Children's favorite
For several generations now, the Krteček (Little Mole) cartoon character has been a favourite of not only Czech and Central European children, but also of children in India, China, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Iran, Iraq, and Japan. The popular black-furred creature with the bright red nose was created by Czech illustrator Zdeněk Miler (1921-2011).
But how did the famous Mole come to be? Miler got asked to make an animated series for children, so he started thinking about how to make a character that would appeal to a young audience.
International success
The key of the international success lies in the fact that Krteček does not talk. And yet, anyone can understand it.
“The series didn’t have to be translated into foreign languages, as it was understood by all children. Krteček can only laugh, cry, or be surprised. The sound effects were made by Miler’s daughters. He explained to me how he took his daughters to the studio one day to record Krteček’s voice. Then he used the recordings in different situations.” Veverková adds.
The first Little Mole film was released in 1957 and immediately received the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. In total, Zdeněk Miler filmed 49 episodes of the series, which saw Krteček take up a range of professions and confront various technological gadgets.
Into space!
Krteček accompanied Zdeněk Miler throughout his life. And the artist was proud of his creation, attending book fairs to autograph Little Mole books.
On May 16, 2011 a plush toy of Krteček was present on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour, where it accompanied the U.S. astronaut Andrew J. Feustel, whose wife is of Czech ancestry, on the STS-134 space mission.
On May 23, 2019 the Alfa Romeo Racing Formula One team announced Krteček as the new team partner. Frédéric Vasseur, principal of the team, said that the goal of the partnership is to capture the imagination of hundreds of thousands of children and get them closer to the sport using Krteček’s big follower base all over the world.
Today, an exposition at the small castle of Kladno, where Zdeněk Miler was born, is dedicated to his memory and his world famous creation.
Source: Radio Prague International and Wikipedia