Alfie Atkins
Encyclopedia
Alfie Atkins is a fictional character
created by the author
Gunilla Bergström
from Sweden
in 1972. Alfie Atkins appears in book
s and animated cartoon
s. In Swedish
, he is known as Alfons Åberg.
Alfie Atkins is a pretty ordinary guy, who lives with his father. When he is younger he has an imaginary friend named Malcolm (Mållgan in Swedish), that only he can see. Later, he gets real friends such as Milla and Victor (Viktor). He also has a cat named Puzzle (Pussel).
In the books Alfie experiences many ordinary everyday events that all kids can easily recognize. In his longing to grow up and be a big boy, Alfie often competes with his father on who can manage these events in the best way.
Alfie's father is a positive male role model for Alfie; women, however, do not appear as frequently in the stories, although Alfie has both an aunt named Fifi (Fiffi) and a grandmother.
Alfie and his father love each other very much and there is no mentioning of a wife or mother. Even though this family form is not the most common, parents of both sexes can identify themselves with Alfie's father.
The first book about Alfie, Goodnight, Alfie Atkins (Godnatt, Alfons Åberg), came out in 1972. There are 24 books in the Alfie series, along with seven other Alfie books for smaller children. The books have been translated into 29 different languages. The books are illustrated by Gunilla Bergström.
Alfie is called Alfons Åberg in Swedish and Danish, Willi Wiberg in German, Albert Åberg in Norwegian, Einar Áskell in Icelandic, Mikko Mallikas in Finnish and Ifan Bifan in Welsh.
The company that publishes the books is called Rabén & Sjögren
.
and the musical score was composed by Georg Riedel
. The show was a co-production between Åhlin's company PennFilm, the Swedish Film Institute
and the Nordic
television channels SVT
, NRK, DR and YLE. Between 1979 and 1982 13 episodes of approximately 10 minutes each was produced. In 1994, three additional shorts were produced.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Gunilla Bergström
Gunilla Bergström
Gunilla Bergström is a Swedish author, journalist, and illustrator from Gothenburg. She is best known for her series of children's books about the character Alfie Atkins ....
from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1972. Alfie Atkins appears in book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s and animated cartoon
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
s. In Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, he is known as Alfons Åberg.
Alfie Atkins is a pretty ordinary guy, who lives with his father. When he is younger he has an imaginary friend named Malcolm (Mållgan in Swedish), that only he can see. Later, he gets real friends such as Milla and Victor (Viktor). He also has a cat named Puzzle (Pussel).
In the books Alfie experiences many ordinary everyday events that all kids can easily recognize. In his longing to grow up and be a big boy, Alfie often competes with his father on who can manage these events in the best way.
Alfie's father is a positive male role model for Alfie; women, however, do not appear as frequently in the stories, although Alfie has both an aunt named Fifi (Fiffi) and a grandmother.
Alfie and his father love each other very much and there is no mentioning of a wife or mother. Even though this family form is not the most common, parents of both sexes can identify themselves with Alfie's father.
The first book about Alfie, Goodnight, Alfie Atkins (Godnatt, Alfons Åberg), came out in 1972. There are 24 books in the Alfie series, along with seven other Alfie books for smaller children. The books have been translated into 29 different languages. The books are illustrated by Gunilla Bergström.
Alfie is called Alfons Åberg in Swedish and Danish, Willi Wiberg in German, Albert Åberg in Norwegian, Einar Áskell in Icelandic, Mikko Mallikas in Finnish and Ifan Bifan in Welsh.
The company that publishes the books is called Rabén & Sjögren
Rabén & Sjögren
Rabén & Sjögren is a book publishing company in Sweden. It was established in 1942 by Hans Rabén and Carl-Olof Sjögren. Since 1998 it is part of the P.A. Norstedt och Söner publishing group, a division of Kooperativa Förbundet....
.
Cartoon series
In the late 70's-early 80's, a cartoon series was produced, containing adaptations of the books. The main director was Per ÅhlinPer Åhlin
Per Johan Axel Åhlin , is a Swedish artist and animator.-Career:Åhlin started his career as an artist for the Hasseåtage production Svenska bilder from 1964. After that he has worked on several other Hasseåtage films, including The Adventures of Picasso from 1978 where he provided and animated...
and the musical score was composed by Georg Riedel
Georg Riedel
Georg Riedel , is a Swedish double bass player and composer. Riedel migrated to Sweden at the age of four and went to school in Stockholm....
. The show was a co-production between Åhlin's company PennFilm, the Swedish Film Institute
Swedish Film Institute
The Swedish Film Institute was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the Filmhuset building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm...
and the Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
television channels SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
, NRK, DR and YLE. Between 1979 and 1982 13 episodes of approximately 10 minutes each was produced. In 1994, three additional shorts were produced.