La Bola de Cristal
Encyclopedia
La Bola de Cristal was a Spanish
TV Show that aired on TVE
from 1984 to 1988. The show was the brainchild of Spanish writer Dolores Rico Oliver (better known for her artistic name, Lolo Rico) and was conducted by pop singer Alaska
. The show, which was ostensibly targeted at a young audience, reflected the spirit of the times, that of the post-Franco
Spanish transition and of the cultural and musical movement known as la movida.
In contrast to previous shows, with a very childish use of language, it had continuous puns related to electronics: the Electroduendes ("Electrogoblin
s") puppets included Maese Cámara, Hada Vídeo and Bruja Avería (the Breakdown Witch) as regular characters.
In one of its sections, they used to introduce a chapter of classic series. The first season included The Little Rascals, the second season, The Munsters
, and the third season, Bewitched
.
La Bola de Cristal also included slogans against authority and capitalism
, with political satires that led the show to its cancellation in 1988. Before the cancellation order, at least one new season of La Bola de Cristal was planned, with Sonia Martínez
as new presenter.
Although it was never released on VHS
video, in 2003 selected excerpts of the series were released on DVD
. These DVDs did not feature episodes from The Munsters and Bewitched since they were copyrighted by their owners, but included episodes from The Little Rascals.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
TV Show that aired on TVE
Televisión Española
Televisión Española is the national state-owned public-service television broadcaster in Spain. TVE's activities were previously financed by a combination of advertising revenue and subsidies from the national government, but since it's been supported by subsidies only.TVE belongs to the RTVE...
from 1984 to 1988. The show was the brainchild of Spanish writer Dolores Rico Oliver (better known for her artistic name, Lolo Rico) and was conducted by pop singer Alaska
Alaska (singer)
Alaska is a Spanish - Mexican singer, dj, and TV personality famous in Spain and Latin America. She was of the main characters in the so called Movida the cultural movement following the Franco dictatorship in Spain...
. The show, which was ostensibly targeted at a young audience, reflected the spirit of the times, that of the post-Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
Spanish transition and of the cultural and musical movement known as la movida.
In contrast to previous shows, with a very childish use of language, it had continuous puns related to electronics: the Electroduendes ("Electrogoblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
s") puppets included Maese Cámara, Hada Vídeo and Bruja Avería (the Breakdown Witch) as regular characters.
In one of its sections, they used to introduce a chapter of classic series. The first season included The Little Rascals, the second season, The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
, and the third season, Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
.
La Bola de Cristal also included slogans against authority and capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, with political satires that led the show to its cancellation in 1988. Before the cancellation order, at least one new season of La Bola de Cristal was planned, with Sonia Martínez
Sonia Martínez
Sonia Martínez was a Spanish actress and TV introducer, known by her role in the Spanish version of American educational TV broadcast 3-2-1 Contact aimed to spread Science through 12-14 year old audiences...
as new presenter.
Although it was never released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
video, in 2003 selected excerpts of the series were released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. These DVDs did not feature episodes from The Munsters and Bewitched since they were copyrighted by their owners, but included episodes from The Little Rascals.