''Timm Thaler oder Das verkaufte Lachen'' (roughly translated as ''Timm Thaler, or the Traded Laughter'' and best known as simply ''Timm Thaler'') is a 1962 children's novel by German author

James Krüss James Krüss (31 May 1926 – 2 August 1997) was a German writer of children's and picture books, illustrator, poet, dramatist, scriptwriter, translator, and collector of children's poems and folk songs. For his contribution as a children's writ ...

. Regarded by the ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'' as Krüss' best known children's book, ''Timm Thaler'' tells the story of a boy who trades his enchanting laughter to a wealthy mysterious

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles i ...

-like Baron in exchange for the ability to win any bet he makes. Regretting the exchange, he undertakes a four-year journey to win his laughter back. In 1979, Krüss wrote a sequel novel, ''Timm Thalers Puppen oder Die verkaufte Menschenliebe'' (roughly translated as ''Timm Thaler's Puppets, or the Traded Love for Mankind''). The popular story was subsequently adapted into a 13-part German children's television miniseries in 1979, and again, as a 2-part Soviet musical television movie in 1981. The story was later re-adapted into an animated German television series in 2002.

References

1962 German novels German children's novels German fantasy novels German-language novels Metafictional novels German novels adapted into television shows German novels adapted into films 1962 children's books {{1960s-child-novel-stub

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