Mole (Zdenek Miler character)
Encyclopedia
The Mole is an animated character in a series of cartoon
s, created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler
.
It was first to be seen in 1956 in Prague
, when Miler wanted to create a children's cartoon about how flax
is processed. He wanted a strong Disney
-influence to the cartoon by choosing an animal for the leading role, and decided to pick a mole
after stumbling over a molehill during a walk. The first film called "Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel" ("How the mole got his pants") was released in 1956, and the cute main character won itself an enormous popularity in many Eastern European countries as well as Germany, Austria, India and China. Production for further episodes started in 1963 and since then, around 50 episodes have been created.
The first episode of the cartoon was narrated
, but Miler wanted the cartoon to be understood in every country of the world, so he decided to use his daughters as voice actors
, reducing the speech to short non-figurative exclamations in order to express the mole's feelings and world perception. They also became the bottleneck
of the creation process as they were the ones who got to see the whole film first, thus Miler was able to decide whether the message of the movie was able to get to children or not.
Composers:
on May 16, 2011. It accompanied the U.S. astronaut Andrew Feustel, whose wife is of Czech ancestry, on the STS-134
mission.
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s, created by Czech animator Zdeněk Miler
Zdenek Miler
Zdeněk Miler was a Czech animator and illustrator best known for his Mole character and its adventures.-Early years:...
.
It was first to be seen in 1956 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, when Miler wanted to create a children's cartoon about how flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
is processed. He wanted a strong Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
-influence to the cartoon by choosing an animal for the leading role, and decided to pick a mole
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
after stumbling over a molehill during a walk. The first film called "Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel" ("How the mole got his pants") was released in 1956, and the cute main character won itself an enormous popularity in many Eastern European countries as well as Germany, Austria, India and China. Production for further episodes started in 1963 and since then, around 50 episodes have been created.
The first episode of the cartoon was narrated
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, but Miler wanted the cartoon to be understood in every country of the world, so he decided to use his daughters as voice actors
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
, reducing the speech to short non-figurative exclamations in order to express the mole's feelings and world perception. They also became the bottleneck
Bottleneck
A bottleneck is a phenomenon where the performance or capacity of an entire system is limited by a single or limited number of components or resources. The term bottleneck is taken from the 'assets are water' metaphor. As water is poured out of a bottle, the rate of outflow is limited by the width...
of the creation process as they were the ones who got to see the whole film first, thus Miler was able to decide whether the message of the movie was able to get to children or not.
Music
Music plays an important role in the cartoons, since the characters almost never utter more than emotional sounds, the most common of which is "Hello!". The original series' music uses acoustic and electric musical instruments, rather than synthesized ones.Composers:
- Miloš Vacek
- Vadim PetrovVadim PetrovVadim Petrov is a Czech composer of Russian descent.Petrov is pianist and composer of classical and popular music. He stems from the family of a Russian emigrant, a family doctor, resident in Žižkov...
(1974–1987, most episodes)
Short films
| Episode | English title | Czech title | Year | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00. | How The Mole Got His Pants | Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel | 1957 | 11:51 |
| 01. | The Mole and the Car | Krtek a autíčko | 1963 | 14:30 |
| 02. | The Mole and the Rocket | Krtek a raketa | 1966 | 08:40 |
| 03. | The Mole and the Transistor Set | Krtek a tranzistor | 1968 | 08:10 |
| 04. | The Mole and the Green Star | Krtek a zelená hvězda | 1969 | 07:30 |
| 05. | The Mole and the Chewing Gum | Krtek a žvýkačka | 1969 | 07:20 |
| 06. | The Mole in a Zoo | Krtek v Zoo | 1969 | 06:05 |
| 07. | The Mole as a Gardener | Krtek zahradníkem | 1969 | 06:55 |
| 08. | The Mole and the Hedgehog | Krtek a ježek | 1970 | 08:25 |
| 09. | The Mole and the Lollipop | Krtek a lízátko | 1970 | 08:00 |
| 10. | The Mole and the TV | Krtek a televizor | 1970 | 05:30 |
| 11. | The Mole and the Umbrella | Krtek a paraplíčko | 1971 | 07:10 |
| 12. | The Mole as a Painter | Krtek malířem | 1972 | 09:35 |
| 13. | The Mole and the Matchbox | Krtek a zápalky | 1974 | 05:30 |
| 14. | The Mole and the Music | Krtek a muzika | 1974 | 05:15 |
| 15. | The Mole and the Telephone | Krtek a telefon | 1974 | 05:25 |
| 16. | The Mole as a Chemist | Krtek chemikem | 1974 | 05:30 |
| 17. | The Mole and the Carpet | Krtek a koberec | 1975 | 05:40 |
| 18. | The Mole and the Egg | Krtek a vejce | 1975 | 05:35 |
| 19. | The Mole at Christmas | Krtek o Vánocích | 1975 | 05:45 |
| 20. | The Mole as Photographer | Krtek fotografem | 1975 | 05:45 |
| 21. | The Mole as Watchmaker | Krtek hodinářem | 1975 | 05:25 |
| 22. | The Mole and the Bulldozer | Krtek a buldozér | 1975 | 05:43 |
| 23. | The Mole in the Desert | Krtek na poušti | 1975 | 05:52 |
| 24. | The Mole at a Carneval | Krtek a karneval | 1976 | 05:25 |
| 25. | The Mole and the Charcoal | Krtek a uhlí | 1995 | 04:10 |
| 26. | The Mole and His Friends | Krtek a kamarádi | 1995 | 05:18 |
| 27. | The Mole's Weekend | Krtek a víkend | 1995 | 05:05 |
| 28. | The Mole and the Robots | Krtek a robot | 1995 | 05:00 |
| 29. | The Mole's Birthday Party | Krtek a oslava | 1995 | 05:04 |
| 30. | The Mole and the Little Duck | Krtek a kachničky | 1995 | 05:00 |
| 31. | The Mole in the Underground | Krtek a metro | 1997 | 05:00 |
| 32. | The Mole and the Mushrooms | Krtek a houby | 1997 | 04:28 |
| 33. | The Mole and the Little Mouse | Krtek a myška | 1997 | 05:19 |
| 34. | The Mole and the Little Hare | Krtek a zajíček | 1997 | 05:11 |
| 35. | The Mole and the Mother | Krtek a maminka | 1997 | 05:20 |
| 36. | The Mole and the Flood | Krtek a potopa | 1997 | 05:04 |
| 37. | The Mole and the Snowman | Krtek a sněhulák | 1998 | 05:09 |
| 38. | The Mole at the Beach | Krtek a dovolená | 1998 | 01:15 |
| 39. | The Mole and the Flute | Krtek a flétna | 1999 | 05:05 |
| 40. | The Mole and the Source | Krtek a pramen | 1999 | 05:33 |
| 41. | The Mole and the Grumbler | Krtek a šťoura | 1999 | 05:21 |
| 42. | The Mole and the Swallow | Krtek a vlaštovka | 2000 | 04:25 |
| 43. | The Mole and the Little Fish | Krtek a rybka | 2000 | 05:02 |
| 44. | The Mole and the Little Frog | Krtek a žabka | 2002 | 05:20 |
Films
| English title | Czech title | Year | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mole in Town | Krtek ve městě | 1982 | 28:31 |
| The Mole in a Dream | Krtek ve snu | 1985 | 28:09 |
| The Mole and the Medicine | Krtek a medicína | 1987 | 28:08 |
| The Mole as Movie Star | Krtek filmová hvězda | 1988 | 27:47 |
| The Mole and the Eagle | Krtek a orel | 1992 | 28:05 |
| The Mole and the Clock | Krtek a hodiny | 1994 | 28:04 |
In space
A 19cm (7.5") tall plush toy of Krtek was present on board the Space Shuttle EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
on May 16, 2011. It accompanied the U.S. astronaut Andrew Feustel, whose wife is of Czech ancestry, on the STS-134
STS-134
STS-134 was the penultimate mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. The mission marked the 25th and final flight of . This flight delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier to the International Space Station. Mark Kelly served as the mission commander...
mission.
External links
- Big Cartoon Database – Krtek episode info Mole fansite which was forced to be taken down by WDRWestdeutscher RundfunkWestdeutscher Rundfunk is a German public-broadcasting institution based in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia with its main office in Cologne. WDR is a constituent member of the consortium of German public-broadcasting institutions, ARD...
in May 2005; on the closure of the site through the legal instrument AbmahnungAbmahnungAbmahnung is the formal request by one person to another person to forthwith stop a certain behaviour.If this formal request is made by an attorney, then it is a cease-and-desist letter...
The March 3, 2005 version of the site at Internet Archive Krtek in Japan