''Unser Sandmännchen'' ("Our Little Sandman"), ''Das Sandmännchen'' ("The Little Sandman"), ''Der Abendgruß'' ("The Evening-Greeting"), ''Abendgruß'' ("Evening-Greeting"), ''Der Sandmann'' ("The Sandman"), ''Sandmann'' ("Sandman"), ''Sandmännchen'' ("Little Sandman") is a German children's bedtime television program using

stop-motion animation Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...

. The puppet was based on the Ole Lukøje character by

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

. Two versions of ''Sandmännchen'' were created: one in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

(''Unser Sandmännchen''), and one in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

(''Das Sandmännchen''). The series is the longest-running animated television series in history; additionally, it is the TV show with the most episodes in history.

Background

The original idea came from Ilse Obrig, who in 1950 changed from East Berlin's Berliner Rundfunk (BERU) to

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

TV and radio station Sender Freies Berlin (SFB). With the help of author Johanna Schüppel, she developed a working version of the character and its story in 1958. ''The Little Sandman'' himself first appeared on screen in West Berlin in ''Sandmännchens Gruß für Kinder'' (''Sandmännchen's Greeting to Children'') on 1 December 1959, and other episodes were soon made. However, already on 22 November 1959 (only three weeks after the production had started), East German television

Deutscher Fernsehfunk Deutscher Fernsehfunk (DFF; German for "German Television Broadcasting") was the state television broadcaster in the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) from 1952 to 1991. DFF produced free-to-air terrestrial television programmin ...

(DFF) began broadcasting its own ''Unser Sandmännchen'', complete with its own "good night, children" character, also called ''Sandmännchen''. Created by the puppetmaster and director Gerhard Behrendt, the East German show represented everyday life, travel, and fantastic adventures. The character often showcased socialist technological achievements, such as the use of awe-inspiring vehicles like futuristic cars and flying devices. It was very popular with GDR citizens to the point that after the wall fell, former citizens lamented the appropriation of the beloved cartoon by corporate West German television. The production of the West German version of ''Sandmännchen'' ceased in 1991, following the unification of Germany. The East German version was ultimately more popular, and repeats of episodes are still broadcast today. A full-length feature film, ''The Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams'' (German: ''Das Sandmännchen – Abenteuer im Traumland'', literally "The Little Sandman – Adventure in Dreamland"), was released in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Theme tune

Wolfgang Richter composed the theme to the East German programme in just three hours one evening. Wolfgang Krumbach wrote the text. It was sung by the Rundfunk-Kinderchor Berlin. Opening verse (on the Sandman's arrival): :"Sandmann, lieber Sandmann, es ist noch nicht so weit! :Wir sehen erst den Abendgruß, ehe jedes Kind ins Bettchen muß, :du hast gewiß noch Zeit." Translation: :"Sandman, dear Sandman, it's not yet time! :First we'll watch the "Evening Greeting" before every child must go to bed. :Surely you have time for that." There was a second verse which was dropped after the German reunification because it mentions the East German Fernsehfunk which no longer existed: :"Sandmann, lieber Sandmann, hab nur nicht solche Eil! :Dem Abendgruß vom Fernsehfunk lauscht jeden Abend alt und jung, :sei unser Gast derweil." Translation: :"Sandman, dear Sandman, don't be in such a rush! :Everyone, young and old, listens to Fernsehfunk's "Evening Greeting" every night. :Please be our guest for that." Closing verse (when he leaves): :"Kinder, liebe Kinder, das hat mir Spaß gemacht. :Nun schnell ins Bett und schlaft recht schön. :Dann will auch ich zur Ruhe gehn. Ich wünsch' euch gute Nacht." Translation: :"Children, dear children, that was fun. :Now, quick, to bed and sleep tight. :Then I will also go and rest. I wish you a good night." The score and overall design of the show was remarkably elaborate for a children's television production. The Sandman often visited other countries, and this fact was frequently emphasised by the use of traditional instrumentation and harmony added to the score.

International broadcasts

The East German show was shown in many countries, including western countries like

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The show was named "Jon Blund" in Norway, "John Blund" in Sweden and "Nukkumatti" in Finland. The theme song in Norway went as follows: :"Hvem er denne karen med skjegg og lue på? :Han ligner litt på nissen i grunn, det er ikke ham det er Jon Blund. :Han besøker store og små." In English, this means: :Who is this man with a beard and a hat on? :He looks a bit like santa actually, but it's not him it's Jon Blund. :He visits children big and small. The first verse of the theme song in Swedish was: :"Titta, kom och titta, kom sätt er här omkring. :Det dröjer säkert ännu en stund innan sömnen kommer med John Blund. :Han vill visa oss någonting." In English, this means: :"Look, come look, come sit down around here. :It will surely be a while yet before sleep comes with John Blund. :He wants to show us something." The theme song in Finland was: :Nukkumatti, nukkumatti lasten, illoin kulkee, heittää unihiekkaa. :Päivän leikit aika lopettaa on, kun TV:n iltasatu alkaa. :Satu päättyi näin ja lapset käyvät jo nukkumaan, siis hyvää yötä. In English, this means: :Sandman, the children's own Sandman, makes his rounds at night, sprinkling dream sand. :It's time to cease the games of the day, when the TV bedtime story begins. :Thus ended the fairy-tale, and the children are already going to bed, so good night.

Supporting characters

The Sandmännchen stories contained a number of characters who remain popular today: *'' Pittiplatsch'', a little round-bodied

kobold A kobold (; ''kobolt'', ''kobolde'', cobold) is a general or generic name for the household spirit (''hausgeist'') in German folklore. It may invisibly make noises (i.e., be a poltergeist), or helpfully perform kitchen chores or stable work. ...

, with his friends ''Schnatterinchen'', a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

, and ''Moppi'', a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

. *''Herr Fuchs'', a

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

, and his friend ''Frau Elster'', a

magpie Magpies are birds of various species of the family Corvidae. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent c ...

. *''Plumps'', a water sprite, and his friend ''Küken'', a baby

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

In popular culture

Even after German unification merged the former

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

into the Federal Republic of Germany, the ''Sandmännchen'' has retained a following, and it continues to be shown every night on German television. Periodic references have been made to it in film and literature. * In 2009, the band

Oomph! Oomph! is a German Rock music, rock band from Wolfsburg, formed in 1989. The band pioneered the movement. Their work contains lyrics in both English and German, with a shift towards German exclusively on recent albums (''GlaubeLiebeTod'', '' ...

released the single "Sandmann". The song is about the

child poverty Child poverty refers to the state of children living in poverty and applies to children from poor families and orphans being raised with limited or no state resources. UNICEF estimates that 356 million children live in extreme poverty. It is esti ...

in Germany and has many references to Sandmännchen. * ''Unser Sandmännchen'' is featured in the 2003 film ''

Good Bye, Lenin! ''Good Bye, Lenin!'' is a 2003 German tragicomedy film, directed by Wolfgang Becker. The cast includes Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, and Maria Simon. The story follows a family in East Germany (GDR); the mother (Sass) is ded ...

''. * The German

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...

uses the opening

monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...

from the West German ''Sandmännchen'', ''Nun, liebe Kinder, gebt fein Acht. Ich habe euch etwas mitgebracht'' (''Now, dear children, pay attention. I have brought you something''), in the intro to their song " Mein Herz brennt". The original demo version of the song was called "Sandmann". In the demo version, the contents had a darker tone than the finished version. In "Sandmann", a psychopath has murdered the real Sandmann, and masquerades as him. * The Norwegian 52 minute long documentary '' Sandmann – Historien om en sosialistisk supermann'' (''Sandmännchen – The History of a Socialistic Superman'') by Jannicke Systad Jacobsen from 2005 looks back on the rise and fall of

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

through the tales of Sandmann. * An application for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

has been released on 11 November 2015. * ''Unser Sandmännchen'' is the protagonist of the pop-essay ''La Repubblica di Sabbiolino - DDR... ma non troppo!'' (''The Sandman Republic - DDR… but not too much!''), by italian journalist Francesco Cristino published in Italy in 2020.

References

External links