and TV series. She also published novellas and some illustrat ...
after she wrote a short story about a naughty demon for a radio drama series at the
Bavarian Radio Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR; "Bavarian Broadcasting") is a public-service radio and television broadcaster, based in Munich, capital city of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany. BR is a member organization of the ARD consortium of public broadcas ...
. The first episode of the show was broadcast on February 21, 1962 and the last episode was broadcast on December 30, 1973. A total of 90 episodes were created. Pumuckl's naughty character was an immediate success among the young audience.


1965: Books

In 1963 a competition was held at Munich's graphic art academy which focused on the creation of Pumuckl's appearance. The winner was
Barbara von Johnson Barbara von Johnson (born 1942) is a German illustrator and artist. She was the first designer of the fairy-tale figure Pumuckl, a Kobold, which she designed in a competition to illustrate a story by Ellis Kaut. Life She has three sons has lived a ...
. In 1965 Pumuckl's first book was published. The book consisted of illustrations made by Johnson. Between 1965 and 1978, ten books which consisted of 60 stories were published by the publisher Stuttgart-Herald. Only in 1991 an eleventh book was published which consisted of six more stories. Thus a total of 66 stories have been published in book form until today.


1969: records

33 LPs were created since 1969 which were based on the radio show, however, there was much less dialect than on the radio shows. On the records Pumuckl was played by
Hans Clarin Hans Clarin (14 September 1929 – 28 August 2005) was a German actor. He became a well-known voice actor of characters in children audio plays, particularly the kobold ''Pumuckl'' (including its TV and cinematic film adaptations), the German voic ...
and Master Eder was played by
Alfred Pongratz Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *'' Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interl ...
. After the death of Alfred Pongratz six more LPs were produced, each with two episodes, in which Gustl Bayrhammer played Master Eder and Harald Leipnitz was the narrator. After the success of the movie and the first TV season, a complete new edition was created which consisted of 86 episodes in cassette format in which Gustl Bayrhammer played Meister Eder.


1982: Feature film "Meister Eder and his Pumuckl"

Between 1979 and 1982 the first Pumuckl feature film was released under the title "Meister Eder and his Pumuckl". Pumuckl appears in the film and in all the subsequently films and TV series, as a cartoon character in a real environment.


1982-1988: TV series "Meister Eder and his Pumuckl"

The first season of the series was broadcast on Bavarian television as a German-Hungarian co-production during 1982-1983 and consisted of 26 half-hour episodes. Many well-known German actors like
Willy Harlander Willy Harlander (1931–2000) was a German film and television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media su ...
,
Erni Singerl Erni is both a given name, often a short form of Ernest, and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name or nickname *Erni Arneson (1917–2006), Danish actress *Erni Cabat (1914–1994), American artist *Erni Gregorčič (born 19 ...
, Toni Berger,
Wolfgang Völz Wolfgang Otto Völz (16 August 1930 – 2 May 2018) was a German actor. He is known for his roles in theatre plays, TV shows, feature films (especially German films based on Edgar Wallace works) and taped radio shows. He was also a very prolif ...
and
Helga Feddersen Helga Feddersen (; 14 March 1930 – 24 November 1990) was a German actress, comedian, singer, author, and theater director. Biography Feddersen was born and died in Hamburg. She took up acting early in her life, first being cast for minor part ...
had appearances in the series. In addition, it featured many one-time guest appearances of famous German actors like Lisa Fitz,
Gisela Uhlen Gisela Uhlen (16 May 1919 – 16 January 2007) was a German film actress and occasional screen writer. Biography Uhlen was born Gisela Friedlinde Schreck (German national library entry) in Leipzig, Germany as fourth child of Luise Frieda and ...
,
Helmut Fischer Helmut Fischer (15 November 1926 – 14 June 1997) was a popular, award-winning German actor. Life Helmut Fischer was the son of a businessman and a tailor who grew up in the Munich district of ''Neuhausen'' at '' Donnersbergerstraße 50a'', ...
,
Barbara Valentin Barbara Valentin (born Ursula Ledersteger; 15 December 1940 – 22 February 2002) was an Austrian actress. She worked in film, often with Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Biography Valentin was born in 1940 as Ursula Ledersteger in Vienna, Austria. He ...
,
Gaby Dohm Gaby Dohm (born 23 September 1943 in Salzburg) is a German actress. She is the daughter of actor Will Dohm and actress Heli Finkenzeller. Selected filmography * ''When Mother Went on Strike'' (1974) * '' The Serpent's Egg'' (1977) * '' Doktor F ...
,
Klaus Schwarzkopf Klaus Schwarzkopf (18 December 1922, in Neuruppin – 21 June 1991, in Bochum) was a German actor. From 1971 until 1978 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. He was also known as a res ...
,
Georg Thomalla Georg Thomalla (14 February 1915 – 25 August 1999) was a German actor. He appeared in about one hundred fifty film and television productions between 1939 and 2000 and was widely known in Germany for his comedic roles. Thomalla was well k ...
,
Barbara Rudnik Barbara Rudnik (; 27 July 1958 – 23 May 2009) was a German actress. Selected filmography External links * 1958 births 2009 deaths German film actresses German television actresses 20th-century German actresses 21st-century Ge ...
,
Iris Berben Iris Renate Dorothea Berben (, born 12 August 1950) is a German actress and voice actress. Biography Berben was born in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia. She grew up in Hamburg, where her parents ran a restaurant. Berben has appeared in about ...
, Fredl Fesl,
Karla Bonoff Karla may refer to: People * Karla (name), a feminine given name * Petras Karla (1937–1969), Soviet Olympic rower Places * Karla, Kose Parish, a village in Harju County, Estonia * Karla, Rae Parish, a village in Harju County, Estonia * Kärl ...
and
Rolf Zacher Rolf Zacher (28 March 1941 – 3 February 2018) was a German actor. Life and career Zacher appeared in about 190 films and television shows between 1961 and 2016, often in illustrious or eccentric character roles. He starred in the 1971 fil ...
. The series was directed by
Ulrich König Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements '' uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as the name of A ...
. The second season of the series which was broadcast during 1988-1989 consisted of another 26 episodes.


1994: Feature film "Pumuckl and the blue Klabauter"

Gustl Bayrhammer died in 1993. Because of his death before the completion of the film, Bayrhammers voice was dubbed in the remaining segments of the film by the actor
Wolf Euba 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 u ...
.


1995-2007: TV show "Pumuckl TV"

In 1995 ARD started to broadcast "Pumuckl TV". Hans Clarin played the villain in this series.


1999: TV series "Pumuckls Abenteuer"

In 1999 another 13 episodes were broadcast on the Children's Channel, under the title "Pumuckl's Abenteuer". Due to Bayrhammer's death, the plot occurred aboard a ship and focused on Pumuckl and the ship's cook. This third season did not reach the popularity of the first two seasons of the show broadcast in the 1980s.


2000: Musical "Meister Eder and his Pumuckl"

On October 21, 2000 a Pumuckl musical called "Meister Eder and his Pumuckl" started to play in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
. The musical has had over 250,000 spectators.


2003: Feature film "Pumuckl and his circus adventures"

The film "Pumuckl and his Circus Adventure" was produced between 1999 and 2003. In the movie, Eder died off-screen, resulting in Pumuckl deciding to move to Eder's cousin, who is played by Hans Clarin, who, due to his bad health, was no longer able to voice Pumuckl, which is why the character was voiced by Kai Taschner instead.


Pumuckl Controversy

According to
Reuters News Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was establ ...
, April 11, 2007, Ellis Kaut is going to court in a dispute over the impending marriage of Pumuckl. The illustrator, Barbara von Johnson, is supporting a local TV show's contest to design a girlfriend for Pumuckl. The winner will get to visit von Johnson's Munich villa and take part in a "wedding" staged for the popular fictional character. According to the same Reuters article, von Johnson said Pumuckl deserves a girlfriend but Kaut said the character must stay true to his spirit nature. According to
Spiegel Online ''Der Spiegel (online)'' is a German news website. Before the renaming in January 2020, the website's name was ''Spiegel Online'' (short ''SPON''). It was founded in 1994 as the online offshoot of the German news magazine, ''Der Spiegel'', wit ...
, January 10, 2008 the verdict was: Pumuckl may marry - at least he could now if he wanted to.


See also

* Uli der Fehlerteufel


References


External links

*
pumucklhomepage.deWed Apr 11, 2007 8:48am EDT > Creators fight over cartoon imp's right to wed , Oddly Enough , Reuters
{{Authority control Fictional kobolds Fictional characters from Altbayern Germany in fiction Children's television characters German children's television series Television series with live action and animation Television shows set in Munich Television shows based on children's books Fictional characters introduced in 1961