Unser Sandmännchen, Das Sandmännchen, Abendgruß, Sandmann, Sandmännchen (Little Sandman) is a German children's bedtime television programme using stop motion animation. The puppet was based on the Ole Lukøje character by Hans Christian Andersen.
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Two versions of Sandmännchen were created: one in East Germany (Unser Sandmännchen), and one in West Germany (Das Sandmännchen).
The original idea came from Ilse Obrig of West Berlin TV and radio station Sender Freies Berlin (SFB), who with the help of author Johanna Schüppel, developed a working version 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, on 22 November 1959 (less than three weeks after the production had started), East German television (Deutscher Fernsehfunk, DFF) began broadcasting Unser Sandmännchen with its own "good night, children" character, also called Sandmännchen.
Created by the puppetmaster and director Gerhard Behrendt, the show represented everyday life, travel, and fantastic adventure, as well as a certain amount of propaganda. Some people claim that the title character bears a resemblance to the then leader of the DDR, Walter Ulbricht, and the show was often a showcase for DDR and Socialist technology and success. This is one of the reasons why he often arrived in amazing vehicles like futuristic cars and flying devices.
The production of the Western version of Sandmännchen ceased in 1991, following the unification of Germany. However, episodes from the DFF show are still run on German television today.
Wolfgang Richter composed the theme to the East German program in just three hours one evening. Wolfgang Krumbach wrote the text.
Opening verse (on the Sandman's arrival):
Which literally translates as:
Closing verse (when he leaves):
Again, this translates as:
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.
The East German show was shown in many countries, including western countries like Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway (Where he went under the name of "Jon Blund", "Nukkumatti" in Finland)
The theme song in Norway went as follows:
In English this means:
The theme song in Finland was:
In English this means:
The Sandmännchen stories contained a number of characters who remain popular today:
Even after German unification merged the former DDR 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.